More excuses...

Sorry authors, I'm overwhelmed. I'm working through it tiny bit by tiny bit--I have your books, but it's going to be a while before I can actually sit and finish them. I'm the lone reviewer, trying to find time to write myself, to commute, to work at my job, and to deal with all the craptastic wonders of my life. But fear not... I will post again soon.

I hope you all had a delightful holiday. Let's hope this new year will bring something good for all of us.

Steph

Being a cry-baby will not sell books.

In the past few weeks, I’ve been sent links to various negative review articles by other reviewers where the authors being reviewed popped a vein in reaction to it. This is a rare occurence at Odyssey Reviews, mostly because of our policy of not posting reviews for anything that earns only 2 medallions or lower. I'm sure if we panned the bad books in our posted reviews, we'd get more negative reactions from some authors. I usually just tell the author in the kindest way that their book was not readable. I did however have one author react like such a big baby to the review; I changed some of the ways we do things around here at Odyssey Reviews, starting by disabling comments and writing this rather harsh post:

Author Notice

The hard truth is this; if you write to publish, you are exposing yourself to opinion. Period. If you don’t like negative opinions, then you should either make sure that you write like Austen, Steinbeck, Twain, Shelley, Dickenson, Whitman, Keats (None of whom were immune to criticism and negative reviews, by the way), or don’t write at all. My point is... Criticism Happens people! You are giving your work to the public and they are going to read it. Some may love it, some may despise it; it is par for the course; and authors, if you are not prepared to take criticism, you shouldn’t be publishing your work! It’s as simple as that.

It does absolutely NOTHING for your credibility to send lengthy, whining emails to your reviewers listing all the wonderful things other readers said or trying to sway the opinion of your reviewer by imposing other views on them. It’s not going to happen; you can’t MAKE someone like your stuff. I can assure all authors that reviewers are not purposefully sitting about, wringing their hands and smacking their lips; delighting in the notion of tearing your book to shreds for no good reason. If a reviewer is making a criticism, it’s 99.99999999% likely they have been given a reason to. Some reviewers might be more finicky than others, granted, but they are not setting out to make you cry. They are setting out to give an objective, but still personal view of a book.

Posting lengthy diatribe-comments on blog-reviews, or writing novella-length blog posts in rebuttal, arguing with the reviewer’s final opinion makes you look like a huge, snotty-nosed, blubbering baby and the readers who come along will be doubly-convinced not to buy your book. I personally have been known to buy a book in spite of some harsh reviews.

Let’s face it, if everyone listened to negative reviews, would Stephanie Meyer be a successful as she is? I don’t think so. People are still downloading Jessica Black's 'Friday' song in spite of HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of well-deserved negative reviews.

If the author has sold the package to me correctly, then even with a few negative words about it, I will still take that extra step and decide for myself. Amanda Hocking’s troll books are a perfect example of that. I read a number of bad reviews before I got them. But buy them I did. I downloaded all three books and found them worthy of 4 medallions. But if one of those bad reviews had a personal response from Amanda Hocking in the comments, decrying the review and proclaiming that the reviewer is victimizing her by forming and declaring unjust opinions about her work, and following her comments with nine more comments which are pastes from other reviews that were positive... Yeah... I’d arch my brow and shake my head and NOT buy anything by her ever again.

By acting that way, the author is blatantly telling their potential readers that they don’t trust them to decide for themselves and what’s worse; they are telling the reader that if they don’t like the book and they think it was bad, then the reader is wrong, wrong, wrong... Not exactly the best weay to show respect one's readers, is it?

If someone gives your book a negative review, to coin a perfectly apt internet acronym... STFU. Let your book stand up for itself. One or two negative reviews isn't going to be its end. If it gets nothing but negative reviews... then maybe that is destiny telling you that you should take up some other form of creative art.

Bring 'em on, authors. :)

Layton’s ‘The Summoner’ is certainly a hard act to follow; this I know. It was AMAZING. I *still* can’t believe that’s a self-published book, it was so excellent. I am now reading in tandem, ‘Blackroot’ by Miranda Mayer and ‘A Discovery of Witches’ byDeborah E. Harkness. Blackroot is short and I am almost finished with it. It’s a rush-job book, unedited (but still fairly decently written despite some glaring issues with timeline, some full-on name-errors and other things). The story is really raw and gory in places and quite erotic in others. It’s like an outline rather than a story—it needs padding and some character development. It’s also kind of all over the place. I plan to give the author a full report of this; she published it to Smashwords.com—but I think she needs to take it down and submit a revision. She didn’t submit it for general review to me, she talked about it with me during writing group. She said it was the source of many themes for Tinna’s Promise, a book reviewed by an Odyssey reviewer from Florida who gave it five medallions and an excellence award. MM and I got into a little tiff on Twitter about it being unedited, so I told her I’d read it and rip it to shreds. I'm still working on the reading part, the shreds bit might come later. Blackroot is no Tinna’s Promise by any means. It’s like a shadow of it. But I can’t deny that MM knows how to write compellingly. If you like dark fantasy mysteries with a touch of erotica, then go to Smashwords and find it. Even at in its rough form; 99¢ doesn’t seem so bad to spend on it. Besides, you’ll have access to any revised versions made by the author once you buy it. That goes for all Smashwords books you buy.

