Tuesday 17 October 2017

Is it better to know the truth about your book?

I can't believe it's the 17th  October already. Seems like only yesterday I did my beginning of the month post.
Over the past three weeks I've been beta reading a couple of books. One, a WW2 adventure from an American I met online and the other a literary fiction by a man I've met in person - but connected through ALLi.
I use four beta readers and don't expect more than a yay or nay from them but, as an ex-reader for the RNA wonderful NWS scheme,  I couldn't read without commenting.
Both books were good, one much better than the other. Both had technical issues and one historical errors. I sent them a one page critique listing what I'd seen and suggesting ways to put things right. I also stressed that these were my opinions and another reader might love the book as it is.
What I'm now wondering is, did they want to know there were things I didn't think worked? Should I have just said it was okay and good luck?
I had a reader contact me about typos in a book - I was so glad she did. The file published was not the final one but  an earlier version - there were indeed  many errors - but no on had mentioned this to me before. Therefore, literally, thousands of people had read the book and I so wished I'd known last year and corrected it. These weren't catastrophic mistakes, just missing letters, extra spaces, the usual things that can be overlooked if not correctly proof read.
I have contacted a few writer friends over the years to tell them that there's a historical error in their books - all have been pleased to know. One famously said that the book was only £0.99, and what do readers want for that money? This reader wants historical accuracy whatever the cover price.
I always correct the e-version of the book if I discover/am told about errors but don't do the paperbacks. It costs £100 to have it formatted and I only sell a handful of copies a year.
Christian Cameron's brilliant book, The Long Sword, had so many errors I stopped counting them after three chapters This was the hard back. The unproofed file had inadvertently been published. I was reviewing it for HNS so contacted Orion and they said they would make sure the e-version and paperback were correct.
I think most writers would want to be told before the book was published but what about afterwards when they could do little about it? I never read my books again once they are 'out' and I doubt that many writers do.  So why tell them as they might remain in blissful ignorance until a reviewer comments?
What do you think? Tell the truth or not?

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Five books and three of them new titles.
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Tuesday 3 October 2017

Giveaways and Good News!

 Today I'm letting you know I'm part of an excellent giveaways. One AXP, you could win 45 books. The other litring, you could win an Amazon gift card.  https://www.litring.com/bookbub-sept-29/  
The book giveaway is mixed genre as you can see. It's to do with series -the first book in each series is up for grabs. My Barbara's War is featured.

Another thing I want to share with you is that my book, Blue Skies & Tiger Moths, the first book in my new Ellen's War series, has been longlisted for the Millennium Book Awards. There were 1000 entrants and forty books were longlisted. I'm thrilled. I've entered several awards and never been long listed.
The second book, An ATA Girl ,is now out with my Beta readers and should be ready for release early next year.

Thanks for dropping by
Fenella J Miller