# An Idea For My Blog...



## GeekDavid (Sep 27, 2013)

Last nite, I had an idea for a series of posts on the blog I set up to help market my book.

Basically, the posts would go into the thought process behind the development of the characters and other things.

The thing is, I'm not sure if it would increase interest in the book, or have the opposite effect. What do all of you wise people think?


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## Philip Overby (Sep 27, 2013)

I think this is an excellent idea. I'm actually doing something similar as a series of articles on the Mythic Scribes home page at the moment. Another should be posted at the beginning of October. My first article focused on my brainstorming process for coming up with my initial idea for my novel. My next post will deal with expanding the initial idea into a full-fledged concept. I don't just talk about my own novel, but give different techniques writers can use to develop the different stages of novel writing.

So yeah, you have my vote!


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## Devor (Sep 27, 2013)

Sure, if done right it should increase interest in your book.

But if you're using your blog primarily to build a following that's geared up to buy your book, you might be setting yourself up for a disappointment.  Most people would be better off viewing their blog primarily as a networking tool for connecting with others who might promote their book for you.


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## TWErvin2 (Sep 27, 2013)

Is the novel out? Or how long until it's released?

This may have a bearing on the interest level of the posts. But, in any case, interesting and well-written content is always a postive thing. With that and being consistent in posting, will help retain folks who regularly visit your blog.


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## GeekDavid (Sep 27, 2013)

TWErvin2 said:


> Is the novel out? Or how long until it's released?
> 
> This may have a bearing on the interest level of the posts. But, in any case, interesting and well-written content is always a postive thing. With that and being consistent in posting, will help retain folks who regularly visit your blog.



Hopefully within the next month, that's why I'm starting ramping up things. And I've already gotten in the habit of regular posts on weekdays, and have about 2 dozen "following" my blog already.


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## PaulineMRoss (Sep 27, 2013)

Devor said:


> But if you're using your blog primarily to build a following that's geared up to buy your book, you might be setting yourself up for a disappointment.  Most people would be better off viewing their blog primarily as a networking tool for connecting with others who might promote their book for you.



I'm going to disagree with you there. If the purpose of the blog is to build a fanbase, then the content should be geared towards fans (or potential fans, at least), in my opinion. So - lots of background on the book, the characters, the setting; any artwork, or maps; short stories, or extracts from the book; progress reports on writing, editing, etc. And a mailing list for people to sign up to. 

By all means network with potential promoters, but that works best when you have something to promote.


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## Devor (Sep 27, 2013)

PaulineMRoss said:


> I'm going to disagree with you there. If the purpose of the blog is to build a fanbase, then the content should be geared towards fans (or potential fans, at least), in my opinion. So - lots of background on the book, the characters, the setting; any artwork, or maps; short stories, or extracts from the book; progress reports on writing, editing, etc. And a mailing list for people to sign up to.



The blog isn't your entire website, but the portion of it which you update with new content on a regular basis.  By all means design your website with content to appeal to readers, but I think it's unreasonable to expect a potential reader to visit your website more than once.  And you should design your internet approach with that fact in mind.  Unless you have some serious fanboys, the people who visit an author's blog on a regular basis aren't the ones who will want to buy the book.


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## PaulineMRoss (Sep 27, 2013)

Devor said:


> The blog isn't your entire website, but the portion of it which you update with new content on a regular basis.  By all means design your website with content to appeal to readers, but I think it's unreasonable to expect a potential reader to visit your website more than once.  And you should design your internet approach with that fact in mind.  Unless you have some serious fanboys, the people who visit an author's blog on a regular basis aren't the ones who will want to buy the book.



I don't quite see what you're saying here. The whole point of a blog is to put out new content regularly, yes. And the point of that is to entice people to revisit on a regular basis. And the point of THAT is to turn those casual visitors into serious fanboys, preferably before the first book is even published. Isn't that what you want?


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## GeekDavid (Sep 27, 2013)

I think I'm gonna step back here and let you two argue that point.


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## Devor (Sep 27, 2013)

PaulineMRoss said:


> I don't quite see what you're saying here. The whole point of a blog is to put out new content regularly, yes. And the point of that is to entice people to revisit on a regular basis. And the point of THAT is to turn those casual visitors into serious fanboys, preferably before the first book is even published. Isn't that what you want?



