My First Bad Review

Today I got my first bad review.  You expect them.  But I had jumped into the limelight with such a solid start that it still caught me off guard.  I was luckier than some writers.  My first reviews from strangers, not friends and family, were highly complimentary and positive.  I still have some things to tweak in that first novel.  Being self published and without a budget, you use friends, family for feedback.  You proof your own work again and again and again.  But friends are kinder then they should be, and well once you have read your own work so many times it gets harder to see the errors.

I have two things I know to look for: Homophones and Question Marks.   I totally know exactly what word goes there and where a question mark really goes.  However, sometimes my question marks pop in when I am hearing the character's tone of voice.  And as far as the homophones, my brain when I am in the zone just seems to grab the first spelling; right, wrong or indifferent.  If I catch it, then I totally know it is the wrong one.  These two errors are deadly for me as a writer because proofing programs do not catch them. It takes the human eye to catch them.

I expected this to be the topic of any first bad review, surprisingly it was not.  As I read it, I realized that this was just a case of a reader with a different eye for a story than my previous non family/friend reviews.  My publicity editor pointed out he actually did me a couple of favors with the bad review.   The first favor he pointed out was the mating rituals in the book.  Though I try not to get vulgar or explicit, my mentor pointed out that sex sells.  The second favor is that it can look contrived if all the reviews are good reviews. I had not thought of either of those.

So today I have weathered my first bad review.  I am sorry that the individual did not like my book.  I am grateful for the honesty.  I look forward to future reviews as my skills seem to only be improving based on feedback and practice.  I am also grateful that it was not my very FIRST review.  I was really frightened as many new writers are, to put my work up for public scrutiny.  However, the joy I get in knowing that for the most part, people are liking where I am headed gives me the energy to continue to write part two.  Coming soon.... The Blackguard - Part Two of The Blue Dragon's Geas.

Publishing with Createspace - What I Did Horribly Wrong!

When I found a company willing to work by email and upload to publish my novel, I was very excited. There are some definite pluses to createspace.com.  However, in my excitement to publish, I proofed with their electronic proof application.  This had worked wonderfully and cut down the time to have my children's book, "How the Dragons Got Their Colors", to the shelf quicker.  I do not recommend this to novelists.  Order the hard copy proof!

The book launched electronically and when my copy of A Blue Dragon's Geas: Outcast arrived, I was so very excited.  My illustrator, Heather Scoggins, had done a beautiful job for me. I loved the concept she chose for the blue dragon.  Later, when I sat down, I was horrified.  On the top of every page, my name is spelled wrong, an error not caught in the header.  My fault.  I stared at it in disbelief.  I have a long name but who would have guessed I would spell my own name wrong.  I got out a highlighter just in case.

As I read through the book, I found where I had left out the word 'that'.  This is a common problem for me as I hear it in my head when I read back and something I watch for in edits.  I found homonyms that spellchecker and I both did not catch.  I had an editor, but he missed it too. Other little errors jumped off that printed page.  I had gone through the electronic version slowly and carefully but there is something different about holding a book in your hand.  I really suggest you order the proof and sit down with a highlighter.

Advantages of Createspace.
Optional packages for publicity and help.
Easy upload system that moves your book straight onto Amazon shelves.
Easy conversion to kindle option at no charge.
No upfront costs.
Good payment systems.
Great commission options

Disadvantages:
If you are on a no frills budget, you are on your own for editing and proofing.
It is easy to miss small errors in electronic print.
No big company helping you get your book on the shelf.
The amount of time spent in having to proof and reproof construction errors with only one set of eyes.

I do recommend this company for any author breaking in.  I have learned a lot having to do it on my own. However, as I finish reading my novel with a highlighter, I know a second edition will be uploaded soon.  For those of you that got a first edition with my name spelled wrong, shelve that copy.  If I ever get rich and famous after I die, who knows, it might be worth something.  At this moment, there are only 15 out there.