It was late, I was taking a break from writing, and wanted to relax. So I purchased a book from a favorite e-publisher. This book had a decent cover, a wonderful plotline, per the blurb, and the potential for me to discover a new (to me) author with a backlist--always a thrill.
I was excited, but after page twenty, the frown on my face felt permanently etched there. The characters seemed interesting, but I couldn't follow what the heck was going on. A mugging? A killing? A witness is interviewed, and then suddenly he's living with a policeman??? I tried to engage by reading another one hundred pages (on my ereader) and simply couldn't read any more. Every time I thought I understood what was going on, the author shifted the world out from under me. And for the life of me, I didn't understand the paranormal twist on the story, though I might have understood it better had I read the whole thing.
So my thrill at a potentially decent read turned into disappointment, and hey, a bit of annoyance, because I shelled out some bucks for that book. Still, as a writer, it made me wonder if my work is ever annoying to readers. (Man, I hope not!) I don't write with a critique partner, someone objective enough about my work to show me the flaws in it. Instead, I set my work aside for a time and look at it weeks later, distancing myself. In that way, I can catch plot holes and confusion that would baffle the reader. And I've been fortunate that the editors I work with refuse to allow me to get away with anything.
In the case of the book I read, I think some consistency problems could have been easily fixed. And some transitional sentences bringing the paragraphs together would have made the flow much easier. (The hero going from jail to a bedroom without any explanation confused the *@@!& out of me.)
So do I blame the author, the editor, the publisher? No. Because each book is a risk, and a possible keeper in the reading. And just because I had a hard time reading it didn't mean someone else overlooked what I labeled flaws and enjoyed it. To each her/his own, I suppose.
The author had a good voice, so I might buy another of her books, but it will be a shorter, less expensive read. :) I don't hold a grudge, and I certainly won't stop looking for newer authors. I have a bad book habit I need to feed, after all.
Happy Friday!!
Mariewww.marieharte.com
Satyr's Myst, coming to Loose Id Feb 26th
5 comments:
Marie, It's so disappointing when you pay good money for a book and the story makes no sense. For me, though, I tend to have problems getting into stories. I don't know if I'm more critical now that I'm a writer or what. And when the book is really good, then I want to stop reading and start writing, because it's inspirational.
Ha ha. I know what you mean, Shara. I tend to be much more critical of a reader now than when I started writing.
Marie
This is why I seldom give a bad review. I'm more likely to gush over something because I found it exceptional. If I don't like it, I just say nothing because I'm aware that it's all personal opinion. What I hate, someone else may love and vice versa. However, there are a lot of people jumping on the epublishing bandwagon because they think it's easy and some even believe they can get away with producing a sub-standard book just because it's not on paper, and that is so not true. Still, even with authors I love that doesn't mean I love 'everything' that they do. Writing is difficult because it's subjective. I feel sorry for that author because with the right team behind her she could be a potential talent with a great career.
One reason why I think a good editor is worth his/her weight in gold because they are able to view the ms with more objectivity and consequently should be able to steer the writer along the right path so that the end result produces a cohesive story that will not lose a reader's interest.
Hi Sharon. Yeah, reviews are subjective, but I think most folks who read the book I did would have been confused. Sigh. It has such potential too!
But I totally agree with Marie. A good editor catches those things we authors might miss. Heck, with all the editing I get through Loose Id, I still get stuff caught by 3rd and 4th line edits I can't believe I missed.
Marie Harte
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