Those darn reviews

There's an old saying that authors shouldn't read their reviews. If you listened to my podcast with Jess Michaels, you will have heard she is in agreement with that. I agree with it, too, up to a point. 

A review can be helpful if you've completely missed the mark with a book. As an indie publisher, I have the opportunity to go back and fix it. Or feedback can direct me into what's working and what isn't. Is my Hillendale series resonating with my readers? What about the Epitaph series? What should I write next based on how well previous books have been received? 

Here's the thing. When a new book releases, you want that "money quote" that will help promote it to other readers who haven't read it yet. A review will provide that. But after a certain point in time, you reach a point of diminishing returns. Reviews become ego feeding or soul crushing. I hit both when I went looking for that money quote for my new book. I stumbled on reviews I didn't know I had.

Who is Chad?? Demolished? And "knowing the author..." I don't know anyone named Chad, so I can only assume knows me through my books. The wait is over, Chad! Go get 'em! And thank you for the review.

I made the rounds at the major booksellers - Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple, Kobo, Goodreads. Then, because I was on my tablet, I took a shortcut to B&N through their Nook app and found some that aren't on the B&N website. Interesting... Never would have thought to look there separately.

I have reviews from one person who absolutely loved the Hillendales, and then moved on to the Epitaphs. She reviewed every one of them on Goodreads and raved about how wonderful the books,  recommending them in glowing terms (Thank you, Bobbi!). Definite ego boosters. With each review, I relived each book and remembered all the things I'd loved about them when I was writing them. 

Then there's the review I blogged about a couple of weeks ago, where the reader basically said she liked the story while bashing my ability to write. One thing every editor I've worked with, every contest I've entered, has told me is that I know how to write. So who is this person? An English teacher with an axe to grind? Not "soul crushing" but definitely disappointing. I know I'm not for everyone, which is why I try very hard not to dwell on the reviews from people who "don't get me."

Double-edged swords, those reviews. They're important when it comes to promotion. Books need a minimum number to qualify for some promotions. And you know what? Some days the good reviews are what keep me going, knowing there are people out there who enjoy reading what I write as much as I enjoy writing it.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me on my writing journey with a review, both the good and the bad. I hope I can continue to "demolish" expectations with each subsequent story.

Writer's Angst

I've been reading articles recently on "Imposter Syndrome." Essentially, it's a psychological condition that people in all walks of life stumble into, where even if they are doing an outstanding job, they feel like it's only a matter of time before someone discovers they're only faking it. From musicians to authors to people in so-called regular jobs, the advice is to get over it. We've earned our way. Proven ourselves. Not everything we do is going to be perfect, but we've shown we have the skills.

A recent rash of unfortunate reviews have plagued me and one of my fellow authors. For my part, because I had a disproportionate number of reviews relative to the number of books sold, I reached out to some professional review sites to give me a boost. Books without reviews don't qualify for promotion. The result of those solicitations? Oddball reviews (lesson learned). People pick the book up because they get a free copy, but it might not be something they'd normally go for, and then they penalize me because of it. Regardless of whether the review is warranted or not, the effect on an author can be demoralizing.

Writer's angst rears it's ugly head. Is this book a dud? Or did it reach the wrong audience? The points I got dinged on are the same things people liked in my other books, which makes me tend to dismiss the comments. Does that make me delusional? An imposter? Reviews and critiques are by their very nature designed to help me improve my craft. Do the comments reflect the changes we are undergoing as a society? Do I need to adjust? Evolve?

While all these thoughts are going through my head, I'm forging ahead on the next book, which is something completely different. I'm enjoying the ride so far, and in the vein of evolving, I think it covers a lot of bases that had me questioning societal changes while I was writing my last couple of books. Things like don't believe everything you hear. Get your facts before you form an opinion. And the evolution around the way men and women interact.

