How Did They Do It?

Currently I am reading Outlander. I started reading it when I got caught up in the TV series and the mid season ended on a cliffhanger. I had to find out how the hero rescued his lady love from the evil clutches of a sadistic villain! The book is a masterpiece that went on to sell millions of copies. It was also the first novel written by Diana Gabaldon. WHAT?!? How does that happen? Nobody becomes a best seller with their first novel. You have to suffer for your art, don't you?

I guess not. Look at E. L. James. She became a worldwide phenomenon with Fifty Shades of Grey. And that book was so poorly written, I'm almost embarrassed to call myself a fan. I would, if I was the only one. There are millions of us.

I've read more than a few badly written books that made me scratch my head in wonder. How did this author get published? Did anyone proofread this thing? I will admit to finishing most of these books because I was caught up in the story and the characters. If the story is compelling and the characters are fleshed out maybe that's all that matters?

But do I want to be Diana Gabaldon or E. L. James? Maybe there's a happy medium.

Have you ever read a book that was too good to put down, even though you kept editing sentence structure in your mind?