Another View--or two--on Self-publishing.

Most of you know my take on self-publishing. I've posted about it HERE. You also probably know that I am a reviewer at Underground Book Reviews--a site dedicated to reviewing "Indy-published books." We take a fairly broad view of "Indy," including small publishers, vanity presses (as long as they aren't imprints of a major publishing house), and self-published. At UBR, we're all very committed to providing honest reviews and feedback to authors, even when it means exposing them to some harsh truths about what they've put out. You can read about my approach to reviewing in this blog post: So, You Want Me to Review Your Book, and also at UBR HERE.

I've also written about the long haul of the writing life...it's a marathon, not a sprint. You can read my thoughts about writing as an endurance sport on author KW McCabe's website (and updated HERE in 2014), and about the patience required during the writing, querying, and publishing process HERE and HERE .

Yes, I've taken a pretty harsh tone for someone who did self-publish the electronic versions of my books (the print versions are published by Casperian Books, a full-service, no cost, fees, or book purchase requirements to the author, or, as the publishing industry truism says, "money flows to the author"). But, if you read those posts, you'll see that I'm not opposed to self-publishing, but I am very much against rushing to publish without "paying one's dues" by putting in the time and effort needed to learn and hone the craft.

Yesterday, an opinion piece appeared on Huff Post: Self-publishing: An Insult to the Written Word.

An insult to the written word.

Wow.

That's harsh. Even by my standards. And as a read through the comments (time-worthy) shows, many of her points really do lack validity. But, many of them don't.

A better, more evenhanded and accurate take on the impact of self-publishing on the reading and writing world can be found in Kristin Lamb's Blog Generation Author Snowflake & the High Cost of Instant Gratification.

This.

This.

This!

All authors and aspiring authors, all those who "won" NaNoWriMo in November and rushed to Create Space or some other instant-gratification site to "publish,"--you need to read this. Take it to heart. And while the "participation award" mentality may be more pronounced in the millennial generation, don't think any of us are exempt from the excitement and ego-stroking of some instant gratification. That's pretty clear in all the self-published novels from the 40-, 50-, 60-, 70+ year-old authors. While many are well-written, with great story-telling, an equal (or greater) number are premature publications, put out by "good writers" who didn't take the time and make the effort to become better, to strive for "great."

As Lamb predicted, the slush pile has been dumped in the reader’s lap and it has devalue what it means to say, “I am a published author.” It's been overrun with rough drafts from those who have always been told they're "good" writers. Sure, they're good--more than good enough for the writing in their life--the annual Christmas letters, the college-essays, their personal blogs. But is it good enough to be a "professional"--a published novelist?

Probably not.

In academia, good enough is a C...it's average. A "good" athlete doesn't walk on to a pro team without putting in an awful lot of work first. Why assume it's different for writing?

What's the solution to the glut of not-ready-for-prime-time published books out there?

That's the big question for all of us--authors, agents, publishers--isn't it?

We're still in the midst of the mayhem. A new model for publishing is still thrashing around, trying to emerge. It hasn't fully formed and worked out what it is yet.

I do think it's going to become more imperative for reviewers to give honest reviews, not just 5-star hoping for the same in return. I also think it's a disservice if/when reviewers only post a review if they can give >3-stars. That's not really helping anyone, is it? If an author has asked for the review, give it to them--the one they earn. They have every opportunity before asking for a review to find critique partners, edit, revise, rewrite, go through beta readers, rewrite again. Their failure in due diligence shouldn't give them a pass to not receive a bad review when it's merited.  Too many of us are worried about "revenge reviews" coming back at our own work if we're that honest. I'd like to think any petty, revenge-reviews would be obvious, so wouldn't really cause any real damage. Maybe that's naive.

We do need more review sites like Underground Book Reviews, where the reviewers are held to a high standard for our reviews (higher, at least, then I've found at some review sites where it's clear they're just pumping out 5-star reviews based on the back cover blurb and maybe some info they found on the author's website.). We are required to read the book, and we post the review the book earns, not the one the author necessarily wants.

Whatever the new publishing landscape turns into, one thing is clear: Self-publishing is here to stay. How does it become something that lets saying "I am a published author" retain its value?

I wish I knew.

So you want me to review your book...

Dear Author/Agent/Publicist,

You've asked me to review your book.

Really?

