# Indie Fantasy Review



## Guest (Sep 11, 2010)

I've set up a new review site specifically for independent fantasy. Guidelines for submissions can be found on the "Welcome" page.

There are no reading fees but I don't currently have a budget for buying a lot of books so I do ask for free copies. In the first instance approach me by email (on the site) or you could query me here.

Review follow the Amazon format and will be published on Amazon & B&N as well as the Indie Fantasy Review site.

http://indiefantasyreview.blogspot.com/

I'm also happy to include reviews by other people and multiple reviews for the same book.

I hope some of you will find this helpful and will consider following the blog.


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## Carolyn Kephart (Feb 23, 2009)

Derek, I really like your blog, and your critical acumen. You'll probably be getting an email from me soon. 

Thanks,

CK


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## Guest (Sep 11, 2010)

Thanks Carolyn. I've had my eye on your book for a while but my conspicious lack of a Kindle has made me put it on the back burner.


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## RonnellDPorter (Apr 20, 2010)

Well it's good to see another outlet for indie authors, I'll definitely be following! I'd submit for myself, but I don't bother creating paperbacks anymore as I've spent way too much money on The Pocket Watch and haven't earned a penny. Kindle is where my success is gaining momentum so that's what I'll focus on. But when you start accepting digital formats, I'll be in line  - Good luck!


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## traceya (Apr 26, 2010)

Wow Derek, I just clicked on the blog and see, to my surprise and delight, my short story An Unholy Encounter right next to David Dalglish    Yah for me  
I'd love you to review Erich's Plea so I'll PM you a Smashwords coupon and if you get time fabulous if not that's also totally cool - I'm still loving being mentioned.

Cheers,
Trace


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## Guest (Sep 11, 2010)

Ronnell -- I'm hoping to get a Kindle very soon. I have agreed to look at a couple of short novels on Kindle for PC but it's not much fun staring at the screen. I'll keep you updated. Shorter works are fine though.

Tracey- I have your book. Might take some time as the same applies. I will, however, start to look through these larger books on screen and make some preliminary comments on the site.

Moses - I have your book too thanks. This should be short enough to read on screen.

I've also got "The First Dragoneer" by M.R. Mathias.

Keep them coming and please be patient. I'll get through them all eventually!


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## MosesSiregarIII (Jul 15, 2010)

I've read your first two reviews there, Derek, and I think they have a lot of substance. Thanks for offering this, and I look forward to reading more. I hope you'll bump this thread whenever you write new reviews (I've given up Google Reader--too many good blogs out there).


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## Guest (Sep 11, 2010)

Thanks Moses. 

I hope the reviews are encouraging to the writers. I prefer to focus on strengths rather than weaknesses, but if an author asks for my opinion in private I'm happy to comment on problematic areas (usually it's lack of editing - typos, grammar, syntax, POV shifts etc). 

On a side note, I'm posting short-stories and serialisations on the Indie Fantasy Review site. All fantasy authors are encouraged to submit. The exposure can only be a good thing.

You may have noticed also that a widget on the side bar of the site has links to the books I've either reviewed or received for review. There are also links to author sites etc at the bottom.

Below are the submission guidelines. If in doubt just email me and we'll work something out!

Submission guidelines: 

I only accept FREE review copies at the moment. Please also be aware that due to writing and parenting commitments it sometimes takes a while for me to read a book and write a review. In most cases I will be able to give you a time frame.


Please send a brief query by email to [email protected]

If your work is a short story or novella I will request either a PDF or a link to a Smashwords version with a coupon.

Longer works (novels) should be mailed as paperbacks (details will be sent following your query). I don't own a Kindle or equivalent and can only read for short periods at my PC. This may well change in the future when som eextremely lovely relative buys me a Kindle for Christmas (hint, hint).

From time to time I will make spontaneous purchases of books that grab my attention and will post review both here and on Amazon & Barnes & Noble.

I will be offering a rating of between 1 and 5 stars for books following the format on Amazon.

In the event that I am unable to give a book a 3 star rating I will contact the author by email to see if they still want the review to be made public on Amazon and B&N as I would hate to adversely affect sales. This is, after all, a very subjective thing and my opinions are simply that. I will still publish the low reviews here unless specifically requested not to do so by the author.

I'm also quite keen to feature other people's reviews on this site and welcome alternative reviews of the same books. Please email me at derekprior.co.uk if you would like to contribute.

From time to time I will also post interviews with authors and make announcements of interesting finds, good deals and forthcoming releases.


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## Guest (Sep 11, 2010)

This is interesting, and your opinion is definitely one I respect, Derek. Tell me, how do you feel about young adult fantasy?


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## Guest (Sep 11, 2010)

YA fantasy is fine too. I'm actually working my way through Elfhunter with my son and will post on that in th enext few weeks. I've even been writing a bit of YA myself...just hope I'm not too disconnected by the decades from the readers!

I'm also hoping to feature artwork, including work in progress, sketches etc.

My aim is to make this a vibrant site with indie fantasy writers forming the hub. I just hope I have enough time to write as well.


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## kcmay (Jul 14, 2010)

What a wonderful and generous offer! Thank you!

I'm having The Kinshield Legacy prepped for paperback printing now. Once it's ready, I'll query you privately to see if you'd be interested in reading & reviewing it.


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## Guest (Sep 11, 2010)

Thanks KC. In the meantime you might want to consider an excerpt of a short for the site.


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## Daniel Arenson (Apr 11, 2010)

Thanks!  Great new blog.  I look forward to reading your reviews!

Unfortunately, I focus on Kindle, and have only a limited number of paperbacks to send out.  My post office charges me about $13 to mail a book (ack), and it costs me another $15 to order one from Amazon, so I have to be extremely picky about paper review copies.  But let us know when you buy a Kindle!


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## Guest (Sep 11, 2010)

Daniel -- that's rough. I'm sure it won't be long until I have a Kindle and I do occasionally come into enough money to buy a DTB (although I usually squander it on wine and restaurants). I'll keep you in mind and when I get a moment add your link to the site.


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## Valmore Daniels (Jul 12, 2010)

This is a great idea!  Followed!

Just a quick question or two: Do we have to ship to the UK? Will you accept an amazon gift certificate towards a copy rather than shipping it out?


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## Guest (Sep 11, 2010)

Valmore - thanks. No, you don't have to ship. A gift certificate would do it. Sorry I don't have a budget (struggling single parent!)

I'll be adding all the TBR books to the site ASAP (at a party at the moment and really shouldn't be on KB)


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## 13500 (Apr 22, 2010)

Great idea. Good luck with it.


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## Guest (Sep 12, 2010)

Thanks Karen.

There's another review up to keep the show on the road whilst I get some reading done.

I'm currently finsihing off David Dalglish's "The Death of Promises" and I've just started reading Chris Randolph's "Vengar the Barbarian", which I'm enjoying immensely.

Look out for a few visual delights coming to Indie Fantasy Review and I've started work on the first interview. Who's it gonna be? Anyone we know?


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## M.S. Verish (Feb 26, 2010)

That's fantastic, Derek!

You will most definitely be hearing from us.


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## Guest (Sep 12, 2010)

Thanks Matt and Stef, I look forward to hearing from you.

BTW I was going to ask you about maps.

Do you do map work for other authors? If so what are your fees? My map guy has had the project for 6 months and hasn't even started.


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## Guest (Sep 16, 2010)

Progress:

I've finished "Vengar" and should have the review ready by the end of the weekend hopefully. I'm 2/3rds of the way through "The death of Promises" and then will be looking at "The Black God's War" and "An Old Fashioned Folk Tale". 

I also have works by M.R. Mathias and Tracey Alley that I'll get to as soon as I can.

