Book Blogger Hop is a weekly meme hosted by Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer, where you answer a question and join a “hop”. The purpose is to help bloggers discover and get to know one another.
For this week’s Book Blogger Hop, Nicki @ Nicki J. Markus/Asta Idonea asks:
What do you like/dislike about self-published works?
I’ve worked with a number of authors who had self-published their books. From my experience, I have a lot of things that I like! The two main elements that I like the most are:
- The relationships that I’ve built.
- The variety of stories I’ve read.
The relationships are definitely my favorite. I work with a handful of amazing authors whenever they have something new they’re launching. I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to do so!
With the variety, I have been given a number of books that I wouldn’t necessarily have picked up myself but ended up really enjoying!
Thanks for reading!
Have you read any self-published books? I’d love to learn about your experience!
Yes, I’ve read self-published books. Some were not so good with beginner-type mistakes, but we gotta start somewhere, right? Some were fantastic. I REALLY like the Amazon “look inside” feature that lets me read a few pages. I think that helps me make better buying decisions when I’m looking at an author’s self-published book.
Absolutely!! I always try to give authors a pass with self-publishing. I’m just so impressed that they wrote a book in the first place! 🙂 And I totally don’t mind helping point out edits and such. Ooh! I’ll have to use that feature more!
I used to not really read them, but I’ve found some good self-pubbed sports romance books I really like, so I think I’m changing my tune a bit.
<3
About 90% of what I read is Indie or self published so I see a lot of ’em every year! I can ignore the odd editing mistake if I’m caught up in the story but some I’ve read are a real mess! I hate seeing tons of spelling and grammar issues along with sentences that don’t make sense, missing words, wrong character names. If there are way too many it does bug me. The plus side of I/SP is the range of stories out there on my favourite subjects-tons of horror, creature feature and apocalypse books, and there are real hidden gems amongst them!
<3 I LOVE self published horror!!
The covers for self-published books have never appealed to me. They’re too generic and most of them look the same.
Yeah, that’s always such a bummer!
I hardly read indie/self-published books! They just aren’t really on my radar. I agree, I have seen some really awful covers, and unfortunately, if that’s the first impression I get, I’m less likely to pick up the book!
Yeah, cover art is definitely something that needs to be top notch!
Excellent answer, Erica. I completely agree.
😀
I forgot about the covers . . . Yes, that can be a negative when it comes to self-published books.
It’s especially a bummer when the cover doesn’t match the content of the book in the slightest…
I second all that. I’ve forget wonderful relationships with a handful of indie/small-pub authors, and I’ve even proof/beta-read for them a few times. The best thing about it is that they really value your input and make you feel special. Also, self-pub/small-pub authors aren’t afraid to experiment a little or go off the beaten path, and my heart aches for all of them who can’t seem to get a big break with such wonderful stories. Publishers are cowards sometimes.
Covers and typos ARE an issue…but lately, I’ve seen the same problems surface in “regular” fiction (though less with the covers). So, unless a book is ridden with errors, I’ll take an original indie book over a copycat big-wig one any day!
Oh my gosh, being a beta reader is the best! And true, I’ve seen many typos in recent books; one in a Stephen King book (not Pet Semematary 😉 )!
I’m with you – the bad covers and editing can be the big downers for self-published. But there are some great books out there.
For sure!! 🙂
I really should read more self-published books. I like the idea that it’s easier to build relationships with the authors, and that it will sometimes get me to try a book I wouldn’t normally have ever considered. I agree that bad covers and poor editing and formatting can sometimes make it a struggle though.
It’s so fun!! <3