Welcome to Book Blogging 101, a weekly feature on Parajunkee’s View that answers your questions and strives to share great book blogging tips and some helpful hints to help you on your way. This week we are starting a new added bonus to the book blogging 101 feature. This is going to be an ASK AUTHOR EDITION. Today we are talking with author, Sherry Soule about Indie / Self-Published authors.
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Based on last week’s BB101 post, a few things have come up that I would like to open a discussion about. Most of it involving self-published authors and that stereotype that hangs over their heads. I explained my reasoning for at a point not accepting self-published novels, but now in my career I have a lot of good friends and clients that have self-published, so I feel like a bit judgmental for doing that.
So, to combat that, I’ve invited the fabulous Sherry Soule, to the blog to answer some questions for us. You might know Sherry, or at least heard of her young adult series. I think she might explain a bit about how self-published authors feel about a particular stereotype that is the elephant in the room.
Sherry Soule: When Rachel (a book blogger that I consider as someone who sincerely loves to help and promote authors) approached me about participating in this discussion, I was glad to do it. Why? Because I support Indie authors. I love helping them promote their work. I wish most of them every success.
Self-publishing has become such a negative term over the last five years or so. Poorly written, published novels evoked stereotypes of amateur writers, whose novels were distributed at the cost of shoddy production value. While this is true in some cases, it is NOT true in all. Challenging the stereotype that all books published by Indie authors are crap and unprofessional, albeit the varying quality of work that is being self-published, some authors are producing high-quality stories.
PJ: How does it make you feel that some book bloggers stereotype self-published authors?
SS: Well, some Indie authors won’t like my answer; nevertheless I think self-published authors gave themselves a bad rap.
Now please allow me to explain, obviously some, not all, didn’t have their work professionally edited, or used critique partners, or even beta readers before publishing their work. If the novel is riddled with grammar, punctuation, and structure issues, it pulls the reader out of the story and then the focus remains on those obvious errors. Hence, the bad rap.
And I get it—some writers can’t afford to hire an editor, which doesn’t mean the book doesn’t have potential. Nor do they bother to create, or hire an artist to design a professional looking book cover, or a text formatter. One of the biggest mistakes some writers make is to take the appearance of their books for granted. Self-published authors often design the covers themselves, lacking the knowledge for creating an attractive, professional looking cover and/or interior layout that produces a high quality product for the potential reader.
In fact, these issues have done other self-publishing writers a disservice. They have helped perpetuate the myth that indie writing is shoddy.
PJ: Do you think the self-publishing stereotypes are founded in reality?
SS: Yes and no. Self-published authors have long tolerated the stigma of contempt from the world of book reviewers, because of the things I mentioned above. Although this stereotype has somewhat eroded in recent years, with people starting to sit up and take notice of the superiority of work produced by many self-published authors, these preconceptions unfortunately still abound within the book blogging community.
However, there have also been some great writers discovered by book bloggers, authors that normally might have been overlooked by the public.
Before John Grisham became a famous novelist whose works have been read by millions, he struggled to get publishers interested in a book called “A Time to Kill” which he initially self-published, and the initial “Chicken Soup for the Soul” novels were self-published. Even the infamous Indie author, Amanda Hocking started out as a self-published writer. The paranormal romance author wrote 17 novels in her spare time, and began self-publishing them in April 2010. By early 2011, Ms. Hocking had sold over a million copies of nine of her books.
So, remember there “are” many well-written books to be found and cherished in the Indie publishing world, if you are willing to weed through the muck. I also feel there are a lot of shoddy books published by the traditional publishing industry too.
PJ: If you do think there is truth behind some stereotypes, how have you tried to overcome them in your own work?
SS: There is some basis of truth to the label. As I stated in my answer to the first question, a number of self-published authors gave bloggers the rope in which to hang themselves by not publishing a quality product.
However, as a former book reviewer, I also think some bloggers are unduly harsh even to traditionally published authors in their reviews—what some consider author bashing. I think there are a lot of inexperienced or amateurish bloggers that don’t understand what an ARC is either.
Just in case you are unfamiliar with what the term ARC, it refers to an Advance Uncorrected Proof of a novel. As a marketing tool, publishers and Indie authors provide free copies of a book to bloggers and book reviewers. These are often referred to as an advance copy, an advance reading copy, or ARC. It’s a form of the book privately released before the manuscript is printed for mass distribution. Usually, before a novel is published, review copies are given to reviewers in a very limited distribution so that any overlooked errors, typos, redundancy, and grammar goofs can be caught and corrected “before” further publication proceeds.