A Discovery of Witches is a commercially published book, and is just wonderful so far. Yes, it’s formula, yes it’s predictable, but yes, it is also well-written, gloriously edited and it is the package one expects from a traditional publisher. I can’t believe I paid $14.00 for it as an e-book, but what the hell... I had a gift card. I have a hard time putting it down at night, even though my eyelids are heavy with sleep and I have to be up for work in four hours. I’ve a ways to go to finish it, but so far, I’m delighted. So a recommended read in either format, for sure.

Other e-books I’ve been reading lately; I devoured the books by HP Mallory. This includes two books of the Jolie Wilkins series (Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble and Toil and Trouble) and the book To Kill a Warlock. The freakin’ brilliant covers aside (beyond excellent choice of cover artist on the author’s part) these self-published books are excellent. There are a few editing points here and there, but ultimately, they are wonderfully packaged. They sell off the ‘e-shelf’ and I can see why. They’re quirky, fun, well written and occasionally inappropriate in a good way. It’s not my usual genre... I do like Fantasy, and vampirey things can be fun to a point... but these books were so fun and campy it was a light and quick read. I recommend all three of these books quite highly. The first two-book series is about a witch named Jolie and her romantic trials between her hot warlock boss and a sexy vampire. Annoying love triangle! Oh, there’s a whole war thing over her as well, but that’s an aside. The second book is about a fairy detective named Dulcie. Really cute.

After that, I have Jean Auel’s final book in the Earth's Children series to read, once it’s fully released (I pre-purchased the e-book). I am hoping I’ll get something tasty from Odyssey Reviews to follow. Come on Authors... Bring ‘em on. Where are the good books to follow in Layton’s footsteps? I haven’t got any really compelling queries lately. If you think your book is good, and you know it can stand up for itself, then here I am, waiting to review it.

I’ve been told I’m the harshest of all the Odyssey Reviewers by certain authors. I’ve been told that I am cruel. I don’t think honesty is cruelty. I think criticism is an opportunity for improvement. If you fear it, then you probably shouldn’t be publishing your work. It’s as simple as that.

Anwyay... bring those queries on writers. I need reading material.

Oh, and by the way... I REALLY NEED REVIEWERS! Life has been a greedy hog and stolen all my reviewers from me by throwing a bunch of challenges their way. So if you like to read, and you can write a somewhat coherent sentence describing your opinion of a book, then please contact me at herodyssey (at) msn dot com. I can' t do it alone, even with a Nook.

Help!

Odyssey Reviews was happily chugging along for a while there with two wonderful, reliable reviewers. But we've all run up against life... and lots of problems have cropped up that have taken out our little panel of reviewers, including me... Odyssey's owner.

My papa is dying, my life is crazy, my work is insane, and my other endeavors are not only taking over, but also being neglected. I need help. I need reviewers! Help keep this site up and running for the sake of the long list of queries sitting in my inbox... for the sake of authors who could use exposure. For the sake of books. :)

If you're interested in becoming a reviewer, please contact me via the email herodyssey at msn dot com. You will be much appreciated. :) All you need is a love of books and the ability to write an intelligible, well-rounded review. That's all there is to it.

Odyssey Reviewers... Our Lessons Learned

Once again, Odyssey Reviews is posting a 'harshicle'. Having read a good measure of self-published books for this review site, Odyssey reviewers have learned that there are several common mistakes that a self-published author makes when generating their product. These mistakes will affect your sales, your reviews and your marketability as an author. The more we read, the more compelled we are to note these issues. Gird your loins, authors--and read on. These may seem harsh, but they are helpful tips.

When submitting your book for review:

~ Your query summary should be as compelling as the copy on the cover. Don’t fill it up with character names and silly, irrelevant details that give the whole story away or hang out of context like dangling, freak-limbs. Hack them off.

~ Edited query: If you cannot submit a query that is somewhat free of grammatical errors, it’s likely we won’t want to read the book itself.

~ Please try to form a coherent sentence. Disjointed summaries don’t bode well for the book they’re pitching.

~ Follow the basic guidelines for submissions. We didn’t put the submission guidelines up there as suggestions. No attachments please. Ever.

When you’re hoping to sell your book:

~ Too Much Title
* No matter how much work you put into your book, your title can be an instant turn-on, or turn-off. Having a title that is an epic novel in and of itself is not a good choice. Generally, if you require punctuation in your title, your book either be self-help or probably be re-titled with something catchy and strong.

~ Ridiculous-sounding title that makes no sense...
* Bad idea. What might make 100% sense to you may sound like blather to someone else. Run your title by objective people before you settle on it.

~ Bad Cover Copy
* Not unlike your review submission summary, this is what is supposed to sell your book to the reader. If it’s badly written, you’re in trouble. Refer to this post for more details.

~ Bad Cover Art
* I’m sure it’s charming that you have a child or a friend who can do some basic graphic ‘art’ on Photoshop who you'd love to credit; or you have a low-resolution picture of something—you need to put a lot more thought into your cover than just throwing it together. Your cover is your ‘shop window’—it’s what’s supposed to draw your eye. If it looks pixilated, is a Photoshop hack-job, drawn by a second-rate artist or whatever, it will detract from your book more than you can possibly know. Don’t make it too busy, or too over-thought. It needs to make some sense in context of the book too.

There are examples of both really great, and really bad book covers on this review site. Browse away. I’m sure the design alone affects how many people will click the link through to Amazon from here. See these posts for more tips on cover design: Cover Art Article, Interview with a Cover-Art Designer.