Have you looked at my tagline? You know, the one right up there in the header on my homepage, splashed across my business cards, and the first line of my bio? Let me refresh your memory:

Lynne M. Hinkey: Author, Marine Scientist, Curmudgeon.

 

If that doesn't give you pause, perhaps you should look up "curmudgeon" in the dictionary. Go on. I'll wait.

That shirt says it all.

 

Still want to send your book my way?

I know what you're thinking: but look at the first word in her tag line. She's an author so she'll know how tough the publishing world can be.

Let me dispel any misconceptions about my empathy that first word may suggest. Yes, I am an author, so yes, I do understand.

Here's what I understand:

I understand that a few typos can slip into a manuscript even after:

• two runs through the critique group;

• 2-3 beta readers;

• the professional editor (that didn't come cheap);

• the publisher's editor (if you have a publisher) or another pass by a few select and nitpicky readers if you don't; and,

• a final review of the galleys (where you find some errors, correct them, find some more, correct them, and make a very, final, last-ever-before-printing change to the galley).

That's the process I went through with my own novels only to open that first, hot-off-the-press copy and find a few errors. I understand mistakes happen despite our best efforts.

I understand the ensuing mortification that comes from thinking someone will suspect I'm an idiot or that I was so anxious to publish I didn't bother to proofread. 

Mostly, I understand if you haven't gone through something close to that degree of editing, your book isn't ready to be published.

I know firsthand, the agony of querying, waiting, and accumulating rejection letters. And I now understand those were often wake-up calls indicating I wasn't ready. I needed time to learn more about my chosen craft, hone my skill, and evolve.  

I understand working at one's writing craft for long, difficult years, squeezing in the time to write around other commitments (the ones that pay the bills). I've had my ego, swollen by years of being told what a good writer I am, trampled by writing groups and classes full of other "good" writers. I understand that good isn't good enough, and the work needed to go from good, to better, to maybe being ready to publish. I know it doesn't happen by magic, but through effort.

I know the resilience it takes to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard)  once again, after you've poured your heart into a novel only to have your queries met by the deafening silence of non-responses. I also know the shame of looking back at those early efforts ("Did I really dare send this unrefined, adolescent endeavor out into the world?") I know about those premature ejaculates shoved into the dark recesses of a drawer somewhere, the ones that serve as lessons in humility, the inexpert, heavy-handedness of the tyro  writ large across the page. They buoy us with the solid evidence of progress, showing how far our writing has come, and they prod us to keep improving by reminding us that we thought our writing was good enough then, too.

Yes, dear author, as a fellow writer, I am fully cognizant of your plight. I understand if you haven't gone through something close to that degree of anguish, failure, then overcome it and tried again, harder, better armed, better able---your aren't ready to release your work out into the world.

As a curmudgeon, I jealously guard my limited and precious reading and writing time. If you haven't invested the time and effort needed to develop your craft beyond its raw, novice stages, and to ensure your work is the best you're capable of, why should I?

I see a few of you are still reading, perhaps only in preparation of leaving nasty comments below. If I haven't frightened you away and you'd still like to request I review your book, here's what you can and can't expect.
 

Unless you've reached the pinnacle of your writing abilities and have produced a masterpiece, don't expect five-stars. Besides author and curmudgeon, the marine scientist part of me is a college professor. I equate stars with grades and here's a breakdown of my grading system.

A = 5 stars. Exceptional. Everything about this book is close to perfect. There are fewer than 4 errors per 100 pages (see, I'm sympathetic), well-developed scenes, characters, and plot, no plot holes, appropriate pacing for the genre, and (as appropriate) it meets the expected conventions of the genre.

B = 4 stars. Above average. While not perfect, this book has few errors (no more than 6 or 7 per hundred pages), is engaging, well-developed and executed, meeting the conventions of the genre (as appropriate), although some component of it (writing, setting, characters, or plot) falls short.

C = 3 stars. Average. This is the grade the majority of students will earn, and the rating the vast majority of books deserve. They're good. Not great. Self-published authors who have edited, revised, rewritten, and re-edited, should expect this rating, meaning your book is just as good as the majority of books out there.

If your book earns a D (below average or severely flawed) or an F (utterly fails to meet the minimum level of quality expected of a published work) don't worry. I won't embarrass you with a bad review because I'm not going to read very much of it. (No, I don't have the time to tell you why.)