I made the mistake of sending out ARCs too early. I sent out review copies prior to the book’s release date, the novel hadn’t been thoroughly edited yet, and I received a scolding review. (I will not make that mistake again.) HOWEVER, I did not respond in an unprofessional manner. I still thanked the reviewer for their time. Were my feelings hurt? You betcha. But if you’re going to put yourself “out there” you’d better develop tough skin.
Now.
I personally do not abide author bashing OR reviewer bashing. Be professional—people!
Wait—what was the question? Oh yes, how did I overcome it? By publishing the best novel I could. 
PJ: Do you believe the view of self-publishing has changed in the last year?
SS: YES. But overcoming the stereotype some bloggers still have about self-published books is one of the biggest challenges for Indie authors. Even with the success of self-published authors like Amanda Hocking and L. J. Sellers, the stereotype is tough to dispute, but…guess what, folks: That is slowly changing.
PJ: What advice can you give to other self-published authors that might also be trying to break through the stereotypical mold?
SS:
- Produce quality work
- Have your novel professionally edited
- Read your work aloud. This means the ENTIRE novel.
- Have it reviewed by unbiased readers and get a critique partner or two.
- Hire a professional cover designer and text formatter
For someone going the self-publishing route all of these things are important when presenting your work to the public. The few writers that don’t bother or care about appearing professional hurt the chances of other Indie authors, which do care enough to produce professional, quality novels. Smart writers read books on improving the craft, take writing courses, speak to published authors, and go to conferences and talk to agents and editors, and learn how to improve as a writer. Until self-published author take his or her time to create a professional book that is formatted and edited well, then the stereotype is gonna stick.
Does this mean that your work will be perfect? No. Although you’ll be a hell of a lot closer to perfection than others, thus avoiding a bad review and gaining a wider audience for your book. I had my novel edited by three different editors and it still needed some tweaks, but the finished product was in great shape. (But the scolding review did help me to make some necessary changes to the storyline, which improved the narrative before publication.)
My point is this, if you “do” decide to self-publish, please make sure your novel is in the best shape possible—don’t give reviewers or readers a reason to stereotype us!
PJ: How do you approach potential reviewers to consider your work?
SS: I always check a book reviewer’s policy first, and then I send a polite, professional email request. I did have one reviewer tell me that normally they do not accept Indie authors for review, but after reading the excerpt and the synopsis, they offered to read my novel. And to my delight, the reviewer loved it!
And it doesn’t bother me if a reviewer doesn’t accept indie novels for review—because they are the ones that might be missing out on reading some terrific books.
PJ: How has the self-published journey been for you? Is there anything you would do differently?
SS: It has been a vast learning experience. Sure, I made some mistakes starting out. I learned from them and moved on. There isn’t really anything I would do differently—I knew that I needed to make sure that my book was in the best shape possible before publishing it. I sincerely didn’t want to publish something that was considered lousy and add to the stereotype that Indie authors are slapdash and not worth considering. Because we’re not!
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No, I don’t think that Indie or Self-Published authors are all slapdash (I like that word!) or not worth considering, just I guess with the easy of self-publishing lately there have seemed to be a flood of poor quality books out on the market, which if a blogger wades through a few of them will give Indies a bad name. But, based on authors like Sherry Soule, and Amanda Hockings, should we rethink our policies? No one likes to be the victim of a stereotype. Are we being just downright snobby by putting that we don’t accept self-published authors? What is your take on this whole situation.
XO – Happy Thursday, Talk Less, Read More.
For more information on Sherry Soule:
SS BIO:Indie author, Sherry Soule is a writer blessed with a vivid imagination and lives in San Francisco, California. She writes supernatural tales of romance, magick, and demon slaying. Her debut novel, Beautifully Broken was published August 2011 and is nominated for best paranormal romance (Wizard and Witch 2011) by The Romance Reviews (TRR).Where you can find Sherry Soule online:
Official website: http://sherrysoule.com/
Blog: http://sherrysoule.blogspot.com/
Ask Author Feature:
For authors interested in participating, please email me at parajunkee at gmail.com, please only seriously interested authors that wish to drop some knowledge, not just promote their book.
Bloggers, if you want to submit a question for an author that will be on the feature, just use the form below, preface it with #ASKAUTHOR: Then your question
I can’t get to all the questions, but please ask your BB101 Questions here…bring it on.
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This was a great post!
I have always been happy to consider indie authors’ books fore review. Those I turn down are usually because the story doesn’t interest me or it is in a genre I don’t enjoy.
