So then, I had the book all done, but still no-one had read it. Couldn't ask the wife - she's not into sci-fi. Damn. So I asked a friend who has read Frank Herbert and Isaac Asimov. Perfect - someone who's read some classic sci-fi. And I know what you're thinking - how can I get an honest review? Well, I was not really looking for someone to take my book apart piece by piece - that would be soul-destroying! At this point I should probably say I made a mistake there, as there are lots of great writers' groups on the internet who will give you great feedback for free if you do the same for their book. So don't discount that option by any means. The reason I didn't is that I was happy with the book (right or wrong, but I am HonestAuthor!), so just wanted someone who had read a lot of books to see if he could at least get through it. He did, and gave me some good feedback. The only problem he had was that the ending could have been a bit longer, as the rest of the book, according to him, was fine. I asked him what he would give it as a star rating, and he said four out of five, which was plenty for my ego. Again, I should probably say that I've made a mistake by not letting others review it first, but what the heck. I want to develop as a writer, and this was my best shot, so I'm going to let it lie.
At this point you are probably thinking I've gone mad, but I want to write an honest account of releasing a debut novel, so this is it. You can all learn from my mistakes as we go along. In my opinion the book is still worth buying, and I don't really feel there's anything else I can add to the ending. It says what I want it to say, and it's a satisfying conclusion that doesn't beg the reader to buy the next installment in the series, if I write it. That's just a bit cheeky. So I'm going to release it as-is, as a standalone story.
So then, onto the upload phase.
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