Strange process!

Domenic Pappalardo wrote:

A book is never done, until it is done. Horrid reviews are what a good writer wants...it tells what needs work. If you never received a bad review, and the book has bad sales, you would never know why?
Writing a bad book does not mean you can't write, it just means, "THE BOOK IS NOT YET DONE."

That's good advice Domenic. I've read and re-read the review. The reviewer didn't read the book, if she had read the book, she may have reviewed it differently. Every comment she made referred to the first quarter of the book and you know what? That's my fault, I lost the reader at the start because the story is too slow and too repetitive. I need to weed it and re-structure it to grip the reader from the off and keep their interest right up to the end. I made the mistake of writing my first title in the manner of a long, short story instead of a properly structured novel. I've learned so much since my first attempt, this site has been a big resource in the learning curve. I think my second offering; 'Bittersweet Humiliation' is much better. Time for a 2nd edition of the first title methinks.

I received this review on Amazon:

1.0 out of 5 stars book, 11 Mar 2013
By 
Lyndsey - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase(What is this?)
This review is from: Mr. Planemaker's Flying Machine (Kindle Edition)
a very crap book i wished i had not got it to read but if you want to read it you can.

I think we have all received reviews from people who skimmed the book.  They cannot be taken seriously, however they do put a damper on future readers.  Personally, I don't buy a book based on what someone else says about it.  Sometimes a bad review is simply because it is not they type of book that interests the reader and they should not have read it in the first place.
As expressed on this forum, some don't want to read a book that has graphic content, whether that be sex or violence.  Others love it.  Matching the book to the reader's taste is the problem.

Negative reviews can be a real bummer, particularly when you receive them for formatting errors caused by Amazon updating their kindle apps. 

True story, I logged on and noticed a number of really bad reviews about my paragraphs and text being screwed up. I immediately took down my book and contacted amazon. They gave me the "we speak no english" bs and refused to fix the problem or remove the reviews. In the end I had to do what's called a code strip on my book and resubmit it, but to this day the reviews are still there.

In the book world, everyone is trying to screw you over, but the only way you can endure is to keep writing and keep striving to attain perfection in your work. Let the trolls troll and let the mishaps rain down, because at the end of the day none of them can take away your gift of writing.

- Grant

Shelagh wrote:

I received this review on Amazon:

1.0 out of 5 stars book, 11 Mar 2013
By 
Lyndsey - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase(What is this?)
This review is from: Mr. Planemaker's Flying Machine (Kindle Edition)
a very crap book i wished i had not got it to read but if you want to read it you can.

Such a pointless review; tells the author nothing and other readers less! The author of this review would probably have been out of her depth anyway Shelagh.
Thank you all for your words of encouragement. I think perhaps I was expecting a lot thinking that all reviews would have merit and value, even when negative.

GrantCostello wrote:

Negative reviews can be a real bummer, particularly when you receive them for formatting errors caused by Amazon updating their kindle apps. 

- Grant

When I uploaded my first Kindle book, it had serious formatting errors, which resulted in lots of returns. I took the time to learn how exactly to format for Kindle and uploaded a fresh manuscript as a mobi file (as that produced less conversion errors) I bought a copy and transferred it to my Kindle and Kindle fire and tested it in both environments. It was as near to perfect as my writing will ever be! Just prior to my recent FOC promotion, I contacted Amazon as the first and second title and the paperback versions don't show up together when you search by title or author. They said they would look into it. On the day the promotion started, the titles showed up together, but somehow, Amazon have now converted a version of the Createspace paperback, with physical page numbers 'et al' so now I'm getting returns again! It doesn't take long to upload again but in the time it's taken me to notice their mistake, more disgruntled readers! (Only 3 returns for 1500 downloads so not a reason to panic too much)

vmaxnick wrote:

Shelagh wrote:

I received this review on Amazon:

1.0 out of 5 stars book, 11 Mar 2013
By 
Lyndsey - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase(What is this?)
This review is from: Mr. Planemaker's Flying Machine (Kindle Edition)
a very crap book i wished i had not got it to read but if you want to read it you can.

Such a pointless review; tells the author nothing and other readers less! The author of this review would probably have been out of her depth anyway Shelagh.
Thank you all for your words of encouragement. I think perhaps I was expecting a lot thinking that all reviews would have merit and value, even when negative.

Without the bad how can we possibly appreciate the good? This review was posted four days ago:

"When I first started reading this book, I was unsure of what to expect. At the beginning of the story we meet what seems to be an ordinary family living in Pierton, England. Soon the reader learns that the father, Mr. Planemaker is seriously ill. The successful builder becomes depressed at his forced early retirement and seeks a hobby, which turns out to be making a model airplane. Some very strange things happen when he tries to teach himself how to research the internet to lay out his plans. He has mystifying dreams that involve colleagues seeking to entice him to enter a dark and grey house which then miraculously disappears. A kitten suddenly materializes in his car and strange talking characters like A. Leon Spaceman appear on the computer. Is he going crazy?