~ Lack of editing
* Editing is an old song here at Odyssey Reviews. We are anti-unedited books here. Our belief is that since POD books are more expensive than standard commercial publications that authors owe it to their readers to insure that what they’re paying more for is a professional, well-presented package. MSWord is a fairly helpful tool for spelling, however it misses a lot. You need to come up with creative ways to clean up your manuscript before you publish. Here is a post with some suggestions. We also interviewed an editor who gave some very helpful tips.

~ Lastly, be realistic and objective about your own work—because if you don’t… the reviewers will.
* Ask yourself this: Are your friends and family just being nice? Is my book really any good? It could be like American Idol; where the singer sounds like a cross between a dying cat and a police siren, but their well-meaning family hurts them more than helps them with their encouragement and kindness. You need to know that there is a strong possibility your book just isn’t very good. It could be entertaining to you, but could be impossible to get through for another. Can you look at your book from a marketing perspective? Can you picture people resonating to it?

Be prepared. Reviews can be harsh. Sometimes we will receive a book and it’s so bad, we cannot review it. We’re not haters here at Odyssey; but we are realistic—and we are honest in our reviews, BUT we will not post a review with a less than a 2 medallion rating because we don’t want to be evil. Your book could be that unreadable, that is a distinct possibility. Sometimes, if authors send us a book, and don't see a review, it's probably because the book rated very low. No amount of money paid to marketing companies is going to make it good. It’s painful and harsh when you get bad reviews—but instead of taking it personally, you should take it as a reason to improve as a writer, and reevaluate your style and your voice.

Some people write entirely for themselves; and discover the hard way that other people can’t always sync with their imagination. We recommend all authors considering self-publishing to do a few test-reads with complete strangers; preferably people who know what they’re doing, and allow the readers to give you a strong, objective review. Take classes. Join a writer’s group. Subject yourself to growth—don’t ever assume that just because you wrote a story from the beginning to the end, that you are instantly qualified to publish your book. You owe your book-buyers a little more consideration than that—especially since you’re asking them to pay a lot more for your book than normal books cost.

Read this post to be aware of what's in store when you submit a query to this or any other review site.

Ten Questions for an Author

Considering that we've reviewed two of John Lawson's books; "Witch Ember" and "The Raven", both of which received our coveted five-medallion rating, we figured it was only right to get some feedback from the author for the Odyssey site. We threw ten questions at him, and here is what he said:

Q: Both Witch Ember and The Raven have some pretty out-there imagery and situations in them and there is a darkness to these books that makes us wonder What’s going on inside your head; where does it all come from?

JL: Generally speaking, I derive events and images from the real world, either from historical texts, classical literature, case studies in psychology, or the nightly news. Sometimes, I glean inspiration from other books or movies, frequently in the form of “Wouldn’t it be cool if *** happens?” or “Gosh, it would have been better if…” I know I’m in the presence of a really good book or movie when my mind starts to wander and I start thinking up my own ideas. You know you’re in trouble when you have my rapt attention, because that means I’m bored.

More often than not, my darkest imagery comes from the real world.

Q: How long have you been writing creatively?

I’ve written creatively for nearly 30 years, although I’ve never had anything published before Witch Ember. Back in 7th grade, a teacher must have seen something in me, because she recommended my attendance at a weekend writing retreat at some college. I don’t remember much about the day other than how much older all the other attendees were and how bad the food was they gave us.

In 8th grade, we were given the assignment to conceive, write, and bind our own books. I spent a great deal of time on the details, striving to make it look as professional as possible. After I turned it in, the teacher actually suggested that I had my parents help me do it. My parents were outraged, but I was actually somewhat flattered.

But that was pretty much it. I really didn’t take my writing very seriously and even actively avoided doing anything that could result in any visibility or credit. I focused instead on developing my inner geek through trivial efforts like role-playing games, comic books, and computers until college, where I finally attended another creative writing class. This class turned out to be extremely damaging (the professor was completely out of control), so damaging in fact, that I literally refused to do any creative writing for nearly 10 year.

And then one day, I just sat down and started writing Witch Ember.

Q: I understand that writing is also a large part of your profession; can you describe a bit of what you do?

JL: I am a Principle Technical Writer for Oracle Corporation. I’ve been a technical writer for approximately 15 years. I was also the Submissions Editor for the somewhat successful webzine TenThousandMonkeys.com, which is currently on a semi-permanent hiatus while the webmaster gets his flippin’ act together.

Q: What authors, personalities or fellow artists influence you the most?

JL: From a book aspect, I have always admired David Brin’s ability to convey true alienness in his extraterrestrials. They weren’t just human beings with funny-looking foreheads. You could easily believe that his creatures possessed completely different physiologies, cultures, and thought patterns, and mere humans could never comprehend them. The Uplift War series is some of the best science fiction ever written. I endeavored to try to capture a taste of that in my own creatures, and it is why I’ll never write a story from the point of view of an alf or paqa.

Neal Stephenson is a master of characterization. His characters become real people, saying and doing real things. His work is my model for dialog and personalization. Esmeree never would have existed without Diamond Age’s Nell.

With a simple description of a grove of trees or an old ruin, Robert Holdstock can capture a sense of mythic power and deep time. Read Mythago Wood and be amazed. In my legends and lore and scenic descriptions, I tried to capture a mere shade of his genius.

Aside from his obvious accomplishments, Steven King showed in his Dark Tower series that you don’t need a medieval setting to make fantasy work.

