Confessions of a self-published author

I'm talking about publishing my novel Candlelight Sinner with errors. Maybe fifty all together, typos, missing words, missing speech marks, extra speech marks. Okay, fifty errors in an 80k novel may not seem much, but I find it almost unbearably embarrassing. After a lovely friend helped me with my Germish and with that having the awkward phrasing out of the way, I decided to proof the book myself on the Kindle as I normally spot those errors easily. I know, it's said everywhere, but I wanted to show I can do it. Look where it got me. Stupid, really. Although one can overlook those errors if they don't distract from the story, the vast amount alone makes me cringe. Luckily, I have found a wonderful proof reader for the future whom I've tested and who knows what is expected.
Self-publishing has been a trial and error experience; overall, I'd say, a really positive one, apart from my being rather tired of promoting and hence not doing much of it anymore. I'm almost sure that I've lost sales due to the errors in the books, for which I could kick myself, really. Despite receiving great reviews for all three books, I'm sure I could have sold more if it wasn't for the errors.
As you know I'm writing on a Thriller, which will be published under a different pen name some time this year, a clean slate for that book, if you will. I don't do it because of that, but it would be nice to have a book judged on its merit, without anyone knowing about the author; it's an experiment and if it goes well, I may publish some more, completely different books -- thriller, horror, sci-fi, etc. -- under that name. All of which will be properly proofed.
But I'll also bring out another book as Stella Deleuze this year. And my aim is to have it error free. I'll not make the mistake again to proof my own book. From what I've learned, errors occur when you rewrite, swap scenes around, add, delete. That's when a manuscript is the most prone to get messy. Best advice is to let it rest for a few weeks and go through it again. Slowly, then, when you're done, either get a professional to work on it, or someone you trust. I've noticed that I've added errors when correcting what the proof reader sent. So that's a fault on my part. Not sure how I'll deal with that in future, but I'll find a solution. No book of mine shall contain more than a few errors in future. Best would be to have zero, but you can't even guarantee that with a professional proof reader.
Please do me only one favour: do not say that you find errors in traditionally published books; just because there is the odd book which contains errors, doesn't make it right. :-)

PS: I've corrected mine. (Thank you, Sandra.x)

Tip of the week: how to react to negative reviews

Yes, I know, it's been done to death and I thought that everyone got the message after the Howett incident, but I seem to be wrong. I recently read a blog post giving some advice that had me fuming. Massively. The self-published author, who had obviously been spoiled by positive reviews (I assume by his friends), started to receive negative ones saying the story is unbelievable, characters not likeable, etc. So what did he do? He thought to himself that writing an article about the 'how to' would be a great idea. Yes, I agree, it is, but only if the 'how to' contains the following: be professional about it and take it on the chin.

Of course he didn't do that. No. He advised to look up your favourite authors' books and feel comforted when reading all the 1-star-reviews. Whereas it doesn't do any harm, it's pointless, because it doesn't make your book better, does it?
I won't repeat all the points, but stress the two that made me want to slap him. Hard. Very hard.
1.) He advised to get your mates to downvote the negative reviews and
2.) to ask as many friends as possible, who are confident to write a 5-star-review and, yes, you guessed it, get them to post them.
I honestly couldn't believe my eyes. Not only is this particularly immature, but also highly frowned upon, and that rightly so.

Needless to say that it didn't take long until he got his wrists slapped by fellow authors and readers who weren't too impressed with such advice. Serious self-published authors have enough difficulties without those who pull such stunts. People like that want to play professional in the professional league, but are still in kindergarten.
Now, I'm not so much concerned about people being vocal about it, they'll be put in their places in no time, but I'm worried about those who just go ahead and do it. Fair play to this particular author, though, he has amended that post. If he's also altered his way of thinking, I don't know.

I'd keep it simple: if you receive a negative review, rise above it. Not everyone will love or like your book. If you receive more or them, all pointing out the same issue, stop huffing and puffing and instead get cracking, they may be onto something.
The only response a reviewer deserves is: Thank you for taking the time to read my book.

Stop messing with the system just because you can do it. You want to be taken seriously? Then act like it!