Sherry has hit on a number of good points. I think it’s fabulous that tools such as e-books have allowed indie authors to get their work out there to a wider audience. But I do expect a certain level of professionalism in the books I read (from publishing houses and indies) and some authors really let the side down. I have noticed in the last three months or so an upswing in the number of indie books being reviewed and they interest generated by them has been good for the industry.
I invite indie authors to keep at it – if your story is good the readers are there.
Shelagh
The Word Fiend
I have found tons of great indie author. Some of my favorite books are from self published authors. I would never put in review policy that I do no accept self-published authors, because I think I would miss out on a lot.
I do agree with Sherry though make sure you put a book out there that is well edited. It really drives me crazy when a book is so full of mistakes that sometimes you can not even figure out what a sentence means. This does not happen often though. And a pretty cover never hurts.. Its what catches my eyes a lot.
Great info. I’ve read a few books by authors that was not self-pub that had more mistakes in the book than some indie authors. That just goes to show that not every editor is good either. It really sounds like a team effort to publish a good book.
Some of my favorite reads are indie books, some self published authors have gotten a bad rap, but not every self published author produced unedited books. Thanks for the awesome interview, I highly recommend reading indie books! Book Savvy Babe
What a great BB101!
I accept and read Indie novels and I must say if I didn’t I would loose out on a lot of great reads! I have read some amazing Indie novels and a few ones that needed some editing, but that will never stop me from accepting more.
I hope all Indie authors read this post!
I am a huge fan of the indie/self-published author, though for the time being I’ve stopped accepting requests from new SP/Indie authors I don’t know, because I’m so backed up.
There are so many amazing authors who do use editing services, who produce a quality product that has few – if any – grammatical errors. But then there are those who don’t. And it always makes me wary of new authors unless I’ve thoroughly checked them out. See samples of their writing, see what other readers have had to say.
And while I’m not one who takes off any points for uncorrected ARCs, it does affect your ability to connect with the story if there are just too many mistakes.
I just think it’s more the professionalism on the part of a couple “bad apples” that affects SP/indie author reputations more than an unedited ARC. It’s what makes me the most fearful. Just turning down a request when a policy clearly states that you aren’t accepting requests can lead to drama. Or the “Hey Blogger, here’s my book, when can you review it?” emails.
And just saying I wasn’t accepting new indie authors right now got someone to tweet me saying that it was too bad I was banning indie authors. Um no. I don’t ban anything. But that kind of response… well, you get the point. Anyway, I’ve rambled enough.
It’s that fear of the unprofessional backlash for a less than stellar review that is far more likely with an indie/SP author than with a traditionally published work that I think hurts the SP author far more than a poorly edited final product or a cheaply made cover.
“Or the “Hey Blogger, here’s my book, when can you review it?” emails.”
Oh yes there is nothing I hate more than when someone expects me to read their novel in a certain time period that they have decided on.
But on the other side there are Author that don’t mind waiting and that won’t pressure you.
Oh I agree. I have some wonderful authors who approached me with no timeframe and understand when I’m delayed due to life getting in the way. Those I love and appreciate to know end. But those are the ones I accept for review, not the authors who simply send it without ever having spoken to me before or properly introducing themselves. And then giving me a deadline. It’s just not great etiquette or showing a level of respect.
I totally agree with everything said in this post. I have been reading a lot of self-published books lately, and yes, some of them have not been as professional as a book published by a big publishing company, but one of my favorite books right now is by a self-published author!
I am happy to accept independently published work and have read some totally fabulous stories released that way.
For me the question is never whether I like the author, or how they are published, or whether their book cover is plaited in 24k gold. What matters is whether a story connects with me … or not.
Grammar, punctuation, chapter length, cover design… This is all interfacing. It’s the stuff I -shouldn’t- notice when I’m reading. (If I notice the cover *before I start* that’s a good thing.) It’s kind of like the roof of a house — you know it’s there but you should never feel like it’s going to fall on you.
I’ve given five stars, and even my Kat’s Meow Award, to independent fiction (The Scarlet Dagger by Krystle Jones) and I’ve one starred best sellers (Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater)… Not because one is *better* then the other, but because one I connected with and one I didn’t. (On a side note, I’m actually really enjoying The Scorpio Races — Maggie *can* write, but I just couldn’t get into Shiver at all.)
I treat all of the books I review the same. I don’t have ‘this is how I pick the rating for traditional publication’ and ‘this is how I pick the rating for independently published fiction’ either. Either I love a book or I don’t. (Or it’s somewhere in those lovely shades of gray that are ‘okay’, ‘good’ and ‘great’.)
