A self-publisher to watch?

I don't watch self-publishers -- I let the Big Six do it for me.

Yeah, I neither understand nor trust Amazon rankings (or bestseller lists, frankly). But if the author is doing well, more power to them.

Wow, nothing less than 4 and 5 star reviews. Makes one wonder...

Not sure, but I think she's a member here?

Susan Littlefield said:

Not sure, but I think she's a member here?

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Yes, she is. I remember reading the query letter in QLH.

The book may well be an excellent read, but if there's one thing I've learned on Amazon, it's to never ever ever ever trust the ratings for books. Amazon reviewers in general tend to be the least well-read people on the planet, and you will frequently see books that are absolute trash, or mediocre at best, getting loads of four-star and five-star ratings, with rave reviews that make me wonder if the reviewer has ever read a book in their life.

Again, I'm not saying this book in particular is bad or anything of that sort. It probably isn't, especially if it was written by an AWer. Just saying that Amazon ratings are a poor metric for quality.

read the first few pages, they're pretty good. And it has a great premise. Glad that it's doing well. Good for the author.

JayMan said:

Just saying that Amazon ratings are a poor metric for quality.

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This is the case with reviews everywhere, even on indie sites like Goodreads.

I ignore the majority of reviews and read the highest-rated 2- and 3-star reviews. These tend to be written by more level-headed people who evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of a book more realistically.

firedrake said:

Yes, she is. I remember reading the query letter in QLH.

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Woo-hoo! Good for her!

And if I'm honest with myself, the best sci-fi I read this year so far was Wool, written by another self-pub author/former AW member who's been on the top of the Amazon lists.
There's some good self-pubs out there - if you're willing to look.

Ignore the reviews and download the sample. That's what speaks to the quality of the writing, which is very good. As is the story so far. I'm not usually a romance reader, but this book is compelling. So I bought it. Thanks for pointing it out.

Yeah, the sample was really good. I bought too. On my iPhone now for reading at work surreptitiously.

ETA: I found the QLH thread, last entry from about a year ago. I wonder if she sent it out to agents or decided to just go on her own?

Mr. Anonymous said:

read the first few pages, they're pretty good. And it has a great premise. Glad that it's doing well. Good for the author.

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I did and I have to agree, even though its a genre I am not fond of most of the time...

gothicangel said:

I only read a few paragraphs, I had to stop because the grammar was making my head hurt.

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Really? Examples? What am I missing? Some extra commas here and there, but didn't bother me enough to not keep reading.

I have to admit, based on the premise and what little I read of it, this looks to be several cuts above your average self-pubbed novel. I wonder why she couldn't get an agent and publisher for this.

One little thing I noticed about the opening pages. TJ's friend was allowed to accompany him to the boarding gate. Is this a historical novel?

BethS said:

One little thing I noticed about the opening pages. TJ's friend was allowed to accompany him to the boarding gate. Is this a historical novel?

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The date stamp on the first page says it's June 2001.

Big congrats to the author. Well done!

juniper said:

Really? Examples? What am I missing? Some extra commas here and there, but didn't bother me enough to not keep reading.

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And a few missing commas, but that didn't bother me. I'd like to know about the grammar errors, too, gothicangel. Might learn something.

Her website says that the subsidiary rights for this book are represented by Jane Dystel of Dystel and Goderich, so it looks like her success got someone's attention in the industry. Good for her!

Mr. Anonymous said:

read the first few pages, they're pretty good. And it has a great premise. Glad that it's doing well. Good for the author.

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I read the first few pages, and I too thought they were good.

gothicangel said:

I only read a few paragraphs, I had to stop because the grammar was making my head hurt.

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It seems to me there are grammar and some tense errors, but from what I read it seems like an interesting story.

kellion92 said:

Her website says that the subsidiary rights for this book are represented by Jane Dystel of Dystel and Goderich, so it looks like her success got someone's attention in the industry. Good for her!

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And, this agent has an excellent reputation.