Authors, Don’t Constantly Remind Reviewers to Read Your Book

This is part of the   Indie Author How-To Index that’s meant to help authors learn from the reviews people leave on their novels. No, the Index is totally free. Have fun.

 

Constantly reminding reviewers to follow up on reviewing your book is one of the easiest ways to piss them off.

Not too long ago, I agreed to do a review for a new author I’d never met. I like reaching out to people and meeting new authors/readers because people, in general, are pretty cool. In this case, though, I regretted it after the first week. This person nagged me on an every-other-day basis for two weeks as I worked through my TBR (to-be-read) list, all while juggling writing a book and working full time.

The author either didn’t understand or didn’t care why I hadn’t bumped their story up to be immediately read—sure, the story was short, but that is no excuse for his behavior. Submitting a novella or short story for review doesn’t mean an author gets special treatment just because there are fewer words than in a novel. Most authors know that. I guess he didn’t.

I was annoyed, frustrated, and I won’t review anything else by this author. I almost didn’t review the story he’d already submitted. It was very hard to focus on the plot and not how much the writer annoyed me, but I think I did it.

Authors, remember that 99% of the time, a reviewer is doing this because it’s fun. Really, they’re doing you a favor by reviewing your book. They don’t have to. There are millions of books, stories, and poems for them to read and review. That they chose yours is a kindness…one you should return with gratitude.

I know that most authors are not like this guy. I know that, and I’m grateful for my fellow authors who are professional and have business sense. But for those of you who are “impatient” with your reviews, reviewers won’t think that’s cute. They won’t like it, and it will hurt your public image and review rating in the end.

Let’s sign off with a pseudo-related laugh:

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Even though constant reminders aren’t exactly any of the above, they sure are annoying. It’s close.

 

Let’s open for debate, as usual. There is such a thing as a gentle reminder, after all. Authors, do you remind reviewers who haven’t yet reviewed your work? Reviewers, do you want to be reminded?