Lastly, there is Gene Wolfe’s New Sun series. If I didn’t happen to know better, I’d assume my writing was derivative of his. His settings and themes were so similar to mine, at times I wanted to correct his work because he wasn’t using the right terminology. As it is, I consider the similarities a happy coincidence, and if he wasn’t an influence at first, he is now.

In artists, I’ve always admired Olivia De Berardinis, HR Geiger, Micheal Parks, and Bethalynne Bajema. And, of course, the three artists who did the artwork for my books: Jason Nunes, Jon “Bean” Hastings, and Walt Moore.

Q: Will the world that Esmeree and Guiromélans inhabit continue on or are you thinking of newer, darker places?

JL: I have lots of plans for the world of Esmeree and Guiromélans; it’s a matter of if I have time to write it all. I currently have a prequel finished and am currently working on another sequel. While The Raven is the chronological sequel to Witch Ember, my current work-in-progress will be my first return to telling Esmeree’s story. It’s like coming home to an old friend.

I also have a fourth book completed that takes place in the same Seven Kingdoms world, but follows the path of different characters.

I am currently seeking representation for both finished manuscripts.

Ultimately, I hope all the threads will come together, but whether or not I have the patience to write all the necessary books remains to be seen.

I currently have no interest in writing creatively about anything else.

Q: What tips would you offer any new authors who are considering the self-publishing route?

JL: There are many options nowadays open to authors who are looking to self-publish. Some publishers are better than others. I believe the key is to go into the relationship with your eyes open. Do your research. Go to "Predators & Editors" and "Writers Beware" and other author advocacy sites. Find out what publishers are scams and what are legit. Protect yourself, and choose your self-publisher carefully. And if you are an author that hopes to one day be part of the mainstream publishing community, you need to come to terms with some hard facts:

• There are probably very good reasons why your book wasn't picked up a publisher or agent. Until you address those issues, you'll continue to run into the same problems.


• Only vanity or subsidy publishers charge their authors fees. If a publisher claims they are "traditional" but tries to charge "reading fees," "processing fees," "editing fees," or any other kind of fee, run awaaaaay.


• No matter how many sales you earn, self-published books do not count as publishing credit in the eyes of publishers.


• There IS a stigma attached to self-published books. So if you seek a mainstream publishing career, you need to be aware of that. The agent, Nathan Bransford, wrote a very good blog post on the subject: http://nathanbransford.blogspot.com/2007/08/self-publishing-and-your-writing-career.html

Q: For our fellow authors out there, who are always looking for tips on improving their writing, what would you tell them? How would they overcome writer’s block, for instance, or make their work more professional? Do you write on a schedule, or other discipline?

JL: I don’t recommend people follow my writing methodology. I’m a mess, and I’m mental.

I rarely do rewrites (and critics of mine might point and say, “Ah-HAH!”). The words I type into the word processor are frequently the final version, or very close to it, and I’ve almost never deleted large chunks of text and had to start over because I had written myself into a corner or because it just wasn’t working. For the most part, I don’t do much exploring as I type. When I sit down to write, I already know what is going to happen, and it’s just a matter of transcribing it onto the screen.

Creative writing instructors (including my much-loathed professor) would say this is exactly the WRONG thing to do. The process of free-flow writing and rewriting is part of the creative process. The reiteration and rearrangement of thoughts is what helps the author’s imagination massage and digest their thoughts. Like sifting wheat from chaff, it helps you bring what works to the top and to discard the rest.

I think I do that to a degree, but I have internalized the process. I am always thinking about the next scene. I roll it over and over in my head constantly. While driving, while showering, while watching TV, during important conversations with my wife. I explore the scene, play it out and see what happens. Then I do it again but change something and see how that changes the outcome. Over and over I do it, and I know when I’m done because my subconscious won’t let me move on until it is.

As I said, I’m mental, and I don’t recommend this process for anyone.

So in a sense, my writing might appear very stream-of-consciousness. But in another way, it is very meticulous. My books are long by intent. Their structure is by design, not by accident (or due to lack of plot control by a junior author, ahem). Three parts of 10 chapters each, with a prologue and epilogue, for a total of 32 chapters. I conceive of each chapter as a mini-event, with its own arc, its own climax. Each part of 10 can stand alone as well, and the 3 parts combined consist of the story as a whole. It is within that maze-like structure that my unconscious is allowed to run like a rat. So far, it’s worked out pretty well for me.

Q: How long did it take for you to complete each of your books?

JL: Witch Ember and The Raven each took about a year to write. The publishing process took a little while longer. Now that I have children, it’s become harder and harder to find time to write, but I still hope to have about a 1-2 year turnaround for new books.

Q: Both Witch Ember and The Raven are outstanding examples of a well-edited, self-published book. What is your editing/proofreading process?

JL: First off, I got a degree in Career Writing and a certificate in technical writing. I am a professional technical writer and editor (careers quite popular among the author set, so I know I’m in good company).

I am a compulsive editor. Upon completion of a new chapter, I proofread and edit it before starting the next one. Upon completion of a part of 10, I proofread and edit it as well. And finally, once the book is complete, I copy-edit it twice: once forwards, and once backwards. Editing a book backwards, line-by-line, is a great way to proofread because it removes all context from the reading and helps you focus only on the grammar, syntax, and punctuation.

Q: Finally, tell us more about your future projects, ideas and inspirations. What new John Lawson works can we look forward to?

