A 5 star rant

Are readers lowering their expectations? I only ask because of the plethora of 5 star reviews that I see some indie books receive compared to books that have been professionally published, and the subsequent slant this has on the Amazon top rated charts.

I’ve read a number of these books now (and I count my own among the indie numbers), and while many of them are competently written, a lot lack that certain panache, characterisation, pace and plotting that makes them exceptional, which to me is what a 5 star rating denotes. Many of these books receive higher ratings than their professionally published counterparts, some of the authors of which have been in the game for a long time.

While I imagine much of this might be down to these professionally published tomes selling far more and so garnering more readers, which then has the potential to generate more reviews with a broader range of ratings, I also feel that discounting the ‘friends and family reviews’, it’s because readers now seem far more tolerant about punctuation, grammar and spelling errors, which probably has something to do with the dumbing down of the English language, as typified by the new ‘text speak’ and instant messaging where abbreviations abound and words are often spelt phonetically rather than correctly. But I also feel it’s because many readers, knowing it’s an indie book, give it a break and choose to ignore the books faults, because they know the book hasn’t been through the rigorous stages that a professionally published book goes through. So in this respect, it’s almost expected that there will be problems with indie books, but they are overlooked for this reason.

Many reviewers are also afraid to point out what they feel are faults for fear of vitriol. This is especially true when authors review other authors, as they are afraid said author will reciprocate with a harsh review regardless of whether it is warranted or not. Another reason for this is that I feel that while professionally published authors generally don’t respond to any negativity, indie authors are not as tolerant and so people are afraid to comment.

Ultimately this helps nobody though and I feel many, many indie authors release subpar work. Now that readers are the gate keepers, a role previously maintained by the professional publishers whose books were generally considered to at least be edited to a high standard, shouldn’t it be said readers job to now cast a more critical eye and not throw out 5 star reviews as liberally as confetti at a wedding?

False praise helps nobody as both the author and potential readers are being misled, and a few harsh truths, while sometimes hard to accept, will ultimately help both the authors and the work they release if they take heed. And this can only be a good thing for all involved.

Promotion. How far is too far?

I’ve been blown away to have already received six 5* reviews on Amazon.co.uk for the new Prosper Snow novel, Killers. A couple of said reviews have even said they think it’s better than the first book, The Kult!

Now I know I’ve been blogging and posting about the book’s release, but it still surprises me how many people in certain places, such as on the Amazon forums actively dislike authors promoting their work (Amazon.com even went so far as relegate such posts to a single area titled ‘Meet our authors' forum). I find all this animosity unusual for people who supposedly like reading. I read a comment on a post recently where the person said that they would never buy a book from an author that promoted their work, because if the work was good, then it would speak for itself and people would buy it. I thought WTF. The problem with this theory is that people first have to hear about the book, and one of the best ways to get the word out is to promote. It’s the old catch 22 scenario really. I personally have no problem with people promoting their books. Hell, I know how hard it is to find readers, so anything that helps in this respect is good. I wouldn’t have heard about half the books I purchase if I hadn’t read posts by the authors themselves.

So what do other people think? Can you promote too much? Does it turn potential readers away? 

The essence of horror?

I was reading this review of my novella, Dead Man’s Eye (http://bookaholicdoesblogging.blogspot.com/2011/02/review-dead-mans-eyes.html) and it started me thinking about what the essence of horror is. Obviously this reviewer was turned off by the fact that people died, and she felt awful for the protagonist being in such dire circumstances. Now it’s not a bad review at all, just not that reader’s cup of tea for the reasons mentioned, but what is horror supposed to do? According to Wikepedia: “Horror fiction is a genre of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror.”

So I guess in that respect the piece has achieved what horror is supposed to do as said reviewer obviously felt something for the protanonist to feel depressed by what happened to her. If the reviewer hadn’t felt anything for the main character, then the story wouldn’t have carried any weight, so in that respect the story has succeeded. But what do you as a reader think of horror fiction? Should stories have happy, upbeat endings? Do you mind seeing characters die?

Film reviews

I watched a couple of films this weekend, The Last Airbender, Psych 9 and Inception. These are my thoughts:


The Last Airbender follows the adventures of Aang, a young successor to a long line of Avatars, who must put his childhood ways aside and stop the Fire Nation from enslaving the Water, Earth and Air nations. Based on a cartoon, the story line was contrived, and the acting was pretty dire, but the special effects made it watchable and it kept my son entertained. 4/10


Psych 9 was a low budget film about an unstable woman working alone at night in a recently closed hospital, where she witnesses events that may be connected to a string of murders. The actors didn’t bring any real depth to the story, and the relationship between the protagonist and her husband came across that they hated each other, even though they professed their love. Aside from this, the storyline seemed to jump around and there were numerous scenes that didn’t make much sense. 4/10.