I've almost finished the first in-depth interview (with Archer). I think this is quite different to other interviews I've seen - thanks to Archer for indulging me.

Please continue to send in stories, articles, reviews for the site.

All queries to [email protected]


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## Archer (Apr 25, 2009)

Ha! You're welcome.   Look for a nice package from me in the near future...


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## Cate Rowan (Jun 11, 2010)

Great site, Derek!

Like Daniel, I'm focused on the Kindle at the moment and only have K-books to send, so I'll have to wait. I hope you get a Kindle soon—and not just for my book, but because you're going to love it and wonder how you did with out it.


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## Guest (Sep 17, 2010)

Thanks Cate.

I'm planning on getting a Kindle before Christmas....

Some people have kindly sent their Kindle versions anyway and I do look over them on Kindle for PC. This sometimes gives me enough of a flavour to consider an interview.

Watch out for a short from M.R. Mathias next week...

Thanks to everyone who contacted me re submissions last night.


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## Carolyn Kephart (Feb 23, 2009)

derekprior said:


> I'm planning on getting a Kindle before Christmas....


Derek, you're going to love it. You just _are_. 

If you're interested in short fiction, I have lots at Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/carolynkephart. All of it's free except for 'Regenerated,' but even that's a giveaway on my website. I hope you'll visit the latter when and if you have time.

Thanks for all you're doing for us. <Gifts a virtual pint>

CK


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## Chris J. Randolph (Jul 1, 2010)

derekprior said:


> I've finished "Vengar" and should have the review ready by the end of the weekend hopefully.


Not to put any pressure on you, but if you get the review up this weekend, that would be positively wonderful. I'm releasing a novel Monday morning and getting a review for my previous release around the same time would be fantastic.

Unless... you know... you hated it. That would probably suck, but hey, these things happen. 

Anyway, thanks again for reading, and I look forward to seeing what you thought.


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## Guest (Sep 18, 2010)

Thanks Carolyn. I've bookmarked your Smashwords link and will have a look in the near future with a view to reviewing. You are also welcome to have any shorts featured on the site.



Carolyn Kephart said:


> Derek, you're going to love it. You just _are_.
> 
> If you're interested in short fiction, I have lots at Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/carolynkephart. All of it's free except for 'Regenerated,' but even that's a giveaway on my website. I hope you'll visit the latter when and if you have time.
> 
> ...


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## Guest (Sep 19, 2010)

Thanks for the pint Carolyn. I've bookmarked your shorts and will get to them as soon as I can (beer does that to me).

My review of Chris J. Randolph's "Vengar" is now up on Indie Fantasy Review, Amazon and B&N. 

I'm almost done with David's "The Death of Promises" and then it's back to the list.

Hopefully the interview with Archer will be ready for posting in a day or two.


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## Guest (Sep 19, 2010)

Sorry Chris - missed your message. As you can see the Vengar review's live. Good luck with the novel.



Chris J. Randolph said:


> Not to put any pressure on you, but if you get the review up this weekend, that would be positively wonderful. I'm releasing a novel Monday morning and getting a review for my previous release around the same time would be fantastic.
> 
> Unless... you know... you hated it. That would probably suck, but hey, these things happen.
> 
> Anyway, thanks again for reading, and I look forward to seeing what you thought.


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## Guest (Sep 19, 2010)

My interview with C.S. Marks is now live on Indie Fantasy Review:

http://indiefantasyreview.blogspot.com/

Archer has provided some great sketches for the interview. We focus on style, editing, differences between old and new fantasy and the use of POV.


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## Chris J. Randolph (Jul 1, 2010)

derekprior said:


> Sorry Chris - missed your message. As you can see the Vengar review's live. Good luck with the novel.


Thank you so much for the review, Derek. I'm... well, honestly blown away. You just made my morning!


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## Guest (Sep 19, 2010)

Chris J. Randolph said:


> Thank you so much for the review, Derek. I'm... well, honestly blown away. You just made my morning!


You're welcome Chris. Thanks for taking the trouble to send a review copy. It was great fun to read.


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## Guest (Sep 20, 2010)

Please could as many people as possible remember to follow Indie Fantasy Review. Currently there ar eonly 6 followers on the blog and another handful on networked blogs (Facebook). 

The purpose of the site is to add to the exposure for indie writers. 

I've seen a few sites that offer to increase blog readership but I don't want to ge tinto the "you follow me and I'll follow you" scene. The site is going to be of interest only to writers and readers of fantasy.

If anyone else has any ideas on how to widen the net I'd be pleased to hear them.

In the meantime, I'm still looking for articles, shorts, reviews, artwork to go on the site.

I'm hoping to enlist another reviewer or two as there's already a big backlog of books to get through.


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## Guest (Sep 20, 2010)

Harry White DeWulf has agreed to review for Indie Fantasy Review. For those who don't know Harry, he's the editor from Densewords and a very perceptive critic.

Hopefully this will double the speed at which we get through the submissions.


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## Archer (Apr 25, 2009)

Don't look now, but you're being followed!


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## Guest (Sep 20, 2010)

Archer (the Paladin) said:


> Don't look now, but you're being followed!


EEK!!!!!


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## MosesSiregarIII (Jul 15, 2010)

derekprior said:


> Harry White DeWulf has agreed to review for Indie Fantasy Review. For those who don't know Harry, he's the editor from Densewords and a very perceptive critic.
> 
> Hopefully this will double the speed at which we get through the submissions.


Damn, that's great. You're already putting out some high quality reviews, and since you've found someone else similar to you, I expect your blog is going to become the go-to blog for indie fantasy reviews.

Let's all support this effort and help get the word out about it.


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## Guest (Sep 21, 2010)

Thanks Moses. I hope the blog can help to raise the profile of indie fantasy (along with the other sites that are trying to do the same). It's also a good way to get a review on Amazon.


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## Archer (Apr 25, 2009)

Yes...it's tough to find a more articulate reviewer than Derek (though my books have yet to be graced with his talents). I should imagine he could even pan them and make it sound nice...


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## J Dean (Feb 9, 2009)

Very cool!  I'd be MORE than happy to send a paperback of my novel your way!


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## MosesSiregarIII (Jul 15, 2010)

Archer (the Paladin) said:


> Yes...it's tough to find a more articulate reviewer than Derek (though my books have yet to be graced with his talents). I should imagine he could even pan them and make it sound nice...


This site might review mine, and if it does I'm going to be very happy either way. 'Tis better to have been reviewed and lost than never to have been reviewed at all ...


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## Archer (Apr 25, 2009)

MosesSiregarIII said:


> This site might review mine, and if it does I'm going to be very happy either way. 'Tis better to have been reviewed and lost than never to have been reviewed at all ...


Ha! Too true.


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## Chris J. Randolph (Jul 1, 2010)

Congrats on the addition to your crew.  Glad to see you expanding!


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## Guest (Sep 21, 2010)

J Dean said:


> Very cool! I'd be MORE than happy to send a paperback of my novel your way!


Send me an IM re your novel and we'll set something up.


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## Guest (Sep 21, 2010)

Chris J. Randolph said:


> Congrats on the addition to your crew. Glad to see you expanding!


Thanks Chris. It halves the workload and Harry's a great reviewer (and editor).


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## Guest (Sep 21, 2010)

MosesSiregarIII said:


> This site might review mine, and if it does I'm going to be very happy either way. 'Tis better to have been reviewed and lost than never to have been reviewed at all ...


Moses, you're defintely scheduled for a review....hopefully in the not too distant future. Very heavy schedule this week but I'm almost finished with Mr Dalglish. I have a short of M.R. Mathias to look at as well as your novella and Valmore Daniels' book. I'll get there in the end.

