Why Self-Published Novels Often Miss the Mark
Self-published novels. There are tons of them. There is an estimated four million books sold each year in the US alone, and three million of those are self-published. That's all books, mind, not only novels. Still, it's a lot. The sad fact is, the majority of these self-published novels will miss the mark entirely in satisfying their intended audience. There can be many reasons for this: lack of marketing skills, including not understanding who the target audience is, how to reach them, or even how to design a cover that will appeal to them. There's also the reality that reading as an entertaining pasttime is dropping off the scale like never before in the fiercely competitive attention industry.
One aspect that is a major let down, no matter how good the marketing or design, is the product itself. Poorly written, disastrously executed and cringingly trite stories can only undermine a novel's sales, dashing the author's dreams of being a respected and renown artist.
Of course, these books will always exist - there's no way of preventing that, and I'm not trying to sound mean, just realistic. However, for anyone truly serious about publishing their own novels, they have to understand that their best marketing tool is to produce a quality product in the first place. Quality results in reputation, and reputation results in sales. Yes, there are outliers like Fifty Shades of Grey - and there are lessons to learn from that as a case study on writing to the satisfaction of the intended audience and effective marketing on a shoestring - but this is not the norm, generally speaking. And I'm certainly not suggesting that writers shouldn't self-publish. It's just that too many do so prematurely without running the gauntlet to good literary practices. They embark on their endeavours without equipping themselves with the essential tools of the trade. There are far too many writers out there who believe they do not need to abide by writing 'rules', do not need to learn anything, and yet poor quality self-published books far outweigh the good stuff, so I would argue that this is proof these people are wrong. There's no point being a rebel without a cause, which is what this notion amounts to, in the hope of skipping over the hard work and rising to success based on raw talent alone. I'll blog about the talent vs training debate some other time.
In any case, my view is that there are no rules, only tools. Techniques. In much the same way as a blacksmith learns which tools and implements are best used for different types of tasks within black smithery, the developing writer must learn when to melt, smelt, cast, file and polish their material, in what order, and how the different techniques achieve the desired final outcome.
Without doing this, the average self-published author would be more suitably termed the premature author, for they have arrived before they are ready. This isn't helped by the vanity press industry actively encouraging budding writers to part with their hard-earned cash on a disingenuous business model, encouraging the notion that there is no barrier for entry.
But there is a barrier, and that barrier is quality. So, let's look at the main areas that let a book down when this barrier is bypassed.
Crafting Characters
One of the primary pitfalls is neglecting to learn the craft of characterisation. In their haste to bring stories to life, premature authors miss the crucial nuances that make characters resonate with readers. Crafting fascinating characters requires an understanding of their motivations, flaws, and unique psyches – aspects that can make or break a narrative. It's also often the case that, by not imagining their characters with enough complexity, these personalities come across as pale copies of other, more successful characters from popular novels. If not that, then incomplete souls who stomp around the setting with no real sense of self, what they stand for, or how to lead the plot.
Structure Struggles: The Achilles' Heel
Structure forms the backbone of any great story, yet it's a facet often overlooked by self-published authors. In fact, I've often found that many writers aren't even aware of what story structure is, let alone what it means or how it plays its role in storytelling. Without a solid understanding of how to structure a narrative, their novels risk becoming a tangled web of events, lacking the rhythm and pacing that captivates readers. It's not just about what happens; it's about when and how it happens. If this sounds like you, sign up to my blog for a free class on story structure basics. I guarantee it will be the best twenty minutes you've spent in the study of fiction writing.
Tension, Micro, and Macro.
Micro and macro tension are the invisible threads that weave through the loom of a gripping story. Unfortunately, like structure, many authors are not aware of the naunces between these techniques, let alone how to best utilise them, leaving their narratives feeling flat and unengaging. The art of maintaining tension, both on a small and large scale, is essential for keeping readers hooked from start to finish. Some writers have a natural instinct for it, and some don't. There are a couple of articles I've written in the past that might help with that, if you fall under the latter category. Refer to the related posts section at the bottom of this post.