Sure . . . ?  But building an audience large enough to equate to book sales is an impossible goal.  That's tons of effort that could be spent writing for probably a handful of sales.  Your better bet is to use the blog as a more of a proof-of-quality for approaching other bloggers and asking them to let you write a guest post, or to look at your book for a review, or for producing some other type of content.

Other people have already put together media outlets that cater to your audience, and you're better off piggy backing off of them than trying to create your own.  That way you could focus on creating quality pieces for those outlets rather than producing the constant effort needed to sustain a quality blog.

And let me put it this way.  If you can put together a quality content-driven blog of the type that would appeal to most readers, you're thinking too small if all you do with it is publish a book.


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## PaulineMRoss (Sep 28, 2013)

Devor said:


> But building an audience large enough to equate to book sales is an impossible goal.  That's tons of effort that could be spent writing for probably a handful of sales.



OK, I see where you're coming from now. It's too difficult, so let's not even try ;-)



> Your better bet is to use the blog as a more of a proof-of-quality for approaching other bloggers and asking them to let you write a guest post, or to look at your book for a review, or for producing some other type of content.



Well, that's just regular marketing, and obviously you'll want to be doing that as well, as much as you can. But there's a difference between getting other people to promote your work for you (that's merely advertising) and making a direct connection with your readers (or potential readers). The most successful authors (in terms of promoting their work online) create a dialogue with readers. Lexi Revellian asked her fans which book cover version she should go for. Michael J Sullivan asks his fans what they want him to write next. 

The basic principle is this: the best way to get the word out about your books is by word of mouth. A small number of hardcore fans post reviews, write about it on their own blogs, tell their friends, tell the people in their local bookstore or library, give copies to relatives as presents, talk about it on forums... You don't need a lot of them, and it takes time to build up numbers, but it can be done, and the best way to do it is by interacting with them. You can do that in places like Goodreads, but the best and safest way is to have a reader-facing blog of your own.

It doesn't have to take a lot of time. Posting samples of your own work isn't going to take any additional time, but it shows potential readers what your style is like. If they like what they read, they'll hang around. Posting about the background to your stories adds extra colour for readers, and it's something you may have written up already: character histories/interviews, setting descriptions, maps, details of your world's religions, and so forth. If you reach a tricky point in your writing, make a blog post about it. If it's going well, make a blog post about it. If you get a review, make a blog post about it. If you have a domestic crisis, make a blog post about it. This stuff is *interesting* to readers, they'll feel they know you and when the next book comes out they'll have a personal interest in it. A couple of posts a week, a few paragraphs each, is all it takes. And a mailing list - don't forget the mailing list.

Footnote: by 'you', I mean the generic you, not you personally.


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## Devor (Sep 28, 2013)

PaulineMRoss said:


> OK, I see where you're coming from now. It's too difficult, so let's not even try ;-)



There's a difference between difficult and unrealistic.

Maybe you could argue the point, but what do readers want?  To be pleasantly surprised.  How many blog posts can you make that are pleasantly surprising?




PaulineMRoss said:


> The basic principle is this: the best way to get the word out about your books is by word of mouth. A small number of hardcore fans post reviews, write about it on their own blogs, tell their friends, tell the people in their local bookstore or library, give copies to relatives as presents, talk about it on forums... You don't need a lot of them, and it takes time to build up numbers, but it can be done, and the best way to do it is by interacting with them. You can do that in places like Goodreads, but the best and safest way is to have a reader-facing blog of your own.



It's not usually true that a core group of hardcore fans is the best way to generate word of mouth.  Sometimes that works, if you want to saturate a niche audience, but not usually.  I've seen top marketing executives present research on that point.  If you want to generate buzz, you have to reach the casual users of your product.  That means reaching people through a variety of outlets, not relying on just your own.

You have to go to your audience; you can't expect them to come to you.

It's also not true that using other outlets is just "advertising."  If you do an author interview, or you write a guest post, or you show up in a podcast, that's still you, talking to your audience.  And you can still hear from your audience without expecting the same readers to pop in repeatedly on your website.

I'm a big fan of a number of shows, books and shared worlds.  I can't remember the last time I checked a website, let alone a blog.




