Insider Info #1 - Reviews & Reviewers

Reviews are a fact of life for anyone that has published anything, no matter the content. Some are bad, some are ho-hum and some are good to great. They are also something you will have to deal will as you and your career progress. Not all authors listen to reviews, especially when they are first starting out in the business. Depending on the reviewer any review passed along in regard to your work can set off a myriad number of emotions.

There are a number of categories of reviewers. Note:  The below are just terms we've heard over the years and there are as many other terms out there as there are types of reviewers.

• The Troll - This person literally trolls for books to read and then shred. They are the least favourite of all reviewers out there. They also come in a number of sub-categories themselves:
• The Wannabe - Someone who thinks they're the next John Grisham or Nora Roberts of writing. Because they haven't been signed by a publisher (for any number of reasons) they take out all their inner crap on up and coming authors and, even on occasion, established big authors. These can also be people who have written the greatest thing since sliced bread but are still searching for the publisher that would suitably adore them and put them up on a pedestal as they feel is deserved.
• The Hater - The name is pretty self-explanatory really, they hate pretty much anyone and anything they've written.
• The I-Know-It-All - Again, pretty self-explanatory. These people will read your book because your publisher has put it into a category on-line that is "their" genre. They will then pick apart your work and point out all you've done wrong and why it shouldn't be in said category. They may often also get into bouts of on-line arguments with others who have reviewed your work and it just goes downhill from there.
• The Façade - These are people who could be fellow authors, publishers or people who don't want their identities known, under a false identity on-line who give reviews. These are the ones that if you are getting rave reviews from others will try and bring your rating down to ensure their (in the case of publishers and fellow authors) favourites books outsell yours. These are also the hardest ones to prove as being not who they say they are. This can also go the other way as well, if you are their favourite then they will defend your work on-line to those bringing it down.
• The On-Line Reviewer - These are people who work for review sites, legitimate ones, that you can send your book in for a review. All of these sites have very specific guidelines in place as to what can and cannot be said in a review. They are also giving a personal opinion so you need to take that into account as well when you get their reviews back. These are the ones you will see the most of as an e-book author. They take free submissions but, should they make a legitimate purchase of your book, they can also submit a review directly to you as well.
• The Make-It-Or-Break-It Reviewer - This is the big league reviewer that, unless you find a unique niche to write and hit it big, you will likely never run across. These are the ones that do reviews for papers, magazines and huge on-line followings. For example, this would be the New York Times reviewer. These are the guys that can make or break an author's career. Each hold degrees, know the English language inside and out, and can out grammar-Nazi the best on any social media site there is. And they are also some of the scariest people on the planet to an author.

Whether you read your reviews or not, you will get them. Especially from any on-line sales site - like Amazon, Barnes & Noble and iTunes to name just a few. You should know that if you decide to read the reviews, to look at them not as the author, but as an outsider. Not everyone is going to like what you write and there will always be someone with something negative to say about everything. As is in life, there's always that one (or more) person who just has to rain on your parade. If the criticism is constructive and actually helps you become a better writer, bonus! But if all the reviews do is have you question why you are writing, consider not reading them. After all, you are writing because you enjoy it. Let the haters hate and write for the love of creating the worlds you are creating.

That's it for this post. We've complied a small listing of review sites for e-books on the right panel. Most are individual sites that we've dealt with but there is one that has a lot of resources for new and even established authors if you are interested. That said - get out there and enjoy the rest of your weekend!

The Moderator

Helpful Tip #2 - Find a lawyer

We know, that's one hell of a scary tip and likely has you worried. It's not meant to worry you but to be a sound piece of advice.

Most of us can't understand the intricacies of legal jargon. Most of us don't ever want to try and understand the intricacies of legal jargon. This is why there are lawyers. Of course this leads to a egg/chicken like joke - which came first, the contract or the lawyer?

