Saturday 12 November 2011

Finding great books to read - when there's all that 'dreck'

Attention Readers! Authors want to thrill YOU!


There are frequent comments on the net, in news media and on Kindle boards about the ebook 'dreck' available for purchase and how to avoid it as a reader and find the 'good stuff'.
Let's return to the pre-ebook days of around 3 years ago. I can remember back then, can you?
Book Selection - how I did it.
When I went into a library or a bookstore what did I do to select a book to read and buy? I would look at titles and covers, I would find one that interested me and pull it out and skim thru the pages, if I liked the writing I would buy or borrow the book. If I didn't like the skimmed content I put it back and persisted in looking till I did find something I wanted to read. 
Even then the process wasn't perfect - there were books I took home I found I didn't like - and books I loved; and I'm sure I left some on the shelf I would have enjoyed.
Amazon and other etailers allow sampling of books which fulfill these traditional requirements - skim reading a sample of the book is available... all is as it was for book selection - 
Three years later....
Suddenly with the popular adoption of e-readers and ebooks we have readers requesting that all ebooks be sorted into equivalent bowls of electronic porridge! 
When in a bookshop or library they were alphabetical or sorted by category or genera or small and large print.
The only way you can read a book similar to one you just read is to read more by that author! 


Authors like me don't like to repeat ourselves. Any of our books may well be unique - trying to find a collection of equivalent well written books similar to each other is impossible, no matter what illusions of similarity the sorting bots on Amazon.com or Goodreads.com may lead you to believe otherwise. 
Even when browsing books in a closely related genera - you will find them of huge variety and skill - trade published or indie published.


Readers - please understand this:- Authors are writing what they want to write - because now they can and earn more than double the money they could have traditional publishing


Self publishing is the only financially viable, business-like way to publish. 
Authors like myself and thousands of others are empowered to write whatever we want, however we want. 


Authors want to thrill you


Authors now have the opportunity to thrill a new generation of readers who always wanted to read a book like ours but could never find even one because the 'gatekeepers' would never consider publishing a book like that! 
The whole field of 'generas' is opening up in a thrilling and exciting way - beyond what anyone could have dreamed of even three years ago. 
I can't imagine any author bothering to write to a tight genera or sub-genera prescription now, unless that is what they really want to do.
We are free to write wonderful books that we love, books that thrill us, books of a dozen different generas; and put them up for sale for readers to find.


Books are as easy to select as they ever were - easier. 
Lazy readers who can't be bothered to sample books before they buy will get the 'dreck' they deserve. 


The reader is now the gatekeeper - 

readers have always had to choose. 


There will be no elegant bowls of sweet pre-sorted tight categories for lazy people to slurp onto their ebook readers and take home knowing that they will have a load of comforting podge to read themselves to sleep with.
I have met people like that - they read so they can read themselves to sleep.
I don't write for them! 


Readers have to take responsibility to load their Kobos Nooks, Kindles, Ipads and tablets with books they have actually selected by the same process we have always had to use. 
An internet etailer site is much faster to browse than a bookstore at the mall or a library!
Choosing what you want to read is your strength - use it well, Readers
Have fun with your choices and tell the author and publisher what you liked and did not like about their book.


Reading and writing are now a conversation - the first time we have had the chance to converse in the entire history of publishing.