Are Paid Book Reviews Unethical?

With the flooding of self-published work there comes another flood -- paid reviews. It seems there are a few well-known reviewers climbing aboard to take advantage of a new opportunity to make money, i.e. charging for their reviews. And I'm talking big dollars to fork out. Well, at least for some folks like myself with limited income it is a bit steep. Kirkus Indie charges $425 to $575 for a 250-350 word review. This option is geared toward self-pubbed, indie pubbed, POD, etc. authors. Okay, so on their webpage they do state that you will receive "a fair and unbiased assessment of your work" and that the rating can be anywhere from positive with stars down to negative.


Can you imagine? Fork out a few hundred, hard-earned dollars and get back a negative review? Ouch! At the same time, isn't this what really should happen? An unbiased, honest-to-goodness review of your work. I'd imagine that's what everyone should expect, but it's a pot-pourri of feedback out there. Friends and relatives who only want to give you a pat on the back and a leg up, persuading potential readers to buy your book. And of course, there are many others out there who would probably say all sorts of nice things, warranted or not, if you shoved some green under their noses.


I say this. Getting reviews, paid for or not, will always bring some bias along with them. In other words, it's not a perfect system. I, for one, from the reader's POV tend to ignore book reviews. If something strikes my interest, I buy it and read it to gather my own conclusions. But that's just me. As an author with a few books out there, both adult and teen fiction, I haven't really gotten much of anything in the review department. My books are selling okay, nothing worth writing home about, and I often wonder ... if I paid people to review ... hmm....


So, what's your take on it? Are paid reviews okay? Do you read reviews and let them influence your book-buying habits?

Whips, Cuffs, and Little Brown Boxes
Not So Snow White
Cinderella Geek

My alter ego, K. Sean Jennkrist has surfaced and created a new fairytale. Enjoy the magic!                                      
                                          NOT SO SNOW WHITE

NOT SO SNOW WHITE is a modern teen fairytale that's magical, adventurous, mysterious, romantic, humorous, sensitive, and so much more. Winter Snow takes advice from her elfin-sized sidekick she's named Duane and journeys to find her missing dad. She soon discovers she has more than "elf power" to help her. Winter has "witch power". It's an exciting battle with good witches and bad, with school bullies versus the witchy freak, and then of course add in a little romance to comp..is a modern teen fairytale that's magical, adventurous, mysterious, romantic, humorous, sensitive, and so much more. Winter Snow takes advice from her elfin-sized sidekick she's named Duane and journeys to find her missing dad. She soon discovers she has more than "elf power" to help her. Winter has "witch power". It's an exciting battle with good witches and bad, with school bullies versus the witchy freak, and then of course add in a little romance to complicate things and you have Winter Snow's life. The ending will leave you feeling good since Winter gets to discover more about her family and herself. Lots of surprises and lots of entertaining fun. It's CINDERELLA GEEK (the first in this series) but with a magical boost. Only 99 cents in Kindle format.

Having a LILLY Moment

If you write stories, I'm sure you will relate to my experience. I had a Lilly moment. Lilly is the main character in my mystery novel WHIPS, CUFFS, AND LITTLE BROWN BOXES. To know her is to love her ... or maybe hate her. It depends on the day. To put it briefly, or as short as I can possibly make it, Lilly is a forty-year-old, single woman who has issues. Guy issues, mother issues, friend issues, crazy neighbor issues, job issues, and the list goes on, but I promised to TRY and make this short. Anyway, Lilly gets inside my head and if you want to say I have a case of multiple personalities, okay. I'll buy that. I love my Lilly. In fact, I love all the characters in that book. They are family. But I digress ... I had a Lilly moment when my niece was explaining--she's fifty-five, divorced, and seeing this really great guy--that her guy friend had made an insensitive comment about her weight. WELL, Lilly popped into my head and the fireworks started. She went on a rampage about how great my niece looked and if guy friend didn't like it, then he could ... well, you get the picture.
Okay, so this little anecdote was really meant to be educational and informative, a writer's tidbit of advice. So, getting right to it ... Know your characters, become friends, create the whole picture for them, have conversations with them! If you do this, when you write their scenes, they will act naturally, genuinely, and everybody reading will say, "Wow! Now that's great writing!" Of course, side effects include the occasional Lilly Moment, i.e. replace Lilly with your character's name. But it's worth it!

