Quality Will Attract More Readers Than Quantity

Writers, whether professional or just starting out, get very passionate about their work. Some expect that just because their book is ‘out there’ that people will want to buy it. Before anyone wants to spend their hard-earned money – whether it’s $1 for a kindle version or up to $50 on a paperback – they want to know that they are getting value for money. The best way to show prospective readers that your book is worth reading is to provide a well-written overview of the book’s contents. In writing this article, I have looked at 50 random books on amazon.com, using the ‘look inside’ feature which allows the reader to see the first chapter of the book. I have also read author profiles and the blurb about the books. I was surprised, and horrified, at the number of spelling mistakes and grammatical errors in the marketing material which is supposed to hook people into buying the book. Then, once inside the book, the sentence construction of many stories was poor and made it hard for the reader to discern the speakers in the book. But leaving the fact aside that the books hadn’t been well edited, that can almost be forgiven if the story is engaging but once again, the plot structure and storylines were poor in many of the books and I wasn’t interested in reading further. Therefore I wasn’t interested in buying the books.
For writers starting out, it is wise to remember that just because you have a great idea for a book, and put words together to try to give life to your idea, it’s not always going to be something that people are prepared to pay to read. Judging by some of the forums I’ve looked at, some new writers get very miffed if there is any negative criticism of their work. No one likes criticism, but writers have to listen to their potential readers. If they are telling you that the storyline goes nowhere, or they lost interest after the first few pages, then take that as constructive criticism – your book just wasn’t ready for publication.
Just as everyone can’t pick up a hammer and make a piece of furniture, not everyone can write. However, writing is a craft that can be honed with practice, practice, practice. Editing requires some training but it too can be mastered with some effort.
I despair at the ‘writers’ who claim that they have written ‘six books this year’. Oh please. They may have put some ideas down on paper and rushed them off to be published, but quality writing takes time – time to check facts, grammar, spelling and continuity of the story. Anyone who seriously wants to be known as a writer, should value quality over quantity. After all, it’s your name on the book and whether you develop a reputation as a good writer or a prolific self-publisher is up to you.