From a Reader’s Perspective:
Many people have the opinion that self-published books are usually of lower quality than books from established publishing houses. Yet most voracious readers have ploughed through mainstream-published books that aim for mass appeal, but contain little or no originality. Both self-published books and those from large publishers are often peppered with grammatical errors and misspelled words. We don’t believe in creating a war between authors, just as we don’t believe in literary snobbery; quality literature is quality literature, regardless of its mode of production. We want to hear your opinions (complimentary and/or constructively critical) of self-published books you’ve read. Have you perceived differences in quality between self-published and mainstream-published books? If so, what are these differences? Please avoid sweeping statements and wide-ranging generalisations; we’re looking for specifics.
Leave a comment below or send your response to bluebonnets.bagpipes.and.books@gmail.com. We may mention some responses in a future podcast.
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criches6
I try indi books all the time, and I have to say that the majority of them are crap. I understand about some spelling and grammatical errors, but they tend to have so many that you wonder if they even bothered with spell check. Another thing I that I find in a lot of indi books is improper word usage, or the random throwing in of “big” words in an otherwise simple story. I know you said not to make sweeping generalizations, but these are things that knock you out of the story, and that is a big deal. Because often, the story isn’t really enough to hold your attention anyway. I still try indi books, but I think there needs to be a service they can get, either free or for a fee, that helps them with the very basics of writing–spelling, sentence structure, plot holes, etc. I don’t think they’re all crap, for the record, and its a great way to get started.
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digitaldivaducky
I would check out Bestseller Bound Recommends for some of the better indie books out there and other sites that review indie literature.
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Anne-Marie Klein
I think there is a greater potential for crap for indies because there is often one or two less gatekeepers (agent and editor). I’ve only just discovered indie authors as a reader from publishing my own two indie books, and I think as long as I am discriminating as a reader, I am going to be able to find the indie gems much like I have generally found the traditional ones. In the end, it’s about what you like, and there’s enough out there for both worlds to coexist.
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digitaldivaducky
Traditional publisher put out their share of crap, however there are way more people self-publishing than before so the ratio is perhaps getting screwed up.
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digitaldivaducky
This is why reader reviews are important to readers and authors alike. Give constructive criticism to the author and let other readers know if the work is excellent, mediocre or sub-standard. It is sad that on the whole that bad apples are in danger of perpetuating the stereotype that indie publishing is crap. As a “Indie” supporter and a reader, I am disgusted by the lax attitude that some have. Those authors who do not take writing and publishing seriously should be called on the carpet by other writers and readers alike.
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digitaldivaducky
This was posted on my Facebook page by a friend when I asked the above question of my friends:
Barbara :
Since purchasing my Kindle and Nook, I have become a HUGE fan of what I like to refer to as Indy Writers. Not only is it economical, but I have discovered a rash of new authors that I now follow. We all have our favorite mainstream authors, but mine just can’t keep up with my reading habit demand. My preferred genre is murder/mystery/psychological/political thrillers. The e-books weren’t ALL winners, but then I’ve read some high cost mass appeal turkeys too! I have to laugh as I read the reviews on the e-books that are critical of the author or book which equate the cost to quality ratio and their enjoyment of the book…snobbery I say! I do find significantly MORE grammatical/typo/format errors in the e-books, but not in ALL of them. My knowledge of the e-publishing process is lacking so I don’t know what causes one book to be rife with errors and the next three with few. In the mainstream market I find very few, if any, errors. E-books nearly always have SOME errors but I have read three or four books recently that were just so riddled with them that it made me wonder how the author even signed off on it (if in fact that is part of the process).
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