It’s a matter of opinion as to what is a good or bad book. That is assuming it is professionally written, properly formatted, and not full of bad grammar and typos. Of course authors can write bad books, but how do bad books get published by big publishing houses. What excuses can there be for publishing badly written books, regardless of how good the story might be.
Great authors sometimes write bad books and get away with it because they are already established and famous. And their publisher gift-wraps the abomination in gold foil. But new authors don’t have the luxury of credits in the bank, and it only takes one bad book to kill a career in a flash.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Four Essentials to Make them Open your Book.
If it takes you longer to do these four things than it does to write your book it doesn’t matter. You must do them and do them well. Big publishers do this for their authors, and famous authors get the Five Star treatment. So, they don’t have to worry.
We must accept that famous authors sometimes write bad books. They know their books will be bought and opened even though they may not be read. Indie authors must do it all themselves. And by using the ever-growing number of awesome tools available, why not do it even better than traditional publishers. There is nothing barring money stopping us now.
If you have;
- a good Title.
- the best Cover you can afford or make.
- a carefully crafted Blurb, that will pull the reader inside, to read and
- a great First Chapter.
You are off to a great start with a chance of success. Without these four things you’ll be stuck in the blocks, just as if the Starter has shot you dead.
So, What Must a Book do?
There are certain elements every story needs.
Readers want
- to live with great characters who drive the story
- to be entertained and involved in a good story which they understand
- humour
- conflict and drama
I find Mark Travis explaining story-telling fascinating to listen to.
What Makes a Book Bad?
If you are serious about writing and want to do so professionally, then writing badly is inexcusable. By badly, in that context, I mean, spelling, punctation and grammar. You should not be publishing anything until you have reached a good level of competence. Not perfect. Excellence is a better goal, as perfection is unattainable.
Liking or hating a book is a matter of opinion. We all like and dislike different things, and no author can please everyone. Not even Dickens or Tolstoy. But there is no excuse for not learning the craft of writing, then writing and writing, so you will improve over time. And you will improve, if only through repetition.
Take the steps to improve your skills and avoid publishing anything that is not up to scratch. If it doesn’t feel good to you, the chances are it won’t feel good to anyone else.
There is no guarantee. But if you can be the best you can, you will be a player in the game.
What Happens if you Buy a Bad Book?
This is what usually happens when I buy a book written by a famous author.
I automatically expect it to be a good book. Although I know authors sometimes write bad books, I don’t imagine it will be bad. So, I begin reading and keep on reading, waiting for something to happen. But as I read, I get slower and slower. Something tells me it isn’t good. Why? Because I am not enjoying it.
Then a voice in my head says – you paid for it and the author is famous, you can’t stop, it will get better. But it doesn’t, and eventually, when I get to page 127, I slam it shut, shouting – I can’t read any more of this…
If it’s the first book I have read by that author, I may not another. So, I may miss out on some great stories, because the author or the publisher were complacent.
But I am a reluctant reader now. The author has lost a potential long-term fan. But because he’s famous he won’t notice.
What can you Learn from a Bad Book?
So, how do bad books get published, and why? When it happens that a great author writes a bad book , as it surely will if you read much, you must take something away from the experience especially if you are a writer or author, yourself. And not a famous author!
You will notice, it’s the same every time. There is a pattern. There are always indicators, like these.
- I am not grabbed at the start or if I am it fades quickly.
- What is it about. It is not apparent early on and it isn’t getting clearer.
- It rambles and things don’t make sense. I can’t figure out where it’s going.
- Why can’t I relate to the characters. I don’t care about them, and when I am halfway through, I can’t remember who they are, what their names are or how they fit in.
- I’m bored and give up about a third into the book.
Examples of some of the Worst Books by Great Authors, I have read.
I know what it takes to write a novel, so the heading is not a throwaway line. I would be the first to say the following are highly accomplished writers, and I have read and enjoyed books by two of them.
But subjective as they might be, my honest opinions of these four books are that they are not good by great author standards. I wanted to read them all, but I was disappointed when I did.
You on the other hand may disagree.
Here are my summary opinions on the four books.
Martin Amis – Lionel Asbo – State of England
This was the first Martin Amis book I had read and it obviously was not for me. I found the characters unappealing and the story boring. It iwa sad imagining the semi-literate young lout Lionel trying to make his way in the world. But I found it neither interesting nor funny… Read my Goodreads review
John Grisham – The Pelican Brief
I never thought I’d give Grisham a ONE Star and I never thought I would give up on one of his novels after reading seven I really enjoyed. I struggled through 100 pages and didn’t have the inclination to finish… Read More https://amzn.to/34uYq0h
John le Carre – The Constant Gardener
This was the first le Carre book I read. I don’t know how I fought my way to page 400 out of 570, before I gave up, but I did. I was determined to learn and test all the bullets in What can you learn from a Bad Book? above. It ticked every box, and I especially noted how true this bullet was.
- Why can’t I relate to the characters. I don’t care about them, and when I am halfway through, I can’t remember who they are, what their names are or how they fit in.
John Irving – The Cider House Rules
I had read one of Irving’s books, Widow for a Day which is very well crafted, when I picked up The Cider House Rules. As it was a successful movie, like the Pelican Brief, and I hadn’t seen it, I thought it would be a good read. But I found it tedious, hard work and morbid and I gave up after 50 pages. Yes, that bad.
Beware of the Hype especially from Traditional Publishers.
Have you ever read anything on a hardback or traditionally published paperback that didn’t stretch hyperbole to its limits? Like these quotes from John le Carre’s – The Constant Gardener – paperback.
Frightening, heartbreaking and exquisitely calibrated.
Another classic narrative. Nobody writing today manipulates suspense better.
They will always say it’s the best thing since sliced bread, because they are heavily invested and have to sell the books. But it smacks of political rhetoric, and should not be believed. Sometimes it is truth, but too often it is not.
Reviews can be Misleading
‘What is a book review, is a question I never gave much thought to until I started writing seriously. The importance of book reviews, particularly if you are a fledgling author, has since become apparent.’
James King
Reviews are important to Indie authors. They play a big part and influence sales, and we work hard to get them.
Watch out for ratings with no review.
They tell us nothing. If I read a book by an unknown author and don’t like it, I’m out within 20 pages. How can I justify giving a rating when I’ve read less than 10%. That’s just unfair.
So be careful, learn to analyse them in your own way, and make your own mind up.
Final Thoughts
Avoid writing bad books and be careful what you publish. And if you self-publish, make absolutely sure you present your masterpiece as professionally as you can.
It doesn’t matter how brilliant everything inside is. If the wrapping is an old brown paper bag held together with Sellotape, no-one will know what’s inside because they won’t bother to open the parcel.
They will never get to read your masterpiece. And that is something you cannot afford.
Every reader is precious.
Why not Join Us
If you enjoyed this article, we would like to offer you two gifts – our Starter Pack of 4 James King’s books and our Weekly Digest, which you can receive by email.
Updated April 2024