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There’s a huge Romance audience out there, and, in fact, I used to, long, long ago, read Romance…until I grew out of it. (The real deal has a way of making the fiction pale, if you know what I mean.) Finding good Romance is difficult, though, just like finding good anything is tough. And a lot of it isn’t so much Romance as borderline or even overt Erotica. Or worse. It’s “bad girl” sophisticate biting the balls off of somebody in a kind of Romance noir. But. I may have just found a couple of good ones–really good ones. So stay tuned on The Deepening, because I think Romance–the popular genre variety–is going to make its debut, starting with author Sandra Kay and author Holly Jacobs.
My pet project is bringing good fiction reading and great fiction-related products, services, and events to readers’ attention. Now, there are a lot of sites around that claim to do that, but I find most of them are either driven by “who rewards the best” or “who squeaks the loudest” as measured by whatever standards that website applies.
There are also sites devoted strictly to independently published books–laudable efforts to promote the indie author–just as there are sites devoted to promoting traditionally published works. Unfortunately, most of these sites, including this one, only promote those works which come to their attention. I aim to change that…somehow, someway, not an easy task. What I want are the best books, not those which are most successfully marketed.
Authors and publishers need a place where, if the book is good, it’s recognized. But nobody can read every book, not with the millions of them produced every year. So how can a book be recognized as authentically good? By the voices of its audience, its readers? But that’s where we run into problems, too. Authors and publishers go out of their way to get people–friends and strangers, alike–to post testimonials and reviews, to vote up a book, to promote their works as “great.” But is it real? Is it true? Often not. It’s just a popularity contest or, worse, a “paid-to-promote-it” ranking.
Amazon.com is working on trying to get real reviews of books, but they also have a real problem with cliques of reviewers…and authors, often vindictively trying to work the system.
There’s GoodReads.com, but GoodReads seems predisposed toward traditional publishing. Very few independently published novels or novels produced by relatively unknown presses even make the lists, not that I can find, anyway. And I really do get tired of “the same ol’ same ol’. I don’t care that a whole bunch of folks are head-over-heels in love with the Twilight series. I don’t care that hoards of people think Dan Brown’s latest release is smashing. Those are knowns…and, often, I totally disagree that these books are “good fiction”–my right as a long-time reader of fiction. What I want to know is which unknown books are really good reading, not because they’ve won at marketing, but because they are really, really good reads.
So, I think I’m going to start my own “reading club” here on The Deepening. It will be driven by certain conditions which will rule out any books except those from
- independent authors,
- unknown or little known authors published by small presses,
- debut authors and midlist authors from traditional publishing.
It will rule out any author’s works found on the notable best sellers list unless that book is by an author who qualifies for one of the three categories above.
This is a rough draft of my idea, so it is, of course, subject to change and refinement.
Thoughts?
Continue reading about Finding Good Reading/Good Books Project
AN OFFICIAL THE DEEPENING REVIEWS DEPARTMENT
Where authors and publishers can send e-format review copies of novels and fiction magazines. We’ll be developing a pool of reviewers in all fiction genres. I’m guessing that to get a solid pool of dependable and quality reviewers will take a bit of time, but we’ll be working on it. Meanwhile, you can send a query to any of our division managers, including me. We’ll take a limited amount of submissions. (Luckily, I can read a book in three days, even with my busy schedule.) Place this subject line, FOR REVIEW: TITLE OF BOOK BY AUTHOR OR FICTION MAGAZINE/EDITOR, FICTION GENRE in your email to
r e v i e w s AT t h e d e e p e n i n g DOT c o m
How it works. In your query, send us the name of the publisher, the title, the author or editor. If a book, also include the date of release, the blurb, a synopsis of the book. Attach a copy of or a link to the book in e-format (PDF is preferred.). If a magazine, send a copy of the issue you want us to base our review on or a link to the magazine if it is online.
If we like it, we’ll review it for you. If we don’t like it, we’ll send you a private note telling you why, but won’t publish any negative feedback.
Independent authors and small presses get priority. GREEN publishers get top priority.
FOR REVIEWERS
If you want to become a TheDeepening reviewer, place this subject line, REVIEWER APPLICANT, FICTION GENRE, in your email, then, in the body of the email, send us a sample review of a real title you’ve read. Send this to:
r e v i e w s AT t h e d e e p e n i n g DOT c o m
COMING ATTRACTIONS
If movies can do it, so can books.
Releasing a new book?
Post a book trailer, give us a first chapter as a teaser for readers, post an interview with the author — anything to give your book good press and exposure.
Make the presentation H-O-T and STIMULATING to the site visitor! Remember, we’ve got 96 million readers in the U.S. alone as your potential audience and pool of buyers. Make them aware of your upcoming book release, and do it with S-T-Y-L-E!
DIVISION MANAGERS NEEDED FOR THE FOLLOWING GENRES:
Fantasy
Manga/Comics/Graphic Novels
Romance
Mainstream/Contemporary
Mystery/Crime/Detective
Westerns
Historical
Send resume in the body of an email to DLKeur at
e d i t o r s AT t h e d e e p e n i n g DOT c o m
Place the following in the subject line: TD DIVISION MANAGER APPLICATION. Qualifications include a good, solid, working knowledge of the genre, and excellent eye for discovering quaity literature, and excellent taste in fiction. You should also be good at delegating tasksand responsibilities and encouraging accountability.
Reading, the Healthy Addiction, is Riveting. Take it from a Reader. It’s REAL, it’s INTENSE, it’s SATISFYING.
The
WHAT’S-IN-IT-FOR-ME-CROWD-PLEASER’S-LIST of why you should contribute your efforts to The Deepening
OVERALL TD MISSION: to encourage readers to buy and read fiction by:
* promoting reading for pleasure,
* promoting good literature,
* encouraging authors to write more good books,
* encouraging publishers to publish good books,
* to help writers and authors build a name for themselves and a market for their books.
Continue reading about Features and Functionality in Planning & Development
