Starting tomorrow (October 17th) the first book
of Ari Publishing’s best selling series ‘Revolution in America: Noon’s Rise to
Power is going to be available for Free. Here’s the Link:
Make a note to download your copy.
But that’s not what I want to
talk to you about. What I do want to talk about is new authors publishing on
Kindle before they’re ready. And the problem is, it reflects badly on indie
authors and publishing companies. These newbies haven’t yet learned the craft,
are convinced they don’t need to (all their
friends say it’s great) and are emotionally devastated when avid book
buyers come across their book, purchase it, then become furious and rip it to
shreds in reviews when they discover what could have been a good and engaging
story, is a poorly crafted, speechifying, error riddled, self indulgent piece
of crap.
So attention new authors, you
need to know this. Just because you know how to put pen to paper does not mean
you know how to write a book anymore than my ability to hammer a nail makes me
a professional carpenter.
As a publisher, and back in the
days when we were accepting new authors we were often startled when we would
receive full length novels written by people who clearly had no idea how to
write professionally.
Again, I own a paint set but I
wouldn’t accept a commission to paint the Sistine Chapel.
But I will admit most books on
how to write are crap. They are often dry text books that teach writing with
the same style and grace as a book on Certified Public Accounting.
I feel your pain, bubula.
Because writing is an art as well
as a technical profession, people need to remember to separate the two.
Technical writing is for the serious minded, for people who need clear, precise
instructions on how to do or build something. No fluff, no humor, no
personality. Just nuts and bolts, get the job done.
And let me point out that I
greatly respect this. It is far from easy to take an often difficult and
complex process and write it in such a way that a new-comer would be able to
comprehend and follow through. I have often said that any idiot can take a
simple concept and make it difficult whereas the real talent lies in taking
something difficult and making it simple and easy to understand.
Here’s another point to consider. If you ask
any professional novelist how they would feel if their first novel had been
published for all to see, I guarantee their eyes would widen, their face pale and
they would immediately begin wondering how much it would cost to buy every copy in existence
and have a 'hit’ placed on anyone who read it.
Sure there are often many a good
idea in our first attempts which is why you should learn the craft before
submitting anything for publication.
I became a published writer
before the days of Kindle and it was a long and frustrating battle trying to
learn what publishers were looking for, what submission policy was, the first 5
page rule, and so much more that I now take for granted.
The point is newbie writers don’t
know what they need to know. And don’t know how to go about getting that information. Yes, there
are creative writing courses, You Tube video tutorials and those dry 'how to'
text books on writing. But it’s not likely you’ll learn
the REAL skills necessary to get past the interns and to the real decision makers with them.
So, I made a promise to myself
that once I got Ari Publishing up and running I was going to take some time off
and write the definitive book on How to Write, Publish and Market your novel. And
I would price it for less than $5.00. Not the $25-$35 dollar most authors
charge. This way anyone who is serious about becoming a respected author and wants
to have a real chance at getting a book publishing deal can, just by reading
that book.
Seriously, if you’re thinking
about uploading your book to Kindle to get holiday sales simply because You think it’s pretty good and all your friends like it. Download
and read How to Write, Publish and Market your Novel into a Bestseller before
you do. See if you’ve taken all the steps necessary to avoid having it trashed
by the reviewers, ridiculed by authors and noted by actual publishers and agents
who will make a point to ignore any future submission you make to their
respective companies.
Don’t you think it’s worth the 5
bucks to keep from killing your writing career before it even starts? Read the
reviews and see what others say. Again here’s the Link:
