As mentioned in my last post, I got a major boost on Schism from Instapundit. The comments thread even started blowing up a bit. What I found most interesting about the comments were the number of assumptions about the book from people who obviously haven't read it. Apparently, I committed the sin of not condemning or lifting up one side of the political spectrum or the other(at least from the blurb).
However, that wasn't what worried me. As I've said multiple times in the past, reading tastes are subjective, and people will either read it or they won't, and they'll either like it or they won't. However, so many on the thread saying they were going to buy it is what worries me. Strange, isn't it?
I've written three other novels, and while I like all of them, none of them has generated this buzz, not even the one that won the Indie Reader Award for Paranormal Fiction. This one is getting attention, which puts my work in the spotlight in a way none of my others have yet been.
I think all writers have a certain degree of insecurity. We not only want people to like our work, but we also want them to think we're good storytellers. As more people pick it up, I start wondering, will people find errors(I didn't use a conventional editor since the format is really bizarre); what will they think of the lack of a central character to follow throughout the story; will they be bored; and a host of other things that I wonder now if they were done right.
In the end, I know I should probably stop reading comments. The urge to respond will always be there, even if that's a horrible idea, and as I said above, not everyone will like it.
So strange to think too much publicity could hurt my writing career if people find mistakes. Perhaps it'd be best if I just remembered that I don't really have a writing career right now, based on the size of my audience(as judged by book sales). I'll try to not be so neurotic now.
However, that wasn't what worried me. As I've said multiple times in the past, reading tastes are subjective, and people will either read it or they won't, and they'll either like it or they won't. However, so many on the thread saying they were going to buy it is what worries me. Strange, isn't it?
I've written three other novels, and while I like all of them, none of them has generated this buzz, not even the one that won the Indie Reader Award for Paranormal Fiction. This one is getting attention, which puts my work in the spotlight in a way none of my others have yet been.
I think all writers have a certain degree of insecurity. We not only want people to like our work, but we also want them to think we're good storytellers. As more people pick it up, I start wondering, will people find errors(I didn't use a conventional editor since the format is really bizarre); what will they think of the lack of a central character to follow throughout the story; will they be bored; and a host of other things that I wonder now if they were done right.
In the end, I know I should probably stop reading comments. The urge to respond will always be there, even if that's a horrible idea, and as I said above, not everyone will like it.
So strange to think too much publicity could hurt my writing career if people find mistakes. Perhaps it'd be best if I just remembered that I don't really have a writing career right now, based on the size of my audience(as judged by book sales). I'll try to not be so neurotic now.
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