Archer - you'd certainly not get panned by me! Actually I don't intend to pan anyone. If things are really poor I'll deal with it privately. Obviously I'll point out major editing/formatting issues to be fair to the readers but my inention is to focus on strengths. I really don't want to set myself up as judge (I'm not qualified -- many of these writers are far more talented than I am). I was chatting with an old friend today who fancies himself as a bit of a god of writing. Very negative about everyone's work but produces nothing of his own....It was hard to bite my tongue.

As a matter of interest, how do you all feel about me commenting on the standard of editing (things like typos, word repetition, grammar)? I'd intended to keep it to a minimum - maybe just a paragraph if it's an issue.

So far the standards have been pretty high but I have encountered a few indies with way too many errors -- they become distracting (and some of these are otherwise really good stories).


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

If there are errors, mention it. I do believe you didn't hold back on your review of Weight when it came to that...


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## MosesSiregarIII (Jul 15, 2010)

Definitely take your time, Derek. I'm very happy just to be considered.


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## Chris J. Randolph (Jul 1, 2010)

derekprior said:


> As a matter of interest, how do you all feel about me commenting on the standard of editing (things like typos, word repetition, grammar)? I'd intended to keep it to a minimum - maybe just a paragraph if it's an issue.
> 
> So far the standards have been pretty high but I have encountered a few indies with way too many errors -- they become distracting (and some of these are otherwise really good stories).


I think it's a completely fair subject to comment on, especially because it's a real problem in ebooks right now (and not just among indies, either). I know I'd be mighty disappointed to buy a book and find it poorly formatted and riddled with errors, and more so if it came recommended.

Then again, I have an opinion regarding reviews that's probably a little unpopular. While it's a great kindness that so many indie reviewers will ask for an author's blessing before posting negative reviews (or sometimes don't post negative reviews at all), I'd personally prefer if they posted all of their opinions, positive and negative alike. Traditional print critics certainly never felt the need to hold back, and I worry that readers will start to distrust reviewers who only post the positives.


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## MosesSiregarIII (Jul 15, 2010)

Chris J. Randolph said:


> I think it's a completely fair subject to comment on, especially because it's a real problem in ebooks right now (and not just among indies, either). I know I'd be mighty disappointed to buy a book and find it poorly formatted and riddled with errors, and more so if it came recommended.
> 
> Then again, I have an opinion regarding reviews that's probably a little unpopular. While it's a great kindness that so many indie reviewers will ask for an author's blessing before posting negative reviews (or sometimes don't post negative reviews at all), I'd personally prefer if they posted all of their opinions, positive and negative alike. Traditional print critics certainly never felt the need to hold back, and I worry that readers will start to distrust reviewers who only post the positives.


Great points, Chris. I really agree on your first paragraph above. I think one of the top considerations for any indie book should be things like typos, grammar, and quality of editing. Collectively indies have a reputation for not doing those things well, and readers want to know ahead of time if they are going to be distracted by these sorts of issues.

On the second part, I'm more torn. I really like seeing honest reviews, but if I had a review blog I don't think I'd want to pan many books that I'd consider 1- or 2-star books. I think what I'd do instead is make the ratings really mean something. If most books a person reviews are 4.5 stars or higher, then there are two possibilities. One, the reviewer is mainly reviewing books that he feels are truly excellent (and that's fine); or, two, the reviewer isn't doing enough to differentiate most books from each other because he doesn't want to hurt any feelings. If there's more of a spectrum of reviews from, let's say, 2.5/5 to 5/5 stars, then I'd feel I could trust a reviewer better.

However, if a reviewer just chooses to focus on books that he really likes, and I find myself in agreement with his selections after I read the books, then those reviews would still be very helpful to me, even if most of them were high-star reviews.


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## Guest (Sep 22, 2010)

I like having a broader spectrum for reviews (I once received a 4.99999 review on account of having no map).

I'm still in two minds about the negative reviews. I'm happy to point out formatting and editing errors and I'm ok pointing out things that didn't work for me as long as I can balance them with somethng positive. If I can't find anything good to say then I'd rather pass on the review - there are enough nay-sayers out there already.

Re ratings, I tend to focus on the story, its telling, pace, characterisation and simply the overall impression it leaves me with. Errors might lower the rating by 1 or 2 but they wouldn't cause me to give an otherwise decent book a 1 or 2 star rating. I will point out in the review, however, when there are so many errors that I keep being pulled out of the story.



MosesSiregarIII said:


> Great points, Chris. I really agree on your first paragraph above. I think one of the top considerations for any indie book should be things like typos, grammar, and quality of editing. Collectively indies have a reputation for not doing those things well, and readers want to know ahead of time if they are going to be distracted by these sorts of issues.
> 
> On the second part, I'm more torn. I really like seeing honest reviews, but if I had a review blog I don't think I'd want to pan many books that I'd consider 1- or 2-star books. I think what I'd do instead is make the ratings really mean something. If most books a person reviews are 4.5 stars or higher, then there are two possibilities. One, the reviewer is mainly reviewing books that he feels are truly excellent (and that's fine); or, two, the reviewer isn't doing enough to differentiate most books from each other because he doesn't want to hurt any feelings. If there's more of a spectrum of reviews from, let's say, 2.5/5 to 5/5 stars, then I'd feel I could trust a reviewer better.
> 
> However, if a reviewer just chooses to focus on books that he really likes, and I find myself in agreement with his selections after I read the books, then those reviews would still be very helpful to me, even if most of them were high-star reviews.


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## Guest (Sep 22, 2010)

I've had a chat with Harry about the pros and cons of negative reviews. He suggested a "good cop/bad cop" approach but I don't think that would be honest. 

I'll still try to find whatever's good in a story but I will spend a bit more time on what doesn't work for me (on the understanding that some of this will be simply opinion). Errors will be noted as a caveat for the reader.

May I just say that there are a couple of books I'm looking at right now that have more than their fair share of errors. Generally I think this is down to writers being in too much of a hurry to get the work out there. In the short-term it might not hurt too much (and it won't hurt if your sales are good enough to attract the attention of someone willing to foot the editing bill at a later stage). However, if the aim is to build a reputation as an indie writer (whilst helping to repair the reputation of indies generally) it becomes much more of an issue.

Many of the stories I've seen so far are good but some are let down by the sloppy editing and lack of multiple drafts. The first draft of a novel is really the author just getting the tale down -- for themselves (unless they are truly exceptional). 

Flicking through a manuscript and catching a few typos doesn't constitute a second draft. The works I'm referring too are littered with incomplete sentences, homonym errors, word repetition (one used the same word four times in two paragraphs), clunky sentences (which clearly haven't been read aloud), confusing speech attributions, redundant words.

Authors: do you want reviewers to be picking you up on this sort of thing? It certainly won't help sales but it might encourage some writers to sharpen up a bit and produce higher quality work next time round (as long as there are enough positive points in the review to cling to).

I still feel a responsibility to writers to email them privately if there are a lot of negative criticisms. It may be that some books will end up without a review if the author feels the review would be too damaging.


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## Archer (Apr 25, 2009)

Hi, Derek:

Here's my take on the issue. We know whenever we submit our work for review that you are going to...well..._review_ it! Potential readers coming to your blog will expect honesty from you. If you receive a book that is rife with errors and do not mention it or downplay it, and they then purchase it and discover the lack of editing for themselves, you will lose credibility as a reviewer. Once the word gets out that you are writing for the authors and not for the readers, you're done. Reviews are for the benefit of readers--to help them choose books. It's FINE to only review those books you find stars-worthy ('Derek's Picks' sort of thing). But, if a book is poorly edited, you should make potential readers aware of it. In short, I think your last post is on the right track.

We knew the job was dangerous when we took it.


