How would you review your own self-published novel?

[LeslieRWaggonerIII]

A lot of what we do post publishing, especially when self-publishing, is encourage and cultivate reviews. I encourage both good and bad, because we will always be faced with that one person who picked up the book that was ill suited for what they encountered.
With this focus on getting others to review, our attention turns more toward the promotional and distribution. But what about our own honest review of our works. In what way would you rate and review your own novel? Do you feel you put in the work to provide the absolute best you could? Did you lose your voice in the process of refining prose to modern modern editorial or stylistic standards?

This exercise is two-fold:

1. To set aside the work you did on your novel and try to step outside and review it from the view of your target audience.

2. To look at it from the point of view of that very worst-fit reader, ill suited but tenacious and determined, who refuses to DNF anything they start.

Does it do what every other novel does that targets your group, or does it do more, or do differently?

 

[SamazonE]

Everything I read is destined for me. Every book I write has something else. I do not want to be nosy about other works, so I don’t review them, just see them as lived experiences. But every time I read a good book in a series, I will read it again, and again. I very rarely buy a new book.

However, my bookcase is a list of mistakes. I have pieces that stand out on their own, for their merit. The years have gone by, and I use them as reference, specifically because we are ill suited. For me to understand my depths, I delve into these shelves.

My rule of thumb, I save the books I return to later, after having read them sparsely. These books are usually read many times before I make this leap of faith. The books I read that are purely fun, I don’t keep, though tend to hold onto for a good few years, reading through them slowly and repetitively.

I also find, that there are generations for the genre and type of book I shall read. I have made many bad purchases, and I don’t read these for the experience or advantage, but I look at them from the standard of, can I see this in my mind, have I caught up with the generational wake.

These days, some books I buy are there to be read for the science of it, which is harder still. I will choose a book because of its review and rank, and then I will tend to view it as something that I may need, not want. There are also classics which I go through, these days, but it is true the realm of the bestseller is over for me.

 

[A. E. Lowan]

My team writes Urban Fantasy and Epic Fantasy. I'll be honest, our first book, Faerie Rising, is flawed. Most first books are, but it was a combination of exhaustion and excitement and I just ended up rushing the end a bit. And people do notice. They read the other books, anyway, and forgive me of my sins, and I'm good with that.

...at least until I can't stand it anymore and fix it. lol

 

[pmmg]

In what way would you rate and review your own novel? Do you feel you put in the work to provide the absolute best you could?

Does it do what every other novel does that targets your group, or does it do more, or do differently?

I think my books are very good. They carry a great amount of depth, and grow in meaning the further they go. I think the characters are interesting and challenged, and most are tragic in some way. I think the story carries a number of themes, both small and large, and represent story telling I have not seen before, and is probably not coming again in a long while. I had a good handful of cornerstone principle about the tale that made them different from the start . And I have for the most part, kept to them. (One, for example, was there would be no reluctant heroes)

I have practiced this art of writing for a very long time, and cultivated both my writer's voice and my own capability. So, I think, the stories will stand through a test of time -- though I fear they may not have success in my lifetime. (Getting struck with cancer twice, makes that feel more real.)

I do feel I put in my best effort...heck, all I do is put in effort. But I fear my own brain has no ability to see some errors that I desperately need other readers to find. My largest issue is missing words. Words I think are written on the page, but are actually missing from the sentence entirely, making for glaring disjointed sentences. I do count on others to help me find those, but I fear it is a lifelong exercise.

Did you lose your voice in the process of refining prose to modern modern editorial or stylistic standards?

My current editor has put red ink on just about every sentence I wrote. I feel maybe he and I dont share the same stylistic standard. But...if that is any measure, I guess I would say no...its a little off from center.

I think rather than losing my voice trying to conform, I have instead found it, and I dont feel a strong need to conform.


This exercise is two-fold:

1. To set aside the work you did on your novel and try to step outside and review it from the view of your target audience.

The audience that will most likely enjoy these will find them to be great and important works. The actual target audience will probably not be aware they were the target and may not know why they like them.

