Plagerism

I was chatting with a close friend the other day and I happened to mention that we've not had a plagiarism scandal in a while...and now we do.
Here's the thing, why do it? You ARE going to get caught, it's just a matter of time. You might think that there are soooo many readers out there that no one is going to notice- that's your second mistake, your first once was copying and pasting your name on a body of work that belongs to someone else. You've not only damaged your reputation but in all likelihood your future career as an author. So even if you do happen to write a novel of your own volition, chances are people will not want to take a chance on reading it, why? Simply stated, it's because of your prior history of stealing the works of others. Plagiarism also hurts the writing community, the entire writing community. Its created fear, anger, resentment and most of all distrust. It has now reinforced the notion that fledgling authors are not to be trusted. Plagiarism is making seasoned authors have second thoughts or all together making them feel reluctant to take new authors on and mentor them. All of this hurts us readers. If you as a reader comes across a book that looks like plagiarism, it's your social obligation to stand up and say something. Authors work hard at their craft and for their hard work to be stolen with the click of a mouse, well it's not acceptable! The simple truth is that it's Stealing! It's stealing the income of another individual. We all know how we wouldn't like it if we had someone trying to steal or income, so why would you support someone who is stealing the money from an author? Pirating sites do this too! Please think about where you buy your e-books from! Buy only from reputable sites.

Being Honest in your Reviews

I broke some of my self imposed rules in writing my last review and I'm here to tell you why.

Honesty is the Best Policy and I feel that I need to give you my 100% Honest Opinion of this or any book. Readers need to be informed of both good and bad as in poorly written books subject matter aside, (subject matter is a personal thing and only you can decide what you like to read). Authors need to know that their book needs help in certain areas or if it's lacking in telling vital details that make a story seem more plausible.

If a book is running over with misspellings, wrong words used or devoid of entire conversations that make the book an editors nightmare, then I feel a responsibility to let the readers know. 

If there's a questionable or controversial scene that arises in said book, I feel a responsibility to let the reader know.

If there's any question that a book appears to rushed and characters not fleshed out, I feel a responsibility to let the readers know.

In no way did I attack or abuse this author. I never will do that, this is about the book and not the person who wrote it. My review is 100% honest and devoid of personal attacks, the way a review should be.

I want to like a book, I set out to read them with the soul purpose of enjoying them. But sometimes that is just not the way of it. Sometimes books are written poorly and lack vital editing. 

The Do's and Don'ts of Writing a Review

I wrote about the importance of leaving a review. Now I want to talk about the Do's and Don'ts on how to write one. 

🔸Don't give away the plot!

I can't tell you how many times I come across this! It's not a book report, you're not explaining the entire book! 

You are telling people how it made you feel, about the characters (were they well developed). What's the genre? Where does the story take place? Are the descriptions accurate? What did you rate it? Why did you rate it that way? 

Don't giveaway the plot, it's not fair to the author or future readers. 

🔸Don't pick on the author!


Never, ever is it okay to make a review a personal attack on an author! So you didn't like the book, fine that happens. But it's never fine or okay to let your frustrations out on said author. What is okay is to write out reasons why you didn't enjoy the book; poor formatting, over use of a particular word, phrase or action. Maybe it's poor character development. But never is it okay to be demeaning to an author. Remember, what you say is a reflection on yourself. 

🔸Do be honest!

Did the book have all of the elements that make it a good book "For You"? As each of us is unique and different, it's the same when it comes to our reading criteria requirements, those things  that makes a book good for Us. 

🔸Try something New!

I look at book genres like lemons and people's reactions to them- to some, they smell sweet, to others they smell tart and then there are the people that won't go near them because they say that they don't like lemons, even though they've never smelled one.  Lemons are like books, there's so many different types. Open your mind! By the way, it's Meyer Lemons that smell the sweetest. 