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## J Dean (Feb 9, 2009)

derekprior said:


> Authors: do you want reviewers to be picking you up on this sort of thing? It certainly won't help sales but it might encourage some writers to sharpen up a bit and produce higher quality work next time round (as long as there are enough positive points in the review to cling to).
> 
> I still feel a responsibility to writers to email them privately if there are a lot of negative criticisms. It may be that some books will end up without a review if the author feels the review would be too damaging.


Yes, I do. I want that honesty, even if it hurts.


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## Guest (Sep 22, 2010)

Thanks everyone. Well, my intention is to encourage but I'm okay digging deeper if it's helpful. Get your mansucripts polished!

At least you can rest assured -- I'm not out to rubbish anyone's work so you'll get a fair review even if we don't always see eye to eye.


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Even if it hurts, I expect a truly honest review from you Derek. I'd be disappointed otherwise.


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## Valmore Daniels (Jul 12, 2010)

Review for the next potential reader.  With that in mind, you can't go wrong.

I think I saw it on these threads at one time:  a review is for the reader, a critique is for the writer.


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## Guest (Sep 22, 2010)

Half-Orc said:


> Even if it hurts, I expect a truly honest review from you Derek. I'd be disappointed otherwise.


I know David, but hurt is the last thing I want. All my reviews have bene honest to date but I do tend to leave a lot of things unsaid. If it's what people want I'm prepared to say more but I'll still do my best to leave some hope! And in your case, you've got so much natural talent and heaps of potential to go all the way. The last thing you want is some ignorant critic denting your confidence. Nevertheless, I will be a bit tougher, but always with a big grin.


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Yeah, but I also have an enormous ego. That helps with the rebounding process  .

Besides, it is one thing to say: this story sucked and was boring.

It is another to say: this story had great potential, but the idiot needs to do more re-writing.

One implies 'try harder.' The other implies 'give up.'

David Dalglish


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## Guest (Sep 24, 2010)

Harry White Dewulf's review of Tracey Alley's "Erich's Plea" is up on Indie Fantasy Review:

http://indiefantasyreview.blogspot.com/


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## Guest (Sep 25, 2010)

My review of "The Death of Promises" by David Dalglish is now live on Indie Fantasy Review:

http://indiefantasyreview.blogspot.com/


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## Guest (Sep 25, 2010)

A quick note: we will only be posting reviews on the site and on Amazon as the B&N site restricts review size and it's too much hassle editing reviews to fit their format.


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## Guest (Sep 25, 2010)

Oh, and following the discussions both here and with Harry I've decided to drop the policy about contacting authors if the review is less than a 3. Our intentions are always to encourage so you certainly won't see anything malicious, but it may be necessary from time to time to give bad reviews.

I'm moving on to a couple of other books now and Harry is looking at "Cameo the Assassin". We could still use another reviewer. If anyone is interested please contact me.


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## Guest (Sep 25, 2010)

I like the depth of your reviews.  And the honesty.


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## Guest (Sep 29, 2010)

The Kindle's on order!

Seems it's the only way to work through the backlog. Hopefully this should speed reviews up.

Naturally, you'll be able to send Kindle versions of novels from now on.


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## Archer (Apr 25, 2009)

Yay, Derek! Congratulations!! You're going to LOVE it.


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## Guest (Oct 2, 2010)

New review up:

"Cameo the Assassin" by Dawn McCullough White

http://indiefantasyreview.blogspot.com/


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## Chris J. Randolph (Jul 1, 2010)

Excellent.  Been looking forward to your next review.


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## kcmay (Jul 14, 2010)

So glad you're accepting Kindle books! My book is now available in print, so I came to this thread looking for info on how to get it to you... but yay for Kindle versions! I'll email you shortly.

I'm glad you're being [brutally] honest. It's the only way for readers to get a true sense of a book (even if it is only 1 opinion). It's kind of scary submitting to reviewers who are so honest, but it's exciting too. I mean, what if you DO like my book? There's only one way to find out!


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## Guest (Oct 2, 2010)

kcmay said:


> So glad you're accepting Kindle books! My book is now available in print, so I came to this thread looking for info on how to get it to you... but yay for Kindle versions! I'll email you shortly.
> 
> I'm glad you're being [brutally] honest. It's the only way for readers to get a true sense of a book (even if it is only 1 opinion). It's kind of scary submitting to reviewers who are so honest, but it's exciting too. I mean, what if you DO like my book? There's only one way to find out!


It's actually scary being honest. Our intention is to nurture and support but obviously we need to point out problems otherwise no one will take the reviews seriously (and that ends up damaging the really good reviews we give).

You're right about it being one opinion too. It's quite possible to thoroughly enjoy a book (and even give it a 5 star rating) despite it having a whole host of structural and grammatical problems.

Harry and I both write as well as edit so we know how much work goes into these books and neither of us considers ourselves in any way superior just because we are writing about other people's work.

Thanks again to everyone who's sent their work in for review. We have a mountainous backlog but will get to you all at some point.


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## MosesSiregarIII (Jul 15, 2010)

I just read the recent reviews. I'm really glad to read thoughtful reviews like these. I wish we had more reviewers like you guys.

A small point, Derek. You might be able to make it clearer who reviewed Dawn's book. I saw the Harry Dewulf tag, so I knew it was one of his, but most people coming to your blog would likely assume it's one of yours since he's not mentioned in the sidebar. It's useful to know who wrote which review for comparison's sake.


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## HL Arledge (Sep 5, 2010)

derekprior said:


> I've set up a new review site specifically for independent fantasy. Guidelines for submissions can be found on the "Welcome" page.
> Review follow the Amazon format and will be published on Amazon & B&N as well as the Indie Fantasy Review site.
> http://indiefantasyreview.blogspot.com/


What a great site. I don't read much fantasy, but I was impressed enough by some of the reviews to start.
We need sites like this for every genre-especially indie focused.

Thanks for stepping up!


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## Guest (Oct 3, 2010)

Thanks guys for the feedback. 

Moses - I usually mention the reviewer but forgot to this time. It is nice to know who writes the reviews. I shall administer myself with a mighty slap!


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## Harry Dewulf (Oct 4, 2010)

Reviewing independent, SP or VP work is a very different process from reviewing MSP. Bear in mind that mainstream stuff is considered by publishers and agents to be inherently saleable. This means that Dan Brown (among many others) gets published, an author who I'd be hard pressed to give 2 stars to, and that only because his English is above average (not for a published author, but for an English speaking person).

I generally expect a higher standard from indies. This is because I expect the author to take exceptional care over all aspects of his writing, on the grounds that if he produces something genuinely good, this maximizes his chances of being noticed, generating a bit of a buzz, and being picked up by a mainstream publisher or agent.

From what I have read so far of independently published e-books (less than 100 books and short stories over the last 10 years or so), I suspect that most the the authors are just in a hurry to get to the end of the book, and put precious little time or effort into the technical aspects of storytelling. You can become a good writer this way, but your output has to be huge, and your feedback both broad and honest, and you have to do a helluva lot of reading.

These days, most professional novelists use professional literary editors, no matter how good they may think they are. Indy authors, who can't usually afford the exorbitant fees, have to take longer over any work that they choose to publish - and in all honesty shouldn't publish any of their first 5 - 10 completed novels UNLESS it is in order to get critical feedback. Believe me, when you get to the end of your twentieth novel, your first five will start to look pretty lame.

For the three reviews I've done so far for Derek, I've therefore asked the authors how many books (published or not) they've completed before and since the book in question, as this helps me to gauge whether the author is likely to develop into a decent writer if I find the book in front of me isn't there yet.

