In which Rolanni is death, warmed over
Tuesday, March 20th, 2012 11:22 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rolanniBoring health/illness stuff follows. You have been warned.
Well, I was supposed to get a haircut today, but I’ll be going to see the doctor, instead. Six of one, half-dozen of the other, I guess.
The cold has gotten worse, unfortunately. I’ve been coughing so much and so hard my stomach hurts, I have no voice, and nothing in the Big Box o’Home Remedies seems to be touching any of it. I’d be a little less aggravated if I’d at least had the grace to cast out a fever…
On second thought, no, I wouldn’t.
Woke up coughing last night, as the night before, and retired to the couch, so that Steve at least could get some sleep. Read about two-thirds of Bertie MacAvoy’s Death and Resurrection before Mozart managed to conjure enough sleep rays to fell me. So, in all, I guess I got about four hours sleep, and am thereby even crankier and less focused than usual.
This is annoying not only for all the reasons you’d suppose, but also because I have hit a point in the story where I need one of the characters to be Clever, and another to be Plucky — and it would just help a lot if their author was currently either, or, ideally, both.
Speaking of Necessity’s Child, I have, alas, missed my mark. This is not a YA novel, though it does still stand as a Liaden portal novel, so that’s all good.
Some of you may know that Amazon has this handy feature where authors can check sales of their books through Bookscan, and sync their blog posts with their AmazonAuthor page, and other such things. They just added a “feature” that shows authors the newest reader reviews received.
So yesterday, for the first time in a long time, I was over there in the backroom of my AmazonAuthor page, and here pops up a new review — it’s for The Crystal Variation, which includes Crystal Soldier, Crystal Dragon and Balance of Trade. And the reader explains that this is the first Liaden book they have ever read; they’re only partway through the first book; already they can tell the publisher why these books won’t sell; and if they could give the book minus stars, they would.
Turns out the proofreading and the editing sucks large rocks. Yes! The reviewer has identified many grammatical and word-choice errors that ought to have been fixed! Also? The world-building is completely whacked. Who could possibly believe in a world where cellphones, smart body armor, and slavery co-exist?
I laughed so hard I had tears running my face, and then of course I started coughing again, and Mozart had to Get Stern with me.
Anyhow, that’s the news from the Cat Farm and Confusion Factory. Everybody take care, stay healthy, and happy.
Progress on Necessity’s Child (tbfkaG)
94,011/100,000 words OR 94%
“Bespeak tea, and a plate of mixed sweets, for two,” the luthia said to him in their own tongue. “Ask to have it brought to this table when I am joined by my guest, and no sooner than that. Pay fairly, in local coin. When you have done this, please return and stand behind my chair. Listen, watch, but do not speak. Should danger come, I know that you will act in the best interest of the kompani.”
Originally published at Sharon Lee, Writer. You can comment here or there.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2012-03-20 03:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-20 04:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-20 04:43 pm (UTC)Re: the review
Date: 2012-03-20 06:03 pm (UTC)Hope you feel better soon.
no subject
Date: 2012-03-20 09:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-20 10:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-20 10:34 pm (UTC)Idiot Reviewers
Date: 2012-03-20 11:45 pm (UTC)Re: Idiot Reviewers
Date: 2012-03-20 11:50 pm (UTC)Steve and I do try, very hard, to make the voice and the language of the book reflect the plot and the characters. we do this on purpose. It drives some folks crazy. Others appreciate the effort, still others never notice.
We still periodically get email from people informing us that Miri speaks ungrammatical Terran. Like that might have escaped our notice...
Re: Idiot Reviewers
Date: 2012-03-23 05:27 am (UTC)For myself, a book becomes a story when I no longer see the words, just the images.
I have read 15 books in the last week, looking for a good story. With Amazon's Self publishing feature the dross is filling the crucible. I am to the point of ignoring all self published works.
The overpriced Ebooks are another annoyance. If a paperback sells for 7.99 and the Ebook is also 7.99 I skip both. I keep telling myself to remember that book and pick up a used 0.99, but I never do. When I see this pricing it leads me to believe the Publisher has no faith in the story. If a story is good I will recommend it to friends and relatives. So, dispersion is more valuable than individual percentage profit. In private business the adage "word of mouth" has enormous value. One Mad customer will counterbalance 10 satisfied customers.
Since December I have found 4 new authors/stories. Some of them are still learning how to write, but their Stories have style and substance. I just hope they realize that writing is work and a skill, both require effort to nurture.
Publishers and Authors need to realize that many books are published each year and I can only read a few hundred. I have favorite authors because of how they write. If I like a new book I will generally buy the entire authors work. If I never read a new authors book, it is as if there was no book, a waste.
I found your stories from a paper back I Dare. (this story confused me, there was no infodump, just sink or swim. I had to re-read it many times to notice the interlinking and subtle quips. The story had many layers, and unless I asked myself 'why that word' I found I was missing layers.) I then searched for the rest of your work, most were out of print, I tracked down Embiid, and purchased all they had. Then found Korval.com which led to the Christmas presents. Then LiveJournal which lead to Fledgling. Then finally you found Baen.
Keep choosing awkward words and Bad Grammar!
chuck
no subject
Date: 2012-03-21 12:43 am (UTC)Cough
Date: 2012-03-21 01:51 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-22 04:42 pm (UTC)