Comments on: Generation Author Snowflake & The High Cost of Instant

By: Barbara Meyers

Barbara Meyers — Thu, 09 Mar 2017 13:07:39 +0000

Chiming in late. Behind in my reading. Two things. I also have the policy if I can’t at least say I “liked” the book (which is high praise coming from me) I say nothing at all. As agents used to say and maybe still do, “Mine is just one subjective opinion. Others may feel differently.” Second, I was part of an author cross promotion group for awhile. If I read a book I didn’t like, my alternative was to blog about it rather than post a review. That way I could pick and choose what I said and the way I said it without offending the author (who may or may not have noticed that I never posted a review). I simply can’t lie and post an enthusiastic review for a book I thought was awful.

By: jillianbmacleod

jillianbmacleod — Wed, 18 Jan 2017 02:50:27 +0000

Here’s the important point for me: Reviews aren’t for the author, they’re for future readers.

Admittedly, I don’t have to worry about protecting my brand the way that you do—I haven’t published yet—but I can’t help feeling that I’m doing a disservice to my fellow readers if I don’t provide a counterbalance to the uncritical masses who give 5-stars to books with huge problems. Still, there are occasionally books I can’t review because I loathe them so deeply that there’s no way to express myself without being scathing and vitriolic.

By: Catherine at Critique My Novel

Catherine at Critique My Novel — Wed, 11 Jan 2017 06:04:37 +0000

Reblogged this on Critique My Novel's blog for writers and commented: Another great post from Kristen Lamb.

By: martinbeks

martinbeks — Tue, 10 Jan 2017 19:03:59 +0000

I actually self-published in 2012, and I wasn’t sure if I was ready, but I knew in the back of my mind that I wasn’t. When I went back to read my first manuscript, I saw that it was riddled with holes, nothing made sense, and my MC was Too dumb to live. I had put that out there. I was embarrassed, ashamed, and worried that I’d shot myself in the foot.
I’ve since taken it off Amazon, Smashwords, and CreateSpace, and I’m learning about the art of writing and publishing, including the arduous editing process. Hopefully I can rectify the situation, and put out good work in the future. I’ve learned so much just in the last few months. 🙂

By: Selling Books—The Struggle is REAL but Not New & What to DO! | Kristen Lamb's Blog

Tue, 10 Jan 2017 17:20:05 +0000

[…] have mentioned the problems with Millennial Authors (these are writers who have “come of age” during the digital revolution and they could […]

By: authorguy

authorguy — Sun, 08 Jan 2017 23:25:35 +0000

I just sent a critical comment to a fanfiction writer who posted a new chapter today. I did it in a PM, not on the public comment board, and he thanked me for the valid feedback and responded to my critiques. He did use the phrase ‘in my defence’, and I hastened to point out that I wasn’t attacking him. An additional upside is that I have a new story idea of my own, if I care to use it.

By: xxsarahcaroline

xxsarahcaroline — Sun, 08 Jan 2017 14:42:35 +0000

I’ve definitely seen this mentality around and it affects me too. As a Millenial, I’ve always found it hard to be critically honest with people and other writers. I also have a strong fear of failure which can hold my writing back (though that also might just be my personality.) It’s hard for me to put my work out there because I’m afraid I’ll be told it’s no good. But I’m aware of this flaw and am slowly fighting against it. I’ve gotten real critique before and it’s completely changed how I write. I WANT to get better which means I have to want honest critique and invite it. It’s tough though, because any write my age doesn’t want to give a real critique, and they barely say anything about the writing. And it’s doubly hard because I’ve barely met one person my age who is 100% serious about writing. Gah! The writing world is a tough one to get oriented into (but I can’t give up).

By: About This Writing Stuff… | Phil Giunta – Space Cadet in the Middle of Eternity

Fri, 06 Jan 2017 19:12:28 +0000

[…] Animal Farm – New York GOOOOD, Self-Pub BAAAAD and Generation Author Snowflake & The High Cost of Instant by Kristen […]

By: Terri Benson

Terri Benson — Thu, 05 Jan 2017 18:37:27 +0000

I’ve been on vacation and just now got around to reading this. It is soooo spot on. If poor writers don’t know they’re bad at it, or aren’t willing to take classes/go to critique, etc., then they’ll never get better and will keep putting out bad writing. If reviews can’t be trusted, then readers will quit trusting them and will stick with the big-5 published books, leaving all the great self-published books sitting. Just because you CAN do something doesn’t mean you should, or that what you can do is any good. Thanks for saying this out loud (or in writing), because it needed to be said.

By: Sue Morris @ KidLitReviews

Sue Morris @ KidLitReviews — Wed, 04 Jan 2017 21:00:11 +0000

I am a reviewer of children’s books and have been for nearly a decade. I totally understand your post and agree with you on every count. It has gotten so bad I have stopped accepting self-published books without vetting it first. Even then, crap slips in on later pages. If I say the poetry was not good (meter, rhyming, etc.) and mention how difficult writing poetry really is, I get an earful. I spend time learning craft to write, but also to review.

I cannot stand wasting time reading a book without a plot. I’ve been asked to review a “children’s book” with adult main characters and adults solving all the problems. Kids are an afterthought. And the number of message books has risen dramatically these past few years. If I take a book, and it turns out to be so bad I don’t want to read it let alone review it, the author is so offended. I have been accused of stealing the book they sent in for review.

My other pet peeve are the huge numbers of new “publishers” who release only one person’s books: theirs. Personally, I feel tricked, like these new publishers are there in name only to make reader believe the book is traditionally published. It feels fraudulent. I’m not talking about someone who built a brand and self-publishes a dozen books and counting. It is the one with one horrible book. Most readers do not know one publisher name from another and will believe a book is traditionally published if there is a publisher name in the credits.

I could go on and on, but I’ll make myself stop. I love your post Kristen. It had to be said and I thank you for having the courage to do so.