sugarman
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Posts: 28
Joined: Oct 19, 2014 23:25:14 GMT -8
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Post by sugarman on Oct 19, 2014 23:38:56 GMT -8
Hi All I'm new to this forum. I didn't know there was one for Smashwords until a few days ago. I've had my work on Kindle for about a year now with not much success I have to say. My first novella is Sweet Talking, a light hearted and humorous look at my time in the sugar industry. It is free on smashwords. There are 2 sequels taking the same characters to different locations and eras - Beer Talking and Sleep Talking. I'd appreciate some feedback on Sweet Talking...or just read and enjoy! Many thanks Colin Bell
www.smashwords.com/books/view/436178
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sugarman
Junior Member
Posts: 28
Joined: Oct 19, 2014 23:25:14 GMT -8
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Post by sugarman on Oct 20, 2014 4:34:09 GMT -8
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Post by Ted on Oct 20, 2014 17:22:08 GMT -8
Laughed my rump off. I'm partial to British humour, so I'm a tad partial in my feedback of Sweet Talking. The only feedback I can think of right now is about word usage. Reading level of many Americans (largest ebook market at the moment) is quite low. In a 2013 report on literacy - www.statisticbrain.com/number-of-american-adults-who-cant-read/ - 32 million adults in the U.S. can't read. That's 14 percent of the population. 21 percent of adults in the U.S. read below a 5th grade level, and 19 percent of high school graduates can't read. I say this because your work contains words which could well befuddle a reader with a high-school or even college/university degree. I'm not suggesting you dumb-down your writing as I'm a firm believer in using writing to lift the literacy level of a reader. Of course there may be some authors who are in the W.C. Fields camp of 'Never smarten up a chump' and seldom use words above a grade 5 level. So the question of you and other members is: Do you keep or change a word which interrupts the flow of the story when the brain sees it and goes 'huh???'?
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sugarman
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Posts: 28
Joined: Oct 19, 2014 23:25:14 GMT -8
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Post by sugarman on Oct 20, 2014 23:54:43 GMT -8
Thanks Ted for your positive response. I don't know about American levels of literacy but my experience in the UK isn't much better. To be quite honest no one seems to read anymore...even my son who has decided to do English at Advanced level at school couldn't tell me the last book he read. Numerous people have downloaded my book, most of them personally known to me, but very few have actually got around to reading it and letting me know what they think (good or bad!). I'm not sure American and British humour differ as much as people make out. A lot of my stories are based on actual incidences but exaggerated greatly for comedic effect sometimes influenced by some of the TV shows I grew up with. The main character, for example, is an English Bilko and Gloria could be Klinger in M*A*S*H. And of course Jim could well be Homer in disguise, snoring contentedly in his control room while the plant is in meltdown! Anyway, thanks again for your kind words. I think I'll keep some of my longer words as they are. I thought long and hard about every one of them! One can always look them up if in doubt. If you liked these characters they appear again in Beer Talking and Sleep Talking...the former is on Smashwords and Kindle, the latter just on Kindle...link to my author page below.. Many thanks Colin Bell
www.amazon.co.uk/Colin-Bell/e/B00FD4O53G/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
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Ria Stone
SWF Writers
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Post by Ria Stone on Oct 21, 2014 9:21:47 GMT -8
Hello Sugarman:
Welcome!
When I get the chance, I will take a look at your books. I always love a good laugh.
Keep writing
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sugarman
Junior Member
Posts: 28
Joined: Oct 19, 2014 23:25:14 GMT -8
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Post by sugarman on Oct 21, 2014 10:19:29 GMT -8
Thanks Canarypress...hope you enjoy them.
