One reviewer's list of things they do not want to see

I follow this blog site regularly. The hostess is a reader/reviewer who wrote an interesting article that some of you might find interesting:

http://mistressofthedarkpath.wordpress.com/2011/07/12/important-notes-on-what-readersreviewers-do-not-want-to-see-in-a-story

There are several comments that complement her article.

Hope this helps!

Very good advice!!

Thanks for the link.

JoElle wrote:

Very good advice!!

Thanks for the link.

You're very welcome.

Thanks for the post. Right along with my thinking.

slb wrote:

Thanks for the post. Right along with my thinking.

You're most welcome.

Good stuff.

Abe F. March wrote:

Good stuff.

Thanks Abe.

Great blog. I'm going to bookmark it. Thanks for sharing!

melLkinder wrote:

Great blog. I'm going to bookmark it. Thanks for sharing!

You're welcome for the sharing.

Our blog is improving and I'm adding more information from other authors on things of interest for up & coming authors.

http://callsignwreckingcrew.blogspot.com/


Have a great one!

I agree the info is interesting! I also think it pays to keep in mind that genre makes a difference. Today's readers seem to prefer stories that meet these criteria; however, there are still those for whom beautiful prose that does go into great detail is a choice. Sometimes putting descriptions entirely into the dialogue feels contrived.

An author's style makes a difference also. I have read books that were entirely dialogue that kept me on edge. I have read books that were entirely without dialogue (first person accounts) that were equally enjoyable. One was the perspective of the dead spouse watching the subsequent events unfold.

I read a book recently that I couldn't get through. It just had too many characters to keep track of!!!

Famous authors do not always write books that are engaging! Indie authors may write engaging books that don't make the big time because they haven't been read by those who can connect them to the right marketing zing.

Please keep the advice coming. It is always amazing to me that authors continue to submit works that have basic spelling and grammar errors throughout. They are a distraction no matter how exciting the story. I remember one author saying, "it's the story that counts; if it's compelling, the reader will overlook the grammar and spelling errors. " Nope. Not the case. That advice also applies to posting on forums and blogs. I know I am guilty of being in a hurry and not checking...

Thanks again for the thought provoking post.

Critique partners seem like a great idea. I never knew there was such a scheme.

Critique partners is a great idea! Local readings groups often provide critique partners but they may also be found in forums and online. I attended a local reading group where critique partners started to write books together and ended up with contracts for the Harlequin and other similar book series. Their partnershp made their product sellable.

Wow! That's very motivating news!

dkchristi wrote:

I agree the info is interesting! I also think it pays to keep in mind that genre makes a difference. Today's readers seem to prefer stories that meet these criteria; however, there are still those for whom beautiful prose that does go into great detail is a choice. Sometimes putting descriptions entirely into the dialogue feels contrived.

An author's style makes a difference also. I have read books that were entirely dialogue that kept me on edge. I have read books that were entirely without dialogue (first person accounts) that were equally enjoyable. One was the perspective of the dead spouse watching the subsequent events unfold.

I read a book recently that I couldn't get through. It just had too many characters to keep track of!!!

Famous authors do not always write books that are engaging! Indie authors may write engaging books that don't make the big time because they haven't been read by those who can connect them to the right marketing zing.

Please keep the advice coming. It is always amazing to me that authors continue to submit works that have basic spelling and grammar errors throughout. They are a distraction no matter how exciting the story. I remember one author saying, "it's the story that counts; if it's compelling, the reader will overlook the grammar and spelling errors. " Nope. Not the case. That advice also applies to posting on forums and blogs. I know I am guilty of being in a hurry and not checking...

Thanks again for the thought provoking post.

I understand your points and I agree. I do know from personal experience that even the best laid plans of getting the right revisions published oft times goes astray. That's the beauty of publishing through Amazon or Barnes & Noble. You make the necessary changes and re-submit. They alert the people who have purchased the e-book. Then the purchasers' e-books can be updated without cost to them.

I also know some famous authors who have typos or grammatically incorrect usage of certain words that are spelled correctly. I don't think that I noticed them so much before I became an author myself though. A lot of the people that read our first version didn't catch the typos or errors either. It was the ones that were fellow authors that caught a lot of the issues and privately told me of them. It was great that I was already doing revisions at the time.

Speaking of getting the right marketing zing. We were interviewed by Karen Wodke of Wodke Hawkinson co-authors of Betrayed and a few other books. The interview went to Yahoo!

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/9058025/interview_with_lynn_hallbrooks_and.html?cat=38

Maybe it will be seen by a VIP and boost our sales. Hey a girl can dream can't she?

I'm grateful for spell checker on sites like this. It helps to alert me when I type faster than my eyes can catch.

Hope y'all have a great one!

RosenTrevithick wrote:

Critique partners seem like a great idea. I never knew there was such a scheme.

I didn't realize it either until I read this article. We plan to use a critique partner after we do a few revisions ourselves (on our second book & forward) to get the story line where we'd like it.

Have a great one!

That article at Yahoo is splendid! I didn't even know Yahoo had such content. Congratulations. I learn something new every day!

dkchristi wrote:

That article at Yahoo is splendid! I didn't even know Yahoo had such content. Congratulations. I learn something new every day!

I didn't know about it before today either. I'm constantly learning new things.

Thanks and have a great one!