BWFoster78
Myth Weaver
I think that a lot of us agree that we are just in the beginning of the self publishing revolution and that there are a lot of services that could be provided that aren't in existance yet. In another thread, The Dark One pointed out the need for authors to have a way to evaluate their work. While I don't disagree with his proposal, I felt there were some significant barriers to overcome, and I felt that there is a more important need that could be addressed.
In recent posts, I've made a lot of critical comments about a lot of self publishing authors. Now, let me say something positive: As a reader, I love quality self published novels. I get a book that I enjoy just as much as anything put out by a traditionally published author, and I get it at a discount. I also love the concept of paying the artist directly. I'd much rather my money go to the author than some executive in New York.
As a reader, I want to find more good indie books. Therefore, I propose the following service: A site devoted to connecting readers with books that are just as good as the traditionally published ones but at a lower price. Instead of a service for authors, it's a service for readers.
Where do I find those books?
There are already thousands of people out there searching and evaluating - book bloggers. This site would search for book bloggers that have a good grasp on determining which indie books are of high quality. And, to ensure that quality is maintained, we'd limit the number of books a blogger could recommend. Perhaps something like 3 books initially and then 1 every, I don't know, month, quarter, year. That way, the blogger is forced to consider only the best of the best gems that they've uncovered.
Why would a blogger participate?
It seems to me that most book bloggers are motivated by one or both of the following desires:
1. To uncover gems and point people to those gems.
2. To gain attention for their writing.
I think this site offers both. We'd get more eyes on the recommendations and each recommended book on the site would link back to the reviewer and the reviews.
I have some ideas on how this could be monetized (not thinking anyone would become wealthy unless it succeeded way beyond the wildest of expectations, but I think it might could pay for itself), and I don't think there is a huge barrier to getting something like this started. The biggest challenge as far as the ultimate success of the site would be the ability to spread the word about it.
What do you think? Is this service valuable? Is it worth pursuing?
In recent posts, I've made a lot of critical comments about a lot of self publishing authors. Now, let me say something positive: As a reader, I love quality self published novels. I get a book that I enjoy just as much as anything put out by a traditionally published author, and I get it at a discount. I also love the concept of paying the artist directly. I'd much rather my money go to the author than some executive in New York.
As a reader, I want to find more good indie books. Therefore, I propose the following service: A site devoted to connecting readers with books that are just as good as the traditionally published ones but at a lower price. Instead of a service for authors, it's a service for readers.
Where do I find those books?
There are already thousands of people out there searching and evaluating - book bloggers. This site would search for book bloggers that have a good grasp on determining which indie books are of high quality. And, to ensure that quality is maintained, we'd limit the number of books a blogger could recommend. Perhaps something like 3 books initially and then 1 every, I don't know, month, quarter, year. That way, the blogger is forced to consider only the best of the best gems that they've uncovered.
Why would a blogger participate?
It seems to me that most book bloggers are motivated by one or both of the following desires:
1. To uncover gems and point people to those gems.
2. To gain attention for their writing.
I think this site offers both. We'd get more eyes on the recommendations and each recommended book on the site would link back to the reviewer and the reviews.
I have some ideas on how this could be monetized (not thinking anyone would become wealthy unless it succeeded way beyond the wildest of expectations, but I think it might could pay for itself), and I don't think there is a huge barrier to getting something like this started. The biggest challenge as far as the ultimate success of the site would be the ability to spread the word about it.
What do you think? Is this service valuable? Is it worth pursuing?