THE JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB discussion

It is with a heavy heart that I’ve decided to remove my novel The Shifting from circulation until further notice. This decision has followed a particularly malicious review by a fellow author – not somebody I’m associated with I hasten to add - who will remain nameless. I’ve no wish to get involved in a game of mud slinging.

Originally I made a fatal error and posted the wrong version of the book, but quickly corrected this, therefore there two versions currently residing on Kindles throughout the UK and USA. The first was no more than an early draft. I’ve no way of knowing which version the reviewer used to base their caustic attack, but let us make no mistake I may not have fired the gun, yet I supplied the ammunition. And although I don’t have it in my nature to be so cruel clearly some readers do.

So despite my best efforts there are still errors in The Shifting manuscript and the book is presently with my excellent proof reader. I therefore intend to relaunch the book once the errors have been removed and the text is as perfect as we can make it.

I only write this piece to warn prospective writers not to fall into the same trap I did. Very few of us can spot missing words, grammatical errors etc. in our own work, therefore I urge you to pay to have your work proof read before publication. Then you cannot be criticised for anything other than your story itself.

In future I will never release a new work unless it has been proof read, hence the reason I’ve delayed the release of my next book ‘Lost Boys’. A work that has been completed but isn’t yet ready for the eyes of our discerning public and a minority of over zealous reviewers.

Sorry to read you had to be subjected to a vicious review, Mac. Sure, some valuable lessons were learned here: be careful of what you submit as completed work and use an external proofreader / editor.

Some other more subtle lessons: writers can be vicious reviewers and frequently read for errors, not for content. I can't tell you how many times I've workshopped a piece with fellow authors -- mind you, these are my friends -- and after reading through a laundry list of critiques (both valid and not so much), I see nothing about what they thought of the story itself. When I ask, "But what did you think of the story?" it's almost like that it just dawned on them that this was the original purpose for writing (and reading). Too many writers get caught up in web of "let me show how clever I am" with my critique, yet lose sight of the whole purpose of narrative.

Naturally, if there are so many errors that the narrative is destroyed, well, then that's another matter. However, that's usually not the case, especially if you have a modicum of writing skills. Anyway, my point here is not to feel too put out by such negative reviewing. The real reviewer -- or critic, no matter what the medium -- will highlight the good and bad of the piece with the goal, not to intentionally hurt the creator, but instead to help him/her improve the piece.

As writers, we have to have a thick skin, no doubt. At the same time, the least we can expect from reviewers, especially our peers, is to show a bit of humanity in their critique and to make sure what we write is balanced and NOT unkind. In the end, when it comes to critique, take what you need, leave the rest, and move forward.

Cheers!

~Michael

Mackenzie wrote: "Very few of us can spot missing words, grammatical errors etc. in our own work, therefore I urge you to pay to have your work proof read before publication. Then you cannot be criticised for anything other than your story itself."

You're right, Mackenzie. We see our stories so many times that they make perfect sense and look marvelous. Editors, proofreaders and beta readers (they all serve different functions) will find the things we can no longer see because we've looked at them so often.

To Michael's point, though, and I speak with my reviewer hat firmly in place: reviews are not for the author, they are for readers. *Critiques* are for the author, and the terms are not interchangeable. Critiques help you find the plot holes, grammatical errors and such -- and should happen before the book is published.

I can overlook minor typos. They happen in professionally published books. However, when I find numerous homophone errors, malapropisms and such, I am not going to pretend they don't exist by failing to call them out. They detract from the story by pulling readers *out from it.*

At the end of the day, Mackenzie, from the sounds of things, it may be for the best that you are having your book re-edited. I have every confidence that it will make a difference. The challenge with being an indie author is that many people presume that our books will be poorly edited, low quality work. It behooves us to prove them wrong rather than provide even the slightest opportunity for the "See? I told you so" moment.

I have to agree with Sharon. I review for readers. I tell them what I think about a book, whether it's worth their time to read or their money to spend. If an author requests a review from me and I find egregious errors, I compile a critique instead and explain that I can't do their review unless they don't object to what I'll say and the rating I'll give. Of course, books I pick up on my own that are already published are fair game as far as I'm concerned. Don't publish if the book is not ready.

As an editor myself, I can definitely attest to how poorly equipped the author is to assess their own work. I've worked with too many authors who claim their friends read it and didn't find anything, etc. Find a professional who is aware of the grammar, punctuation, style, and spelling issues and pays attention to continuity and plot. How much cheaper this would have been to pay for the dit/proofreading than going through this ordeal.

Thank you Michael, Sharon and Kathy. All valid points and I cannot disagree with any of it. I recently reviewed a friends book and suggested many changes, as if to illustrate how accurate and salient your points are. Having anything I write in the future proof read is an absolute must for me now and I will never put myself in a position to be violated in such a way again. We must make our work as error free as possible and avoid falling into the trap some malicious reviewers are keen to exploit.