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Why Reviews Matter
Reviews matter to authors. Of course we don't like a spate of bad reviews, or a major reviewing publication printing an awful review. But do those small reviews put up at places like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Goodreads matter? You bet they do.
Writer Mindy Klasky (whose new book Single Witch's Survival Guide just premiered!) did a blog post over at Magical Words on how a simple review can make a world of difference for your favorite writers. (Not a critique--that's something else. Simply, a review is something about what you've read and liked/didn't like as much--a critique is when the work is not done, and changes can be made.)
An excerpt:
"Reviews are the key to free, online promotion at one of the (the?) largest bookseller in the world. In addition, reviews are the key to valuable promotion that authors can purchase.
That bookseller? It’s Amazon, of course. Amazon has fancy, secret algorithms for promoting work to readers. Many of those algorithms are triggered by a book receiving X number of reviews. How many reviews? I don’t know. (Remember, I just said, the algorithms are secret.) But once a book receives 20, or 30, or 50, or 60 (these are all numbers bandied about by those supposedly in the know), Amazon starts to promote the book. That promotion can be the “Readers who bought X also bought Y” type promotion. Or it can be emails sent to actual buyers: “As a reader of X, we recommend that you buy Y”. Or it can be placement in various ad slots on various website pages."
A review doesn't have to be long and involved, it doesn't have to suggest that you're trying to become a book reviewer. (I've done it--it pays squat, in case you wondered...) It's simply a shorthand way of announcing to the world "I liked this book! It made me..." In fact, despite being blessed with a bunch of great reviews over the years, every one of them valued, my favorite review remains one for Kindred Rites (and actually talking about an incident in Night Calls).
"I love these books, Night Calls and Kindred Spirits. I have read them over and over and I don't think I have ever read anything similar. I hope she writes more - they are a unique vision of our country when it was young.
Parts of her books are genuinely creepy. I don't think I'll ever look at a loose post in a field the same way - much less disturb one!"
I have no idea who PamR is, but I'm glad she liked the books, and that my curious thoughts about fence posts, and the ancient legends about them, gave her a new way of looking at our past. So when you have a moment, dash off a brief review about your favorite books. A review or recommendation to your friends is the best gift, other than your purchase of their book or encouraging your library to purchase it, that you can give to authors.
We appreciate it!
Writer Mindy Klasky (whose new book Single Witch's Survival Guide just premiered!) did a blog post over at Magical Words on how a simple review can make a world of difference for your favorite writers. (Not a critique--that's something else. Simply, a review is something about what you've read and liked/didn't like as much--a critique is when the work is not done, and changes can be made.)
An excerpt:
"Reviews are the key to free, online promotion at one of the (the?) largest bookseller in the world. In addition, reviews are the key to valuable promotion that authors can purchase.
That bookseller? It’s Amazon, of course. Amazon has fancy, secret algorithms for promoting work to readers. Many of those algorithms are triggered by a book receiving X number of reviews. How many reviews? I don’t know. (Remember, I just said, the algorithms are secret.) But once a book receives 20, or 30, or 50, or 60 (these are all numbers bandied about by those supposedly in the know), Amazon starts to promote the book. That promotion can be the “Readers who bought X also bought Y” type promotion. Or it can be emails sent to actual buyers: “As a reader of X, we recommend that you buy Y”. Or it can be placement in various ad slots on various website pages."
A review doesn't have to be long and involved, it doesn't have to suggest that you're trying to become a book reviewer. (I've done it--it pays squat, in case you wondered...) It's simply a shorthand way of announcing to the world "I liked this book! It made me..." In fact, despite being blessed with a bunch of great reviews over the years, every one of them valued, my favorite review remains one for Kindred Rites (and actually talking about an incident in Night Calls).
"I love these books, Night Calls and Kindred Spirits. I have read them over and over and I don't think I have ever read anything similar. I hope she writes more - they are a unique vision of our country when it was young.
Parts of her books are genuinely creepy. I don't think I'll ever look at a loose post in a field the same way - much less disturb one!"
I have no idea who PamR is, but I'm glad she liked the books, and that my curious thoughts about fence posts, and the ancient legends about them, gave her a new way of looking at our past. So when you have a moment, dash off a brief review about your favorite books. A review or recommendation to your friends is the best gift, other than your purchase of their book or encouraging your library to purchase it, that you can give to authors.
We appreciate it!