PaulineMRoss said:


> It doesn't have to take a lot of time. Posting samples of your own work isn't going to take any additional time, but it shows potential readers what your style is like. If they like what they read, they'll hang around. Posting about the background to your stories adds extra colour for readers, and it's something you may have written up already: character histories/interviews, setting descriptions, maps, details of your world's religions, and so forth. If you reach a tricky point in your writing, make a blog post about it. If it's going well, make a blog post about it. If you get a review, make a blog post about it. If you have a domestic crisis, make a blog post about it. This stuff is *interesting* to readers, they'll feel they know you and when the next book comes out they'll have a personal interest in it. A couple of posts a week, a few paragraphs each, is all it takes. And a mailing list - don't forget the mailing list.



You shouldn't bury your maps and writing samples in an old blog post.  

Again, there are different aspects to a website.  You want to expect that readers will visit your website just once, and you want to be able to capture their interest in that one visit.  A number of the things you're talking about would support that.

What I'm talking about is the attitude that your readers will want to visit over and over again to catch regular updates on your blog.  That's not usually a realistic expectation when you're writing a book.

No matter how much you try to appeal to readers, an author's blog is not a book and is going to appeal mostly to writers.  There's value in that, but only if you use it accordingly and in proportion to the time you invest.


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## PaulineMRoss (Sep 28, 2013)

Devor said:


> No matter how much you try to appeal to readers, an author's blog is not a book and is going to appeal mostly to writers.



This is the point where we fundamentally disagree. A blog is whatever the owner wishes to make of it, and for an author to create a blog aimed mainly at other authors is a huge wasted opportunity, in my view. When I, as a reader, look up an author's blog and find nothing of interest to me *as a reader*, then that will indeed be the last time I visit. 

For those who want to hear this from an expert on blogging aimed at readers, try Lindsay Buroker (there are links to more articles at the end of this one):

7 Blogging Mistakes Authors Make | Lindsay Buroker


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## GeekDavid (Sep 28, 2013)

Sorry, Devor, I think I'm in Pauline's camp on this one... from personal experience.

I have visited two kinds of author blogs... those that are seldom updated, and those regularly updated with progress reports on the latest work, including excerpts -- thanks for reminding me of that one, Pauline, I need to add some of them -- and just discussing their writing. I tend to follow those that are regularly updated and ignore the others.

I've also seen several articles that bolster Pauline's points:

4 Tips for Building a Successful Author Blog | SmartAuthorSites.com Authors Blog
5 Tips for Keeping an Author Blog | WestBow Press Blog
Blogging Tips for Fiction Authors
7 Blogging Tips for Authors
3 tips for better author blogs - Build Book Buzz

They may not all say it out loud, but reading them closely, they all sound that they're discussing blogs aimed at readers, not other bloggers.


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## PaulineMRoss (Sep 28, 2013)

Just one more link: this one is successful self-pubber Hugh Howey talking about the importance of the reader in the industry:

ItÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s the Reader, Stupid | Hugh Howey


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## Devor (Sep 28, 2013)

As a rule I don't like to google articles just to make a point, but we've all seen just as many authors say that blogging is a waste of time.

And any blog post titled "3 tips for better author blogs," is going to be sitting on a blog designed to reach other authors.  Maybe you could find an author blog that's an example of one that isn't?  Don't get me wrong, I'm sure you probably can, but it would make for a better discussion than posting a dozen blogs saying the same thing just to try and prove me wrong.


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## GeekDavid (Sep 28, 2013)

Devor, looks like we'll just have to politely agree to disagree.


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## Devor (Sep 28, 2013)

GeekDavid said:


> Devor, looks like we'll just have to politely agree to disagree.



If you want, but there's a lot to be gained from discussing these things.  Knowing that you'll disagree doesn't have to mean the end of the discussion.

((edit))

For instance, I think everyone would benefit from a discussion about what a blog post appealing to readers might look like, compared with appealing to authors.  Aside from a writing sample, which isn't really a blog post, does anyone have any examples?


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## GeekDavid (Sep 28, 2013)

My problem, Devor, is that you're adding middlemen to the equation.

You're saying I should look to impress the people (professional [read: expensive] publicists and marketers, big-name authors publishers) who will in turn impress the readers.