JL: I intend to explore as much of Esmeree’s world and story as I can without becoming tiresome. I appear to be establishing a pattern where each book explores a different piece of geography. Maybe once I’ve visited all the interesting places, I’ll consider doing something different.

One thing I considered would be traveling 1000 years into the future and checking out how things have changed.

Thanks John Lawson! We can't wait to see you publish next!

Still Here, Albeit Occupied and Harried.

I am still here, I am still reading (although slowly) and I took a break from Self-Published works to read "Good Omens"; and another work by SM Stirling. I will resume reviews soon.

An author interview is possibly forthcoming; barring the *Outlook Express Disaster has taken that away permanently as well. Speaking of the Outlook Express disaster; I lost a good 26 previous queries which I had stored in a special folder... so if you submitted a query for a review, please resubmit just in case.

*Something mysterious happened with my Outlook Express where it simply decided it wasn't going to bear the burden of my huge mail storage a moment longer, and it completely crashed; taking the whole archive with it. Of course, I had it set to clean up my msn mailbox every time it downloaded mail, so there's nothing stored on hotmail. ::eep::

I learned my lesson and my apologies for the inconvenience. Please direct your anger towards Microsoft.

Steph

Odyssey Reviews in "The Writer" Magazine

Odyssey Reviews appeared in February's "The Writer" magazine in an article by Jocelyn Maeve Kelley. In her article "GET YOUR self-published book NOTICED" Jocelyn offers tips to self-published authors on how to best gain exposure for their work using internet resources and services, like online reviewers.

The article featured PODdy Mouth, PODler, and Darryl's Library, as well as Lulu's partnership with Kirkus Reviews. The issue can be found of the shelves of your local Barnes & Noble store. The article is on page 27. It is our hope that perhaps it might encourage readers to come to our review sites and to buy the books we raved about.

Fun Poll

Preditors & Editors is doing a series of polls for books, review sites, short stories, etc., and I've added Odyssey Reviews into the running. Please vote for Odyssey Reviews:

http://www.critters.org/predpoll/reviewsite.shtml

Also, a number of the books that I have reviewed are also on the other polls. Support our POD authors and pick (or enter) the books that have received five medallions from Odyssey Reviews!


Thank you!

Your Promotional Copy

Reading some of the descriptions sent to us for review submissions, I’ve realized how important it is to have good promotional copy on your work. Let’s face it; it’s probably harder to summarize your book in two paragraphs, make it engaging and bold, than it was to write your book. It's not easy to grab your reader.

The problem is, that aside from your book cover art; your promo description is probably the thing that’s going to make or break the sale of your book. The cover catches the eye, it makes the buyer pick up your book, and flip it over. Those buyers will have to like what they read to make them take the next step(s); which can be 1) to open the book up to the first page to read the first paragraph or two; 2) to flip to the last page and read the last paragraph or two; or 3) to carry that book up to the cashier and buy it. Of course, that process might be slightly different on Amazon, but you get my point.

When you are writing the copy for our book jacket description; there are a few things you should keep in mind.

Don’t go into the description as if the reader knows what’s going on and inundate your reader with too much unnecessary information. Here’s an example of this:

Reeta is a Princess who falls in love with a peasant. His name is Fralik. He is an orphan who was raised on a farm by an old peasant farmer named Olik in a tiny village called Arrine. Fralik knows nothing about his past; or who his parents are. Reeta and Fralik know their love is doomed if they stay in Jakreth. They decide to run away; but Reeta’s father Askelor, King of Jakreth, is infuriated; and he sends Kotrioth out after them. Kotrioth is a ruthless killer. Askelor wants Fralik dead so Reeta can return home and so her title and her birthright remains untarnished. But the killer Kotrioth is in for a surprise. Fralik is a Dathrekoor… a person in possession of tremendous powers. And Fralik is in for a surprise too, because he doesn’t know he’s a Dathrekoor either. Can Fralik learn to use his power to protect himself and Reeta?

You can’t summarize the plot and identify and describe everyone in the book too. It can’t just be a play-by play description of the plot leaving the end out. You should inspire questions in the reader’s mind. Take the above example, and here it is redone:

Reeta’s gone and done it this time. She’s run away with a peasant boy; and she is the daughter of a powerful King. Determined to protect his daughter from shame and misfortune and to keep her title intact, King Askelor dispatches an unrelenting hunter after the couple; aiming to eliminate the boy who has ruined everything.

Fralik loves Reeta. A questionable past and a magical power he doesn’t even know he has are all that he can offer her. Fralik understands what Reeta has given up to be with him; and he knows he has endangered himself because of this decision; he has no idea how direly in danger they both are. With an unremitting killer at their heels and a mystical power Fralik knows nothing about, can the young lovers prevail?

If you are not sure about how to do this; try these tips:

• Do some research. Go to your bookstore, find shelf that sells your genre, and read copy from other books. This copy you read is likely written by the marketing department as much as it was by anyone else. You can take a lot from seeing how it's done. Think of it from a marketing perspective. What is it that makes your book sales worthy? What sells other books and movies?
• Keep it brief and simple. The more elaborate and involved, the less appealing it will be.
• Have some of your friends and family read the manuscript and write down the things that really resonated with them. Use what they wrote as a backbone for your copy. Other readers may take away something completely different than you would as the writer.
  
• Don’t pepper the copy with character names and places; it can be confusing. Use them minimally.
• Use a casual voice; one that relates to your reader and is easy to read.
  
