Peg Herring's Blog - Posts Tagged "compliments"
If You Like It, Tell Somebody!!!
Dear Readers of Books, (any books)
As an author, I will give you a piece of inside advice. The best thing you can do for us if you like our work is TELL it! Two methods are really helpful.
First, you can tell the author herself, in person or online or whatever. (We'd even love a singing telegram if they still had those.) Every author wants to hear someone say, "I loved your book." It never gets old. Yesterday in church, two people said that to me, and I can't tell you how much it lifted my spirits. It's book #5, and some of my friends are starting to think it's old hat that I write mystery novels. But on a day when life is getting me down, on a day where the things stacking up in front of me are overwhelming and not-fun, those two people in church were golden. They didn't make a big deal out of it, just said, "I read the new book. It's really good." One added the often-heard, "When's the next one coming?"
The other thing readers can do, so valuable that it can't be measured, is tell others about a book they like. Word of mouth is better than anything a publicist can come up with. A former coworker liked THE DEAD DETECTIVE AGENCY, so she took it to her sister, who was recuperating from surgery. She liked it too and is going to present it to her local library and recommend that they look into my work. Another acquaintaince was disgusted that a local bookstore isn't carrying my books. She asked them why and said she'd come there specifically to buy one. See how those ripples move outward and get bigger?
Don't be shy about writing reviews on Amazon. They don't have to be scholarly or in-depth. A simple "I liked this book because..." is great. Readers unfamiliar with an author want to know that someone liked the book, and often another "plain old" reader has as much influence as a professional reviewer.
So when you like a book, say so. I'm going to take my own advice now and write to Michael Orenduff, whose book, THE POT THIEF WHO STUDIED PYTHAGORUS, is both well-written and fresh. I recommend it.
As an author, I will give you a piece of inside advice. The best thing you can do for us if you like our work is TELL it! Two methods are really helpful.
First, you can tell the author herself, in person or online or whatever. (We'd even love a singing telegram if they still had those.) Every author wants to hear someone say, "I loved your book." It never gets old. Yesterday in church, two people said that to me, and I can't tell you how much it lifted my spirits. It's book #5, and some of my friends are starting to think it's old hat that I write mystery novels. But on a day when life is getting me down, on a day where the things stacking up in front of me are overwhelming and not-fun, those two people in church were golden. They didn't make a big deal out of it, just said, "I read the new book. It's really good." One added the often-heard, "When's the next one coming?"
The other thing readers can do, so valuable that it can't be measured, is tell others about a book they like. Word of mouth is better than anything a publicist can come up with. A former coworker liked THE DEAD DETECTIVE AGENCY, so she took it to her sister, who was recuperating from surgery. She liked it too and is going to present it to her local library and recommend that they look into my work. Another acquaintaince was disgusted that a local bookstore isn't carrying my books. She asked them why and said she'd come there specifically to buy one. See how those ripples move outward and get bigger?
Don't be shy about writing reviews on Amazon. They don't have to be scholarly or in-depth. A simple "I liked this book because..." is great. Readers unfamiliar with an author want to know that someone liked the book, and often another "plain old" reader has as much influence as a professional reviewer.
So when you like a book, say so. I'm going to take my own advice now and write to Michael Orenduff, whose book, THE POT THIEF WHO STUDIED PYTHAGORUS, is both well-written and fresh. I recommend it.