On the day his model airplane kit arrives, Mr. Planemaker passes away. Here I feared the story was going down hill. Part Two takes a whole new turn. Now the children assume center stage. Emmelisa and Dell Planemaker are now nine and twelve struggling to overcome difficulties with peers and adjusting to a life without their father. Emmelisa is being bullied at school because she refuses to join the gang led by Mayja Troublemaker. Her brother has moved to middle school and no longer can protect her. She keeps all this to herself and as a diversion decides to pass time by using her father’s old computer now hidden in the attic. To her surprise, she learns that her father has a whole set of plans and hidden secrets within it. Their mysterious family cat named Cosmos helps the children to unlock them. They discover its secrets by stepping into the computer itself and taking a real tour of the inside of a computer in nanosecond time. While inside the computer, the children discover their father has left them a mission to follow his “trail of light.”

Here is the third part of the story in which the reader is taken on a space flight on their father’s original model plane kit which the CPU staff has put together for them. They train there as astronauts, but their space flight will be controlled by Astrow Naught and Mission OnControl. The children learn a lot about the space station while they whiz pass all the planets and observe comet behavior. There are lots of surprises on the journey leaving in doubt their ability to find their father’s trail and make a successful return journey home before their mother notices that they are missing.

This book is a strange mixture of elements, coming of age, bullying, grief issues, computer knowledge, metaphysics and realism. I can’t explain why, but ultimately it works. The author successfully grips the reader into being a willing captive to the personalities of the characters and the strange twists and turns of the story line. Critics might say that it is rambling; yet valid issues are addressed and a great deal of information is relayed. Tweens and teens interested in any of these issues will find it to be a satisfying read. The quirkiness of the novel kept me glued to it because I could not figure out what would happen next. My bottom line is this book is really different; give it a look."

That is a very positive review Shelagh, someone had to be moved to write such a detailed and insightful report.
Bit of a plot spoiler though.
I envy you Shelagh, I couldn't write a children's book I'm afraid I would have had Dell accidentally run over Cosmos in his Camero before driving to Maja's school, dragging her out of the classroom by her hair and threatening to shoot her in the face if she didn't leave Em alone!
I think my inner child may have grown up too quickly!   

Oh the review is all good, Nick. No spoilers in sight. The last chapter ties together everything that is mentioned in the review. It's the best part of the book, in every respect, not least because the reader doesn't see it coming. "When I first started reading this book, I was unsure of what to expect." ... and that remains true until the very end.

You know, I have a different opinion about spoilers. I have often gone to a movie because I read a book or read a book because I enjoyed the movie. I have seen movies I love several times in original and later versions. So long as the writing is excellent there will always be a reason to read the book even if the surprise ending is known - at least for me.

I am beginning to think that vmaxnix is also Barbara Wood...reviewer.  In fact his words are almost her very words,  And Lindsey's.

Betty Fasig wrote:

I am beginning to think that vmaxnix is also Barbara Wood...reviewer.  In fact his words are almost her very words,  And Lindsey's.

LOL! Does Barbara ride a motorbike? Is Lindsey a biker, too?

I can ride one.  Maybe I am he or she???  Not.  Point taken.
Love, Betty

It's irrelevant.Let it go.

This is my opinion…before you bit into it, sprinkle it with salt.

I believed if a reader can see a part of their self in a character, they will read the story.

None of my stories have just one major character…I keep six to ten on stage. In this way I can pinch a spot on all readers.

Here s my theory. The twelve people who followed Jesus in the Bible were all different. Each reader can identify with one of them…”I have done that, I have said that, or I have felt that way.”

When a reader makes a bad comment, and given no feed back…I take that as, “The reader does not attach to a character.

And then there is the pepper; If a reader gets a nose full, they turn away.

Betty Fasig wrote:

I am beginning to think that vmaxnix is also Barbara Wood...reviewer.  In fact his words are almost her very words,  And Lindsey's.

I have been called a lot of things in my 51 years on this planet Betty, Barbara wood is not one of them! If you want to know more about me, click my sig, it's all there for the world to see. I don't write under a pseudonym I write reviews on Amazon as vmaxnick and on Goodreads as Nicholas P Boyland, because that's the name my dad gave me.  

vmaxnick wrote:

That is a very positive review Shelagh, someone had to be moved to write such a detailed and insightful report.
Bit of a plot spoiler though.
I envy you Shelagh, I couldn't write a children's book I'm afraid I would have had Dell accidentally run over Cosmos in his Camero before driving to Maja's school, dragging her out of the classroom by her hair and threatening to shoot her in the face if she didn't leave Em alone!
I think my inner child may have grown up too quickly!   

Did Barbara Wood really write this? She must watch 'Sons of Anarchy'  

Why do I get the feeling that I'm on the wrong page? It's late.