Welcome to the place where you can learn about independently published books!

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You like reading books. Lots of books. All kinds of books. You might like to write too. Well then, you are like me. I am a reader and a writer. Book reviews are helpful for readers so they may learn a little about a book; to get a taste for what they are about to experience.

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For independently published writing, there are some aspects of the work that might be different from traditionally published work. To continue my previous metaphor, I believe traditionally published books to be more consistent, like a specific meal, perhaps like lunch. Yes, I will say that traditionally published books are like lunch. Lunch might sometimes be a light meal or a slightly heavier meal, but the same types of food are usually included, it’s at the same time of day and while there is a lot of variety, there is also continuity for the meal that is generally expected. If a person was invited to lunch and was given a bowl of cereal, they could be justifiably confused or even upset. I see something similar happen when some people try an independently published book and they expected it to be like a traditionally published book. It does not make the independently published book bad, but I believe readers need to approach reading these books with more of an open mind.

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Independently published works might be completely different from traditionally published works or they might be similar. Imagine sitting down at a restaurant and being told they will bring you something delicious. You might get lunch, or dinner, or breakfast, or brunch, or a snack, or a milkshake, or a bowl of garbage. I am not saying to expect garbage from independently published works, but I am also saying don’t be mad if you sat down and only expected lunch, and you instead get an ice cream cone. Just enjoy the ice cream, and grab your usual lunch afterward. The fact that there are fewer restrictions and constraints for independently published books, means there is a whole world of different and exciting tastes to enjoy!

I recently tweeted to ask Indie authors to share their books so I could review and blog about them. I am completely overwhelmed by their response! Right now I have over 400 books that have been recommended for me to review. That so many people are eager to share their stories makes my heart glow with pride and happiness. I take this responsibility seriously, and I want to honor those that have entrusted a piece of themselves to myself to comment and critique.

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Before I read any more stories written by anyone, I want to say that part of me wants to gush praises for the work that people have done. They sat down and wrote words, created characters and worlds and scenes that only they could visualize and imagine. And then they also had the courage and desire to share that work with other people, including myself. I am currently working on a novel that I am hoping to publish, but I also know and see how much work and effort and energy are required to make that happen. I understand what these writers have gone through, at least to a certain extent.

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All that being said, and I do want to be generous with my praise, I also want to be fair and honest. Not every flavor will be my favorite. And there are certain things that will frustrate me when I am reading, especially if they seem to come from a careless disregard for what writing can be when it is taken through the entire writing process. But anyone that has taken the chance to share their work with me, is someone that should be encouraged. So I want to be fair and I want to be kind. I joke about wanting to do the Write Thing…but I really do want to always do the right thing and I want to write things and read things and share things.