What is a Review?
Whether it’s Mary Higgins Clark, Sidney Sheldon or Nora Robert, there are those authors whose writing speaks for itself and reviews do little to nothing to change sales.
But what about the little guy who is just trying to get his/her work out there. The next great novel that nobody knows has already been written.
Before publishing my first book, I will be honest; I never gave it a thought to writing a review on Amazon, Goodreads or an author’s website. Why would I?
An author spends months, sometimes even years perfecting that piece of work, just for you, for your enjoyment. Then the day comes that it is all handed over to you, like a gift. You would never take a gift from a friend or family of that magnitude with saying ‘thank you’. A good review is like a thank you card for an author. A validation that you liked it and it was worthy of you taking that 2 to 3 minutes to write those words.
But what if you don’t like the book, then what? Was it bad writing or the fact that you simply didn’t care for the story. For whatever reason, it’s okay to tell the author that as well. He/she should be open to constructive criticism, as long as it is just that, constructive. A review should never be mean, something that you would never tell that person if you were sitting at the table with them.
Believe me, an author loves receiving a good review, just like the movie producer or the latest pop singer, it’s what feeds us to write that next novel. Constructive criticism can do the same as well. After all, for some of us, it is the very reason we share on work in the first place, for your enjoyment.
But what about the little guy who is just trying to get his/her work out there. The next great novel that nobody knows has already been written.
Before publishing my first book, I will be honest; I never gave it a thought to writing a review on Amazon, Goodreads or an author’s website. Why would I?
An author spends months, sometimes even years perfecting that piece of work, just for you, for your enjoyment. Then the day comes that it is all handed over to you, like a gift. You would never take a gift from a friend or family of that magnitude with saying ‘thank you’. A good review is like a thank you card for an author. A validation that you liked it and it was worthy of you taking that 2 to 3 minutes to write those words.
But what if you don’t like the book, then what? Was it bad writing or the fact that you simply didn’t care for the story. For whatever reason, it’s okay to tell the author that as well. He/she should be open to constructive criticism, as long as it is just that, constructive. A review should never be mean, something that you would never tell that person if you were sitting at the table with them.
Believe me, an author loves receiving a good review, just like the movie producer or the latest pop singer, it’s what feeds us to write that next novel. Constructive criticism can do the same as well. After all, for some of us, it is the very reason we share on work in the first place, for your enjoyment.
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