Does Your Team Need a Face

Should I apologize that I will not be getting out my next two books as quickly as promised? The now Colonel Hammer, in the ever advancing first draft of “Loyalty’s Fertile Soil”, has come to the conclusion that he has been such a jerk so many times to so many people that apologies no longer serve any purpose. I didn’t get out a mid-month excerpt out either.

Projects such as home repair, gardening, this raised planting bed and other design ventures have kept me from my writing. Another activity that has kept me from my writing is too much reading. Yes, you read to write better but…

Too much reading is no longer a problem. I can thank the writer Evan Currie for that. I’m tired of reading self-published work that doesn’t make the grade. My tolerance is for the sub-standard is dwindling, which is a good thing. I thought I was a bit harsh giving him only three stars on my “Author Reviews” page, but now I wonder if I have been too generous. The third installment of his “Odyssey One” series was a disaster. The climatic event of the installment read like a first draft. What disappoints me most is the lack of any recognition by the author that he dropped the ball. On top of that, the mountain of disingenuous five star reviews for that slop disgusts me.

The author justifies the books ending in a cliff hanger (cliff hangers being something a certain species of reader seems to despise and can’t help letting everyone know it) with the claim that the fourth book was released at the same time. It was something his handlers wanted.

So… he has a team behind him.

Should the edit/design team behind your book have a face? The author can place blame on his support team, but it is only the author who loses face. This may be proper, but shouldn’t we know who these ‘others’ are so some one such as myself, a self-publishing author, wont make the mistake of hiring the same people he did?

If I were to contract out with the editors Create Space (Amazon) or Amazon KDP provide and my books began to sell I would be making a profit for not only myself but for Amazon. They therefore would have a financial interest in my continued success. They may direct me to their higher tier of editors and cover designers. Certainly if I put out a dud, and it could be attributed to an editor or editors they contracted me to it would be a source of concern for them. Their service, their name, their reputation is behind the product. They will work to protect their reputation.

One of my favorite authors, Ryk Brown, left Amazon as his exclusive sales outlet but then returned. In the process of trying to make his sales work on Google and other platforms, a process that wasn’t working out, he had a meeting with Amazon. They had an interest in keeping him with their program and it showed in their actions.

Many platforms are available on the Internet offering editing services. Some stand behind a name such as Kirkus, thus naturally holding a vested interest in the results.

Reedsy connects writers with independent contractors. They have a vested interest in protecting traffic volume; their draw power. It is a difficult road to travel, a two way street, as they need both good writers and good editors to feed off each other. They need to satisfy both ends to grow their name recognition. If successful they then have a reputation to protect. Reedsy has a rating system that tells you what percentage of offers for services from an editor or cover designer were accepted. I can see some holes in that rating system.

I imagine that many self-published writers coalesce a support team from a variety of service providers eventually developing into a set independent unit. Cost is most likely a large factor in choosing editors. They all have a mutual interest in success but the value of fresh eyes on a work is incalculable.

In this way, the need for fresh eyes on a work, architecture and writing are very much the same. Eyes not familiar with a project can see problems those immersed in the project cannot. I have not discovered anything new or ground breaking here. It is the professional standard. If a writer makes the grade, fights his way into recognition but can’t get the backing of traditional publishing houses, that writer should go to a full service company to protect the writers own brand. It costs more, but it is what it takes to climb the ladder.

This is my personal opinion based on my personal life experience. In my limited Internet searches Kirkus has stood out as a complete and professional service provider. Reedsy is where I will start when I have the resources to acquire the editing services my work will require for me to bring you the best product I possibly can. But there are many other services out there.

I do not receive any compensation from any writers or services I may mention on this blog.