Community

Hello Readers!

It has been one of those weeks. Utter chaos every time I attempted to work on stuff. There has not been enough coffee to handle this week. Friday! Finally!

I have been thinking a lot about the concept of communities. Random, I know. I have been thinking about how communities can be amazing support systems but they can also aid in ruin. I have been seeing this a lot recently. Communities can lift you up but can also pile on and make it where you can’t stand. The literary community is no different.

For the most part, I have seen some amazing things in the literary community. Authors and readers banding together to help each other. Authors want to get their work out there. Readers help them do that with reviews. Readers want to take part in the adventures within the pages. They want to feel.  Both benefit from the exchange. After all, can one truly be an author without readers? People bond over books. TBR lists grow. Friendships are made. It is wonderful to see and take part in.

There are many positives to being a part of the literary community. There are also negatives. A person puts their writing out there and it can be stolen. This has always happened but now it is much easier. People can hide behind their screens  and troll authors. They say all the things that they would never say in real life. An exchange can take place and the world will know about it within just a matter of minutes. This can make or break a career.

Some things I have learned while being immersed in the literary community:

Every one has a story. It may be their personal story and never be put to words for others to read but it is there. Take the time to listen. You never know what you may encounter.

It takes a lot of guts to put your work out there. Your writing is your baby and it can cause great anxiety to share it with the world. To all of those that have, I commend you. To all of those that have yet to take that leap, you got this. One day, you will find your voice.

Be honest when reviewing. Do not rate based on friendships or bonds. Rate based on what you read. You don’t need to be cruel to be kind in this case but you do need to be honest.

Keep in mind that not every story is for you. Some books may be for the person next to you or the person on the other side of the world. Do not try to force anyone to love what you do. With that said, do not ridicule someone for their reading choices.

The list could go on and on...

If you take anything from this, let it be that being a part of the literary community can be a wonderful thing. It really depends on what you bring to it.


InkedBookDragon


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Advanced Reader Copies (ARCs)

Hello.

I woke up this morning and got on my Facebook to check out what was going on in my groups. I was surprised to find a post about a woman that was telling people in the group that she was in charge of that it was alright to sell Advanced Reader Copies (ARCs). I was floored. Over 1400+ members and this woman is allowing the selling of ARCs in her group. I could not believe what I was seeing.

ARCs are a wonderful thing. They allow authors to get reviews for their work prior to it being published. With honest reviews, it allows them to hear feedback on their work. They can use this feedback to correct issues. They can also use it to get an idea as to how people are going to respond to their books.

ARCs belong to the authors. They are their intellectual property. They worked hard on the book and put pieces of themselves into it. It should be viewed as a privilege to get to read their words before the rest of the world. To be chosen to read an ARC is an honor. It should never be viewed as a way to make a quick buck. Selling ARCs or downloading ARCs into public domain is a repulsive act. It is theft. Those that engage in it should be held responsible for what they are doing.

I apologize if this post seems like I am rambling. That is not my intentions at all. I am just very passionate about this matter. Authors give and give. It is heartbreaking to see other people profit off their hard work. This issue is very important to me.

Thank you for reading. If you get an ARC, enjoy it. Read it and review it. People worked really hard on the book in your hands or the words on your screen. Don't ever forget that.


InkedBookDragon