A Brief Introduction

Recently a friend of mine introduced me to a book that had been published by a small press. She encouraged me to read it--not only because the genre was one to my liking, but because a story written by one of her friends was nestled among the pages of this short story collection. My friend assured me that her friend was "completely open to an honest and unbiased critique" of her work. Although I was skeptical of that, I was intrigued by the idea of reviewing her work, and that is what led me to create Wicked Truth Reviews.

In a world where large, well-known publishing houses are taking very few fledgling writers under their proverbial stone wings, small, independent ("indie") presses are stepping up to offer a home for the works of new and/or unpublished writers. That is commendable; I believe there are a lot of truly talented writers out there whose voices are stifled in the literary world. The publishing biz is a tough one, and very few writers will attain the fame and notoriety they seek. Small presses offer these writers the opportunity to express themselves through the written word, see their names in print, and even (sometimes) make a little money.

But, just as in most aspects of real life, there is a down side to choosing a small press.

After doing a great deal of research and talking to several writers who have had their work published in small press anthologies, I jotted down a few questions, concerns, and ponderings of my own.

Although most of the small presses offer their book titles on Amaon and Barnes and Noble, I wonder how much eposure the writers are really receiving? Is it enough to simply see their names in print, or would they prefer to know that a lot of people are reading their work? I question how much advertising or "book pushing" small presses do.

It seems to me that there is a small circle of "indie press pets" who have become favorites in the small press world--sort of like a brown nosing teacher's pet, except one who belongs to the editor(s) of these tiny houses. These seem to be the writers who boast that they have been published in "over 100 anthologies" and have been writing "for more than 20 years". Wow! After that many works in print and that much writing experience I would think it would either be time to move on or give it up. Hey, some people are meant to write...others are meant to read.

Which brings me to a very real aspect in the world of the small press--some of the writing is simply not that good. I have waded my way through awkward and sometimes embarrassing analogies ("his clothes stuck to him like plastic wrap on hot food"...really?), clumsy dialogue, and poor grammar, but in doing so, I have stumbled across a gem... or two or three, which has really made these small press books enjoyable and well worth my time. Sadly, while researching my subject, I read a post from a writer who bragged, "Yeah, I wrote that in, like, two hours". It shows. Writers should never compromise their writing simply because they are submitting to an indie press. Continue to do that and that's precisely where you'll find yourself throughout the duration of your career--Writer Purgatory, one degree above Hell, but a million miles away from the Promised Land.

Of course, the editors of these small presses are really the ones to blame for putting mediocrity into print. It is an editor's job to recognize quality. Unless, of course, these editors are doing the writers a favor, which makes it almost applause worthy. But, then again, they are subjecting their writers to critics like me...some favor.

My objective through Wicked Truth Reviews is to give FAIR and HONEST reviews of small press books on a story by story basis. I have read other reviews (mostly from Amazon customers) in which one author is hand selected from a particular anthology and given a glowing, praise-filled review. THOSE reviews are biased, laughable, and unfair to readers, and those are NOT the reviews you will find here.

What makes me   qualified to review and critique someone's work? I have been working in theliterary field for mucho years, I am an award winning author, and I'm very good at criticizing--just ask my angel of a husband.

I am always willing to review a small press book (whether new or old), but please submit it only if you are thick-skinned, do not cry easily, or just happen to be an extremely cocksure person. My reviews can be harsh, but please remember, they are an OPINION ONLY. No matter what I might think of your work, I am certain your mother.husband/wife.best friend/neighbor/priest/pet will love it.