In this wonderful world of the big wide web, we are all authors, and we are all critics. Jacqueline Howett found this out the hard way.
A couple of weeks ago her self-published e-book was reviewed online by Big Al's Books, and although he mentioned that he found her plot quite exciting, he didn't like her style, or her plentiful grammatical errors. She didn't like the review, and took the opportunity to tell him so - at length, and rudely - in the comments on his blog. The review and Jacqueline's comments are here, and her webpage is here, if you want to see more details.
No-one likes getting a bad review, no matter how well known an author they are. Jacqueline is not the first author to take issue with her reviewer, as this Guardian article points out. Her main complaint was that the reviewer was working from an earlier draft, so shouldn't have complained about the grammar. It turns out that he was in fact looking at her most recent draft, and she was unable to see the errors he was pointing out.
As with all entertaining internet spats, this has gone viral, with posts on Facebook, and blog after blog (including this one) commenting on Jacqueline's work and reactions.
So what lessons are there to be learnt?
Most importantly - once something is in the public domain, it's very very hard to have any sort of control over it. Only put out what you would be happy for a potential publisher, reviewer, or employer to find.
A self-published author (who has not had input from editors and publishers) should be gracious enough to accept help when it is offered graciously. Big Al was pointing out that the grammatical errors could stop readers from continuing to enjoy the author's work. Sometimes it's hard to accept criticism, but it's always worth thinking about why someone is saying it.
Just as we now have self-appointed authors who can generate their own sales, we also have self-appointed reviewers. You can't be one and complain about the existence of the other.
When you get a bad review or bad response to your writing, can I suggest the following course of action?
Turn off the computer/put down the paper.
Turn to chocolate or gin or whatever your petulant self-poison of choice is.
Tell your best friend/the cat/the washing up what an idiot the critic is.
Sleep on it.
Take a moment to wonder if the critic has a point, and whether they've pointed out something you can take on board.
Evaluate the critic - is he/she someone whose opinion you respect? What is their track record?
IF you feel the urge to respond, stay courteous.
And finally, use the emotions the episode has stirred up as fuel for your creativity.
(Editorial Consultant)
Some nice posts here.
I like Marc's humerous response.
I don't take pleasure in seeing Jaqueline Howett falling flat on her face, but she deserves all the stick she gets.
I agree with Fenn about quality control. I have writen 126,000 words so far, and my first manuscript may end up at 150,000 words. If I had to lose 30,000 - 50,000 words to ensure I produce a novel of the highest quality I am capable of, then I can live with that. If I fail, it will hurt for the monumental effort it has taken. It takes dedication and compassion to write. I will have learnt so much since my earliest attempts of what can only be described as enthusiastic drivel. Whatever happens, I am much wiser about what the good aspects to a novel are. My writing has improved beyond all recognition and my appetite for reading has been rekindled.
I would be lost without my brilliant editor. There can be only positives gained from the pruning and editing of bad sentences. Even passages of good text that dont quite fit in with the plot and storyline can be saved and used in further novels. But every word you write has to earn its keep.
My tip to any aspiring author is not to rush into publication. I would be mortified If I was published only to see errors in my work that are then to late to correct. Then all that hard work would have been for nothing. I am never happy with anything I write. And in striving for perfection, I know I won't achieve it, but in trying my best I hope that it will guarantee that I am writing to my highest possible standard.
I am willing to bet that Jaqueline Howett will not self-publish again without using an editor.
There is a big market out there for self-publishing and a lot of money to be made by publishers who don't give a damn about quality. They are only interested in taking your money.
As P T Barnum said, 'There's a sucker born every minute.'
( Opens the window on this lovely sunny spring day, puts on some E.L.O, "Livin' Thing" will do just fine, and smiles - had a good fill of the morning reading Ms Howett's rant, which had me quietly saying things like, "Oooh, wow," and, "Oh wow, that's bad," and, "Oh my god!" - and I never say "Oh my god." Reading it made my morning, so thanks for the blog and links. Now, back to my E.L.O and sunny Saturday and dancing around the flat in my pj's. )
Marc, you're 36, don't you think you need to grow up a bit?
No.
Talking to yourself again?
Yes.
Good post Cressida.
I have never heard of Jaqueline Howett. As far as I am concerned any damage to her reputation as an author is self-inflicted. Serves her right for being so unprofessional. Her experience should act as a warning to aspiring authors. How can any author put themselves through the time-consuming torture of writing a novel and then ruin all the hard work , because vanity blinds them to unseen errors? Did she not consider using an editor? This is a perfect example why self-publishing should be avoided. However, the more failed attempts of self-publishing that are brought to our attention the better. These stories are pure gold to editors, agents and publishers. And it is in their interest to let the world know of every one of them.