I find that I need more than just a rating system to review this stuff. A rating system is fine as a comparative measure for me, where 1 would be "barely readable tosh" and 5 would be "comparable to the masters of the genre". However, I find I can recommend reading something I'd give only 3 stars, such as in the case of Cameo the Assassin, because weak plotting and minor annoyances prevent it from getting 4 stars even though it's an enjoyable read. But I could just as easily give three stars to something that I would not recommend reading, because I think the author shows promise, but hasn't lived up to his potential, largely because of the aforementioned desire to get the book "finished and out there".

To sum up, I'm leaning towards a 3 criteria system:

A. Rating 1 to 5 on the overall quality of the text, compared with anything that I think is readable, judged by various skills, including but not limited to:

plot structure
plot design
character establishment
character development
language skills: lexicon, diction
language skills: mastery (controlling the meaning, POV skills, etc)
language skills: imagery
literary skills: thematics
literary skills: symbolism
narrative skills: devices (irony, foreshadowing, etc) 
narrative skills: immersion (use of POV, internal consistency)

(All this may look very empiricist, and I suppose it is, since these criteria can be used to judge how annoying an author is when he does any of these things badly. The more annoying he is, the fewer people will like his work. The inverse, however, need not be true.)

B. A recommendation to read, either: 
You must read this
Read this if you like this sort of thing
Life's too short
So bad you should read it as a lesson in what not to do.

C. Could it have been better? 
I've read plenty of stuff where the author is a good narrator, but his story and/or plot and/or characters are no good. I've read plenty of stuff with a strong or solid story but the author lacks narrative skills (this is much more common). In some cases I think the author could have done better, in others I think the author might do better in the future (very much the case with my upcoming review of The Right Path, a short story by Debra Martin and David Small). I also encounter stuff that I think just isn't worth reworking, even though I think the author deserves encouragement, and finally stuff which is so abject that I'd rather the author look for a new hobby (though this is pretty rare).


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## kcmay (Jul 14, 2010)

Excellent post hdewulf! And welcome to the KB.


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## Guest (Oct 5, 2010)

The Kindle arrived today. Darn these things are good. Just emailed myself a Word copy of my latest book and had the Kindle read it to me. 

I've also made rapid progress with a couple of books I'm reviewing. Should speed things up.


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## kcmay (Jul 14, 2010)

Isn't it wonderful?! I adore my Kindle. My precious, lovely Kindle! /swoon


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## Guest (Oct 6, 2010)

My review of "An Old Fashioned Fol Tale" by Valmore Daniels is now live:

http://indiefantasyreview.blogspot.com/


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## Guest (Oct 13, 2010)

My review of "The Black God's War" by Moses Siregar III is now up:

http://indiefantasyreview.blogspot.com/


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## kcmay (Jul 14, 2010)

Hey, Derek, are you on Twitter? If so, I'd retweet your review announcements.


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## Guest (Oct 13, 2010)

kcmay said:


> Hey, Derek, are you on Twitter? If so, I'd retweet your review announcements.


Thanks KC - yes I am on Twitter:

http://twitter.com/derekpprior


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## Guest (Oct 15, 2010)

My review of M.R. Mathias's "The First Dragoneer" is now live.

http://indiefantasyreview.blogspot.com/


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## traceya (Apr 26, 2010)

Great review Derek, I really loved The First Dragoneer when I read it too.


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## Guest (Oct 18, 2010)

Harry's review of "The Right Path" by Debra L. Martin and David W. Small is now up:

http://indiefantasyreview.blogspot.com/


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## Guest (Oct 19, 2010)

Harry's review of "The Royal Dragoneers" by M.R. Mathias is now up:

http://indiefantasyreview.blogspot.com/


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## MosesSiregarIII (Jul 15, 2010)

derekprior said:


> My review of "The Black God's War" by Moses Siregar III is now up:
> 
> http://indiefantasyreview.blogspot.com/


Hi Derek, I thanked you on Facebook, but I didn't get to do so over here. Thanks for the truly outstanding review. As I mentioned on FB, it's by far the toughest one the novella has received, but because of that it's also been very helpful and inspiring. I'd really been looking forward to your review and Red Adept's, and I just got the Red Adept review today.

Now that those are out of the way, I can say that I've been reviewed by some of the best around.


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## Guest (Oct 19, 2010)

Thanks Moses, that's very kind.

Thanks also to everyone who's submitted work for review so far. None of you have been forgotten and we are working as fast as we possibly can.

I'm taking a week off reading for reviews as I'm doing editing work all week for a Sunday deadline.


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## Chris J. Randolph (Jul 1, 2010)

Congratulations, Moses.  That's quite an accomplishment.


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## Guest (Oct 27, 2010)

My review of "Elfhunter" by C.S. Marks is now up on Indie Fantasy Review:

http://indiefantasyreview.blogspot.com/


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## Guest (Oct 28, 2010)

My review of "Guardian of the Mountain" by David Dalglish is on Indie Fantasy Review.

http://indiefantasyreview.blogspot.com/


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## Guest (Nov 19, 2010)

Apologies to all still waiting for reviews. I've been snowed under with editing commissions the past few weeks and hardly have a spare minute for reading anything but the books I'm working on. I had already started two books for review but will probably have to start them again once the editing is finished. In any case, we will get around to all the books submitted at some point.

I'm still looking for short stories, artwork and articles to put on the site. If you are interested please IM me.


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## Guest (Nov 27, 2010)

Hello everyone.

A quick noctice to say we're temporarily closed to new submissions so that we can start working through the backlog.

Thanks to everyone who's submitted so far.

You may recall we had some discussions earlier about negative reviews and offering authors feedback in private. After a recent experience where I emailed a writer to express some of the difficulties I was having with their novel, hoping to avoid needing to put these sorts of things in a review, I've decided not to offer any more unsolicited comments off the record. 

If I can't in good conscience give a book a three star review or above, from now on, I'll simply not post a review. If the author contacts me to ask why there's no review I will gladly feedback; if not I'll keep quiet. If the author would still like a review, even though it's likely to be a negative one, then I'll go ahead.

There are three books I've been looking through this week that may fall into the above category. In terms of story and ideas they seem pretty good. The problem is in the execution -- in the editing, or lack of. If I am picking up 3-5 (sometimes more) errors per page it's too distracting and pointless me carrying on. Even the most meticulously edited books will still have a handful of errors (I even found one in Stephen Donaldson's latest this week, and I'm only on chapter two).

I know there's a school of thought that says authors should expect to be called up on errors if they submit for reviews, but I no longer see the benefits to either the author or the reviewer (the reader, yes).

It's unfortunate that some writers simply don't want to hear any criticisms, no matter how well intended and constructive. The majority of writers who've submitted to IFR don't fall into that category and have been not only gracious but also tireless in improving their craft. These writers make the whole thing worhtwhile and I've personally learned a lot from them.

I think Harry's earlier post sums up our position very succinctly. If you are simply after a pat on the back and a five star rating this might not be the review site for you. However, when you do get a 4 or 5 star rating from us that's because (in our opinion) it's fully deserved.

If anyone has any concerns about a book they've submitted please feel free to email or IM me. If you ask for feedback I'll gladly give it. I'm not in a position to offer full critiques due to editing commitments but I can certainly glance at a few pages and offer initial feedback, or if I've read the book by that stage I can go into a bit more detail.

The caveat to all this is that I can only offer my opinion. Obviously there are matters of convention and grammar that we all ignore at our peril, but many aspects are stylistic preferences, personal taste and whether or not we can identify with characters and situations. Most of us have an ideal reader out there, but no one can appeal to everyone.


