There seems to be a get-a-Kindle-for-Christmas trend this year. And I joined the club. As such, I have gone looking for free Kindle books. After only a few days, let me make a couple observations.
With many authors going indie with their books, the Kindle market is now glutted with freebies; each contending for a spot on Amazon's top 100 list in certain categories. As such, I realize there is NO WAY I'm going to be able to read all the books that are made available to the general reading public.
I have to depend on reviews to help me decide whether or not I should invest my steadily-shrinking free time on certain titles written by as-of-yet unknown authors. That's not to say that if a story idea sounds interesting I won't give it a shot. However, I need 'real' reviews--can't something be done about the trolls?--written by people brave enough to point out when 'the emperor isn't wearing any clothes': as in, the plot is predictable, the characters are in desperate need of personalities, and the ending flops.
I intend to enjoy my Kindle; my library of ebooks is growing quickly, thanks to free Kindle book sites. But I want to encourage both reviewers and readers:
To reviewers: please be kind and, with diplomacy, point out not only what is lacking in the story, but also its strengths. Readers, such as myself, appreciate this very much. We don't mind some predictability, but if characters and endings fall short of the fanfare it will make for bad feelings toward the writer; giving us the sense that we'd been pranked.
To readers: if you love a story, leave a comment on the book's website(s). It might only be a sentence or two, but it will help a talented writer immensely. Many writers and books are keepers, and your comment might be what leads to the next big 'discovery'.
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