Inception also had a storyline that jumped around, but it was undertaken in a much more stylish way. Like an onion, there were many layers to inception, which concerns a world where technology exists to allow people to enter the human mind through dream invasion. Utilising this technology, a highly skilled thief is given a final chance at redemption which involves executing his toughest job to date: Inception. The film contained some wonderful special effects, but it’s a film you had to watch and listen to very carefully, otherwise you wouldn’t have a clue what was going on. 7.5/10

Review and interview

Today I was lucky enough to have a great review for The Kult appear online, and a great interview has been posted too. I'd really appreciate it if you showed some love and checked them out. And while at the interview page, check out Simon's debut thriller, Tag too:
On 15 March 2110, 6.3 billion people will die.

One man’s vision to make the world a better place.

From a world where the concept of violence has changed, and where personal privacy has been forsaken, comes a tale of conspiracy, love and murder – and the bond shared by brothers.

Interview

Review

Principal photography, reviews and ramblings.

With principal photography on The Kult due to start in just over a month’s time, I’ve got a lot to arrange, such as flights and accommodation -- I believe a couple of signings are in the pipeline too somewhere in San Diego, so I’ll post news when I know more. But as I’ll be away after Tuesday I won’t be able to sort anything for the next week or so, but hopefully I’ll return with batteries charged and be raring to go.

On the home front, I’ve been exercising more lately and trying to shift a few pounds. They’re going, but it’s a slow process. I’ve also got three more tattoo appointments booked for September to continue work on my sleeve so September is looking like a hectic month.

I’ve noticed that the reviews of Deadfall on Amazon.com have not been exactly glowing so far. It’s always disappointing when people don’t enjoy something as the sole purpose of a fiction book is to entertain, to transport you from real life and draw you into a world of make-believe where you can lose yourself for a few hours. And if I haven’t entertained, then I haven’t done my job properly. Of course you’re never going to please everyone, but I hope the majority of readers do enjoy what I write. Either way, I value reviews and opinions and I hope more people share theirs.

Thought for the day: Authors have the perfect face for books.

What makes you buy a book?

I’m interested in knowing what makes you buy a book. Is it the cover? Is it by an author you’ve read before and you like their work? Did a review catch your attention? Is it the back blurb? Recommended by a friend? Adverts? Samples? Price? While browsing in a shop or on the internet? Or is there something else that makes you purchase the tome?

And once you’ve read the book, regardless of whether you enjoyed it or not, do you review it or recommend it to friends? Or do you only review the books you enjoyed?

Like many authors, I find it hard to get people to buy my books, and it’s a fine line between spamming and promoting (some people might say it’s all spam). Now I class myself as a bottom feeder searching for scraps while the sharks circle around taking the prize cuts, which is why every review and recommendation helps, so it would be really cool if you enjoyed a book, you spent a couple of minutes writing a review or just making a quick post to let people know (any book, any author).

And not being one to miss an opportunity, it’s my birthday tomorrow, and any help spreading word about my own book(s) would be a fantastic gift that costs nothing, but means so much :)

Kult auditions and kicking ass.

Well it’s the first of The Kult auditions this Sunday (May 16th) and I’m looking forwards to seeing who lands the roles, and whether any of them match the descriptions I had in my head when writing the novel. Of course having a film made of my work is a dream come true, and not something I ever really imagined would happen. Now I’m getting fed up of pinching myself, and I have the bruises to show for it. Or perhaps those are from Taekwondo, the latest grading of which I took last Thursday with my son. If we passed – results on Monday - then we’ll be blue belts (4th Kup). Obviously being 7 years old, my son is a hell of a lot more flexible than me, but I’m getting there, one creaking joint at a time.

Writing wise, I’m working on a screenplay with the writer of The Kult screenplay, Danielle Kaheaku. It’s a departure compared to what I’m used to writing, but it’s interesting to try a different format.

And finally, had a couple of great reviews for Deadfall this week:

http://www.horrorworld.org/reviews.htm (scroll down)

http://www.famousmonstersoffilmland.com/book-review-deadfall-by-shaun-jeffrey/

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7540697-deadfall