What I Think of Amanda Hocking.

 I've heard all the hype. I've heard she's wildly successful because she churns 'em out ('em being 60,000+ word novels) faster than a Hyundai factory churns out cars. I've also heard, since she's released them onto Amazon herself, without the benefits of professional editing and packaging behind them, that they have serious grammatical errors and plot holes, and they're "kinda" rough. So I've heard. Yet people buy them anyway. She's made herself into a millionaire, with all the series she has out there. And now that she's signed with St. Martin's Press, she's a millionaire a few times over. Then I read somewhere she can write a novel in 2 weeks (rough first draft, but STILL, WOW). Because she starts writing at nine at night, and doesn't stop until about 8 or 9 in the morning. And she does this EVERY night until it's done. (Yes, when I read this I wondered what does this girl do other than sleep and write???) I mean, how does someone turn novels out so quickly? They HAVE to be crap!

I decided to see for myself. I downloaded Book One of the MY BLOOD APPROVES series. Sure, there are grammatical errors. Sure, the writing is rough. But you know what? She did it. She sucked me in (pardon the pun) and frankly, I got caught up in the story. My daughter would love these stories, if they didn't have sex and swearing in them (she's 13 and yes, I still watch what she reads).  I found myself actually enjoying the books so much, I forgave the grammar and stinted (in some parts) writing. Amanda Hocking is a darn good storyteller. I am finishing up Book 4 in the series, and will probably download another series, if the content appeals to me.

Now that Ms. Hocking has a big ol' publisher behind her upcoming series, I can only imagine, with the help of an editor and publicist, how big a name she will become. Because, yes, she's that good.