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Should you sell a book you are not confident about?

JenJen
edited October 2017 in Writing
I'm asking for a friend. She's just started working at the shop I work in and she had a book published at 14. I didn't know what advice to give as I'm not at that stage myself ( work in progress).
The book she says has grammar errors as it was no editted properly by the company who published it for her ( self published). She's been offered an opportunity to maybe sell it in a local book shop but is daunted. Should she if she has doubts about it's quality? Or are all sales and publicity worth getting?

Comments

  • I wouldn't!

    I would hate for readers to have a negative attitude towards something I had written just because 'I' had been slapdash. If a job's worth doing, it's worth doing well!

  • No, not if the book has not been edited properly. There's likely to be other issues with it beside the lack of editing.

    The only result of selling an inferior book is bad reviews and feedback from readers who will not buy another one by the writer.
  • Imagine she was running a cafe and had some pies which were just a little bit gone off. Would it be worth serving them to customers?
  • I have the odd poem out there sent off when I was not so competent- I still regret sending them and wince every time I see them printed. I worry about peopleI admire and respect seeing them and their judgement of me being depleted - you are only ever as good as your last thing someone has seen by you.

  • The book she says has grammar errors as it was no editted properly by the company who published it for her ( self published).
    Vanity publishers more like - and no, she shouldn't try to sell a book she knows has errors!
  • No. Please. No.
  • Thanks I'll pass on the advice.
  • I know I am late on this, but I can't imagine why anyone who is proud of their work would even consider the proposition.

    If we have our name or pseudonym on a book, why would we tarnish it with a questionable product? ~X(
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