Publishing A Novel: Don't Believe Your Own Press?

Sorry for the slow blogging, but I've been putting the time into actually writing my latest novel. I received some great feedback from my cousin Rachael and have added yet another person to my editing team: my friend Brian. I'm trying to not make the same mistakes that I have with BAND GEEK and having so many people read over my work is definitely helping. I'm happy with my novel's progress and so far, everyone seems to be enjoying it.

I've gone for several weeks now without reading reviews. Yesterday, I had lunch with my cousin Tom and he told me that when it comes to his movies or TV appearances, he doesn't read any reviews at all. He just takes on roles that he likes and enjoys the work ... and doesn't care what others have to say. His argument is that if he's going to believe the good reviews then he also has to believe the bad reviews... and he doesn't want to be brought down by them. He also noted that if people like a certain thing that you do, you might end up doing it in excess to please them and then it's no longer authentic.

I can understand what he means, especially since I've gotten some very good and very bad reviews -- and I've been both elated and angered by them. They really can mess with your mind. But I still think that reviews can be valuable and it's a bit different when it comes to writing. When he's acting, he's taking on one aspect of a production that someone else wrote and directed. With my books, I'm in charge of the whole thing so I have a little more creative control -- and any praise or criticism is directed at me.

Perhaps I need to find a happy medium and only read certain types of reviews, i.e. reviews written by "professional" book critics? I don't know. I do like getting feedback and I believe that it's important for readers to share their thoughts. Then again, when do you draw the line between pleasing readers and writing for yourself -- and really, how do you cater to everyone's tastes, anyway?

For now, I'm going to continue writing and will stay away from reviews until the book is finished. Still, I hope you'll check out REVENGE OF A BAND GEEK GONE BAD and will at least let others know what you think.

Publishing A Novel: Avoiding Reviews

I'm about halfway done with my latest novel. I'm pretty happy with how it's turning out so far and have decided to avoiding reading reviews, both good and bad, for the time being. We'll see how well I can stick with this!

Obviously, I'm still promoting BAND GEEK, but my mind is attached to my new book. I don't want the reviews to influence my writing too much. I find that my confidence drops whenever I read a bad review of my work, while I tend to get a little cocky when I read a good one. I think that reviews are important and can be helpful, but I need to stay focused on my latest project.

I've definitely learned from reading my book's reviews, as well as from taking a look at critiques of other novels. For this second book, I plan to A) Make sure it's completely typo-free. I've hired a professional editor to do this. After I finish, I might even have her go back through BAND GEEK. B) Not use dialect. This is a small thing, but apparently some readers didn't like reading the way that I wrote out slurred drunk talk. Readers have also complained about dialect annoying them in other novels. I dunno, it doesn't bother me too much, but if I use it, I'll make sure it's easy to understand. C) Get a cover that better illustrates the genre. Though this one is also a toss-up because many have complimented the cover for BAND GEEK.

A few readers complained that my story is too cliche and predictable, and I imagine that they will with this story, too. I'm not really writing suspenseful tales, though; I'm writing realistic fiction and like to think of them as "slice of life" stories. I want them to be more about the characters and their interactions; even if you can tell early on that characters will become enemies or friends, my novels are more about all of that in between stuff. I hope that readers will come away liking and relating to my characters, even if they weren't taken on a wild, adventurous ride.

On the other hand, most of my readers have said that they really liked my characters and felt that BAND GEEK moved quickly, so I seem to be doing something right! I hope that my new novel is as easy and fun to go through. I'm working on it, anyway.

I'm not trying to write the Great American Novel. I'm just trying to create some cute, YA fiction that goes a bit deeper than the average romantic comedy. Just as there's a market for different types of movies, there's one for different type of books. My main goal is to entertain and give my readers some enjoyment, while putting out books that I loved to write. So far, I'm doing just that.

Please read and review REVENGE OF A BAND GEEK GONE BAD.

Publishing A Novel: Bad Review Recovery

It's been about a week since BAND GEEK received that not-so-great review from a reader. And you know what? It still stings.

One of my friends asked how I can be so calm about getting negative reviews. "I'd probably burst into tears anytime someone said something bad about my work," she admitted. I can stay (relatively) calm because I'm somewhat used to getting feedback on my work. When I was searching for an agent, I received plenty of rejection notices and some were pretty nasty. The first couple of times rejections came my way, I DID break down in tears but I couldn't fall apart every time I received any criticism. So I've tried to take rejections and negative reviews in stride. If I didn't, I'd be a complete basket case.

That's not to say that I'm indifferent to bad reviews. THEY SUCK! This one in particular really hurt because the reader just didn't like my story. I've had other reviewers comment on particular aspects of my novel that they disliked, but my entire book seemed to rub this person the wrong way. Truthfully, there was a moment there where I doubted myself, but I read through all of my positive reviews and was reminded of how many people liked my book. I then went and read a bunch of one-star reviews that best sellers and classic books have received. I find it hard to believe that someone could give Catcher In The Rye only one star, but there are over 300 readers on Amazon who have done just that! One even called the narrator, Holden, "whiny and creepy." Yikes! We're talking about one of the great American novels here.

Every author has to deal with bad reviews and bad press, and I'm trying to develop a thick skin. It's never pleasant when someone says that he or she just doesn't care for your work, but what ultimately matters is that you like what you've written. All I can do is my best and if I do that, then I've succeeded.

Please read and review REVENGE OF A BAND GEEK GONE BAD.