Me, I'm skipping all that and trying to impress the readers *directly*. I'm cutting out the middlemen and making a one-on-one connection (or as close as one can online) with my readers.

And I'm doing this, again, from my own professional experience. Big hype and marketing doesn't impress me. I have yet to read a single Harry Potter or _Hunger Games_ book, and I don't feel any urge to go out tomorrow and buy either of those. But I am passionate about promoting those authors -- like Marion Harmon of the _Wearing the Cape_ books -- with whom I've made even a slight *personal* connection (When I reviewed his books for Otherwhere Gazette and Goodreads, he wrote and politely asked me where I'd found typos and such, and we still correspond from time to time). When his latest book came out earlier this month, I snapped it up and read it as quickly as I could, and enjoyed it immensely. He's honestly a nice guy, and I really enjoy his books, so I'm happy to tell others to read his books on a reader-to-reader basis. (Yes, I'm an author, but I'm also a reader.)

As far as author recommendations, if they're not an author that I know personally, I tend to take them with a grain of salt. To my mind, a lot of time this stuff is _quid pro quo_... I'll write a fairly generic blurb for your book if you do it for mine. That doesn't excite me. But if a reader whom I know on a personal level (who may or may not be an author) recommends a book to me, I'm a lot more likely to give it a try.

I also depend a lot on Amazon reviews, because they're largely by readers, and less so on "professional" reviews, which is somewhat contradictory of me because I'm a semi-pro reviewer myself for OG. (In my defense, the whole idea of OG is to be "For Fans, By Fans," as the header says, so when I write my reviews I try to do it as a fan of sci-fi and fantasy.)

So, bottom line -- and I really truly honestly do *not* want to sound rude here -- is that your marketing worked in the pre-Kindle-Revolution days, and I'm marketing for the post-Kindle-Revolution days, when authors have the ability to skip the professional this and the big-name that and get their writings in the hands of the readers with minimal gatekeepers standing in their way saying "Thou Shalt Not Do It That Way."

My sincerest apologies if you take offense at any of this... I'm not trying to be offensive, just trying to lay out my case as best I can.


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## Devor (Sep 28, 2013)

GeekDavid said:


> So, bottom line -- and I really truly honestly do *not* want to sound rude here -- is that your marketing worked in the pre-Kindle-Revolution days, and I'm marketing for the post-Kindle-Revolution days, when authors have the ability to skip the professional this and the big-name that and get their writings in the hands of the readers with minimal gatekeepers standing in their way saying "Thou Shalt Not Do It That Way."



The nature of the gate keeper is changing, but I think you're mistaken if you believe they're going to disappear.  But I wasn't talking about gate keepers.  I was talking about the challenge of building your own media outlet, and the chance to piggy-back off of somebody else's audience, not for the need for their stamp of approval.  You can at least appreciate that there is a big difference there.

But I had ended with an honest question, not an argument.  That is, even if you disagree with me, it would be good to talk about what kind of blogs and posts appeal to readers, as opposed to writers.  Taking a glance at your blog, for instance, I don't see anything really targeted at readers.  Which is fine.  But how do you plan to follow through on what you're talking about?


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## GeekDavid (Sep 28, 2013)

Well, if you don't see anything targeted at readers, let me ask you, what do you think "targeted at readers" means?

Also, another point... *authors are readers too*. By targeting readers, you also target authors. If you target only authors, you probably miss readers. I'm going for the wider audience.


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## PaulineMRoss (Sep 28, 2013)

Devor said:


> Taking a glance at your blog, for instance, I don't see anything really targeted at readers.



I think this may be where the difficulty lies. When *I* look at his blog, I see posts which are almost entirely reader-oriented, or perhaps, to put it a different way, have a much broader potential audience than authors alone. The quotes, for instance, have wide appeal. The posts about the process of writing, editing and generally taking his story from first draft to something publishable are reader-oriented because they're personal. It they were formatted in the form of 'tips for better editing' they would be author-oriented (and very dull, frankly), but because they take the form of 'here's what I did', they're of much more interest to potential readers. The background to the book is very much reader-oriented.

