The Importance of Reviews
At the end of all of my books, I ask people to leave a review of it when they're finished, but it's not for the reasons you might think.
Is it because I want to hear how awesome I am? No. (I mean, it's nice, but...) It's not about ego at all, it's not even about me.
It's about you, and the books you want to see more of. The books that we want to see more of. I write the books I do because they're the books I want to read. And hopefully so do you! If you do, then so do others. But I can shout and scream and beg and cajole about my own books all day long, but do you really listen to what authors have to say about their own books beyond what they're about? I can't tell you if they're good or not, and even if I tried, most people wouldn't believe me. Of course I'm going to say they're good.
Isn't it more likely that you're going to listen to others, your peers with similar interests, and what they have to say about a book? How often do you go straight to the reviews to help make up your mind about if you're going to take the plunge on a book (or a series! all of this goes double for a series!)?
And this isn't about helping me sell books. There's no way for me to convince you of that other than to ask you believe me, I know, but it really isn't. I write in a subniche within a subniche, for the most part. I mean, wlw historical fantasy alternate universe with a healthy dollop of romance? WTF am I even doing? How many people write in that... uh, genre? Not many, and I will never be Stephen King. I write the stories I do with the characters I do because I think they're important, and have something to say, things other people like you might want to hear, or see. But there is so much stuff on Amazon, it's almost impossible to find what you're looking for half the time.
Reviews help get books seen. They help connect people who like the things you do to stories they may not otherwise find, let alone take a chance on. It doesn't have to be much, you don't need to write a book report, just your honest opinion about what you read. One or two sentences can go a long way!
I don't know if I've done a good job making my case, but as a tiny indie author, know that I value each and every one of you regardless of what you choose to do when you finish one of my books. As long as my stories made a difference to you, that's enough. Just keep in mind that it's within your power to perhaps help them make a difference to someone else, too.
Is it because I want to hear how awesome I am? No. (I mean, it's nice, but...) It's not about ego at all, it's not even about me.
It's about you, and the books you want to see more of. The books that we want to see more of. I write the books I do because they're the books I want to read. And hopefully so do you! If you do, then so do others. But I can shout and scream and beg and cajole about my own books all day long, but do you really listen to what authors have to say about their own books beyond what they're about? I can't tell you if they're good or not, and even if I tried, most people wouldn't believe me. Of course I'm going to say they're good.
Isn't it more likely that you're going to listen to others, your peers with similar interests, and what they have to say about a book? How often do you go straight to the reviews to help make up your mind about if you're going to take the plunge on a book (or a series! all of this goes double for a series!)?
And this isn't about helping me sell books. There's no way for me to convince you of that other than to ask you believe me, I know, but it really isn't. I write in a subniche within a subniche, for the most part. I mean, wlw historical fantasy alternate universe with a healthy dollop of romance? WTF am I even doing? How many people write in that... uh, genre? Not many, and I will never be Stephen King. I write the stories I do with the characters I do because I think they're important, and have something to say, things other people like you might want to hear, or see. But there is so much stuff on Amazon, it's almost impossible to find what you're looking for half the time.
Reviews help get books seen. They help connect people who like the things you do to stories they may not otherwise find, let alone take a chance on. It doesn't have to be much, you don't need to write a book report, just your honest opinion about what you read. One or two sentences can go a long way!
I don't know if I've done a good job making my case, but as a tiny indie author, know that I value each and every one of you regardless of what you choose to do when you finish one of my books. As long as my stories made a difference to you, that's enough. Just keep in mind that it's within your power to perhaps help them make a difference to someone else, too.
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