I recently re-read an old book, one I grew up with, and the premise for the romance had me cringing. That sort of thing would never work in today's world, and yet, when I was a teenager, it didn't faze me. The author did write some groundbreaking plots, but this one was just plain bad, something I didn't have the knowledge or experience to understand then, but which rings a very loud "NO" bell today. You don't fall in love with someone who goes out of their way to make you jealous in a very hurtful way and then justify it by saying if they hadn't have made you jealous, you wouldn't have realized you were in love with them. Nope. That's manipulation at its worst, and a very poor basis for a happily ever after. The world has changed considerably since I was a teenager. But I digress.

On behalf of myself and my author friends, I'm giving you all a gentle nudge to leave a review on the books you read. They are important to the author, even if you didn't like the book. Without them, we don't qualify for promotions for our books, and if our books don't warrant a good review, let us know. Otherwise, we can't write a better book next time.

Getting people to read new books

As an author, one of the things I hope for when I release a book is that someone who's read it will post a review so that other people who might be on the fence about reading it can decide if it's worth their time. But how to get people to take that extra step?

Part of being an author is promotion. We get the books into people's hands in hopes of getting those reviews. Most authors have an early review team - ARC readers. Bloggers and professional reviewers often get copies, and we hope for the best. At best, a percentage of them will leave a review, and that doesn't guarantee the reader actually likes the book. Hey, if that's the case, I'd just as soon know what didn't work so I can make the next book better, or know that I haven't reached my target audience. At the day job, we are required to give feedback to our coworkers, our subordinates, and even our superiors. That's how people improve/get better. Whether it's a pat on the back or constructive criticism, it's how we know if we're hitting the mark.

In searching out new avenues, new reviewers, I signed up for a promotion with my most recent release, folks who had recently rebranded from one company to a new name. The old company had a pretty good rep, and in deciding whether or not to try them out, I reached out to another author I know who'd endorsed them (under the old brand). I'll just say I've been pretty disappointed. For all their promises, they have not returned the hoped-for results (and it's always a crap shoot, but they do over promise). As one of my friends says, it may be a case of "your mileage may vary," but I'm more inclined to believe the rebranded company isn't as well run as the previous incarnation. For one, they'd promised me weekly updates on how many people wanted to read my book. Haven't gotten those. When I asked, three weeks in, they sent me a very short list. When I followed up again two weeks after that, they didn't reply. Big black strike through their name going forward, for any sort of promotion. The new brand obviously doesn't have the same potential the old one did. Moving on.

The best promotion is still word of mouth. If you've read the book, recommend it to a friend. Can't tell you how many people have said "oh, so-and-so told me about your book and we've really enjoyed reading them and talking about them together!" And if you've read the book(s), this is where I encourage you to leave reviews so the rest of the world knows what you thought. Sometimes that's all it takes to push someone over the edge to buy or not buy and support us struggling authors!

What keeps you from leaving a review for the books you've read?

Don't Judge Me!

Actually, in this case, please do!

I've entered the premiere contest for romance writers, and in order to enter, you have to also agree to judge. As such, I've been assigned six books from authors I have never met/heard of before. The process is simple. On a scale of 1-10 (with decimal points encouraged), how did you like the book, and then three simple questions. No essays, no reviews, just straightforward, yes/no answers.

As an author, I'd love to have those essays, the feedback, but since this is first round judging, they're trying to separate wheat and chaff.

The contest allows you to designate which sub-genres you do NOT want to read. In the past when I've participated, I was sent books that were way outside my general reading scope. This is good and bad. If the book is written well, it attracts my attention and I want to read more. I've had some clunkers in the past, but I've also found some excellent authors who make me want to read more of their work. Example: I have a critique partner who writes sci-fi, not my first go-to when I select a book. When the group worked through his first book, I found his concept very interesting. Does it make me want to read more sci-fi? No, but I can recommend his book without hesitation.  High marks, were I to judge.