To address your question of what a reader-oriented blog would look like, I already gave some examples of this in post #11 on this thread. Basically, anything which touches on the book being written, the background to it, the steps being taken to publish it and anything personal is reader-oriented. Anything which focuses on writing techniques ('show don't tell') or advice on how to publish, where to find an editor, etc., is author oriented. Specific=reader, general=author. Most author blogs will be both, of course, to some extent, but so long as some of it is reader-oriented, the blog will serve as a means to connect direct to readers.

And don't forget the sign-up form for the mailing list - very important, so you can tell people when the book is out.


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## GeekDavid (Sep 28, 2013)

PaulineMRoss said:


> And don't forget the sign-up form for the mailing list - very important, so you can tell people when the book is out.



Actually, the sign up form on my blog right now is to get the blog posts mailed to you... but, since I'll be announcing the release on the blog, it accomplishes the same thing.


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## PaulineMRoss (Sep 29, 2013)

One final (I hope) link relevant to this:

How to Find the Perfect Audience for Your Book, And Sell It to Them - LiveHacked


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## Philip Overby (Sep 29, 2013)

I'll add my thoughts to this discussion. I looked over your blog GeekDavid and I think you have a good mixture of reader focused and writer focused content. I'm of the opinion that it's not always a bad idea to market yourself to other writers. As you said, writers are readers too. However, I think focusing too much on the kind of stuff writers concern themselves with (publishing news, editing, grammar, etc.) is pretty typical of a lot of blogs I frequent. This is fine as I find nuggets of wisdom now and again. I wouldn't say these kind of posts really attract me as a potential reader though. I like your brief insight into your novel process. That post stood out to me as the one that interested me the most. 

That said, I'd like to offer some things that interested me as a reader only when looking at a blog. I hope some of this is helpful.

1. News

Is the blogger up to date on news in the genre? The recent diversity in SFF was a discussion I found intriguing from a reader's standpoint. If a writer seems like they're in their own little bubble, it can be a little off-putting. Making blog posts about relevant things in the genre seems like a thing which both writers and readers can connect.

2. Stuff the Writer Likes

If I get to know what the writer likes, I can get a feel for what I can expect in the writer's books. For instance, if you blog extensively about Greek mythology I'll say "Oh, I love Greek mythology. I may check out this guy's work." Or if you have a similar sense of humor I may feel like you'll write books I'd be interested in reading.

3. Ask questions

Readers love interaction with writers I've seen. Any chance a reader gets to do something interactive with their favorite author, they may jump on it. Mark Lawrence has done contests where readers make commercials or make movie posters. The ability to allow your readers to interact is important. I think this is something Pauline mentioned.

4. Give us a taste of what you can do

Little teasers of things you're working on can go a long way for me. Something Robert Bevan does that I always liked is that he would share little snippets of his work in progress on Facebook (I since deleted my Facebook, and that's one of the things I miss). This was a great way to build anticipation for his upcoming book. I could see his humor shine through in his samples and they weren't long-winded sections. Just a brief snapshot of what he was working on.

These are not necessarily "ways to get more readers" but are just things that I've noticed that I like about writers I follow. These methods don't always work, but when they do, I'm more encouraged to buy work from authors that do these kind of things on blogs. 

Just to make one last point: the amount of times I've bought books from authors due to blogs I can count on one hand. Up until recently I didn't read many blogs. But now I'm much more interested in finding new authors that can engage me in some way. 

As you said, even though I'm a writer, I'm still a reader. I think some writers may forget that sometimes.


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## Devor (Sep 29, 2013)

Again, I would really like to be able to comment on specific blogs or posts and talk about whether they're designed for readers or authors.  I don't want to comment much about GeekDavid's blog if there's even a chance people might take things personally - I didn't mean anything by mentioning it.

I think the emphasis on putting together a mailing list defies the idea that you want readers to visit your blog regularly, as opposed to just once.  If people already follow your blog, then presumably they would see the book release on your blog and not need an email announcement.  Instead, the common practice is to expect people will show up once, sign up for a mailing list, and get your announcement when the book is released.  That's what I've been talking about.


