I've had a great year, seeing four of my books appear Live on Kindle after those years in The Desert. Enough about me, though. Let's talk about you. With so many authors to choose from and so little time to read, it's hard to know where to begin.
Start right here, with a short list of questions to help you decide:
1) Does the cover grab you, suggesting something different and colorful and fun? Good question. Nothing shallow about judging a book by its cover.
2) Does the title catch your eye, suggesting not only the theme or the hook but a hint of the tone or the style?
3) Do the sample pages ring your bells? Does the author command your attention or beg like a pooch for your dough? Is the prose clean and quick and compelling?
4) Do the author's credentials impress you at all? Ten years to mastery, they say. Where did the author go to school? What does he or she bring to the table in terms of an apprenticeship--experience as an editor or journalist, etc.? Other publishing credentials?
5) What about the reviews? Do they all sound like party favors from family and friends...or have some of the reviews come from writers you know and admire?
6) Has the author made any effort to bond with readers as people, not just as possible sales? What is the ratio of warm Hellos to strident Buy Me's on Twitter?
7) Finally, how about the price? Do you feel the author is picking your pocket or giving you a handshake in the form of a price that says Give me a try?
Ladies and gentlemen, vote for MacRath. If elected, I'll give you two Sundays a week and bring Free Love back to the mainstream.
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