Rant over!

Tip of the week: challenge yourself

By that I mean, try to improve by writing something outside your genre, experiment with point of view, use different ways to describe things, invent unconventional characters, in short: step out of your comfort zone.
I had a chat with my friend when she was in London to visit me and we spoke about character building, the way they're thinking, etc. She said she was mainly amazed on how I created the inner world of my characters and asked me how I did it, if it took me ages to build them for each character or if it came to me naturally.

At first I paused, thinking about the 'how', wondering if I purposefully build the world in their heads or not, then came to the conclusion that I don't. My characters are all very different, at least in my latest work in progress, they are distinct in looks, the way they act and react to each other. The biggest challenge is to write a complex male character, which my friend thought I did very well. When handling various characters I turn into a woman with multiple personality disorder, I slip into the roles of each of them and head hop, having discussions with myself. And believe it or not, it's rather much fun. In general, I observe people closely, the way they mimic, look at each other, touch each other. It probably helps a lot to have good male friends and I'm not afraid to ask them openly, be it about how they think, what they think, how they feel, what goes on in their heads when having sex, etc. And luckily, they give me honest answers, even though after being a little startled at first.

Since I started writing, I continuously changed the genre and topics, in short stories as well as novels, and improved my style. It was a little weird at first, but I adapted relatively soon to the new challenge.
Take the Thriller and the torture scenes, for instance. I never thought that writing graphic scene of violence can be so much fun or even the omniscient point of view, which I hated with a passion beforehand. Doing something new has taught me I can do more than comedy and romance and that I actually enjoy it. So if you are stuck with a work in progress, why not try something completely different? I can only encourage you, even if it's only a flash fiction piece.

Tip of the week: blogging and doing it right

A while ago, I posed a question on a forum, to find out if readers visit authors' websites or blogs and what they expect to find. The reactions differed from, 'I can't be arsed', to 'Only to find out if there are other books, the private life doesn't interest me' to 'Yes, I want to know who the person is if s/he doesn't write'. The general consent was: if it's a blog/site boldly advertising the writing only, then readers lose interest quickly.
I share those sentiments. But how to walk the thin line of being a professional author and the private person without compromising each side? The answer is variety, I believe.
Recently, I made my book pages private, as well as the more serious short stories, for only a few visitors would look at them. Visitors to my blog seem to be more interested in my posts, so that's what they get. If they wanted to read samples, they could easily click on the pretty pictures to the left and find out about the books.
It also makes the blog look neater, less clustered, if you will. I have to say, I hate nothing more than clicking on a link and the site takes ages to build up or is full with pictures left, right and centre; I've got a short attention span and will immediately walk away. Tidy is the new black, you see? At least to me, it is.
Then there are topics that interested me. Some writers/authors add tons and tons of excerpts with their posts, sharing either their WIP or maybe a whole book, written in instalments. If you haven't read the beginning, you're lost. You can, however, get a picture of their writing. I admit, I don't bother with such blogs, they're for their audience and probably doing the trick. I'm not sure, though, if authors are aware that people can easily copy and paste their stuff and nick it. Copyright breeches are common in some countries and the cases are accumulating in the UK/US, too.
But, you will now protest, you post excerpts, too and indeed that's correct. I do post excerpts among other posts, whether they're informative, just a story of my sometimes, rather funny, everyday encounter with people, iguanas or recipes, as well as educating posts for new writers. The latter, by the way, is giving me a reason for concern recently. As I have lost the ability to engross in books without wanting to edit, I wonder if my posting about the craft of writing might have the same affect on the poor unsuspecting reader who comes to see what I'm up to. Do they read the post and start picking books apart like I do?
I hope not. Does it bore them? Does it interest them? What do readers really want? I wish I knew. My rants are the most popular, so are many of my Tip of the week posts, though I suspect it's mostly other Indie authors who come to see who I'm slapping now. And I love the discussions that develop from the comments they make. I pride myself to have very reasonable people popping by to leave their opinions, which is nice. There's a mutual respect and I'd like to keep it this way.