• Only brush on the main story-- focus on a gripping side-story; let your reader be surprised.
• Proofread it, have it edited, clean it up; it is the first impression someone will get of your writing. If it’s full of flaws, they’ll assume your book is.
• Be sure to add something about yourself so readers can identify with the author.
• Be objective about how you look at your work. Look at it with a practical eye and figure out what sets your book apart from others. Use that.
  

Ten Questions for a Cover Designer

Odyssey Reviews caught up with cover designer Cathi Stevenson and we lobbed our ten questions at her:

Odyssey Reviews: Please tell us a bit about yourself and your background, and what compelled you to become a book cover designer?
I've always been interested in design and advertising and it seemed no matter what careers I embarked upon, I always ended up back in this industry.

Odyssey Reviews: What genre of book do you enjoy designing for most?
I like non-fiction because I like the structure that is usually involved in the design of non-fiction, although it competes with my love of grunge, that I rarely get to do.

Odyssey Reviews: What are, in your opinion, the most important qualities for a great book cover?
There are just so many things that can contribute to a good, strong design and it's not always possible to employ every one on the same cover. Ultimately, it's what works for the market. While a brooding, artistic painting might get rave reviews and be the perfect design choice for one book, the same design could hurt the sales of the book beside it. Sometimes, just a plain cover with the title grabbing the browser's eye is the recipe for success. It depends on the market and on the book. It's often a balance, but the main thing is that the cover looks professional. Nothing will do more harm to a publisher's image than something that looks like it should be on the front of a fourth-grader's history project.

A good case study in this is with The Little Book That Beats the Market (Wiley, 2005). It wasn't doing very well at all until they redesigned the cover and coordinated it with their marketing efforts. After the redesign, the book became a hit and much of the credit has been given to the new look.

Odyssey Reviews: In your opinion, what are the worst mistakes an author can make in designing his or her book?
Using clip-art, or 3d images in the wrong way; unprofessional fonts; layouts that don't work and colors that cause "visual vibration," making it impossible to look at the book for more than a second or two. And clichés! I'd like to start a petition to encourage self-publishers not to use any more handshakes, keys, chess pieces or puzzle pieces on their book covers. They were fine a few years ago, but the market is flooded with them, now. Unless of course the designer can come up with a fresh approach to using them.

Odyssey Reviews: How do you come up with a cover concept?
It's usually a collaborative effort between myself and the publisher. I read the book's synopsis, we discuss the target audience and I often spend hours studying book covers in bookstores and online.

Odyssey Reviews: What is the weirdest book cover you’ve done?
I didn't do it, but one guy wanted me to create a cover with no title or author name.

Odyssey Reviews: What is the best way for an author to choose a cover artist?
Take a look at the designer's samples. With digital technology where it's at today, usually an online portfolio or website is adequate. And study what's in the marketplace for your particular genre so you know what you're looking for in terms of design.

Odyssey Reviews: Hiring a cover artist can be an investment. What tips do you have for authors to keep the cost manageable?
Some designers charge a flat rate, so that's something to look for, but the number one thing that causes projects to go over budget and take longer than they should is disorganizing. Get your ducks in a row before you get the designer to begin working on the project. It might seem easy to change a title, add a quote, make editing changes after layout, create new barcodes or adjust a spine, but it's time consuming and most designers will charge you for these things. Not to mention the fact that it could cause you to miss deadlines, and add a lot of unnecessary stress on everyone.

Odyssey Reviews: What are the three most common problems you see in other book designs?
Mostly amateur issues. People not kerning the titles (kerning is the spacing between the letters). Sometimes you'll see the letter W or Y and it looks like it belongs to a different word it's so far from the next letter.

Too many fonts or badly chosen fonts. Stick with one or two font families for the entire project. If you study books produced by the larger publishing houses you'll see they rarely break this rule.

Poser. I'm sorry, but unless the Poser elements are taken into another program such as PhotoShop and given a new life, Poser characters should stay in the gaming world, unless your book is a gaming book for teens.

Odyssey Reviews: Do you have any other special tips, anecdotes or advice for first time authors?
Keep an open mind and study book covers before you begin. With the Internet you can find covers designed back in the 1800s right up to ones not even released yet. Look at hundreds of them. Visit the sites of Random House and Time Warner Books and Simon and Schuster and all the bigger companies and then check the New York Time's best sellers' lists for the past few years. Get a feel for what the public is buying. Take the job of project manager seriously, because essentially, that's what a self-publishing author is.

Cathi Stevenson is from bookcoverexpress.com. You can find samples of her work there. Thanks Cathi, those are great answers!

Author Notice

Odyssey Reviews is not a service to provide positive blurbs for the back of a book cover.

Odyssey Reviews is a review service for the people who buy self-published books.

Self-published books are significantly costlier than traditionally published books. We, as authors, have an obligation to our buyers and readers to make sure that what we are asking them to pay more money for is worth it. It is unprofessional and even an insult to expect a reader to pay good money for something that isn't up to par. There are a lot of bad books out there, and the Odyssey Reviewers are here to sift through them and review them for exactly what they are. If your book is good, it will stand up for itself, if it has flaws, we will point them out. We don't sugarcoat it, unless there is a good reason to.

