Dead Loss Book

I got Keith Dixon's Altered Life as a freebie Kindle book and was quite impressed by it. Therefore I looked it up in Goodreads and read the following in one of the comments.

"I'm ordinarily not much of a crime fiction reader, but ALTERED LIFE was written by a friend who is a crime fiction enthusiast. The book was self-published and available as a Kindle download (very cheaply, Keith is not getting rich with this book), so I felt as a friend the least I could do is read his first effort. He has since written another, THE PRIVATE LIE, which I haven't read. "

Then I was really impressed because the Altered Life is a first published and self published book and it is a highly accomplished effort.

Most of the first books that are self published that I have encountered have been disheveled cozies that read like the White Queen looked and featured ladies of a certain age who, though supposedly witty and spunky, usually come across as insufferable smartasses.

A dashed off first draft may on occasion be quickly produced but that is scarcely the mission of an author. The mission of an author is to be read and that usually means finding someone willing to put their money where your mouth is, or actually, since unsolicited manuscripts rarely fare well, someone willing to put their time into finding a publisher.

Taint easy.

I would think that self publication works best for previously published authors who are well aware of the behind the scenes work (mostly work that a creative mind would find stultifyingly boring) that is involved in turning an initial submission into a viable book.

Other reviews will tell you about the substance of Altered Life. I will tell you to go to the Kindle Store and download it as a really first class freebie that will closely hold your interest for quite a few hours.

Also, I put my money where my mouth is. The minute I finished The Altered Life, I went to the Kindle Store and bought The Private Lie, the second book in the series.

Keith Dixon should have gotten rich with The Altered Life. I certainly hope #2 is more financially encouraging.

However, I do believe I'll pass on hoping Tom Cruise portrays Sam Dyke on the Silver Screen, though, to be fair, Cruise's performance was fine --- it just bore no resemblance whatsoever to Jack Reacher.