A review for COMBAT! and getting rid of excerpts
If there’s one thing I’ve learnt in my life, it’s that you have to listen to your end-users. It holds in every facet of your life where you’re providing a service, whether it’s scheduling training for a product, or promoting a book to your readers. I lurk at a lot of sites and probably don’t post half as much as various promotion guides tell me I should, but that doesn’t mean I’m not there, taking it all in and ruminating on whether readers are right or not.
Sometimes I think they’re not. Readers keep saying that they want to try different things but then how do you go on to explain 10 million+ books sold by Cassie Edwards? Or 1 billion+ books sold by Barbara Cartland? (No, that’s not a typo, I got it from her website.) On the other hand, readers also say they don’t like excerpts, because the author can cherrypick a passage that’s not representative of the book, thus selling it under false pretences. Okay, that one has a point. So, because I believe that the relationship between author and reader should be as straightforward as possible, I’ve deleted all the excerpts from my website and have put up first chapters instead. The entire first chapter. That should give you an idea of how I write and should be a fairer representation of what’s in each release.
And, speaking of releases, Maria Zannini has a review of COMBAT! on her blog. It is a generous and gracious review and I’m not quite sure what to say, especially after I thought I bored her to tears in one of our recent exchanges, after she initiated a flood of nostalgia on my part. Her reply to my meandering was a pithy summary of a wonderful future romance plot so, if I get around to writing it, Maria, I’ll have you to thank for it!
She’s taking questions too, so if you have something to ask regarding COMBAT!, or writing in first-person, or anything else, head on over and log your comment. I’ve promised to stop by and reply to any queries posted.
–especially after I thought I bored her to tears in one of our recent exchanges…
LOL! Not at all. I think you’ve led a remarkable life. You have the kind of experience the rest of us dream of when “experts” tell us, write what you know.
Ref: excerpts
I’ve been reading the debate of 1st chapter vs middle excerpt. I have to admit, I won’t buy a book that starts out slowly, unless someone twists my arm and shows me the book gets better.
You’re too kind for words, Maria. And many thanks again for the review. It kick-started a total of 5,000 words for today’s writing!
As for the slow books … I’ll have to admit being in two minds about that one. Banks’ “The Player of Games” started off slow and I think I may have mentioned last year that the movie “Mirrormask” (based on a work by Neil Gaiman) started so slow it was catatonic! Both rewarded perseverance in the end.
If I’m still in thick mud by the middle of the book, I’ll throw it against the wall but, otherwise, I’m usually more than willing to give anything a shot. The trick is, it has to tempt me first.