Paula Coots's Blog: Paula's Blather about Writing. Mostly., page 4

Twenty words

How many times have I left a review on a book I've read? First, my defense.
Usually my browsing goes like this: the cover or title intrigues me. THEN I look at the number of ratings and most importantly, how many 5 star ratings.
Then, I glance down at the reviews...and if all that grabs me, I click on the "look inside this book" and decide pretty quickly whether or not to download the sample.
Then, if the sample hooks me, I go ahead and buy the buy the book. Then, if I really like it, I look down at the reviews. I remember a time when you could just click on a "star" rating and be on your busy way! Well, the 20 word minimum changed all that, which is pathetic, when you think about it, because how hard is it to leave a sentence or two?
Mostly I'd just click "helpful" on some of the elegantly written reviews that I agreed with(and there are a lot of them)and move on to the next book.
When I was on the other side (the reader side), all those factors influenced whether I even gave a book a chance. But did I leave a review? Rarely.
Now that I'm on the author side...I have an entirely new appreciation for just how much all that matters!
Quick fact- Bowker, the company that issues the ISBN numbers for books, recently released that there were 391,000 plus books published last year.
Imagine this. You're an unknown author, with an unknown book you've worked on for three years...wondering...how am I even going to get this work that I love so dearly noticed in this over pixelated, over stimulated world?
It's not easy.
So now I have an entirely new understanding of the importance of those stars. All reviews, good and bad, show that the book has been NOTICED.

And the five stars...like water to Lawrence as he stumbled across Arabia.
So this is my new vow. I will always leave a review of every book I read, even if it's only a quickie. Even if I felt it was less than stellar.
There is always a way to express your opinion without being rude or unkind.
I will do this because behind every book title we see...somebody spent months or years, toiling away all alone. It meant a lot to them, sometimes becoming the center of their lives.
And you can bet they check to see if there are any more reviews and thrill to each good one, and possibly cringe at each bad one. Either way, it's a validation that you weren't just some nut typing your life away. That your hard work was NOTICED.
So thanks to all who have reviewed my book, and will hopefully review my books to come. You are doing so much more than you understand, just by taking the time to type at least twenty words.

My first ever Blog Post

You'd think after three years and over 340,000 words that my novel ANOTHER ROCK STAR would be good and done. Stick a fork in it done.
However, I don't think Reed, the lead character, is quite ready for silverware yet.
He's been whispering my way about(not like I'm hearing voices. Well, maybe being a writer is like hearing voices...)a few incidents that took place before ARS and then quite a lot that takes place afterward.
I am actually rather shocked. I mean, the book is very long---almost THE STAND long.
We'll see.