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## MosesSiregarIII (Jul 15, 2010)

Good for you, Derek. That seems like a very fair policy. I think that's pretty close to what I'd do if I was in your shoes. The only thing I might do differently is to contact authors whose books you've decided not to review so that they aren't waiting indefinitely to find out if you're going to review them. Of course, you don't have to do that, but it might be a nice courtesy. There have been authors I've met here that I had to contact to say that I couldn't give their book 4 or 5 stars and so I wasn't going to review those works, and I've found people to be gracious (so far) when I've said that. I typically mention in brief the reasons for that as well. Just another thought for you to chew on. I don't write reviews from a blog, though, so only take that for what it's worth.


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## Guest (Nov 27, 2010)

Thanks Moses.

It was my intention to email authors to say I wasn't going to review their book due to not being able to rate it highly enough, but after my recent experience I think I'd still meet with the occasional tirade. Some people don't see withholding a negative review as helpful or in their interests; they see it as a negative judgment by the reviewer and respond in a hostile manner. The implication is that the reviewer is putting them down to make himself look good (although quite how it benefits me is something of a mystery!)

It's a minefield out there and I recall some good advice (I think Noah made the point) about not giving bad reviews out of fear of retaliation. I'm not too worried about retaliation as I think the quality (or lack of) of a book speaks for itself, but I'm far too sensitive to want to deal with hostility from authors with a God-complex.

So, even if I write to an author privately and apologise for not reviewing their book as I couldn't give it a 4 or 5 star rating, I'm still going to make enemies!

I guess it means: send your stuff for review but it doesn't necessarily mean we'll review it. This is a shame but perhaps it's the lesser of two evils.

In the past I've had a few writers ask me why I didn't let them know about typos etc before posting my review. In some cases, I'd be making notes on my Kindle so much I'd never get into the story, but mostly my reason (following the recent episode) is that some people don't appreciate being told (odd as it may seem). A recent response I got (for pointing out multiple typos and punctuation problems) was basically, "I already know about most of that and I don't really care about the other issues.") It does prompt the question: then why haven't you pulled the book and corrected the mistakes? I can only comment on what I have before me, not some imaginary future text that's now perfect.

I still have a stack of books to review, many of which look pretty good. I hope the offer of feedback when requested is helpful to writers, but it will only be given on request.

My hope is that IFR will be a "safe" site for submitting reviews to. Nobody's out to discredit your work. At the same time, it needs to remain honest otherwise the reviews will lack credibility. I'm always hoping to find little gems out there in the indie world. I've found a few and I've seen the glint of a lot of gold that still needs mining.

Referring back to Harry's post, it takes a lot of practice to refine the technical side of writing. Iain Banks apparently wrote 7 novels before he was published. I've written 2 novels and 2 novellas and still have a long way to go to impress myself! We can either write in isolation and wait until the great work emerges, or we can do as Harry suggests and get the work out there, learning from each bit of feedback, until eventually it all clicks. The second route has the benefits of profitability but you have to have a thick skin as not everyone's going to support a writer in the process of developing.

Personally, I favour this second route: write, edit, re-write and publish; get feedback and start the process all over again. If I were to wait for the great work to surface I'd probably never produce anything.



MosesSiregarIII said:


> Good for you, Derek. That seems like a very fair policy. I think that's pretty close to what I'd do if I was in your shoes. The only thing I might do differently is to contact authors whose books you've decided not to review so that they aren't waiting indefinitely to find out if you're going to review them. Of course, you don't have to do that, but it might be a nice courtesy. There have been authors I've met here that I had to contact to say that I couldn't give their book 4 or 5 stars and so I wasn't going to review those works, and I've found people to be gracious (so far) when I've said that. I typically mention in brief the reasons for that as well. Just another thought for you to chew on. I don't write reviews from a blog, though, so only take that for what it's worth.


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## M.S. Verish (Feb 26, 2010)

Wow. Seems like many reviewers are struggling with some less-than-understanding indie authors. Hang in there, Derek. The KB supports you entirely. You're a genuine person, and authors are fortunate to have someone who takes the time to offer legitimate reviews. Cheers to you!


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

I'm sorry man. That kinda sucks


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## Guest (Nov 27, 2010)

Thanks Matt, Stef and David. I guess this was bound to happen sooner or later. Fortunately most of the writers I've dealt with have been extremely courteous.


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## xandy3 (Jun 13, 2010)

derekprior said:


> Thanks Moses.
> 
> It was my intention to email authors to say I wasn't going to review their book due to not being able to rate it highly enough, but after my recent experience I think I'd still meet with the occasional tirade. Some people don't see withholding a negative review as helpful or in their interests; they see it as a negative judgment by the reviewer and respond in a hostile manner. The implication is that the reviewer is putting them down to make himself look good (although quite how it benefits me is something of a mystery!)


Personally, I would appreciate (from you or any other reviewer) being given that option. If, per say, someone only felt one of my books deserved a 2 - 3 star review and emailed me about it...giving me the option to either a) let them post it anyways, or b) tell them nevermind, and that I appreciated their time.

With authors and reviews, there's a real catch 22. Some people subscribe to the theory that "a bad review is better than no review." Others feel that negative reviews can hurt sales.

As to what you said, it baffles me that someone would feel that you're out to hurt them and advance yourself if you _don't want to_ post a negative review. Seems to me that if an author/reviewer only wanted to hurt another author's success they'd post a scathing "OMG WORSE BOOK EVER!" review.

I could see how some might feel that there's a sense of snobbery, that maybe some reviewers only review books by certain authors. But, I really do not see that coming from you. 
I see that you just don't want to hurt other authors' sales. And, I for one can respect that.

I do feel though that some of us authors need to keep our egos in check. 
Some will perceive anything as an insult, no matter what you tell them or how nicely you word it.


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

If you end up posting only 4-5 star reviews, the thing is you aren't really a book 'reviewer' anymore. You're a book 'promoter.' You're discovering, reading, and then recommending to others books that you've enjoyed. And we do need that. But it's a shame that the other (desperately needed) aspect of this, of informing the reading populace that maybe a book just isn't as good as the ten 5-star shill accounts claim, has to go by the wayside. There's a reason some react snidely, defensively, and angrily: they have to protect their child to make sure only the 5-stars remain, as if the Amazon populace will see and go "zomg where did this genius hide all my life?"

Sorry, feeling snarky today.

David Dalglish

Proud owner of a Derek Prior 3-star review.


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## Guest (Nov 27, 2010)

Half-Orc said:


> If you end up posting only 4-5 star reviews, the thing is you aren't really a book 'reviewer' anymore. You're a book 'promoter.' You're discovering, reading, and then recommending to others books that you've enjoyed. And we do need that. But it's a shame that the other (desperately needed) aspect of this, of informing the reading populace that maybe a book just isn't as good as the ten 5-star shill accounts claim, has to go by the wayside. There's a reason some react snidely, defensively, and angrily: they have to protect their child to make sure only the 5-stars remain, as if the Amazon populace will see and go "zomg where did this genius hide all my life?"
> 
> Sorry, feeling snarky today.
> 
> ...


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## MosesSiregarIII (Jul 15, 2010)

Half-Orc said:


> If you end up posting only 4-5 star reviews, the thing is you aren't really a book 'reviewer' anymore. You're a book 'promoter.' You're discovering, reading, and then recommending to others books that you've enjoyed. And we do need that. But it's a shame that the other (desperately needed) aspect of this, of informing the reading populace that maybe a book just isn't as good as the ten 5-star shill accounts claim, has to go by the wayside. There's a reason some react snidely, defensively, and angrily: they have to protect their child to make sure only the 5-stars remain, as if the Amazon populace will see and go "zomg where did this genius hide all my life?"
> 
> Sorry, feeling snarky today.
> 
> ...


Also a proud member of the club. He said he would post 3-4-5 star reviews, which I think is legit for a book reviewer to do if that's his stated policy. It means that the books he reviews are books that he can also recommend, which is the main service I think that a book reviewer provides: to help readers find good books. You're right that he's not fulfilling the other function you talked about, though.