I hope that I've been able to clear a few things up for you. Go out and write a review that you can be proud of. It doesn't need to be 3 pages long (I avoid those like the plague). It can be short, sweet and go the point in as little as 2 sentences.

ARC's and Honest Reviews

I've been blessed to have been given ARC's (advance reader copy/copies) of books to read and review by various authors over the past few years, some have been offered to me and others I outright asked to review. I never ever ask for a copy of a book that I know in my heart that I'm not going to like. So it surprised me when I learned (I've sat in on more than one conversation over the past couple of weeks) about readers who are on street teams that routinely request books from authors only to give them a 3 or lower rating on their books. Some even stating in the subject line of their reviews "I'm not into [fill in the genre of the book here]". Seriously? That had floored me! You go as far as to be on a Street Team, ask to be given an ARC of the book, you know the genre that author writes, not to mention you know the subject matter and still you write that you are not into whatever the book is about? I think that YOU as a reader/reviewer need to reevaluate why you are asking to review books that you obviously do not enjoy. It's hurtful to the author to come across an ARC review to find out that not only has this person hated the book, worse yet that the person consistently asked for and has received free copies of books that she just doesn't like. That the person is on the Street Team of an author in which she doesn't enjoy the genre at all. In all honesty I have to ask, Why do they do it? You are getting a FREE Book in exchange for an honest review, but how honest are you being with that author if you don't enjoy reading her books?

The other thing I'm seeing is readers receiving ARC's and not leaving reviews, or worse just not reading the book. If you don't have time to read/ review the book, then say so! Own up to it, they understand that life gets in the way (they're people too you know). Now none of this behavior is very fair to the authors who have entrusted you with a copy of their book. They need the review numbers (good or bad) to get up in rankings so Amazon will recommend their books to other readers. Be thoughtful and courteous and always say thank you when receiving an ARC of a book. Authors take note, this is where a good PA (personal assistant) is essential to helping you weed out bad eggs from your street teams, keep in touch with readers and see who is keeping up with actually writing and posting reviews for books that they have received from you. I'm not trolling for a PA job, trust me I have plenty on my plate right now. Honestly though, if you recognize this kind of thing going on in your group, its to reevaluate your ARC distribution list. A good PA would aid you in securing new people from your fan base to rotate through your ARC list for future reader/reviewers. So stop giving those ARC's out to people who obviously don't like or appreciate your work!

Thank you authors for trusting me with your babies

I'll say it, it's not very often that I receive an ARC from an author (advance reader copy) of a book that I don't enjoy. I know what I like (genres and subject matter) and sometimes it's just a leap of faith. In 2016 I'll be trying more indie books written by some "new to me" authors. I'm trying some here 

 I do have to say that I feel quite honored by the generosity of the authors who have selected me to be one of a handful of bloggers out there to review their hard work. My thanks go out to all of you for trusting me with your babies. 

Try an Indie Author

I've got a new book to read from a new to me author. Where most readers are a little leery of this sort of thing, I personally quite enjoy it. I've discovered. Some truly fantastic books by some amazing Indie Authors all by just taking a leap of faith. 
I don't only "pimp" authors and their books, I also discuss them. My goal is to leave you feeling that you want to read the books that talk about here on m blog. Hopefully you'll buy them and read them and come back and tell me how you felt about the book. Better yet, leave a review of book for the author on the platform in which you purchased it and possibly even on Goodreads. 

Reviews are like cookies to authors, trust me when I say that I have it on good authority that they like cookies!

Building my reading repertoire

As a reader/reviewer and now a book blogger I think it's my duty to some exent to expand my reading repertoire. To be able to include a varied selection of genres in my reading and reviewing. Not all of them are things that I'd normally read. I'm curious to see what others find so fascinating about some genres. So 2016 will be the year I dive into new territory. I've started now with reading out of my normal sphere. 
And I have read more than 50 books, this year, but my Goodreads account has me at 45. I better get on to writing up more reviews!