Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Writing: It's Not About How Many Books You've Written...

I must say, it's been interesting working on the sequel to "Siofra". I get all manner of contacts from fans wanting more. The overwhelming response I've been seeing is that I'm writing a different kind of vampire story than is currently being offered. There is no romance, no emo teenagers, and no vampires looking for love in all the wrong places.


It's not paranormal romance, it's all about action. Yes, even female vampires can kick ass when needed.


Hell, some of my most ardent fans have been men. Imagine my surprise when I discovered this, as men are not normally considered to be fans of vampire fiction, at least stuff that isn't along the lines of "From Dusk Til Dawn" or "Dracula 2000". These days, conventional wisdom seems to dictate that only women are into vampire fiction.


So the statistics are wrong. Go figure.


I can understand my fans' impatience to have more stories about the vampire Siofra and to have them now. I often feel that way about some of my favorite authors.


However, it takes time to write a book. I understand that, and do my level best to be patient, though I don't have to like it. I'm not the most patient person in the world. Just ask the people who know and tolerate me.


Being an author myself, though, I've learned that a book isn't just something you can essentially splatter onto your keyboard, finish it up, and then submit it for publishing.


Well, at least if you have at least a little self-respect and don't want it to look and read like a piece of crap. Some self-published authors don't seem to realize that it's not just about getting those words out. Those are the authors who make the case for the major traditional publishing houses that self-publishing is questionable at best.


No, authors need to take their work seriously. They have to make it readable.


I've seen a lot of quickly written and shoddily published work out there, and honestly, I find it a bit embarrassing. Why would an author release something that is riddled with spelling and grammatical errors, poor formatting and the like? It just doesn't make sense to me.


Writing isn't about quantity, it's about quality. When I see authors bragging about having over a dozen books available in print (e-book or physical book), I have this horrible desire to check a sample of that book to see how the spelling and formatting does or does not work. Kind of like watching a train wreck.


So I ask you, dear reader, to please be patient as I continue to work on "Fiach Fola", which is the second book in The Sumaire Web. I'll continue to provide update as the process continues, but please try to understand that I'm not just going to through it together and publish it.


Cheers!


Anna Rose


"Siofra", the first novel in The Sumaire Web, is available now at Amazon, Apple iBooks, www.diesel-ebooks.com, www.kobobooks.com and more!