Take a Chance On a New #Author ... My Selection Process Changed.

Do you take a chance on a new author? Rewind...

I wrote the following a while back...

With the onset of all the Free reads at Amazon, finding a new author you like should be easy. Instead I think it may be more difficult. Sure the free reads and the $.99 price points bring those books to the forefront and make it financially inexpensive to peruse them. But the system is flawed. I don't know about you but I'm getting picky about what free reads I download. Is there something wrong with this picture?

I'm to the point where I'm scrutinizing the free and inexpensive reads more than the higher priced books.

What about you? How do you choose what books to read? 

Now, how do I take a chance on a new author? References and Referrals!

My process has changed. I only buy known to me authors without a reference. FREE or low priced means nothing to me because bad writing costs me. You ask - how? I say - poor writing and editing reduces a reader's expectations and a writer's ability to write well. 

So now, I don't depend on reviews unless the reviewer is someone I know personally. I want enthusiasm about the book or series...a breathless "I can't wait 'til the next book comes out" attitude.  Sales mean little these days. If Fifty Shades of Grey can get such notoriety from volume sales, then sales can't be a standard to go with. I'm reading a tried and true author whose work I enjoy. At the moment I'm reluctant to even begin reading anyone new. But I'm open to new authors with references and referrals. I'm open to interviewing the next new author (who I will wait anxiously for each subsequent book release) to hook me in the first chapter.

As a struggling author myself, I'd love to share my work with the masses, but I'm not willing to give my work away, enough of it gets pirated. If a cup of coffee costs more than the months of work I put into writing, why can't they buy it instead of stealing it?  I believe in promotions and free reads occasionally, but not as a steady diet. So in the future, I plan on writing recommendations for my books. I will provide a resume for each book, and you can decide if it's to your personal taste and if you want to hire it to entertain you for however long it takes to read. And, it won't cost much more than a cup of coffee...maybe less.