Lawyers understand the legal language and, in your new career, you will end up seeing a bit of it. Every contract sent to you by your publisher is a legal vipers nest of loopholes and pitfalls all designed to ensure the publisher comes out on top. While you, the author, depending on the situation that results in possible legal action happening, end up somewhere perfect pristine to right at the bottom and buried under all that legal mumbo-jumbo. Finding a lawyer that understands, specifically, the literary world you are entering is key but can be a little tough to do depending on where you may live. If you happen to know a lawyer, even in passing, ask him/her about someone they may know or a firm they may know of and might recommend and remember to tell them why you are asking. Don't use a family member no matter how tempting it is, or how inexpensive. Now, you may not find a lawyer that is specifically geared toward the literary world but finding one that understands contracts and all the legal loops, hoops and holes involved in one is a great second option.

We're not saying go out and find one to put on retainer, trust us, you cannot afford that. Unless you are independently wealthy in which case you likely already have a lawyer and don't need this advice at all. 

Find one that you like, that you feel comfortable with and one who is willing to work with you on a "case by case" basis as it were. No, you won't need a lawyer each and every time you need to sign a book contract. But having one to read over that very first contract, or two, with you and translate it into common English, is a huge plus. Then, if you have need of their services, you can reach out and talk to him/her.

When you do go through your very first contract with the lawyer, make notes and ask questions. This is their world and you need to understand it at least on some level. Because you absolutely MUST read each and every single contract you get from your publisher. They can, and often will, change their contracts as the world of copyright law and the book world in general, changes. They are not required to inform you of any alterations/changes they have made to their contracts, you are completely responsible for reading through your contracts each time one is sent to you. To that end, you need to be able to spot the differences in a contract and, if necessary, talk to your lawyer about the alterations and how, if at all, it affects you and your works.

There is so much more we could cover on contracts, and we will in posts to come. This particular subject has many points that you might be interested in. Now, remember, this is all from our point of view - not everyone has had or will have trouble when it comes to contracts. Better to be forewarned of what might happen than not we say.

Well, there you have it, our two cents to start you thinking on this subject. Hope you are all having a wonderful start to the weekend and we'll posting again soon.

The Moderator

Helpful Tip #1 - Set yourself goals

This is a great tip not only for your future career as an author but for life in general. Goals can be anything. They can be something small to something huge, but remember to always be realistic.

In regards to your writing always set yourself a word goal on the days that you are writing. You don't have to write everyday but, in the beginning, it is a good idea to do so. Even if it's just a short passage or two, it helps you to "build your muscles" as we've heard it described. Just like your arms, legs and abs, your brain needs to get a work out in each day. Now we're not talking about power lifting 10,000 plus words in a shot each and every night. That would make anyone insane and, since we all have lives, it's not practical for the most part either.

So, set a smaller goal on your busy nights. If you've got soccer, ballet, school plays or hockey with the kids, do a light 500 to 2,000 words. On nights where nothing much is going down, do a bigger number and, if you have Sundays (for example) all to yourself, do the bigger numbers then. But set yourself a routine and help your brain get used to this. If you miss a night because something went late, or you forgot you had plans with a friend or whatever and don't end up writing, do not freak out!

We are all busy people.

As a budding author you are not supporting yourself on your writing career yet and, unless you are the next Stephen King or JR Ward or whomever, it's highly doubtful you will ever be able to fully support yourself and provide for your family on your career as an author. Sorry, but there it is. You are writing for the enjoyment of writing and having it published to share that joy with others. Yes, it's a lot of work and yes, it can seem like it's not worth it now and again, so what. If you are enjoying constructing and telling your stories - do it!

That's all we've got tonight, shocker! Not all of these posts will be super long winded. That being said, get out there and don't forget to warm up before settling in to write, you don't want to pull a "muscle".

The Moderator

Rule #2 - Do your homework

Yeah, it doesn't sound any more appealing as an adult than it did going to school does it? Okay, we're not counting those who are scoffing because you probably liked school and homework and extra credit assignments, so just pipe down will ya.

Seriously though, we have an important point you need to know about. As a new author you don't know publishers or their publishing houses, oh you've probably heard of them or seen their logo's on the books you purchase, but beyond that you've got no information. To that end, you need to do some homework on them or, if you prefer, investigate a bit. This can be tricky and information will be more than a little hard to discover, but if you press forward, work at it hard, you will find out ... something.

