Michael War's Blog, page 11
October 16, 2012
Saturday Night Live – Tech Talk
This is perhaps the most biting sketch they have done in a long, long time.
October 14, 2012
Do malicious reviews actually happen?
Well, I realize that the question I posed in the title outs me as a newbie, but for the past couple of weeks I have been following a series of posts (many, many posts) by someone on one of the self-publishing forums (who and where will remain nameless in order to protect them and myself) who insists that he was the victim of malicious reviews and is angry that they have yet to be taken down off of his sales page. When I talk about malicious reviews, I am referring to the those that are obvious attack by someone (a competing author, someone who hates self-publishers) who has not read the book and is simply trying to prevent yours from selling. This got me thinking about whether or not malicious reviews actually happen, and if they do, how can spot them? Also, is there anything that can be done?
Can it happen?
The answer to the first question is yes, they can happen. Is it common? I really cannot say, however I would like to think that it is something that is not practiced very often. I do remember reading an article about an author that purposely left negative reviews for competitors in order to hurt their sales, but for some reason I cannot find the link I had saved. I will post it again once I do find it. What struck me as odd about the article is that the author in question was one that seemed to be fairly successful. So yes, it can happen, and is even done by those that may be writing full-time.
Now don’t get me wrong; just because this happens to one person does not mean that every bad review that a self-published author gets is an attack on them. Sure it hurts to see someone attach one star to our babies, but we shouldn’t lose our heads over it.
Is it really a malicious attack?
That is the tricky part, since there really isn’t a sure-fire way to actually know if a review is actually a malicious one. One thing I have noticed is that many authors believe that true reviews offer information about the book that actually shows they read it. While I agree with that in theory, we all know that is not always the case. Just because someone writes a one-sentence review that mentions nothing about plot and character does not mean that they haven’t read the book, or that it is someone trying to halt your sales.
But luckily there are things in place where we can see little tell tale signs, such as Amazon listing a product as a verified purchase. You don’t have to buy the book to review it, but it does show that perhaps the negative review is a true one. Also, if you see that the person reviews books on a regular basis, then perhaps they really did not like your work.
What can be done?
In all honesty, they only thing that can be done is to notify the seller (such as Amazon) and wait for their response. More than likely, they review will stay, but if they somehow see that this person seems to be attacking you personally, then it might get taken off.
But really, the best thing to do is to just let it go. Unless you have 100 percent proof, that one star isn’t going anywhere. Staying up all night and writing post after post in different forums, as well as responding to the review, will not do anything for you, and will make you seem defensive to potential readers. Just keep writing and hope that your readers will make up their own minds when it comes to buying your book.
September 8, 2012
Updated my About Me section
I’ve been so busy lately that I have neglected my blog, so I decided to do some changes and really try to get back on track. The first thing I did was revamp the About Me section, especially since I it really didn’t state who I was. Here it is if you want to have a look:
Hello everyone, and welcome to my lil’ ol’ blog on the world wide web (do we still use that?) My name is Michael War and I am a Freelance Writer from Texas whose imagination knows no bounds. I am currently pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing, and plan to write more in the near future. I have three self-published stories out, and I plan on writing more in the future. Shameless plug: for purchase information, click on the “Books by Michael War” tab.
I don’t plan to strictly use this blog to shamelessly hock my own work. No, instead I would like this to be a place for other gay romance writers/erotica writers to find out information on different subjects, as well as reviews of books that have caught my eye. I plan to start taking requests in the near future, but since I am still technically starting out, I don’t feel that I handle too much all at once. But I will keep you posted as to when I will be accepting requests.
Feel free to email me if you have any questions at michaelwar77@gmail.com, or follow me on Twitter (@michaelwar1) for my random tweets about what I am having for lunch.
What do you think? Better?
August 17, 2012
Got a bad review? Well, join the club.
As every writer knows, one of the keys to success seems to be linked to reviews. People tend to flock to books with a high number of reviews while they check to see if the book they are looking at is worth their time and money. Now, I know we all think our work is a masterpiece, but unfortunately others might not agree with us. In fact, they might disagree so much that you will be smacked with a negative, one or two star review. This is especially the case for self-published work, which sometimes contains errors that the author might have missed.