Talking about mutual respect; a fellow author who also likes to speak his mind, is Derek Haines, an idiot who left the warm, with plenty of beaches, Australia to live in Switzerland. We made a pact to promote each other after a recent rant.
One of his books, HAL, is free this weekend. Maybe you'd like to take a look and see if it's for you, dear reader.

NB: Just to be clear here: he's not an idiot per se, just for leaving OZ.

Tip of the week: choose your publisher wisely

Self-publishing still has a negative reputation, and often rightly so, as many books lack good editing and proofing. More and more are dealing with the consequences: negative reviews, no sales, even after promotions. Some will stare at their sales, scratching their heads and wonder why they're low or non-existent, as not everyone, who downloads a free book and deletes it within one hour, will let the author know the why. I have lost count on the free books I've deleted due to not fulfilling my expectations. Just yesterday I deleted a book as I was told three times in the first few pages the same thing. I'm not retarded, dear author.
What's worse is that I'd recently read a book from a small publisher and found the editing inconsistencies very annoying. Maybe it's because I'm a rather strict editor myself; I choose one style and stick to it. When I see something like "What else could it be," he thought, I just want to cry. It's the little things that irritate me.
Or when a book is in first person point of view and the main character seems to have constant out of body experiences: I looked at her with a puzzled expression. Or even better, when the main character knows what the other characters think. That's editing basics and drives me against the wall when a publishing house is not able to get it right. Mind you, I've seen these 'thought'-inconsistencies in books published by one of the big six, too.
You know that I'm a keen supporter of new publishing companies. Even if they often don't have a lot or no money, they are still willing to invest time, love and energy in new writers, who they hope, will grow with them, perhaps even make them big -- it only takes one lucky strike and you might make millions -- although it's the exception to the rule. However, where there are good people, who might not have a background in publishing, but a real talent for editing or proofing, there are those who want to swim on the big wave and don't care so much about quality. Publishing is a hard, competitive business; sales is all that matters. So many will get accept your book and try to get it out as soon as possible, often with little or no editing.
Beware, before you submit to a new publisher, check if they're editing and how they're editing. If they have books published, buy one or two to see the quality. Ask them what they can do for you that you cannot do yourself and decide wisely. It's your name and reputation on the line. You wouldn't want to have it destroyed, just because their editor doesn't know what s/he's doing.

Tip of the week: unnecessary repetition

If there's something that really makes me groan when reading, then it's repetition. Or in other words, treating a reader like he or she is retarded.
What I see often is a scene being repeated through dialogue. Not only is it unnecessary, it's also clogging up word count and slows down the pace considerably. It's probably a trap most first time writers walk into, but it's easily avoided once you know about it. I did it myself -- with a minor character -- repeating his name after I'd introduced him to the reader a few pages before.
 
Let's make it a bit clearer: Character A and B have a conversation. Character B meets character C the next day and tell him exactly what the conversation was about in dialogue. Now I, the reader, have been present the first time, hanging on ever word character A and B exchanged and don't need to get it retold.

Or: A scene where a woman gets mugged, described in detail, how she screamed, what he said, how she reacted, maybe even that she thought he looked far too posh, etc. Later at the police station she's interviewed and the questions of the officer as well as her answers tell me the whole scene again. Boring!

Those kinds of repetitions aren't needed. It's often the moment, when I start skipping or at least sigh loudly.

Better to let character B fill character C in. C could then give an opinion about the conversation, perhaps even make a statement about character A.

And the police could ask additional questions, you can inform the reader what will happen next, they could try to identify the posh mugger by looking into their database.

If you eliminate those, you'll have a much tighter and better book. The reader will be thankful for it.

Tip of the week: editing, do it yourself

Time for another Tip of the week and today, I want to hand out a few tips on self-editing, on the how to tighten your writing and find overused phrases, as well as editing for logic.
Every writer has them, those tendencies to overuse a particular phrase; and every writer will put some small inconsistencies they will only catch with a bit of distance or when a reader points them out.
As an editor it's my job to point out those issues mentioned below. They are small things making a big difference if tackled.