What you find out is anyone's guess and, no matter what the source, look at it with a bit of scepticism. If you get information from an author who writes there, realize that, depending on their personal experience with the publisher, they may be biased one way or the other - good or bad. Try and talk to several author's if you can and preferably from different genres but make sure you attempt to speak with at least three from your primary genre. Find any press releases involving or about the publisher and, if you can, talk to an editor or two that work there. If you can manage it, talk to the secretary too, they usually know EVERYTHING. No matter the company, they always know all the best gossip from around the water cooler.

Be aware though, what's out there for public consumption on the Net about a publisher and their publishing house is usually the "glossy" version of everything. It's the "if this was the perfect universe" model of what they envision their workplace to be. It is never the whole truth. They are trying to keep the public viewing them as solid, loyal and amazing. As any business wants their consumers to view them.

A good thing to do is check out their website, every publisher has one - or should. Look through it carefully, see what other authors are there and what they are writing (genres). Read the bio's of the authors and employees, look for obvious errors like spelling, grammar and even structure - everything should be uniform which shows consistency and attention to details. I know this sounds bad but if your publisher's site looks like a 3 year old on a sugar high designed it in 10 minutes flat, it's probably not the most professional of operations. Because, and let's be honest here, if they can't hire even a semi-professional to create a slick and easy to use website to promote their business, then they are obviously the fly by the seat of their pants sort of operation. After all, with some of the web hosts out there now, you can create one in about an hour that was easy to create and yet make it look amazing and professional.

If you do your homework and remember Rule #1, you are well on your way to getting prepared for being a published author. There is more, but that will be another night. Right now I hear dinner calling to me and that spicy little fajitas is all mine.

The Moderator

Rule #1 - Get it in writing

This is likely the most important rule you will have as an author. No matter what, before you say "yes" or "no" to anything; whether it's another author or your publisher, or anyone for that matter - get it in writing.

No matter what a publisher, or anyone else is offering you, it's best to have it in writing so you can sit down over a cup of coffee, tea or whatever your chosen drink may be, and read through it. Don't be afraid to discuss it either. You may need to fine tune it and get more information on some point that has you scratching your head, that's fine, do it!

If you do get clarification on something, again, get it in writing. Have the piece of information you originally received revised so that it's whole and not a bit of info here and a bit of info there. It all needs to be one cohesive offer that you can file away nice and neat for future reference.

It sounds pretty obvious when you hear it but you would be amazed by the number of people who just agree with something and never have it formally sent to them. This leads to misunderstandings and serious issues down the line. Best to be paranoid about your career than to let anyone and everyone just walk all over you.

The Moderator

Welcome to The Unvarnished Author

On this site we will be giving you the completely raw and, as the name says, unvarnished truth about being an author. All the opinions here are ours and ours alone. Everything written is from the personal experiences of published authors.

What we are providing you is advice that, like all advice, should be taken with a grain of salt. Our experiences may not be and, hopefully, never will be, yours. But we've been through this a few times and we want to help new authors looking to be published for the very first time know what to look for when approaching publishers.

We will have lists, tips and random trivia about the world of being an author. It should be taken in the vein we are offering it, as help and not in a hurtful manner. We should also warn you that we all write books ranging from general up to the super spicy erotic so the language, at times, might be more than a PG-13 rating.

That being said, we do have one rule for commenting that all must abide by. And it is:

1) Be nice. Rule of thumb is, if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. We live by this. While we may get a little heated we are not going to be attacking authors or publishers - that leads to lawsuits.

So, if you can not play nice with others know that we have a zero tolerance policy here. You will be removed/banned and in all ways sent to the corner if you step over the line. Debates are welcome, conflicts and name calling are not.

That being said, if you have additional tips or something to say that you'd like to see in one of our posts, you can send it to us and we will give you full credit. But it must be constructive, helpful and, unlike us, 120% polite. And we will post it EXACTLY as you send it to us, so make sure you like how it reads, it shall be eternal. We are all here to gain wisdom and help everyone avoid the same pitfalls we all encountered.

So, have something you want to pass along and have forever memorialised on the site, you can send it to our Gmail account at:  the-unvarnished-author@gmail.com and send along the name you'd like it attributed to.

All right, enough of this, I heard a rumor that it's National Cake Day (and even if it's not) I'm going to go and get some cake.

The Moderator