Thursday Thirteen
Hello and welcome to another Thursday Thirteen.
I would like to say that this week’s list isn’t meant to be insulting. I’m not against self-publishing. I have a slightly negative opinion, but I’m not completely against it and this list certainly isn’t meant to be against all self-published writers.
Honestly, I’m just a little tired of reading books that are so obviously self-published…
1. Your story is fine and perhaps even engaging, but the editor in me is distracted enough to disturb the reader in me
2. Unchecked comma addiction…that continues through the story
3. Mixed up present and past tenses
4. The pacing isn’t smooth – and not because it works for the book
5. Your characters sound like each other despite age, race, cultural background…
6. …or your characters speech habits aren’t individually consistent
7. Spelling mistakes
8. I begin to wonder if you have in the beginning pages/chapters of the book
9. Using the wrong words
10. The writing style – slang, pacing, tense, everything – isn’t consistent
11. Grammar mistakes
12. When I read your book, I have the urge to get out my red editing marker
13. I end up looking your publishing company up on the internet instead of reading your book just to check to see if my instincts were correct
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Check out my other Thursday Thirteens at Write Anyway, Long Relationships, and The Book Stacks
March 20th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
*sigh*
I know. For many of these authors, a little more patience and dues paying (and learning) would pay off hugely for them in the end. I cringe when I go to BookCrossing and seeing all the things they are going to be doing with their new AuthorCrossing initiative, which is a partnership with AuthorHouse.
I’m all for self-pubbing, especially with so many mid-list authors being dropped due to sales that aren’t expanding fast enough. But when you rush to publish something before you’ve made your book the best it can be, you hurt all of us.
March 20th, 2008 at 5:34 pm
I completely agree. I feel so disappointed when I see someone who has the money and dedication to self publish, and yet doesn’t seem to have the time for editing.
It’s quite sad and, yes, hurts all of us.