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## GeekDavid (Sep 29, 2013)

Devor said:


> Again, I would really like to be able to comment on specific blogs or posts and talk about whether they're designed for readers or authors.  I don't want to comment much about GeekDavid's blog if there's even a chance people might take things personally - I didn't mean anything by mentioning it.
> 
> I think the emphasis on putting together a mailing list defies the idea that you want readers to visit your blog regularly, as opposed to just once.  If people already follow your blog, then presumably they would see the book release on your blog and not need an email announcement.  Instead, the common practice is to expect people will show up once, sign up for a mailing list, and get your announcement when the book is released.  That's what I've been talking about.



And if they do that, they're still getting the announcement, and thus are likely to buy the book. That's pretty much the same whether they visit once or a hundred times.

And given that that WordPress blog is free, if I get even one more book sale than what I would have otherwise, it's worth it.


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## GeekDavid (Sep 30, 2013)

Speaking of self-publishing and promoting, here's an interview with author Hugh Howey, who started self-publishing, and then got signed with a Big Name Publisher.

I'm betting he didn't go begging for them to notice him... they noticed him because of the quality of his work and the fans he gained through directly interacting with them.


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## PaulineMRoss (Sep 30, 2013)

GeekDavid said:


> I'm betting [Howey] didn't go begging for them to notice him... they noticed him because of the quality of his work and the fans he gained through directly interacting with them.



And the 5* reviews he bought (allegedly):

The Hugh Howey Tirade | Amazon Alert: Your Guide to Unethical Authors


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## GeekDavid (Sep 30, 2013)

PaulineMRoss said:


> And the 5* reviews he bought (allegedly):
> 
> The Hugh Howey Tirade | Amazon Alert: Your Guide to Unethical Authors



I tend to ignore both 1-star and 5-star reviews, and concentrate on the 2, 3, and 4-star reviews. The 1 or 5 star reviews are just too extreme to be trusted, because no book is perfect or without any redeeming features.

With that said, however, Howey must have had something in his books that attracted the attention of the Big Name Publisher. Now, having said *that*, Big Name Publishers have also run with books such as _Twilight_ and _Fifty Shades of Gray_, so their taste is, in my humble opinion, questionable at times.


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## T.Allen.Smith (Sep 30, 2013)

I can't respond to allegations. I will say, I've read Wool. It is a good story that is well written.


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## GeekDavid (Sep 30, 2013)

T.Allen.Smith said:


> I can't respond to allegations. I will say, I've read Wool. It is a good story that is well written.



I think I have Wool. If memory serves I picked it up when it was free for Kindle. Might have to give it a read.


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## PaulineMRoss (Oct 1, 2013)

GeekDavid said:


> I tend to ignore both 1-star and 5-star reviews, and concentrate on the 2, 3, and 4-star reviews. The 1 or 5 star reviews are just too extreme to be trusted, because no book is perfect or without any redeeming features.



When I write reviews, the star rating is based purely on my enjoyment factor. A book I absolutely loved despite flaws (eg Ready Player One) is 5*. A book I thought was brilliantly written but with flaws that affected my enjoyment (eg Tigana) is 4*. A book I couldn't even finish, despite washes of critical and fan acclaim (eg The Black Prism) is 1*.

I don't know how other people use the star ratings, but Goodreads people tend to base stars on enjoyment rather than quality. I wouldn't presume to judge quality anyway, and I wouldn't choose a book to read just because it was supposed to be good quality (I did enough of that at school).



> With that said, however, Howey must have had something in his books that attracted the attention of the Big Name Publisher.



Yeah, they sold by the (virtual) truckload. Nowadays, I presume they sell by the literal truckload as well. It creases me up to see Wool in my local bricks-and-mortar bookstore. Howey's self-published, for heavens sake, a year or two ago the big cheese publishers wouldn't have bothered to scrape him off their shoes.


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## GeekDavid (Oct 1, 2013)

PaulineMRoss said:


> Yeah, they sold by the (virtual) truckload. Nowadays, I presume they sell by the literal truckload as well. It creases me up to see Wool in my local bricks-and-mortar bookstore. Howey's self-published, for heavens sake, a year or two ago the big cheese publishers wouldn't have bothered to scrape him off their shoes.



He's hardly the only indie to get picked up by the Big Names... Michael Sullivan's Riyria Revelations series is also showing up in my little corner of the world.

