Sue Bahr
  • About Sue
  • a writer's blog

Dear Writer... can we be honest?

5/16/2016

1 Comment

 
Picture
Dear Writer,

Please indulge me for a moment and allow me to share a brutal moment of honesty. This may sting a bit, but I feel it needs to be said.

As I perused my Kindle recently, searching for the next big thing, I began to get frustrated. Each sample downloaded held so much promise! Each lame opening sequence, or undeveloped character left me sour. 

Where was it? Where was that captivating story premise? That character so compelling I HAD to know buy the book to learn what happened to them? Where was the creativity?

I'm not going to dis self-publishing, but it is a gift wrapped in an enigma. A total Pandora's box. I guess I thought, when I bought my first Kindle reader, I'd spend hours glued to that little gray screen (yup, it was that long ago). But for every 10 books I sample, I read maybe one or two.

AND I LOVE TO READ!!!

So let me, your reader, pass along some advice. 

Make your story it's best before uploading! Take the time, dedicate the time to properly develop your story and character arc. Invest in editing. Use beta readers! Please, let's raise the standard of self-publishing to new heights!

Because I want to read your book. I want to love reading your book. I realize the vast amount of effort, of love and time you've invested in your baby. I know you're entrusting it to me when you place it up for reading, so why would you settle for anything less than the best most polished version?

I'm on your side. I'm your reader. Take care of me and I'll take care of you.
I promise.

Sincerely yours,
your reader
1 Comment
Judith Post
5/16/2016 11:42:33 pm

I have almost the same complaint about books I buy in book stores. I love the cover. The blurb sounds good. The first page is well written. But a good critique partner or one more edit would make a world of difference. I know that we all like different things, and not every book is going to wow me, but it's hit and miss when I try new authors.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    March 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    May 2017
    November 2016
    August 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    November 2014

    Categories

    All
    A Letter From A Reader
    Creating Awesome Antagonists
    Editing
    Writer's Journey

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.