If you are unhappy with your review, then we will keep it here on the site alone. We will most certainly not retract an honest review.. We only post on Amazon or other booksellers upon request of the author or if they are 5-medallion books. As of today, we will no longer edit our reviews once they've been posted. Our reviews are based on what we read, nothing more. We react to the book as any reader might. So, please keep that in mind before you submit. If you are seeking only raving reviews, you need to be sure that your book merits them; especially when submitting to Odyssey Reviews, because you can expect only honesty from us.

We don't ask for money for our reviews. We hold all authors to the same standards; and we all have similar expectations when we accept a book for review; 1) some effort to edit and prepare the work for general distribution; 2) a cohesive, decently written story; 3) a professional package (cover, content, etc). These are not unrealistic expectations; they are the same expectations any reader would have when they're looking for a book to buy. Those are the basic things any author should strive for.

An author should understand that submitting their work for review anywhere may expose their work to reactions that they may not expect. Getting negative reviews and comments is part and parcel of the publishing world. You either have to learn to take the criticism and grow from it as an author, or perhaps rethink exposing any more of your work in the public eye.

Thank you.

Note to Submitting Authors

Odyssey Reviews is not going to be accepting further submissions until we have worked through the majority of our current pending reviews. You may submit your work to our site following the usual guidelines, however you will not receive an answer for up to a week or more. If you have any questions, feel free to submit those to our submission email, and those we can answer immediately.

Thank you for your patience.

Ten Questions for an Editor:

Odyssey Reviews caught up with editor William Greenleaf. We asked him ten questions:

Odyssey Reviews: Please tell us a bit about yourself and your background, and what compelled you to become an editor.
William: My career as an editor evolved from my career as a novelist. My first novel was published in 1980. When I started writing full time in 1987, I also began helping other writers through workshops. I discovered that I loved helping new writers break into print. I can think of nothing in life more satisfying than helping another writer bring out the best in his or her manuscript.

Odyssey Reviews: What type of book do you enjoy working with most?
William: I work primarily with novels (all genres) and story-oriented nonfiction such as memoirs and autobiographies.

Odyssey Reviews: What are the most common mistakes you find in the manuscripts you edit?
William: Many newer writers fail to employ writing techniques that pull the reader into the story and maintain a sense of anticipation. If the reader doesn’t care what happens next, he or she won’t keep turning pages. So I would have to say that the most common problem is lack of sufficient development in the central conflict. Viewpoint errors are also very common. Newer writers will be more successful at writing vivid, compelling scenes if they stick to the viewpoint of one character through each scene. When it comes to mechanics (grammar, punctuation, etc.), the most common error is in paragraph structure. Paragraph breaks can become dramatic spotlights when handled correctly. A good editor can often turn a confusing manuscript into a gripping story simply by combining and splitting paragraphs at the right points. Of course, a good editor must also fix other common mechanical problems such as misplaced commas, capitalization errors, and the overuse of passive voice.

Odyssey Reviews: In your opinion, what are the worst mistakes an author can make with a manuscript?
William: The worst mistakes are: 1) failing to spend enough time with the manuscript to make it as good as it can be, and 2) sending it to the publisher before it’s ready. If your story deserves to be told, it deserves to be told well so it will hold the reader’s interest from first page to last.

Odyssey Reviews: In your opinion, what are the most important qualities of a good, marketable manuscript?
William: It must appeal to a wide audience of readers, it must respect the reader’s intelligence by living up to the promises made in the cover blurbs, and it must build and maintain a sense of anticipation in the reader.

Odyssey Reviews: What is the oddest editing experience you’ve ever had?
William: I was once given the task of turning an academic treatise on chaos theory into a romance novel. It turned out to be easier than it sounds, and it launched my client’s novel writing career, which is still going strong.

Odyssey Reviews: What is the best way for an author to choose an editor?
William: Find an editor who has genuine credentials such as verifiable writing success and membership in professional organizations like the Authors Guild. Have a heart-to-heart talk with the editor and make sure he or she has a real interest in your book and feels positive about it. Make sure your editor is easily reachable via email and telephone.

Odyssey Reviews: Having a manuscript edited can be an expensive endeavor for some authors. Do you have any advice for authors on how to keep the cost down?
William: First of all, don’t spend money for something you don’t need. If you’ve decided to use a specific editor, look closely at the various literary services offered by the editor. After the editor has read your manuscript, ask for his or her advice about which services would be of most benefit for you. When I evaluate a manuscript, one of my goals is to determine how I can be of most help to my client. If the client is on a limited budget, then my decision becomes: How can I best serve this author within that budget?

If you can’t afford to hire a professional editor, take stock of your circle of friends and family members. Getting feedback from several avid readers can help, though it’s often difficult for friends and relatives to be objective. You may want to consider checking with your local college or university. Graduate students often moonlight as editors. If you do this, don’t assume that the person is qualified just because he or she is a graduate student in English or literature. Ask to see samples of the editor’s work. If you’ve written a novel, don’t hire someone who hasn’t had experience with novels. If you’ve written your memoirs, make sure the editor has experience with memoirs or autobiographies. In other words, no matter how much you spend, make sure you’re getting your money’s worth.

Odyssey Reviews: What are the three most misused words you've noticed in your editing work?
William: Alright (not yet accepted, should be all right), misusing to and too, and misusing there and their.

Odyssey Reviews: Do you have any other special tips, anecdotes or advice for first time authors?
William: Take time to learn about the book publishing business. If you decide to self-publish your book, consider your options. Should you go with a print-on-demand publisher, or a traditional publisher? Will you retain the rights to your book? Be aware that printing your book is the easy part; selling it is quite another matter. What will the publisher do to promote your book? Does the publisher have a solid (and verifiable) track record for book sales? Take time to educate yourself before you sign on the dotted line.