2. To look at it from the point of view of that very worst-fit reader, ill suited but tenacious and determined, who refuses to DNF anything they start.

Well...My last reviewer hated the ground my first book walked on, and pretty much hated on all aspects of the story, from how it was written, to what was written about. What can you do? They are not for everyone. (I just wish they didn't suck up 10 points from me on Authentic).


Thanks for asking.

PS: You must answer yourself.

 

[Mad Swede]

A lot of what we do post publishing, especially when self-publishing, is encourage and cultivate reviews. I encourage both good and bad, because we will always be faced with that one person who picked up the book that was ill suited for what they encountered.
With this focus on getting others to review, our attention turns more toward the promotional and distribution. But what about our own honest review of our works.

Writing this reply as someone with a (Swedish) publishing contract and four books out there...

In what way would you rate and review your own novel?

I wouldn't dream of doing so. I know my books have flaws, but as they sell fairly steadily someone out there likes them so they must also have some merits. My books are never going to be classic works of literature. But I've enjoyed writing them and my readers seem to enjoy reading them too.

Do you feel you put in the work to provide the absolute best you could?

Yes, when I wrote the first book I did. Then it got picked up for publication, I started working with my editor and I really learnt about writing. Looking back, at the time that first story was the best I could do. Now I can so much better in less time...

...which is good because since then I've been working to publishing deadlines so the books can't be perfect, only as good as I can make them in the time available.

Did you lose your voice in the process of refining prose to modern modern editorial or stylistic standards?

No. I have a good editor, who doesn't try to change my voice or my style. To her, the point of editing is to improve without losing what makes the author's work unique.

Does it do what every other novel does that targets your group, or does it do more, or do differently?

I wrote (and write) the sorts of stories I would want to read, so I'm not aiming for a specific group. As the books sell fairly well they must in some way hit the mark with those who read them. I'm not sure how, but then maybe I don't need to know. I just keep writing in the same sort of style, developing the setting and main characters as I go. It works for me and for my readers.

 

[pmmg]

As the books sell fairly well they must in some way hit the mark with those who read them. I'm not sure how, but then maybe I don't need to know. I just keep writing in the same sort of style, developing the setting and main characters as I go. It works for me and for my readers.

I am wondering what does your publishing house do in the way of marketing your books? Are you aware of it? What do they ask from you?

 

[Mad Swede]

I am wondering what does your publishing house do in the way of marketing your books? Are you aware of it? What do they ask from you?

Well, for the first book, at least for the first print run, it was the standard marketing process for a new author with a debut novel: send out review copies to those places and people who normally review such novels, get the sales reps to push the book a bit when they visit and/or talk to the book sellers, then wait and assess sales in terms of how many books have been sold and where they have sold.

For the second and subsequent printings of that first book and for all the other books publicity has focused on those areas where the books sell best. The rest of the country hasn't been neglected, it just doesn't get as much publicity.

Based on sales the publicity campaign gets more sophisticated. Interviews with local papers and radio stations, visits by me to local book fairs, displays in those local books shops. The sales data comes from the book sellers, even for on-line and e-book sales (the retailers can see where the buyers live because over here an address has to be given when you pay with a bank card of any sort). Note that Amazon are not the biggest on-line book seller in Sweden, they aren't even number four.

None of this requires much effort on the part of my publisher. One person can analyse the sales data and based on that a couple of the marketing and sales staff can get busy. My publishers don't do any real analyses of what themes etc in my books make them sell well, they leave those sorts of analyses to the reviews by the literary critics.

I as the author have to write the books and be available for interviews, book signings and visits. I also have to answer e-mails (which get sent on via my publisher). What I don't have is a web page of my own. We've discussed setting up an official web page but concluded that it isn't really needed.

In all this it's worth bearing in mind that it is in my publishers interest to market the books. Once they've covered production costs for the first print run (editing, typesetting, printing, distribution etc) all subsequent sales are almost pure profit. So they like to sell copies... For me, once I've earned out my advance I get royalites, so it's my interest to support the marketing by being available for interviews, book signings and answering the e-mails. I like to see my books sell too...