I should be able to spot a bad apple when I see one. I’ve used apples many times in my writing. It’s the ultimate symbol of temptation. As Markis asks Uly in the short promo story I wrote for the Swithin series, “Bite?” Here, I decline the taste of spoiled fruit.
If you’re wondering what I’m talking about, head over to Dear Author and read their comments on a bad apple a.k.a. a bad book in this 2009 post. Though old, it’s a prime example. I’m not suggesting you read the plethora of comments, but I have to agree with those who feel sorry for the writer. This book and this author weren’t ready for publication and the publisher who put out the work harmed the person, their reputation, ebooks, and the writing industry. They did no one any favours.
I imagine the ‘writer’ was thrilled. An acceptance is what every wannabe dreams of; that unequivocal yes, the vindication. Not only must she have felt devastated as a ‘writer’, but there’s no way such comments cannot be taken personally. Even if they didn’t heap praise on this poor unsuspecting person, the writer must deal with the flack now aimed at her. Maybe it’s justified, but it shouldn’t have happened. She shouldn’t have to go through this.
Despite the poor writing, there is a hint in the review that the writer had a unique concept. It doesn’t sound like one that would interest me, but it happens. A story can be good, but the writing is poor. The writing can be good, but the story is poor. If I look back at what I produced when I first put pen to paper (and back then those were the only tools I had at my disposal, but that’s another blog right there), I was a poor writer. However, reading my long ago work, I can see I was always a storyteller. With the right nurturing and guidance, many poor writers can achieve their potential, so I will not aim a personal attack on this unfortunate person. I can’t, however, call her a writer. She hasn’t had the opportunity. As brutal as a rejection can be, sometimes honesty can be more helpful than politeness. If I were an editor and came across a story which I believed had a hint of talent, I would advise that person to go away, learn how to write, do a course if need be, and then try again. One major mistake many amateur writers make is that they don’t study the books they read. They have little concept of punctuation or grammar, or how to plot stories. Can others teach someone to write? I would say no, BUT the mechanics are teachable. The storytelling is something more instinctual.
Alas, it’s instances such as this that lead to one rotten apple spoiling it for the rest. Some may not know that e-publishing has always carried a certain stigma, a poor reputation. Some liken it to little more than vanity press (companies who will publish anything at the writer’s expense and reap profits for doing no work) and it’s a valid argument. It’s valid because, like any industry, there are those who jumped on the bandwagon. They opened their doors with little intention of being much more than a vanity publisher, or they opened with the right intentions but no business practices behind them. Some were and are run by authors and that’s fine. Authors and editors have run small press for years and produced excellent work and launched many famous careers. Stephen King started in small press and even wrote horror stories for porn magazines.
The trouble arises when anyone opens a press with the mistaken belief it will be ‘easy’, that it won’t be as difficult — even more difficult — than running a normal business. Many were opportunistic, and it’s the good publishers and writers who suffer.
I’m not commenting on this publisher and cannot even take a guess as to their reasons for letting this work go to publication. It only harms their business. I calmly crossed them off my list of possibles. I’m sorry if there is anyone out there that has had a great experience with them. If that’s the case, speak up in their defence. Let someone come forward to explain why such a poorly edited work made it into the public domain.
E-publishers aren’t the only ones to blame. Poor books by larger presses make it to print, so ‘bad books’ aren’t restricted to digital formats by any means. Sometimes what makes up a terrible book is open to interpretation. It’s a lamentable fact that gives publishing a bad name, it gives certain genres a bad name, and it demoralises the writers. I am pleased to say there ARE good e-publishers out there, every bit as dedicated as some who specialise in print. Many print publishers now border that gap, having eased into the new technology. The sad truth behind e-publishing was that to entice a readership to embracing this original reading material, they had to offer something different. This was the reason for the influx of erotic romance publishers. In time, greater opportunities came about for those in e-publishing. In the early days I didn’t want to be one of those who said CDs would never take off to replace records, though vinyl has made a modest comeback and it appears printed books are regaining their popularity. Still, I’ve always believed people should have a choice and I’m happy to hear of people reading no matter what the format.
I have always tried to choose my publishers with care. Does that mean I’ve loved every book ever produced by the companies I write for? No, it doesn’t, just as I may not love every book put out by even my favourite authors. You can’t please everyone all the time, or even try to, but try to do the best job possible and scrutinise your work. I cannot guarantee my work will never go out without a typo, but I’ve spotted many a typo in books by greater authors than I ever hope to be. Seeing errors in any book of mine is something I detest and always do my utmost not to write substandard. I don’t expect everyone to love everything I write. My work is too varied for that to be possible. I only try to tell a great story and check, check, check my work until it drives me to distraction. I will always do my best not to hand over a rotten apple. Please, please, please don’t throw away a whole barrel. There are genuine publishers out there and there are some fine authors in unexpected places.