Thank you Mr. Greenleaf; your insights are extremely valuable.

Here is William's website: http://www.williamgreenleaf.com/
Greenleaf Literary Services: http://greenleafliteraryservices.com/
Contact information:
William Greenleaf
2717 La Luz Circle NE
Rio Rancho, NM 87144

Phone: 505-796-6895

Email: william@wgreenleaf.com

Our next interview: A book cover designer.

To Edit or Not To Edit?

Okay; so it costs money. As my father said; you have to spend money to make money. And if you want your book to sell, or be noticed, or to have some credibility, it needs to be a clean manuscript. Period. That’s a hard truth, and it’s probably why many, many authors get their manuscripts and query packages hucked into the slush pile.

But editors are expensive you say. Yes they are. And they are not foolproof. I personally had my book edited, and I still found little things here and there after publication. It happens—even with the best books. You also need to keep in mind that when you work on Word, with auto-formatting, that when iUniverse, or whatever other self-publishing company takes your work, and drops it into their page setting software, that those little auto formatting doodads will vanish, and leave some sentences with no period at the end, and various other little quirks. Those are excusable and easily preventable.

BUT, I digress; editing is really a necessary evil. Some publishers are willing to take on that cost, but us wee little self-published folks cannot always afford the expense. However, it can never hurt to find out how much it could cost you. Maybe it is affordable; you just haven’t found the right editor. Allow me to recommend this site: http://www.book-editing.com/.

This lovely site has a network of editors. You submit to the general site for a quote; a simple process where you sent an excerpt of your work, and the site will broadcast it to their network of editors. It’s like lending-tree for authors! You get all these bids. The editors will do a sample edit of your work and quote you a cost per word. I didn’t choose the cheapest one, I chose the one whose editing resonated best with me, but at least it gives you something to shoot for. It may not get you in with a traditional publishing house, but at least when and if you self-publish, it will be a nice, clean book that looks and sounds professional. So simply; getting your book professionally edited can never hurt.

So, they cost is still too much! What to do?

Well, there are alternatives; which will not be as good as a thorough editing, but maybe at least enough to make your book as professional as it can be.

• Do you still have access to your old English teacher/professor? Perhaps they can be prevailed upon to assist you in this regard.
• Line up six friends or relatives, and have them pass the manuscript on, each marking up what they find and initialing the work of the prior ‘editor’ if they agree with the edit. Leave the back side of each page blank so that your ‘editors’ can write questions about the plot, continuity, consistency… notes that there are probably research of factual errors, character flaws that are gaping wide.
• The little red and green lines under your text on MSWord. Yeah. Those are trying to tell you something. No MSWord? Find somewhere where you can use it, but Word may not be the dream editor, but it will help you tremendously.
• Get a homonym dictionary. Figure out the difference between their/they’re/there, you’re/your/yore; horse/hoarse, bridle, bridal, mantel, mantle… and all the similar little gaffs that can make a reader’s eye come to a screeching halt.
• Figure out what apostrophes signify. You may think you know these things, but you really might not… What’s plural, what’s contraction, what is possessive? What’s right? Pies or Pie’s? Hers or Her’s, CDs or CD’s? These may seem like innocuous mistakes, but to many readers they are maddening, and they can be an instant turn-off.
• Get a Roget’s Thesaurus. You might not see that repeated word until it’s too late.
• Get a dictionary. Don't use $10 words without knowing their full meaning.

In summary: You may think your story will stand on its own. It might. Chances are; what you might perceive as superficial things like spelling, grammar, flow and continuity are really pulling it down. You could have the next Harry Potter series, but if it looks like a third grader wrote it, well… how far do you think your readers are going to get before they toss it aside?

You have to be honest with yourself about your work. No matter how confident you are in how good it is, you need to be objective about how it is presented on paper. And if it takes extra work or extra dollars to make it worthy, then do it.

The Cover is Crucial

Your book cover is the catalyst. It is the thing that will make a browsing reader decide whether or not to reach onto the shelf (or click on the link) and to read the little blurb on the back. The blurb is important, but it comes a close second. It's the image that will catch the eye.

Picking someone to build your cover is also a challenge. Some POD companies offer artistic services; however in my own experience as a POD author, their services are without a doubt, questionable. It is hard to work with someone who hasn't read your story, or who hasn't sat across from you to understand your vision better.

But there are solutions out there that are affordable and professional looking. I personally saw what my POD publisher provided and got green around the gills. Here I was, ten days away from final print, and I had nothing. I turned to an artist who rendered beautiful images using special software. Gorgeous 3-D figures that are still illustrative and intricate. What worked well too was that she also happened to be a friend of 17 years. That certainly didn't hurt; but with someone who can render artwork via computer, revisions are much easier to complete.

You can find a ton of these artists at Renderosity.com and DeviantArt. The wonderful thing about these sites are that you can peruse through the works to find the artist that most represents your style. And many of these folks are quite affordable. They can also create content of any kind, from serious landscapes, stylized imagery, to Fantasy and Science Fiction scenes. There really is no limit to their abilities, and they look extremely professional.

You have to take into account the importance of the cover of your book--because the truth is, people *do* judge a book by its cover. It's up to you to figure out the best way to make them like what they see.