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sugarman
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Posts: 28
Joined: Oct 19, 2014 23:25:14 GMT -8
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Post by sugarman on Dec 30, 2014 12:24:04 GMT -8
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sugarman
Junior Member
Posts: 28
Joined: Oct 19, 2014 23:25:14 GMT -8
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Post by sugarman on Dec 30, 2014 12:55:27 GMT -8
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sugarman
Junior Member
Posts: 28
Joined: Oct 19, 2014 23:25:14 GMT -8
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Post by sugarman on Feb 12, 2015 3:48:10 GMT -8
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sugarman
Junior Member
Posts: 28
Joined: Oct 19, 2014 23:25:14 GMT -8
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Post by sugarman on Apr 7, 2015 0:43:45 GMT -8
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Post by jaydax on Apr 20, 2015 12:26:51 GMT -8
I just downloaded it from Amazon UK but it may be a while before it gets to the top of my reading list. I'm intrigued by Ted's literacy figures. 14% in the US can't read? According to the CIA World factbook only 1% can't read. Of course it depends on what you mean by "can't read." Most people can make out the letters and words. To many though, it's like we on this forum reading backwards mirror writing. We can make out the letters, assemble a word and put the words into a sentence. Whether we would enjoy reading like that is a different matter. Perhaps the literacy figures Ted points us at shouldn't say 'Percent of U.S. adults who can’t read' but should instead say 'Percent of U.S. adults who won’t read'.
As to those 'when the brain sees it it goes huh?' - keep them in. It's our duty to educate the readers. Just don't go overboard and use the word too much or you'll get complaints in your reviews. .oO(Suspires in exasperation at the thought of those reviews.)
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sugarman
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Posts: 28
Joined: Oct 19, 2014 23:25:14 GMT -8
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Post by sugarman on Apr 21, 2015 7:28:17 GMT -8
Thanks Jaydax...I really couldn't comment on literacy in the US. Over here it's reasonable but I can't believe how many people have a very good standard of literacy but just refuse to read anything...this applies to many friends, family and acquaintances. Many people have come up and said...it's great that you've written a book...thanks - what do you think of it?...Oh I haven't read it!...aaaaggghhhh!
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Post by Ted on Apr 21, 2015 12:52:02 GMT -8
Jaydax, I got the information on US literacy from the link in my post... U.S. Illiteracy Statistics Data Percent of U.S. adults who can’t read (below a basic level) 14 % Number of U.S. adults who can’t read 32,000,000 Percent of prison inmates who can’t read 70 % Percent of high school graduates who can’t read 19 % Reading Level of U.S. Adults Percent Proficient 13 % Intermediate 44 % Basic 29 % Below Basic 14 % www.statisticbrain.com/number-of-american-adults-who-cant-read/To me, a Basic level of literacy would be when a person can read/write at a level sufficient to manage daily living and employment without requiring reading/writing skills above that level.
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chelsfield
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Post by chelsfield on Apr 22, 2015 0:03:09 GMT -8
Jaydax, I'm glad you questioned these figures because I've seen Ted use them once or twice as justification for 'simplifying' language in a book. I just don't buy the figures myself, and they certainly are not the reason why Americans would not understand British English usage or slang. As an American living in the UK for a fair few years and married to a Brit (and a northerner, to boot), I can attest to the fact that the Brits still grapple with American usages, even with all the American tv and movies.
I used to work in public libraries in the US, where mysteries, thrillers, crime fiction were some of the most in demand genres. The British as well as the American. You take something like the Lovejoy series, stuffed with British slang. Could not keep it on the shelves.
Maybe the make-up of the reading audience is different, but I don't think it is that different. If you go chasing after the lowest common denominator, in all but the fewest cases, you end up being the loser.
(Sorry, Ted, if you are listening. You know I think you are the greatest!)
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chelsfield
SWF Writers
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Post by chelsfield on Apr 22, 2015 0:10:08 GMT -8
Ted, I looked at that website, Statistic Brain, and it looks to me like they just churn out numbers. To their credit, they give sources. But statistics without context are not 'pure' as the maintain on their site. Without context, these statistics, especially percentages and figures based on probability, can be used to make any argument.
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