The point of writing for yourself is to write the book that you want to read and hasn’t been written yet.
This is easier said than done. It may involve hours of research,hours combing the library and internet for knowledge, and inspiration to write the book.
There are people that say, write what you know. Why listen to them? With the number of self-published books available and authors self-publishing more every day, who is the audience?
If authors are passionate about a project, they need to write it the way they would like to read it. Will it sell? If there is a good story, characters, and synopsis triggers something in the person reading it, it will sell. A synopsis is like writing on the dust jacket of a hardbound book in the past, which I still prefer when reading for pleasure, but that is just me.
Reviews also help readers know that a book is available,worth reading, and waiting for them. There are many alternative sites to Amazon,who decides which review they will allow to be posted, as they are the800-hundred pound gorilla throwing its weight around.
For this reason, authors need to market their book via social media. Traditional publishers aren’t doing what they once did, which isa reason for so many self-published books hitting the various sites that sell books.
As a reviewer, I just wish that authors would edit their manuscript before publishing their book. It is disheartening to read books that need editing, I never give a five star rating when there are basic errors like grammar, punctuation, and typos.
Authors need assure that their manuscript is the best quality writing possible. Readers deserve the best work possible. They are spending their money for the author’s book and their reward should be something special, just like any product from a business which writing is.
Authors are entrepreneurs just any business. Authors should treat writing as what it is, a business.
Robert Medak
Writer/Blogger/Editor/Reviewer/Marketer
5 comments:
Thanks Robert. You make some good points. Too many people rush into print without first learning the craft.
When we have finished our first book, we are so excited to "get it out there," that we often start submitting before it's ready. I think that's a common phenomenon.
I agree about editing Robert. Now that the bar to becoming a published author is lower, more poorly editing books are being published. Editing is more than an afterthought - it makes all the difference between a good and not good book.
Absolutely, as a reviewer and editor it's so easy to spot a book or manuscript by an author who didn't take the time to thoroughly self-edit. It's a shame, especially for self-pubbed books that are of poor quality because it lowers the image of professionalism in the writing field.
Karen Cioffi Writing and Marketing
All good points, Ladies. But in the end, the buck stops with the author.
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