I'm on the my last selection, and I have to say overall I'm pleased with the books I received. A couple of these authors are good enough to pursue more from. I stop to wonder if someone is reading my book and thinking "This is awesome!" Book distribution is done "blind" so we don't know who has our books and what they think of them. I might just as easily not resonate with the judges who have my book. This process reminds me of how subjective reading can be. Sometimes we reject a book not because it isn't good, per se, but because the subject matter doesn't "click" with us.

In the everyday world, our books are always being judged by the people who read them. We, as authors, hope to reach the appropriate audience and resonate, either good or bad. If you've read a book, mine or anyone else's, this is a reminder to leave a review on the site where you found it. Let us know how we scored, and if something in particular jumped out at you, a few words to let us know makes all the difference in the world.

The Epitaph Series

"But I don't know how to leave a review"

I saw an interesting post the other day. You've probably seen authors everywhere saying they'd really appreciate it if you leave a review after reading their book. In response to that, the post I read was a survey of reasons why people don't leave reviews, and it was very enlightening.

Why should you leave a review? Every author wants to present the best possible book, and knowing where they connect or disconnect with readers helps them either a) correct what they did wrong, b) do better next time, c) identify where they might be reaching the wrong audience.

"But I don't know what to say." It's simple, really. For example, when you buy the book at Amazon, they send out reminders asking what you thought. I've had some of those reminders ask me a series of questions, which I found very cumbersome and discouraged me from leaving a review, but here's the thing. You don't have to answer all those questions (and I'm not sure they still go that route). When you get that email saying "what did you think?" follow the link. Rate it according to their stars system (with five being "this is the most outstanding book I've ever read" and one being "I'm giving this to the skunk under my porch to read"). Except now they want you to say something! Wait. Don't get scared. All you have to do is say, "I liked this book." This isn't like those second grade book reports, you don't have to tell people the main characters and the plot and the theme and all of that. You just have to offer an opinion. If you feel really brave, you can add why you liked it. "I like this book because I could really relate to that one thing that happened that one time." or "The hero was swoon-worthy." or "The author took me on an African safari, and I could really feel like I was there." On the other side of the coin, you might not like the story. That's okay. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Maybe the author marketed it to the wrong audience. That happens sometimes. Or the heroine was unlikeable. I had an unlikeable secondary character in one of my books, and I heard about it. I knew she was unlikeable, but I underestimated just how much. So I ended up writing a story with her as the main character so readers could see why she was the way she was. Those reviews helped me take the next step - showing you what you couldn't see in the first book when she showed up.

One thing you should NOT do in a review is say "this story sucked" without telling people why.

I just read an old book - I think it was initially published 20 years ago - by a well-known author. I loved the story! When I finished, I did my review, and out of curiosity, I went to read what other people thought of it. Twenty years ago, society was in a very different place, and those people who read it today had some very strong opinions on the societal norms from back then. One in particular that stuck out to me was how one reviewer felt the main character shouldn't have let a man threaten her with his unsolicited, unappreciated sexual advances. She stayed silent and tried to avoid the guy rather than speaking out. Today, women are standing up to these predators, but back then? We've learned our lessons. That part of the story hit a nerve for that reviewer, and I'm sure the author has adapted to the changing times (but that's fodder for another post).

Authors do take reviews to heart. Some reviews fall into the "it just wasn't my cup of tea" category, and we get that. Some reviews we can act on. Like unlikeable characters. Or "I found a whole bunch of misspelled words" (those can be corrected). (By the way, Amazon won't let indie authors publish with a certain threshold of misspellings anymore.) Or "This novel had too much sexual content." Did the author market it as something other than a romance? We can fix which readers we target. Different audiences have different expectations.

To sum up, you don't have to write a book report, but it helps authors if you add a line after you've read a book. Even if it's as simple as "I'd recommend this book to my friends," or "Didn't find it worth the time I spent reading it." You never know when you'll make an author's day with a simple pat on the back, or get them working harder to make it better for next time.

