Reviews...or how to go insane while waiting for one...
This is going to sound somewhat whiny, but bear with me, please. I've been thinking about this a long time and have wondered why getting reviewed is so difficult.
Basically, once you've penned that bestseller of yours--or you hope it's a bestseller--you go three routes. One, you swap with another writer. Two, you send it off to friends who follow you and see what they say. Three, you send it to a review/blog service, some of which you have to pay for and some of which you don't. All three avenues have their pluses and minuses, so let's explore them.
Author swap. I've done this. I tend to read very fast, get the review done, give my impressions fairly--yes, subjective, isn't it always--and that's it. OTOH, waiting for the other person to reciprocate can be an exercise in patience and frustration. I've been stiffed more often than not, always with a BS excuse, and with the exception of a few cases, have given it up. For me, the aggravation simply isn't worth it.
The main reason why, outside of the time factor, is that many other authors cannot handle being given less than five stars. I've had them bitch and moan and cry and then refuse to review my work. Wrote them off as facebook/goodreads friends. Just the way it goes. If you trust the other author, and they're cool with the review they get, then fine. If it's more of a business arrangement, quid pro quo as it were, prepare for disappointment.
Path number two: your friends. Well, you may get a dose of butthurt assuming your friends are honest. Said honesty can lead to friends becoming ex-friends.
Additionally, Amazon, in all of its wisdom, may just connect the concept of you being friends on social sites and disallow their comments on its site. It's happened before and it'll happen again. So take care in who you ask.
Finally, we come to paid/unpaid review services, probably the best route to go. Considering I'm broke beyond broke, I go with unpaid. All they ask for is a freebie of the book and it's on. No guarantee of five stars, but if they're honest and fair, what more can you ask for?
Paid...your choice, but the fiverr service (which I've heard of but have never used) has fallen into disfavor with Amazon for good reason: it's dishonest. This has been going on a long time, the practice of paying for reviews, that is. Nothing new...but it stinks all the same.
Kirkus, the gold standard of review services, is honest, but paying hundreds of dollars for a review that might be less than what you were hoping for...again, your choice.
The key, if there is one, is to get other reviewers by word of mouth. Ex: you send your book to Mr. Allen. You don't know him. He is a reviewer, likes your work, rates it fairly, and then requests if he can send it to another reviewer. This isn't done that often, but it does happen. It tends to happen more between readers as opposed to reviewers. In any case, word of mouth is one of the best ways to go.
The one thing I've found is that good reviews do NOT necessarily lead to an increase in sales. I wish that were the case, as I'd be a millionaire by now! Many factors are involved in sales, mainly the book being good--duh--and also the price. A lot of people simply don't want to pay five or so bucks for an ebook. They'd rather go for the one-to three dollar route...it varies.
If there is any other key to increased sales--and this is for another day--it's to become popular on social sites and make your presence a favorable one. That...and writing a good book. Until next time, write on!
Basically, once you've penned that bestseller of yours--or you hope it's a bestseller--you go three routes. One, you swap with another writer. Two, you send it off to friends who follow you and see what they say. Three, you send it to a review/blog service, some of which you have to pay for and some of which you don't. All three avenues have their pluses and minuses, so let's explore them.
Author swap. I've done this. I tend to read very fast, get the review done, give my impressions fairly--yes, subjective, isn't it always--and that's it. OTOH, waiting for the other person to reciprocate can be an exercise in patience and frustration. I've been stiffed more often than not, always with a BS excuse, and with the exception of a few cases, have given it up. For me, the aggravation simply isn't worth it.
The main reason why, outside of the time factor, is that many other authors cannot handle being given less than five stars. I've had them bitch and moan and cry and then refuse to review my work. Wrote them off as facebook/goodreads friends. Just the way it goes. If you trust the other author, and they're cool with the review they get, then fine. If it's more of a business arrangement, quid pro quo as it were, prepare for disappointment.
Path number two: your friends. Well, you may get a dose of butthurt assuming your friends are honest. Said honesty can lead to friends becoming ex-friends.
Additionally, Amazon, in all of its wisdom, may just connect the concept of you being friends on social sites and disallow their comments on its site. It's happened before and it'll happen again. So take care in who you ask.
Finally, we come to paid/unpaid review services, probably the best route to go. Considering I'm broke beyond broke, I go with unpaid. All they ask for is a freebie of the book and it's on. No guarantee of five stars, but if they're honest and fair, what more can you ask for?
Paid...your choice, but the fiverr service (which I've heard of but have never used) has fallen into disfavor with Amazon for good reason: it's dishonest. This has been going on a long time, the practice of paying for reviews, that is. Nothing new...but it stinks all the same.
Kirkus, the gold standard of review services, is honest, but paying hundreds of dollars for a review that might be less than what you were hoping for...again, your choice.
The key, if there is one, is to get other reviewers by word of mouth. Ex: you send your book to Mr. Allen. You don't know him. He is a reviewer, likes your work, rates it fairly, and then requests if he can send it to another reviewer. This isn't done that often, but it does happen. It tends to happen more between readers as opposed to reviewers. In any case, word of mouth is one of the best ways to go.
The one thing I've found is that good reviews do NOT necessarily lead to an increase in sales. I wish that were the case, as I'd be a millionaire by now! Many factors are involved in sales, mainly the book being good--duh--and also the price. A lot of people simply don't want to pay five or so bucks for an ebook. They'd rather go for the one-to three dollar route...it varies.
If there is any other key to increased sales--and this is for another day--it's to become popular on social sites and make your presence a favorable one. That...and writing a good book. Until next time, write on!
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