I think that he is in a difficult spot because he is also a _writer_ of indie fantasy literature. And frankly there is a potential conflict of interests when you are a book reviewer in the same genre in which you write. Your reviews can turn people away from other authors, while making you sound authoritative and smart. It's just the nature of the beast. If you write thorough reviews that label other indie books in your genre as 1- or 2-star books (and even mediocre 3-star reviews could be an issue), and then link to your own books on the same blog (as Derek does) and advertise your own editing services, then I can understand why some authors would wonder (whether it's true or not) if, as Derek said, "the reviewer is putting them down to make himself look good."

I know many people here will disagree with me on the next point, but this is one reason I don't write anything lower than a 4-star review of any book in my same genre (or any other genre, in my case). Not only do you risk making enemies if you do that as a writer, but _for my taste_ it may be a questionable line to cross from an ethical pov. If I was a book reviewer and not also a writer, then I would probably write a spectrum of reviews from 1- to 5-star. But being a writer myself, I'm much more careful about writing reviews.

To be clear, I have nothing against what Derek is doing. In fact, I just hired him to help me edit my novel because I think he's exactly the right kind of person to tear my book apart since in his review he found fault with things that no one else ever has. I just think he's working in some dangerous waters as a writer/reviewer in the same genre and so I think he's right to try to protect himself a bit with this new policy.


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## Guest (Nov 27, 2010)

Thanks Moses. Actually this just confirms my feeling that I need to retreat even further. 

Just to clarify...with the writer in question, I made it absolutely clear in my email to him that I could not and would not offer editing serivces as that would constitute a conflict of interest.

The points raised are things I've been wrestling with (and discussing both here and with Harry) since the inception of IFR. I think it's dangerous territory indeed. I shall have to be much more careful about which books I choose to review. I may even start incorporating non indie books as well.

Actually, David's and Moses' books are good case studies. I base the ratings on the Amazon system, which is basically about enjoyability. It's not an objective, technical measure. It's all about whether or not the book grabs me personally. I endeavour to work out why it did or didn't, which is why my reviews tend to be quite lengthy, but again, this is mostly opinion.

With Moses' book, most of the other reviewers have clearly felt differently to me, and that's as it should be. If it was purely about the technical/objective elements my rating would probably have been higher.

With David's, it's hard to find somewhere to go when I've given his previous two books 5 stars. This one didn't grab me as much as the other two but it was still very good. Other reviewers have indicated this was their favourite - and indeed, I emailed David when I was about a third of the way into the book to let him know I thought it was his best yet. I just didn't takek to the latter part as much as I'd done with his others. Again, all a matter of taste and opinion.

I guess that's why I'm finding a ratings system rather limiting.


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## Guest (Nov 27, 2010)

I'd just like to mention that I've just received a very gracious email from the author concerned clarifying that much of what's transpired has been down to poor communication (email is notorious for that). He confirmed that he did appreciate feedback and hadn't intended his message to be at all hostile.

That was certainly a very welcome message and I'm grateful for it.

However, I think this whole situation has raised some serious issues about reviewing other writers. Moses, in particular, has raised some valid points, and no matter what my personal motivations I don't think it would be prudent to continue with such in depth reviews (some of which are virtually critiques). As a courtesy to those who've already submitted I'll endeavour to work through the reviews but will only post those that are unequivocally positive. If anyone would like feedback off the record then I'm happy to oblige, on the understanding that it's just my opinion.

Harry's reviews will, I'm sure, continue to be just as tough as ever.


I'll probably focus more on non indie books as well as interviews and less contentious things.


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Derek is a -very- good editor, and I highly recommend him to anyone.

As for your troubles with a star rating system, Roger Ebert wrote a wonderful column discussing his troubles in rating movies he's written on a similar star scale. I think you'd enjoy the read.

http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2008/09/you_give_out_too_many_stars.html

David Dalglish


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## Guest (Nov 27, 2010)

Half-Orc said:


> Derek is a -very- good editor, and I highly recommend him to anyone.
> 
> As for your troubles with a star rating system, Roger Ebert wrote a wonderful column discussing his troubles in rating movies he's written on a similar star scale. I think you'd enjoy the read.
> 
> ...


Thanks, David. That's a good article. His point about enjoying cinema and not approaching films in an adversarial manner resonates with me.


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## MosesSiregarIII (Jul 15, 2010)

derekprior said:


> As a courtesy to those who've already submitted I'll endeavour to work through the reviews but will only post those that are unequivocally positive. If anyone would like feedback off the record then I'm happy to oblige, on the understanding that it's just my opinion.
> 
> Harry's reviews will, I'm sure, continue to be just as tough as ever.
> 
> I'll probably focus more on non indie books as well as interviews and less contentious things.


I think this is a smart move. Your reviews are fantastic, but I do think you're better off being cautious about posting the lower-rated ones. As we've all heard, many indie authors are not gracious in their responses to "bad" reviews, and you're risking retaliation of one kind or another as a writer/reviewer. It's great that you have Harry who can write the tougher reviews because that allows you to avoid the risks and questioning.

Focusing on traditionally published books still allows you to provide a great service to readers. I'm extra cautious even about that sort of thing, though. Something else to consider is whether you want to write low-rated reviews in that category, too.

Speaking just for myself, I think publishing becomes a small world once you're in it for a little while, especially within any given genre. So while I might be able to write a thoughtful 2- or 3-star review of a popular title, I don't even like to do that, because I might need to connect with that author in the future, or with his editor or agent or other friends of the author. The risk is probably lower in these cases with traditionally-published books, but I'd hate to miss out on a good opportunity because I reviewed Popular Author X's book and he's still holding a grudge about something I said. There are a lot of psychos out there, and some of them have armies of sock puppets that do their bidding  (and I think some traditionally-published authors do, too).

Positive 4-star and 5-star reviews, interviews, articles, promoting contests for other writers, etc. are all safe things for you to write IMO as a writer/reviewer/blogger. Those are all win/win situations. Below that I think there is still some risk to you, though.

Sorry if I'm exceeding my .02 allowance for the day. I think I'm well over it now.


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## robertduperre (Jun 13, 2010)

I have a minor point I'd like to make on this issue.

The key, I think, is to be gracious - even with bad reviews.  Avoid making fun of the work or insulting the author.  It's pretty easy to do.  I know abrasive "sells" in the review marketplace, but other than causing waves (and headaches for the reviewer), I don't think it accomplishes much.

(Granted, some writers will still take offense, but that's the risk you run.)

Not saying you do this, Derek - you don't - just an observation on the review game in general.


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## Walterrhein (Nov 19, 2010)

When I do reviews, I always try to figure out who the target audience might be even if it's not me.  I think most reviewers forget the fact that what they think might not be a universal opinion.  For example, had I been the head of a publishing house, I guarantee I would have passed on the first Harry Potter book...and I would have been dead wrong.  There's always something positive you can say in a way that will alert readers who are interested to pick up a book, and readers who are leery to stay away.


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## Guest (Dec 2, 2010)

New post on IFR featuring some of the submissions I've had a chance to take a look at. I thought it might be helpful to share my initial impressions as these books all have good qualities.

http://indiefantasyreview.blogspot.com/


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## Guest (Dec 10, 2010)

I'm pleased to announce that a new reviewer has joined IFR - Pippa Boreham, a talented and rather well-educated lady from Blitey. She's just started reading her first book for review on the site, so hopefully we'll start getting through this backlog a bit faster now.

Harry's been waylaid by other work but should be back with us soon.

As mentioned above, I'll be focusing more on interviews and articles for the time being.

Once the reviews start flowing again we'll try to re-open for submissions as soon as we can.