Goodreads

Yes, I am still working on the next book. Epitaph is still with the publisher for approval, and yes, I am anxiously awaiting their thoughts. Epitaph 2 is more than half finished. As most authors do, I'm suffering from writer's angst at the moment. Will the publisher like Epitaph enough to buy the series? Should I keep going with the third book once I finish book 2? Should I take a break from haunted houses and make a return trip to Hoffman Grove?  DOES MY WRITING SUCK?

And then I get a nice review. And I get invited to do interviews and appear on blogs and I take a deep breath and remind myself that "this, too, shall pass," and I keep writing.

And reading.

Reading and reviewing 
How many of you are on Goodreads.com? That's where I keep my reading organized. When I add books to my TBR pile, I add them to my list on +Goodreads so I know where to find them-- they're either on my Kindle or on my bookshelf. Want to know what I'm reading? What books I liked and which ones I didn't? Hey, guess what? if you click on the Book Reviews tab up there at the top of the page, you'll see a lot of the books I've read and reviewed. I almost always review what I've read, because feedback is important to an author. If you tell them how much you loved their last book, they're likely to keep going with the one they're working on now instead of giving up when they hit that muddle in the middle, that angsty part of of the process. Or they might use that review to determine what works best. For instance, in my world, if my next book should be about haunted houses or go back to the "circle of friends" books in Hoffman Grove.

There are some "big name" authors who almost always "Like" my reviews when I leave them. Sometimes it's their "people" (and not actually them), but in either case, it's feedback. What works and what doesn't. Some reviews are way out there and off the wall -- I've had people make comments about my books that make me wonder what book they were actually reading (there wasn't anything like that in that book...). And there are some reviews where people leave a comment that it wasn't what they were expecting. That can be disappointing to some, or that can be a plus.

Not every book is going to strike a chord. I've read my share of clunkers from some of my favorite authors. It's okay to tell them that (in a nice way!). Chances are they already know. And this is where it's important to be constructive. What was it about that book that left you frowning instead of swooning?

Sharing and discovering
The aforementioned reviews also help when I'm looking for the next book to read. Statistics show that most of us buy books from newsletters. {raising my hand} I good blurb and a good cover go a long way in my decision. As far as the reviews go, if I'm on the fence about whether or not to buy it, I'll go to Goodreads and read some of the reviews. In fact, I'll often look at the WORST reviews to see what a reader didn't like. If the "bad" review isn't specific or constructive, I disregard it, but if it highlights something that I know I'll take exception to, I might pass on the book. On the other hand, if I'm not "on the fence" based on the blurb and cover, I'll buy it and NOT read the reviews until I'm done. Or until I reach a point where I'm wondering WHY I'm still reading that book. Then I'll check to see if I'm the only one who didn't enjoy the story. If that's the case, more often than not, I won't leave a "bad" review, but I'll "Like" the bad reviews if they have already commented on the things that strike discord with me.

I might also read the reviews to decide if I want to read related books by the same author, or others in that series. Have you all seen reviews that say "this wasn't her best work," or "I've enjoyed other books by him, but this one didn't work for me." When I've finished one book in a series that I've enjoyed, I might automatically look to others in that series (that's what a series is designed to do!). If I loved the book, the next book in the series is pretty close to a "one click" for me. If I liked it, but didn't love it, I'm going to check the reviews on those other books before I keep going.

Goodreads is very good at recommending books based on your list of books already read, or on your TBR list. While I have Go-To authors, I do like to venture out and discover new voices every now and then. Goodreads will look at themes that I select and present me with new options. They also give me the opportunity to recommend books to my friends. If I've just finished an outstanding book, I can click a button that tells my friends it's worth reading.

Goodreads helps me keep track of the books I've read/am reading. Yes, believe it or not, there are times I can't remember if I've read a book. I've tried LibraryThing and Shelfari as well, but for me, Goodreads remains my go-to reading website.