So, go write yourself a few friends and have a great story to tell :-)

WHIPS, CUFFS, AND LITTLE BROWN BOXES
CINDERELLA GEEK

Pointing in the Right Direction ... Summer Reading Sale

 Have an ereader? Want some new titles to jazz up your summer reading experience? If you want some great buys ... check out the Smashwords July Sale where there are discounts from 25 to 75% on dozens of titles -- including mine, and also mine :-) -- and better yet, if the Kindle is not your thing, they offer the downloads in all sorts of formats to suit all sorts of eReaders. So enjoy!

The Smashwords July Sale

Celebrate the Fireworks in Your Writing!

Each of you probably have your own manner of celebrating this holiday, one of them being going to watch the fireworks ... bright, colorful, an explosion of sound echoing in the sky. Ask any kid, or many adults for that matter, what the favorite part or most memorable part of the Fourth is, and most all will say the fireworks. So, enjoy the display and think about this ...


When you write, do you include fireworks? You know, the words, the action, those little or big impacting features that make your story go ZING, POP, BOOM so your readers will grip the edges of your book and never want to put it down until the last page. Or are you afraid you may be putting your readers to sleep with too much detail, backstory, and just too much stuff that's boring? It's a challenge. Today's readers are demanding. They need to be entertained to the nth degree. Give them any less, and you might be losing them. And then they move on to the next book. There are millions out there to choose from.


Now, when I say fireworks in your writing, I need to explain that fireworks aren't limited to those action scenes you find in movies like Transformers or Independance Day. You can include intimate moments, those personal moments that may slow the pace down, but they have all the crackle and pop to call their own. It may be the choice of words, that pause given in dialog, that phrase to describe a character's expression ... just so many fine nuances that make the difference between good writing and great writing. One contemporary writer who just blows me away with his style ... whether he is writing an action scene or a quiet conversation ... his prose is superb. It's the kind of prose that makes a writer want to cry and say, "I want my writing to be like that." Take a look at James Lee Burke . I read one of his earlier novels, In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead. Of course, there are many more. I am in awe of his style.


The catch here is that I can't really explain in so many words what "fireworks" in writing is. I just know it when I read it. But I can say this ... find a beta reader, someone who will give you an objective opinion. If you suspect or worry that your writing may be boring, give it to that person and see what he/she thinks. If it turns out to be the "yawn" you suspected, go back to the "writing board" and work on that. There are many books out there on writing advice. I realize it may be confusing and overwhelming to choose. I can suggest a couple in my library that have helped me.

• Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell
• Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Browne & King
• Manuscript Makeover by Elizabeth Lyon

The last two are really great after you've finished your story and you are ready to revise, but I think it's wise to be armed with knowledge beforehand and thus avoid making those common mistakes in the first place.


I hope this encourages rather than discourages your efforts in writing. It's a battle, but like anything one sweats and toils over, the end product becomes worth it. If you have any books on writing or suggestions of authors who have that sparkle, crackle, pop in their writing, please share!


Happy Fourth of July!!!!

How to Deal With Criticism

Okay, this topic obviously caught my eye and took on a personal note because of my recent experience. Let me explain. I received a response from an editor of a publishing company I had submitted one of my completed manuscripts to -- A Deadly Deed Grows. Now, mind you, this one had already made its way to another publisher who thought it was good enough to send up the ladder to a final review, but it didn't make it through. They had some nice things to say about the novel, though. I was encouraged enough to follow it up with another submission.
Well, it made it up the ladder once more, only to end with a less than glowing, in fact rather scathing to the point of going down in flames, response. I'll admit, I sat and cried. I don't think I have gotten such negative feedback since ... well ... probably since grade school. I tried to toughen up, get past it, telling myself that the other editor really liked it. I guess if this one had said something nice, anything, like "clever title" or "your dialog is realistic" or "thank you for formatting correctly" ... just something, I might not have felt so wounded.