I think that's a good thing. It shows the Big Names are watching indies for authors of talent (Riyria Revelations isn't to my taste, but I can't fault the quality of the writing) and are willing to sign them if they find them. Pretty much everyone wins in that scenario.


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## BWFoster78 (Oct 2, 2013)

> despite washes of critical and fan acclaim (eg The Black Prism) is 1*.



It just goes to prove how subjective the enjoyment of a novel is.

I just finished rereading The Black Prism in the last week.  I'd read it when it came out and completely forgotten everything about it.  Not a good sign...

While the book had definite issues and was obviously forgetable, I enjoyed it and would give it 4 stars.  Some of the things you disliked (I read your review), I liked quite a lot, especially Kip.  That's my kind of character.  I agree with you about Gavin and Karris, though.  If the book would have focused on a single protagonist and spent less time on minor characters, I think it would have been a lot better.


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## BWFoster78 (Oct 2, 2013)

GeekDavid said:


> Last nite, I had an idea for a series of posts on the blog I set up to help market my book.
> 
> Basically, the posts would go into the thought process behind the development of the characters and other things.
> 
> The thing is, I'm not sure if it would increase interest in the book, or have the opposite effect. What do all of you wise people think?



I kinda thread-jacked this with my last post.  Since I felt guilty about doing so, I figured I'd take a look at your blog and see what I thought.

Overall, I must admit that the posts, which I only skimmed, did create interest.  I honestly wasn't expecting that result.  If you can draw people to your blog, the kind of posts that you're doing may help convert those browsers into buyers.

I may steal your idea...

Thanks.

Brian


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## GeekDavid (Oct 2, 2013)

BWFoster78 said:


> It just goes to prove how subjective the enjoyment of a novel is.
> 
> I just finished rereading The Black Prism in the last week.  I'd read it when it came out and completely forgotten everything about it.  Not a good sign...
> 
> While the book had definite issues and was obviously forgetable, I enjoyed it and would give it 4 stars.  Some of the things you disliked (I read your review), I liked quite a lot, especially Kip.  That's my kind of character.  I agree with you about Gavin and Karris, though.  If the book would have focused on a single protagonist and spent less time on minor characters, I think it would have been a lot better.



I would give _The Black Prism_ about 3 stars... there were problems, but overall it was an enjoyable read to me. For comparison, I'd give Brent Weeks' other series, the Night Angel trilogy, 4 stars. As I said earlier in this discussion, I don't give out 5 stars because I don't think any book is perfect, but Night Angel was close to it, with only minor quibbles.


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## GeekDavid (Oct 2, 2013)

BWFoster78 said:


> I kinda thread-jacked this with my last post.  Since I felt guilty about doing so, I figured I'd take a look at your blog and see what I thought.
> 
> Overall, I must admit that the posts, which I only skimmed, did create interest.  I honestly wasn't expecting that result.  If you can draw people to your blog, the kind of posts that you're doing may help convert those browsers into buyers.
> 
> ...



Go right ahead and borrow it, with my blessing. If something I am doing makes someone else a little bit more successful, then we both win.


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## BWFoster78 (Oct 4, 2013)

Okay, David, I've officially borrowed your idea.  I'd love some feedback from everyone about how successful this post is:

Introducing my Protagonist, Xan | Brian W. Foster

If the feedback is mainly positive, I'll post it to my FB acct as well.

Thanks!

Brian


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## GeekDavid (Oct 4, 2013)

BWFoster78 said:


> Okay, David, I've officially borrowed your idea.  I'd love some feedback from everyone about how successful this post is:
> 
> Introducing my Protagonist, Xan | Brian W. Foster
> 
> ...



I can't speak for anyone else, but I like it.


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## PaulineMRoss (Oct 4, 2013)

GeekDavid said:


> I can't speak for anyone else, but I like it.



Me too. I've read snippets of Brian's book, but as a reader I find it fascinating to learn the background to the story. I've been enjoying your character introductions, too, GeekDavid.


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## GeekDavid (Oct 4, 2013)

PaulineMRoss said:


> Me too. I've read snippets of Brian's book, but as a reader I find it fascinating to learn the background to the story. I've been enjoying your character introductions, too, GeekDavid.



You're going to make me blush, Pauline.


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