Overused phrasing: 
It's one of the most difficult tasks to avoid repetition. I recently was more than annoyed with a book that contained so many latches I was dizzy. The challenge is trying to find other ways of describing the action.
He grabbed, he held on to her, closed his fingers around her wrist/arm, reached for her wrist, she tried to shake him off, but he wouldn't let go, etc.
I am guilty of overusing grins in No Wings Attached. After a friend told me about it, I cut them down severely.
A useful tool to find out if you're overusing a word/phrase is to search for it with the Find & Replace tool in Word. You'd be surprised what you'll find.

Logic & tightening:
What I see a lot in beginners' writing is the following:

Walking into the kitchen, she opened a fridge. She took out the milk and poured it into her coffee. Taking a sip, she mumbled, 'I simple can't believe that.'

Not only is it really annoying to read, it's also impossible, unless the kitchen is a fridge or so tiny that she could do both at the same time. Neither is talking that complete sentence while taking a sip. She can either talk or take a sip, or take a sip, then talk.
One of the most hilarious examples was: Running down the stairs she pulled on her jeans. 
Seriously? I'd like to see that stunt.
Check your manuscript for those often rather funny sentences.

The next example is perfectly fine:
Cleaning the kitchen, she listened to the radio. 

A few years ago, I read something like this:

It was completely dark, the backyard only lit by a dim light.

Then it wasn't completely dark, because it would mean no light at all. The first part isn't necessary to describe the scene. The backyard was only lit by a dim light.

Another example on tightening:

'As if that is necessary,' she grumbled. She wasn't in a good mood.

The second part becomes redundant as she's grumbling, so it's clear to the reader she's not chirpy.

I'm currently reading a book where I witnessed some action that'll be repeated later. A person dies, an investigation takes place, they search the house, interview the people who live in the house, etc.
Later on, I'm being retold through a dialogue the MC has with another character. Totally unnecessary. I was there, I saw the investigation, I heard them being interviewed, hell, I even witnessed the person die.
A simple: He filled her in, he told her what has happened, he described the event to her, etc. would be enough.
Okay, hope that'll give you some food for thoughts.
As usual, if you have anything else to add, feel free to comment; I'm sure others will be grateful.

Tip of the week: getting rid of repetitive I, she or he

Nothing is more annoying to a reader than reading a book in which every sentence starts with I, she or he. Many new writers who haven't got the skills yet will walk into that trap. Beginning every second or third sentence with he, she, or I often reads clumsy and disturbs the flow.
While repetition can enhance a certain passage, it can become rather monotone if used throughout a book.
But how to get rid of it?
Easy: by rephrasing, playing with the words.

 
Here is an example:
He opened the windows to see better. He stood there for another five minutes. He admired the woman walking in the garden. He hadn't seen her before. 

To see better, he opened the windows and admired the woman, which walked in the garden, for another five minutes. Who was she?

See the difference?

Another example:
I took the bus into the city. I couldn't afford a cab. I sat down and looked out the window. I was so annoyed with myself. I stared at the passing people barely noticing them.

A cab was not an option, not on my budget. Annoyed, I sat down and looked out the window, barely noticing the passing people.

I know the examples are a bit extreme, all I'm trying to say is to avoid this form of repetition unless it's absolutely necessary to use it for emphasises.

Tip of the week: an important comma that makes a difference

I'll make it short this week; nevertheless it's something I wanted to point out as I've read quite a few self-published books or edited a lot of manuscripts where this particular comma is missing.
For many it might not be important, but it's rather interesting 5o see how the meaning of a sentence can be altered, just by inserting this tiny little punctuation mark. It's used mainly in dialogue, or when the character writes a letter/e-mail; in any case, one person is addressed by name or nickname.


"Could you please explain what you're talking about, love?"
"Hi, lovely blog visitor."
"Hello, everyone."
"I know, Stella, what you mean."
"Stella, it was you, wasn't it?"
"Good morning, reader."
"Thanks, dear buyer of my book."

Here is an example about altering the meaning:
"I don't know Stella." (Someone has no clue who Stella is.)
"I don't know, Stella." (Someone tells Stella that he or she has no clue.)

Okay this should be the small editing tip for today. I wish you all a happy Sunday.