What's Going On

I've been getting some interesting feedback from Beta and Critique Partners for my WIP, Finding My Escape.  The reactions seem to be pretty mixed.  So far, about 90% of those who have read it really like it with about 10% who don't care for it.  Everyone, even the 10% that didn't like the story have offered wonderful feedback which I am using to reshape and improve the book.

Right now, I'm still in draft editing phase.  I know I told my FaceBook buds a few weeks ago that I'd finished editing and planned to epublish it soon, but after reading/hearing the critiques, I realized I had two choices:

1. Publish the book (which most enjoyed and thought a good read) as is
2. Polish the book some more and make it a great read

I opted for the latter for a couple of reasons.   Ebooks are booming now, and there's a sense of urgency with many in the industry.  You might even call it a frenzy to get your book out.  Unfortunately, some have chosen to do that with very little editing (or in some cases even proofreading).  This is giving self-pubbed ebooks a bad rap and I don't want to contribute to that reputation.

The main reason, though, is that I only want to produce quality work.  I want to put work out there that makes people say, "see, indie writers can be just as good as NYT best selling authors".  I want people to read my books and recommend them to their friends.  I want people to write five star reviews.  I want my work to be good.

Time is the one commodity we can't replicate, make more of, or find a substitute for.  If I'm going to spend the time to write a book, you can be sure I'm going to spend the time to make it great!

Publishing Trends

I've been so wrapped up in doing taxes (for everyone else), that I haven't been as focused on my blog as I need to be.  Tax season is nuts for a day-time accountant, night time writer with a novel she's trying to edit! *sigh*

In light of my recent time crunch, I wanted to bring you some interesting reading choices from other writers about the current trends in the publishing industry.  Check out these great posts:

Slow Down, the Tortoise Won is Zoe Winters' blog about the current "get rich quick" mentality of many entering the e-books market. 

Thirsting For Blood, written by Sue Dent, has been focusing on the decline of the big bookstores.  There are several posts in this series.  Sue also has many posts on the history of the publishing industry and why things are the way they are.

A Newbie's Guide to Publishing, the title of Joe Konrath's blog seems self explanatory.  Recently however, he's been focusing on epublishing.  Recently, he's been featuring guest authors, all self-published via ebooks.

Let's talk.  What's your opinion of the boom in indie e-book publishing?