From what I have read on various message boards, it seems that some authors handle their negative reviews in a variety of ways:
1. They throw a fit, unpublish the book, and vow never to write again.
2. They unpublish the book and republish it under a new name.
3. They try to contact the reviewer and appeal to their good nature.
4. They try to contact the reviewer and hassle them until they change it.
Though I’m still a newbie, I wouldn’t even think of doing any of those things in question. Sure, I left a comment thanking a blogger for taking the time to review my first book, but I pretty much left it at that. Plus, I didn’t even bother to try and find the guy that left two stars for me on Amazon. You know why? It’s because they were right. Though I edited the piece over and over, I knew the piece so well that I knew how it should go in my head, and that led me to look over things that another proofreader might have missed. So I took note of the what the guy said in the two star review, and applied it to my second story. Though the reviews still weren’t at the coveted five stars, they still improved. But the best part is that the noticeable hard work I put into my second story got their attention, and really got people interested in wanting to read more. Now, not all reviews will contain constructive criticism. Some might be just a bunch of hot air, but as you’ll see, there are many people out there who are willing to lend helpful thought or two. It is up to you on how you want to react to it.
So sure, it hurts to get bad reviews, but it comes with the territory. All you can do is suck it up and take it as a learning experience.
August 11, 2012
Roommate Adventures Now Available for Amazon Kindle!
Young college student Danny has decided to finally make his life drama free, starting with his living arrangements. But things naturally don’t go as planned, especially when gorgeous new hunk Javi moves in. The two share an instant connection, much to the dismay of their straight roommate Patrick. With sparks flying in every direction, will Danny be able to keep his attraction to Javi in check? Click here to purchase!
This 6,000 word gay erotic short story/romance contains scenes of graphic sex between two men and is intended for mature audiences only.
August 7, 2012
Too cute: Prince Harry wears an Angry Birds cap
Saw this on e! online and I just had to post it. Too adorable.
Source: e! Online
July 28, 2012
Free promotion
Timeless: Pharaohs Kiss is now free this weekend for the Kindle. Get it here.
Synopsis: Tired of hearing his ex’s tale of time travel eroticism, scientist Daniel decides to go in an adventure of his own. However he gets more than he bargained for when a pharoah takes an interest in this exotic time traveller.
July 25, 2012
Pricing your ebook is never an easy task
Some might call me a cheapskate, but I prefer bargain hunter. I’ll admit it: I like to buy books that are priced really low. Now don’t get me wrong; I don’t go and just randomly select books that are 99 cents (or free) just because they are. I simply read the blurb, then think to myself, “Wow, that sounds interesting, AND it’s only 99 cents.” To me, that is a great deal. But now that I have begun publishing my own stories, I am beginning to wonder if that really does say anything about quality.
Many authors, both indie and traditional, will fill their eyes with rage if you mention starting your price at 99 cents, or if you consider doing a free promotion. The argument is that so many bad works are out there to make money, and by giving them away for free or at a low price, they flood the market and depletes sales.They also go on to mention that readers are starting to notice that the quality of freebies ranges drastically, and are beginning to equate freebies and low prices with “it is so bad, they have to almost give it away.”
Others, however, will sing the praises of such a pricing strategy. Their defense is that promotions and low pricing actually help a new author get noticed, especially at a time when bargains are all the rage (the economy still kind of stinks, after all.) They believe that if you write well enough and that people truly like your free or low priced book, then they will gladly pay for the next one you write. The key here is that you have to write well.
I can see both points, though I’m more inclined to believe that free promotions/low pricing really aren’t as bad as they may seem. Now, I it’s not that I believe that the other side isn’t making any valid points; on the contrary, I agree with some of it. But as a new author, I have to wonder what type of reviews I would get if a reader thought I placed my work too high, especially for a short story. I think keeping it low for now will hopefully allow me to build a nice little fan base (I can only dream, right?) that will buy my work.
Of course, I’m still new at this, so what do I know?
What side of the free/low price fence do you land on?
July 23, 2012
July 22, 2012
Timeless: Pharaoh’s Kiss
Cover for my new short story.
It’s here. The second story in my “Timeless Adventures” series is finally available on Amazon. “Timeless: Pharaoh’s Kiss” picks up where “Timeless” left off, but this time Daniel is at the front and center in Ancient Egypt. I am really proud of this one, since I feel that I have improved from the first story.
