Indie Book Review - Riversong by Tess Hardwick

Set in the Pacific Northwest, Riversong is a novel about Lee, a young English teacher with more than a few tragedies under her belt. Her husband commits suicide and leaves her pregnant and in massive debt to a shady loan shark. She retreats to her tiny, Oregonian hometown where the reader learns more about her childhood and her abusive, alcoholic mother. The heroine’s anxiety about starting over and about the loan sharks who are looking for her increases as she tries to rebuild her life in a place where she never desired to return. With some good luck and friendly townspeople, Tess gets back on her feet, finding success in running a restaurant, and even falling in love. 

Though the storyline was predictable, it was fairly easy to like the characters in Riversong. The people in this story seemed familiar and genuine, and readers can relate to Lee’s ambiguous feelings of resistance to and comfort in the way she is treated in her small hometown. Overall, the characters and the tone set in the novel were enjoyable.

Unfortunately, the likeability of Hardwick’s characters could not overcome the glaring editing problems. Prominent spelling and grammatical errors throughout the entirety of the work make it a frustrating read overall. Hardwick seems to pay close attention to detail with different elements of plot, character, and setting, but she has missed one of the most crucial steps in the writing and publishing process: editing.  

Overall, the characters and plot were well done and with a great editor to clean up the grammar and inconsistencies, this would make for an enjoyable read.  You can find Riversong for at Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

-Joan

Friday's Round Up - December 14, 2012

Will you publish your book with a pseudonym that can be construed as the opposite gender? (via Bookshelves of Doom)

Scott Lynch responds to a critic.  Not something I would generally recommend because the results are rarely beneficial, but he nails it.

Ten commonly misunderstood words

Last-minute gift ideas needed? I present the guide to gift guides.

5 Steps to Staying on the Writing Wagon

We writers have a tendency sometimes to talk about writing, read about writing, and listen to lectures about writing more than we are actively writing. It’s a slump we all fall into. But fear not!

Here FIVE ways that you can create some accountability to make sure you keep writing.

1. Create a Schedule - and stick to it come hell or high water. Make sure when you are creating the schedule that it allows for high-mileage, low-mileage and rest days. Burning yourself out is one of the fastest ways to fall off the writing wagon.
2. Tell Others - Humans are social, curious creatures and love knowing juicy tidbits about their fellow humans’ lives. Sharing with a coworker, neighbor, or your favorite barista that you’re writing a book will lead them to ask you, “Hey, how’s the writing going?” Make sure you have a good answer!
3. Join a Writing Group - With so many diverse writing groups available online, there is no excuse not to join a group. Writing groups keep you accountable by expecting to read your work on a semi regular basis—you better have some material ready!     
4. Self-bribery -  Want to go to that concert this week? Make sure you get your outline done. How about that awesome little restaurant that just opened down the street? Complete your first chapter and then treat yourself.  Self-bribery can be a powerful thing.
5. Post, Tweet, Share on Social Media -  Nothing like telling hordes of strangers that your book is coming along swimmingly! Author communities on social media sites are extremely supportive and inspiring during dire moments in the writing process. Sharing with others who understand a writer’s work keeps you on your toes and reminds you that you’re not entirely crazy for being a writer! 

There you have it! FIVE ways to make sure you stay on the writing wagon.

Friday's Round Up - December 7, 2012

Sean Beaudoin on how not to get published.  Even though this article is written about short stories specifically, it is still interesting.

Taking on too much that you don't have time to write? Five questions to ask yourself before saying yes.

Something that is slightly related to Malindo Lo's post on heteronormativity and fantasy: The Mary Sue has a post on sexism in fantasy and if historical accuracy is a good reason to have it in a book.

The New York Times reviews a self-published book! (found via Indie Reader)

Finished your book for NaNoWriMo? Here are some agents' perspectives on what to do now for revisions.

Book and Publishing News! S&S Create Self Publishing Program

Simon & Schuster Create Self Publishing Unit Archway Publishing

Simon & Schuster has jumped on the self-publishing bandwagon by introducing a new self-publishing program called Archway Publishing. Teaming up with Author Solutions, Inc, who owns vanity publishing outfits like Xlibris, Trafford, AuthorHouse, iUniverse and more, Archway Publishing is following their lead with high fees and, more importantly, a high cut of author royalties.

Archway aims to lure authors by providing “exclusives” like book trailers and assistance in lining up speaking engagements in addition to editing, design, and promotion. Fees vary according to genre but begin around $2,000 for fiction and nonfiction work, $3,000 for business books, and $1,600 for children’s books.

“Self-publishing has become a viable and popular route to publication for many authors, and increasingly a source of content for traditional publishers, including Simon & Schuster,” said S&S CEO Carolyn Reidy.

While true, it is the self-publishing part that makes this route viable — the ability to inexpensively create and publish content to be available on the world market. Archway’s pricing schemes take away this viability by charging authors an excessive amount of money to do what individual freelancers can do far less expensively.

Arguably many may believe that the convenience of having a book edited, designed, and promoted by a single party is worth the price tag. However, one look at Archway’s cut of author royalties is sure to send most authors running: with Archway taking a 70% cut, how are authors ever supposed to make their money back?

As has been the case for sometime, it is supremely beneficial for authors looking to self-publish to do most of the legwork in order to retain profits and control. Freelance editing is wide ranging and a solid editing job will cost an author far less than $1000 in most cases. Promotion and marketing coaching will tailor your marketing effects to ensure you get the most bang for your buck instead of generic promotion that these types of publishers almost guarantee. 

Indie Book Review - Dominant Species Vol. 1 by David Coy

Dominant Species Volume One – Natural Selection

Author: David Coy

With our impending 2012 doom in mind, I chose to read the first volume of this sci-fi thriller series by David Coy. This hair-raising novel follows the lives of several characters who are abducted by aliens and made to endure a new reality of horrific experiments. The main characters in Natural Selection struggle not only with the idea that they are facing their own pain, torture, and what appears to be imminent death, but also with the realization that their abductions are the beginning of the end for human kind.

As cliché as the plot may appear at first, Coy’s vivid and detailed descriptions of the captives’ surroundings and terror, as well as his presentation of each character’s unique storylines creates a frighteningly original take on human survival in the face of fear. Though a bit tedious at times, his attention to detail is one of his writing’s greatest strengths. His alien experiment scenarios weren’t your everyday anal-probing and chip-implanting, they were far more involved, and they had purpose in regards to the goals and endgame of the alien species. Coy’s writing and original storyline made it easy to writhe and squirm in empathy while turning the page to see what torture is to come.

I look forward to reading the next volumes in the series, Edge Effects and Acquired Traits. Coy will release the 4^th volume of the series, Bio Diversity, in 2013. You can find Dominant Species Volume One on Amazon Kindle

-Joan