There are many good books out there but I am having trouble finding them. Ever since I came across Jess C. Scott’s teenage blog novel, Eyeleash, I’ve known that some very talented writers will emerge from the epublishing revolution.
The trouble is, so many bad ones are overwhelming them.
The marketing tactics used by some of the bad writers show enormous creativity. It’s frustrating that their creative energy doesn’t get channelled into their books. I don’t doubt that these authors are working very hard. But their methods in some cases are so fraudulent that I’m surprised they’re legal.
Amazon seems to encourage the worst of them. Anything that sells books is OK with Amazon.
So for readers it is becoming more and more important to have an expert guide with you when venturing into the Amazon jungle.
One such guide, I’ve discovered, is book blogger Vanessa Wu, who writes very readable reviews. Unlike many bloggers, she is not there just to serve indie writers. She reviews a whole range of authors, from Jane Austen to Stephen King and her insights are both witty and incisive. The indie authors she singles out are well worth investigating, I’ve found.
Of course, it’s a little off-putting that her focus is on erotica which, being a respectable English gentleman, I don’t read. But it would be a great shame if, like Henry James’s character, John Marcher, we wasted our lives and denied ourselves the greatest pleasures because we were afraid of the Beast in the Jungle.
The picture is a famous optical illusion. Can you spot the hidden tiger? It helps if you can read.
ooh, i found the hidden tiger (nice way to start the morning)!
not too sure about the fraudulent marketing tactics mentioned. though the end justifies all means when the focus is primarily on profits.
i think the truly creative/talented types have to just believe in what they do. the reward/s will come in the right way at the right time (what you reap = what you sow).
i guess it helps if one doesn’t take things TOO seriously as well.
There are no shortcuts to any place worth going. ~ Beverly Sills
“If I cannot overwhelm with my quality,
I will overwhelm with my quantity.”
~ Emile Zola
Hello Jess. I spent a little while this morning reading all the one-star reviews on a so-called kindle bestseller. The readers seemed very upset that their time and money had been wasted on the book and many said they wouldn’t have read it even if it was given away free — which, in fact it was, until it reached that high place on the bestseller lists. There was a lot of arm-twisting and manipulation going on behind the scenes with that one. I suppose guerilla marketing is OK if your product is good. If not, people can get very vocal in their condemnation of it.
I like the quote from Emile Zola.
greetings — i’ve seen that (initial freebie to get a high placement on the bestseller list/s) being done for some time (since middle of last year, though i think the option was only available to traditional publishers then).
i’ve read of a few other manipulative tactics. personally i’ll usually just take a look at the excerpt/sample to decide if i want to buy.
i suppose some “tricks” are OK if the product is indeed good. i have a few “tactics” i might implement myself, though i’ll need to expand on a few more projects first. i will let you know what works and what doesn’t.
i love all quotes by John Ruskin also!
Some people don’t seem aware that you can download a sample, which is a shame.
Ruskin is indeed very quotable. A book worth reading is worth buying. True.
I’m sure that many people who download free books are just testing their kindles to make sure they work. The book itself is inconsequential.
I’ve downloaded dozens of free books. I usually just read the first page then delete. I’ve probably helped many bad books become “bestsellers” through my thoughtlessness.
Once, in fact, I got a free paperback from a bookshop and it was quite good. I didn’t buy any more books by the author, though, which was the point of the promotion. I felt a bit mean about that.
Yay, I found the hidden tiger! Thanks for sharing your expert guide.