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## Archer (Apr 25, 2009)

Welcome, Pippa! The world needs talented and well-educated reviewers. 
Hope the weather in Blitey is better than it is here.


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## Guest (Jan 14, 2011)

Pippa's review of Michael Sullivan's "The Crown Conspiracy" is up on IFR.

I've also included my review of a non-indie book, "Against All Things Ending" by Stephen Donaldson. I'm leaning in the direction of this being a Fantasy Review blog, with the emphasis on idies. That way we get to see some comparisons.

Also, Donaldson's latest offering has been highly controversial. I offer my own perspective on that and hint that, in spite of the flaws, it may offer a way out of the current quagmire of homogenised dross that's being published. Then again...


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## Guest (Jan 29, 2011)

Pippa's review of "Luminous and Ominous" by Noah Mullette-Gillman is now up:

http://INDIEFANTASYREVIEW.blogspot.com/


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## Guest (Feb 22, 2011)

Just in case you're wondering where the new reviews are:

I'm currently enjoying Matt and Stef's "Raven's Heart", but the review is bound to be delayed as the first of four scheduled editing jobs is due very soon.

Harry is busy editing my new fantasy novel (book one of the Shader series) and will probably be working on that for another 4-6 weeks.

Pippa is working her way through The Butcher's Boy by Michael Robb.

We're still closed to new submissions at the moment.

TTFN


Derek


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## Guest (Mar 10, 2011)

Pippa's review of "The Butcher's Boy" by Michael Robb is now live:

http://indiefantasyreview.blogspot.com/


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Derek--

After re-reading your thread, this thread is definitely something that is more suitable for the Book Bazaar, so I'm moving it there.

Thanks for understanding. However, now you get the highly coveted Welcome Letter!

Welcome to the Book Bazaar and congratulations on your blog! We ask that blog authors follow the same rules as book authors, including our rules for bumping.

Please keep in mind that KindleBoards is a Reader and Kindle Fan forum. As such, self-promotion, of any sort, is ONLY allowed in the Book Bazaar.

A brief recap of our rules follows:

*--Please bookmark this thread (using your browser's bookmark/favorite function) so you can update it as we ask that authors have only one thread per book and add to it when there is more information.* You may start a separate thread for each book (or you may have one thread per series of books, or one thread for all of your books, it's your choice).

--We invite you to use your book cover as your avatar and have links to your book and website in your signature. Instructions are posted here

--While you may respond to member posts to your thread at any time, you may only bump your thread (back-to-back posts by you) once every seven days. Once you've responded to a member, that resets the clock to zero and you must wait seven days to post, unless another member posts before then. You may modify the latest post to reflect new information.

--We ask that Amazon reviews not be repeated here as they are easy to find at your book link. Also, full reviews from other sites should not be posted here, but you may post a short blurb and a link to the full review instead.

--Although self-promotion is limited to the Book Bazaar, our most successful authors have found the best way to promote their books is to be as active throughout KindleBoards as time allows. This is your target audience--book lovers with Kindles! Please note that putting link information in the body of your posts constitutes self promotion; please leave your links for your profile signature that will automatically appear on each post. For information on more ways to promote here on KindleBoards, be sure to check out this thread:
Authors: KindleBoards Tips & FAQ.

All this, and more, is included in our Forum Decorum: http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,36.0.html. Be sure to check it from time to time for the current guidelines and rules.

Oh, and one more thing: be sure to check out the index threads at the top of the Book Bazaar. . . .there are details there about how you can be listed so that our readers can find you.

Thanks for being part of KindleBoards! Feel free to send us a PM if you have any questions.

Betsy & Ann
Book Bazaar Moderators


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## Colin Taber (Apr 4, 2011)

Sounds like great and thorough blog, Derek. I'll check it out.


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## Guest (Jul 24, 2011)

Harry's review of *Expert Assistance* is now live:

http://indiefantasyreview.blogspot.com/


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## Guest (Aug 3, 2011)

My review of *The Black God's War* by Moses Siregar III is now live:
http://indiefantasyreview.blogspot.com/


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## MosesSiregarIII (Jul 15, 2010)

derekprior said:


> My review of *The Black God's War* by Moses Siregar III is now live:
> http://indiefantasyreview.blogspot.com/


Wow. Thank you. Part of that review migrated to my sig line.


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## Guest (Aug 13, 2011)

My review of _*Tau 4*_ by V.J. Waks is now live:

http://indiefantasyreview.blogspot.com/


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## MosesSiregarIII (Jul 15, 2010)

derekprior said:


> My review of _*Tau 4*_ by V.J. Waks is now live:
> 
> http://indiefantasyreview.blogspot.com/


Derek, check your formatting on that review. The text appears smaller in the second half of it. Also, do a search for "eliding."


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## Guest (Aug 13, 2011)

MosesSiregarIII said:


> Derek, check your formatting on that review. The text appears smaller in the second half of it. Also, do a search for "eliding."


Elide: 2. Join together; merge: "whole periods are elided into a few seconds of screen time"; "the two things elided in his mind"

The formatting did get corrupted somehow.


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## MosesSiregarIII (Jul 15, 2010)

derekprior said:


> Elide: 2. Join together; merge: "whole periods are elided into a few seconds of screen time"; "the two things elided in his mind"
> 
> The formatting did get corrupted somehow.


Heh. Nifty.


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## Guest (Aug 13, 2011)

Etymologically it comes from the Latin to nullify or omit (hence the use in grammar). I simply meant that POV blurred, one ran into the next in a way that (I suppose) nullified the identification with a particular character during a scene.

Maybe I'll just say that next time! Too much work, not enough time ...


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## Guest (Aug 14, 2011)

My review of Noah K. Mullette-Gillman's The Brontosaurus Pluto Society: Magic Makes you Strange is now live.

http://indiefantasyreview.blogspot.com/


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## Guest (Sep 3, 2011)

My review of _*The Fall*_ by Robert J. Duperre is now live:

http://indiefantasyreview.blogspot.com/


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## Guest (Sep 17, 2011)

The review of *The Forging* by M.S. Verish is now live:

http://indiefantasyreview.blogspot.com/


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## Guest (Sep 25, 2011)

My review of *Wrecker* by Dave Conifer is now live on IFR.

http://indiefantasyreview.blogspot.com/

Yes, I know it's not fantasy, but I'm expanding my consciousness, man.


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## Guest (Oct 13, 2011)

Got a backlog of zombies to review. Love the dear ol' critters.


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## LeonardDHilleyII (May 23, 2011)

derekprior said:


> Got a backlog of zombies to review. Love the dear ol' critters.


Your site says, "Closed to Submissions." Backlog, eh?


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## Guest (Oct 14, 2011)

LeonardDHilleyII said:


> Your site says, "Closed to Submissions." Backlog, eh?


Yes, the backlog might very well explain why it's closed to submissions.


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## Guest (Nov 3, 2011)

New review up: The Dead (Ford brothers)

http://indiefantasyreview.blogspot.com/


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## daveconifer (Oct 20, 2009)

Hey Derek,

I knew you reviewed a book of mine but I didn't know it appeared on your site.  Thanks!

It was a great review from a real pro, too.  I learned about ten gazillion things from everything you said.  Thanks so much!

...dave


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## Guest (Nov 10, 2011)

I'm looking for guest posts, artwork, and short stories for Indie Fantasy Review.

If you have anything to contribute, please send me a message or contact me via the site.


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## Guest (Nov 27, 2011)

There's a great excerpt from Curtis Hox's book *Bleedover* on IFR today. This one really caught my attention due to the references to R.E. Howard and H.P. Lovecraft. Check it out and let me know what you think.

http://indiefantasyreview.blogspot.com/


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