If my refusal to give out 5-star ratings willy-nilly offends, well, I'm probably not the reviewer for you. Still thinking of asking me for a review? Check that dictionary definition of curmudgeon one more time. You also might want to read this post to get a better understanding of my thoughts on negative reviews.

If you are a sensitive soul and this post has made you question not only if you want me to review your book, but even if you're cut out to be an author ("If I can't have five-stars, I won't do it!"), look at your favorite books on amazon. I'll bet they don't have all 5-star reviews. Let's take a look.

Here are some books that I'd give 5-stars (so if your book is on a par with these, expect 5-stars, otherwise, don't.)

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams: 1266 reviews (886-5*, 201-4*, 84-3*, 42-2*, and 53-1*)

Lamb by Christopher Moore: 1296 reviews (984-5*, 193-4*, 55-3*, 27-2*, and 37-1*)

Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett: 171 reviews (95-5*, 51-4*, 17-3*, 8-2*, and 0-1*)

Skinny Legs and All by Tom Robbins: 147 reviews (103-5*, 21-4*, 11-3*, 8-2*, and 4-1*)

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle: 1553 reviews (998-5*, 299-4*, 117-3*, 52-2*, and 87-1*)

 

Those numbers should show you two things: first, just because you wrote a book doesn't mean you get all 5-star ratings. Yes, it's a big accomplishment, kudos to you for sticking with it, but the ratings aren't "attaboys" (or attagirls) for your writerly endurance, but an indication of the quality of that effort. Not everyone gets a trophy for participating. Second, reviews are subjective. I'd give all the books above five stars, but not everyone agrees. When you don't get a 5-star review, don't get too fussed. When you do, keep your ego in check. It's only one person's opinion.

So, back to the beginning. You've asked me to review your book. Still interested?

I don't guarantee you five stars. You'll have to earn those. I do guarantee I'll give an honest and thoughtful review.

Sincerely,

~Lynne M. Hinkey

Author, marine scientist, curmudgeon
and book reviewer at Underground Book Reviews
and the Internet Review of Books

 

 

Ye Gods! Book Release Party On Facebook: Details on the Schedule, Authors, and Books

Only ten more days until the release of Ye Gods! A Tale of Dogs and Demons -- and the big Virtual Release Party on Facebook! You're all invited, so stop in and add it to your Facebook Events calendar by clicking HERE.  

 To help you plan your day around the authors you want to chat with and books you'd like a chance to win, here's the Author Appearance Schedule." Click on their names to read about them and their books.

SCHEDULE OF AUTHORS
 Click on the author's name to get to their website and on the book title to see it on Amazon.

TIME	AUTHOR	BOOKS
12-1 pm	Lynne M. Hinkey	Ye Gods! A Tale of Dogs and Demons
		Marina Melee
1-2 pm	Normandie Fischer	Sailing Out of Darkness
		Becalmed
2-3 pm	Peter Bernhardt	The Stasi File
		Kiss of the Shaman's Daughter
3-4 pm	Amy Biddle	The Atheist's Prayer
4-5 pm	Tom Mahony	Pacific Offering
		Flooding Granite
		Imperfect Solitude
5-6 pm	Jo Anne V. Simson	Korea, Are You at Peace?
		The God that Says I Am
6-7 pm	Bob Sanchez	Getting Lucky
		Little Mountain
		When Pigs Fly
7-8 pm	Lynne Hinkey	Ye Gods! A Tale of Dogs and Demons Marina Melee

Coming Soon! The Atheist's Prayer by Amy R. Biddle

Author Amy R. Biddle's debut novel, The Atheist's Prayer, will be released on February 28th! I had the pleasure of reading an advanced review copy (ARC) of this fun, fast-paced satire and highly recommend it.

Funny and poignant, The Atheist's Prayer is a fast-paced, comic exploration of belief, disbelief, gullibility, and faith. Biddle's debut novel seamlessly blends the lunacy of a fairy-worshipping cult with quirky characters searching for answers, usually in all the wrong places. Written with style and humor, The Atheist's Prayer will pull you in, make you laugh and think, and leave you wanting more from this author.

You can pre-order The Atheist's Prayer at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or from the other sources listed in the links at Goodreads.

You can also read more about the author at her website.