C.W. Slater's Blog: C.W. Speaks

Ah jeez... So I've been out there getting people to try my book. And I want them to write reviews. And I learned an important lesson -- give people what they expect --- or pay for the consequences.

See, I was thinking more like an ad-man than a reader. Make a blurb that was all "catchy" and "juicy" and "fun" when what I was/am selling is dark and disturbing and funny and weird. So some people who were looking for light romantic entertainment got a bit pissed off.

Sorry about that. I think the blurb is now clearer. No mistaking it. I put it right up there in big letters. This book is not for children. It's dark and violent. But also funny if you have that sense of humor. And dammit, there is a hell of a lot of bad language.

Lesson here? Be honest with what you're peddling and find the right audience for your work. The last thing I want is for the wrong people to be reading my book. No need to offend their sensibilities. It's for the rest of us who like things a little twisted! Gotta be clear on that. There's more than enough of us to make it worthwhile.
Thanks for listening.

So I was just over reading Hugh Howie's blog because, well, I just read Wool and I liked it and since I have no idea what to blog about, I wondered if I might learn something... Anyway, there's this whole controversy about authors being falsely accused of buying reviews. Gotta admit, the idea of buying reviews used to be tempting. Easy to rationalize because, hey, it's business. But today, no way. Too dangerous and easy to get a public flogging. So what do you do?

The sad truth is, you need reviews. As an indie author, or any author, no one is going to discover your book unless they see you have lots of reviews. It's social proof. Other people have bought the damn book so I won't feel like an idiot by doing the same thing. Well, also you might see some valuable info in the review that makes you think you want the book. :)

So I've made a few posts to YA Read and Review threads to see if people would be interested in reading my book in exchange for an honest review. A few nice people have responded and I've sent them off copies. We'll see how that goes.

But hey, psst... come 'ere. If you think you might like to take a look at Fine Young Gentlemen for free, you know, just for fun because you like the concept or you think the cover is cool... leave a comment or message me, and I'll send you an ebook copy in exchange for your honest review. 'K? Cool. Have a good one.

I guess I'm kinda testing the waters here a bit. Bear with me. :)

I'll think up something clever for next time

Ok, so my first blog post might as well be about my new novel - my debut novel - Fine Young Gentlemen. Yes it's raunchy Young Adult - it's about 16-year-old boys, after all. And we get into their heads a bit (although not 1st person) and these guys tend to, you know, use bad words a lot. Like real boys. They also think about sex a lot. But not to say they're normal. One's a bit disturbing. In fact, the first guy you meet in the book - Jacob - is a psycho. You might not like him. But I find him fun to listen to, even though I would never hang out with him.

I suppose there are a few things that make this novel different from many YA novels. 1) 3 lead characters with intertwined stories as opposed to a single protagonist. 2) I wrote this book to appeal to male readers although I fully expect 90% of readers will be female. That's ok. I just wanted it to appeal to boys/men more than your Gossip Girls and Pretty Little Liars. 3) I don't "tone it down" because it's YA. I respect that teens can handle sex talk and violence and rude language. When I was 12 I was reading adult literary fiction and I think teens can handle it. Feel free to disagree. I put lots of warnings around if you think you're sensitive. Cool. Thanks for listening!