Changes in Publishing

Reading novels is something I spend a lot of time doing during the winter months. On cold winter evenings, I can often be found curled up under an afghan with my Kindle.

Unfortunately, because of current publishing models, many novels contain multiple errors and blunders. Even recommended books from BookBub and Amazon are often, in my opinion, not worth the time it takes to read them.

Amazon has changed its standards and now allows almost anything to be self-published for Kindle. There are no gatekeepers giving honest evaluations. No one tells writers when their writing is inferior. Authors need only be tech savvy (or have good friends who will navigate the tech maze for them). Many of these books contain conventions errors, are poorly organized, lack plot development, and rely heavily on descriptive overload and backstory

Over the next several weeks, I will be posting about my winter reads and citing examples from some of these novels. In the interest of full disclosure, many of these books were free, and some were only 99¢. Therefore, much of what I have endured is a direct result of getting books “on the cheap.”

Topics I am writing about include: editing, conventions, conceptual development, dialogue, anachronisms, research, reviews, backstory, setting, plot, adjective/adverb overload, clichés, writing for word count, point of view, backstory, protagonists, antagonists, and maybe a few other topics I decide to add (and not necessarily in the order listed).

Meanwhile, if you are writing, edit – edit – edit, and edit some more. Then, when you have completed your novel, hire a professional editor.