Cooties--What Drives Some Readers Away

[Steven L Jordan]

What do you think of Mack Reynolds writing? Any authors you regard as consistently bad?

I'm pretty sure I haven't read any Mack Reynolds; that era of sci-fi has never been my style. And as I'm usually pretty picky about the SF I read, I really can't recall any really bad writers, just a few bad books, mostly TV and movie novelizations. (And when I put a book down, I rarely remember afterward who wrote it.)

On the other hand, I have and enjoy the entire Doc Savage collection, so maybe I'm not the one to ask...

I hate to admit it, but most of the "really bad" writing I tend to encounter is from independent writers these days. I find myself praying to the skies that my own writing isn't that bad...

[Kazellion]

One example is The Hunger Games, which I found quite enjoyable. I still like to think that if it's good, I'll read it, no matter who wrote it.

It's funny, i read the series and find it a good example of potential author that i hoped would get better. First book I enjoyed the story line but felt was rough unpolished writing for a lot of it, other books seemed rushed and disappointed me in their lack of improvement.

[TaylorS]

Agreed. I gave up on one book recently The Warrior Within By Sharon Green. In which the heroine not only manages to describe herself in a mirror on the first page - another real pet hate of mine - she also gets raped twice within the first 30 pages and then gets (metaphorically) right royally f***ed over by her employers who GIVE her to her rapist and she says NOTHING! The lead is so limp and acquiescent she's not even one dimensional.

I have a friend who is a rape victim and she is always worried that she will run into a rape scene in a book and her PTSD will get set off.

[Steven L Jordan]

I have a friend who is a rape victim and she is always worried that she will run into a rape scene in a book and her PTSD will get set off.

That sounds kind of extreme, considering she can always stop reading and put the book down when she realizes she's coming to a rape scene. If she's really that sensitive (and I'm not saying she shouldn't be), I hope she has access to a therapist. (And I hope I don't come off as insensitive.)

Back to the OP, I should point out one of the biggest cooties around: Self-publishing SF authors. Most SF readers run for the hills at the slightest whiff of an independent author, stopping only to throw rocks and hurl epithets to keep us at bay.

[Chuffalump]

I wish I actually had the energy to do a wide ranging evaluation of self published authors. The three or four I've sampled have had varying abilities (from bland to shows possible future potential) but one thing they had in common was a huge overestimation of their own talent. Which is a shame because it stands to reason that there must be some gems out there. Perhaps authors who chose the wrong publisher or had an unusual style or wrote fiction in a saturated genre or picked a subject matter that was politically/socially taboo? I've read at least one story on this site that I enjoyed but since I don't know if the author is self published or normally published or just wrote it for fun I haven't included it in my rather poor statistics.

[JunkMonkey]

Back to the OP, I should point out one of the biggest cooties around: Self-publishing SF authors. Most SF readers run for the hills at the slightest whiff of an independent author, stopping only to throw rocks and hurl epithets to keep us at bay.

Sorry, I thought that was a given. Unlike Chuff's experience, the ones I have sampled have ranged from plain awful to compulsively scab-picking 'eeeew!' really awful. Actually I make it a point to read at least one a year to reset my critical faculties baseline for the next 12 months.

[Chuffalump]

Well, I was trying to be polite.

(The one with mild potential only applies if writing for children.)

[Loerwyn]

I've really only read one self-published author and I thoroughly enjoyed her series. Oh, I might have read little bits from others, but really I'm too "busy" with traditional published books to look elsewhere.

[Pennarin]

Hugh Howey is a self-published author that had tremendous success. This implies there are people who do cold-buy ebooks.

[Steven L Jordan]

I wish I actually had the energy to do a wide ranging evaluation of self published authors.

I wish anyone had that energy...

The three or four I've sampled have had varying abilities (from bland to shows possible future potential) but one thing they had in common was a huge overestimation of their own talent.

Sorry, I thought that was a given. Unlike Chuff's experience, the ones I have sampled have ranged from plain awful to compulsively scab-picking 'eeeew!' really awful.

Well, I was trying to be polite.

Yeah... thanks a bunch.

[Chuffalump]

I'd encourage anyone with talent. Maybe I should only look at self published authors who don't claim to be the future of SF. It's probably skewing my experiences.

Can anyone suggest some more that they have enjoyed?

[Chuffalump]

Duplicate post. Blooming smart phones my bottom.

[psikeyhackr]

Maybe I should only look at self published authors who don't claim to be the future of SF. It's probably skewing my experiences.

ROFL






need more letters

[Steven L Jordan]

I'd encourage anyone with talent. Maybe I should only look at self published authors who don't claim to be the future of SF. It's probably skewing my experiences.

Hype like that rarely means much. If the book has a description and a decent sample, go with that.

Can anyone suggest some more that they have enjoyed?

Jeff Garrity's Mars Girl. Excellent. Wish I'd written it.

[Chuffalump]

Thanks. I thought I'd take a look at your free sample too. I take it as a good sign you didn't jump in there with a self recomendation.