I must say, though, that my experience with authors who have contacted me with their work has been extremely positive regardless of the rating the books have received. I can certainly sympathize with those who are weary to work with new authors because they’ve had awful experiences. And no one should make someone feel bad because they are too busy to take on new requests, either.
Anyway, this is getting really lengthy. What a great discussion, though! Bye!
Really really excellent post. It’s like I said in the comment from last week’s 101, not all self pubbed authors are bad, but unfortunately, those that support the stereotype–those that don’t edit, those that throw epic online fits, those whose sense of entitlement can be seen from space–ruin it for everyone else.
I used to read/judge for a local literary contest. Even though entries were anonymous (print outs only, no covers or names), I could always tell when a submission was self published due to the lack of quality editing, writing, and formatting. And while there are occasionally similar problems in traditionally published books, the difference between the two is still oftentimes glaringly obvious.
Smiles!
Lori
First off.. LOVE the new look.
Second.. I love Indie authors. They let me read/review their books! LOL I’ve had more good experiences with them than I have bad. In fact, only a couple books have been really really bad and only once have I gotten whiplash from the backlash of giving an honest review.
All that being said I am at a point now where I am considering closing the Indie door for the time being. Not because of quality of their work.. just because of the sheer quantity of Indie Authors who want reviews. I go back and forth with this because I love helping promote these books but at the same time feel incredibly guilty that I can’t seem to read and review fast enough to satisfy everyone. And I’m not even a ‘big’ blog!
I don’t know what I’m going to do. But I do love Indie Authors!
I have this same issue- I think because finding blogs that review indie and self published titles isn’t always easy, when one consistently does, word travels fast! The way I’ve finally decided to deal with all of this is to be honest about what my timeline looks like and to say that I can’t commit to a specific review date but I will put the book in the queue and do my best. If someone has a specific timeline in mind, like a tour or something like that, or would really like the review to coincide with a release date, I will do my best to accommodate that if I can. I’m not a machine and I think authors in general understand that- I’m sure authors would rather have one quality review of their book that’s specific in its praise and criticisms than a hundred crappy ones that were put together in ten minutes just to get the post up. All we can do is our best!
Great post! I’m an advocate for Indie authors. I’ve read some AMAZING Indie books. There are several reasons I’ve put mine on hold. One is I don’t have a whole lot of time and when I was getting 5 book requests a day at one point (I was accepting everything appealing) but then starting multiple books that were just not for me…it became REALLY hard for me to weed through and find a book that I could keep reading until I finish. Then I felt HORRIBLE for not reviewing a book when I know that the author is REALLY wanting to get reviews out there. I am now at a point that I read books from Indie authors that I’ve already read their work or if they come HIGHLY recommended. Maybe sometime soon I can start opening up requests again.
This is such an excellent post. I’m an indie author advocate and I feel bad for the bloggers who don’t read indie work. Their truly missing out and should be a little more open minded. If the book is no good they do not have to finish it.
What a lively discussion! Sorry, but I do tend to ramble when discussing something that I am passionate about. I always think it is best to act considerate and professional at all times. And I mean this to both book reviewers and authors. Sometimes I have to remind myself of that saying, “You catch more flies with honey than vinegar.”
Everyone has a right to their opinions, and I realize that book reviewers will not love everything they read whether a book is self-pub or traditionally published. Readers and reviewers have varied tastes and preferences. There is such a diverse array of novels being published now that readers can find a large number of books to match what they are comfortable with reading.
What I “don’t” understand is the need to ridicule the author and their work by insulting them publicly. There seems to be such a lack of respect in the literary world, thus giving many book review sites a bad rap. The one thing that makes me cringe are the reviewers that post an honest, professionally written review on the blog or website, then turn-around and post a completely offensive and downright nasty review on other sites like goodreads.
As an indie author, I will only publish what I consider my best work possible, I don’t expect everyone to read a Sherry Soule novel and love it. A book review is one person’s opinion and does not represent the views of the masses.
So I suggest a solution…one way of offering to read Indie books (and avoid any possible author or reviewer bashing) is to reserve the right “not” to write a review. If the author agrees with this stipulation, then accept the book.
I don’t pull my punches in my review of any book, but one thing that I have done that seems to help is that if I read a book that was submitted for review and I truly thought it was awful, I will email the person who submitted it, be it author or publisher, and say, this is my review of the book, do you still want me to publicly review it? Unsurprisingly, most folks say, thanks for your feedback and I withdraw my review request. That way, I have given my feedback to those in question, they can do with it what they will.
That’s awesome. And very considerate of you.