Uncharted Story Worlds
Creating a vibrant story world requires more than a passing thought; it demands meticulous planning. Yet, the premature author often plunges headfirst into their tale without fully mapping out the landscapes, societies, and rules governing their worlds. The result? Inconsistencies, plot holes, and a missed opportunity to immerse readers in a captivating environment. Readers fall in love with worlds as much as characters, so it pays to invest the right amount of research and development into this most vital of story elements.
The Symphony of Story Execution
Writing a novel is not just about stringing words together; it's orchestrating a symphony of plot, character, and emotion. The melody of a well-executed story resonates with readers, carrying them through highs and lows, twists and turns. Yet, in the realm of the premature author, many find themselves stumbling through the composition, with little awareness to the effectiveness of the overall execution.
Execution is difficult to parse. It's such a finely balanced harmony of elements that the lack of an experienced conductor leaves self-published novels vulnerable to discordant notes. The problem with many premature authors is that they didn't get any feedback on their story to help them address the execution problems, or if they did, the delicate tuning of execution was beyond their advisor's sphere of knowledge.
The Absence of Editorial Guidance
Unlike their traditionally published counterparts, the premature author lacks the invaluable support of professional editors. These professionals play a crucial role in refining and polishing manuscripts, offering insights that elevate the quality of the final product, and, on occasion, diplomatically putting their foot down on weak aspects of a manuscript. The premature author does not have the benefit of an editor to push them to challenge themselves and bring out their very best work. Without this guidance, self-published novels risk falling short of their full potential. The main problem here is the cost of edting for the average person who will be using their own income to finance the project. The premature author is often unprepared for these costs, which is why they often fall prey to vanity press, who appear to offer value for money in their editing packages.
Insufficient Editing Skills
This is the flip side of the editing coin for the premature author. While they cannot (or will not) fork out for a good editor, they do not know how to do it themselves, or even what kind of editing they require. They don't know the processes of editing, or the order in which each stage must be applied. They often think editing involves proofreading their initial or early draft, and that's it.
The premature author skips the vital steps required to produce a quality novel and hits the publish button before they are truly ready, but without realising they are not ready and why.
So, what can the premature author do to alleviate some of these issues? Well, be as prepared as possible for what the project will entail. Read this article on the realities of self-publishing, to start with. When it comes to the writing itself, preplanning the novel can go a long way towards remedying some of the issues I've laid out.
By embracing preplanning, self-published authors pave the way for stronger first drafts. The groundwork laid during the planning phase minimises the need for extensive revisions, allowing writers to refine and enhance their narratives with greater ease. In an industry where first impressions matter, preplanning becomes the key to unlocking the full potential of self-published novels.
The journey of a premature author need not be marred by the pitfalls of inadequate preparation. Through preplanning, writers can embark on their literary endeavours with confidence, armed with the knowledge and structure needed to bring their stories to life in a way that captivates readers and sets their novels apart in a crowded market.
If you cannot afford an editor, let alone a good one, I highly recommend, at the very least, using one of my novel writing kits. I see time and again people who are on limited incomes, due to age, illness, disability, or even just living in economically challenged circumstances, with no options to increase their incomes. It's not as good as having a real editor work on your manuscript, but if the only way to make your book a reality is to DIY then at least use these affordable tools. I've specifically designed the templates in each kit to create strong story foundations, by ensuring the writer puts in the sufficient amount of thought and development into the three principle areas of storytelling: People, place and plot. By using these kits, the writer can focus on the framework first, relieving them of the pressure to write awesome prose while also wrangling the most important structural elements. Outline first, then you can focus your best efforts on the words themselves and how they bring about the framework.
Novel writing shouldn't just be for the rich. Life shouldn't just be for the rich! Cut back on the time it takes to learn some of these areas by using an outlining system that sets your story on its best footing, free up more time to focus on the line editing, and enable your next novel to manifest itself into material reality a lot quicker.
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