It's been over a month now since I got that email. I've licked my wounds and moved on, but there are still some scars. Writing seems to be my therapy. Anyway, I found this article on dealing with criticism -- How to Deal With Criticism in Writing . The author, Kenji Crosland, lists the following musts:

Learn to value criticism

Write without thinking about criticism

Listen to criticism openly

Respond to criticism effectively

I will just focus on the second one and let you check out the rest.
Write without thinking about criticism: I chose this one because I feel that's where I'm at -- writing and trying not to be self-conscious about criticism. It's kind of like getting back on the horse right away before you lose confidence to do so. I have to write, keep on submitting, or I might lose my nerve all together. And that's a big no-no.

As Crosland puts it, you can't let that inner voice, the one telling you your writing stinks, dictate because it will stop you in your tracks and keep you from that creative flow. So, what do you do? He says your attitude needs to change, i.e., avoid perfectionism. He quotes playwright, August Wilson, “You can make no mistakes, but anything you write can be made better.”, which Crosland changes this a bit to say, “Although anything you write can be made better, there comes a point where you can’t make it better.” When put another way, you need to stop tweaking too much or you'll have one confused mess on your hands.

He also points out that you need to write with authority. Be confident in your writing, know your craft and employ it well into your work. A fine line is being walked here. Criticism should be taken seriously and taken as a professional. But remember, it is subjective. So, if you are hearing the same suggestions/criticisms from several people (that is, people who are supposedly expert in the craft), then you should listen. However, --and I'm not just saying this because it happened to me that way--if you hear it only from one, take the advice objectively, see what there is to use, or if there is something worth using, and leave it at that.

In any case, criticism goes along with the territory. If you are writing to be heard, and/or to be published, you have to expect the good along with the bad. I know I am. It's tough, but necessary.
Hope all you writers out there find this useful, and as always, write on!

ADDENDUM...I got my first really true review of WHIPS, CUFFS, AND LITTLE BROWN BOXES and it felt good! No, it wasn't a perfect 5 stars rating, but this reader had some great things to say, along with the criticism. Now, THAT'S what I'm talking about!

Reading Lists Continued ... Does it Take a Celebrity?

So, I have written about the top picks in young adult novels and in general adult fiction. Let's take a look at one of those categories -- books written by celebrities. Hey ... the books sell, so they deserve mention. I found an article Stranger Than Fiction -- Top Celebrity Novelists that focuses on eight celebrities from actors to musicians to spouses of actors or musicians. Some of the work is actually considered "good", good enough to at least consider adding to your reading list. I will touch on a few and let you check out the rest in more detail. And mind you, these are novels, not autobiographies!


1) Gene Hackman: Payback at Morning Peak -- western fiction. Consider his background and experience which might add credibility to the content. And the fact that this is not his first effort. He coauthored a couple of others previously.


2) James Franko (General Hospital): Palo Alto -- a short story collection meant to be taken seriously, but SERIOUSLY? At least that's what the author of this article implies.


3) Lauren Conrad: L. A. Candy -- fictional account with way too many parallels to Conrad's life, which many authors will do when they write fiction, so we will let this slide. Okay, I have to add a personal sidebar -- in my Lang. Arts class, one of my students did a report on this book. Not my bag, but really popular with teens. Go figure. And popular enough to follow it up with Sweet Little Lies and Sugar and Spice.


4) Hillary Duff: Elixer -- a supernatural mystery that's been on the bestseller list.


5) Ethan Hawke: The Hottest State -- a brooding tale from a brooding character, or something like that. Hawke must enjoy writing stories so he can turn them into movies. Ash Wednesday is another.


You'll find three more and many more details about all of them if you click on the article link. I do have some parting observations. So here goes ... artistic people can be artistic in many areas. It makes sense if someone who plays an instrument well can also do well at writing. There is no reason why we can't have more than one talent, though being a celebrity who writes a book shouldn't automatically insure bestseller status. I think most would agree with me on that ... unless he/she was a celebrity!