By Lisa Jordan After one of my first books had released, I made the mistake of reading Amazon reviews. I was caught off guard by a single one-start review. As I read the reviewer’s words, my breath caught and heat scalded my cheeks. How could she write such things? Didn’t she realize the struggle and tears that went into meeting …
Bad Reviews Aren’t Fatal
By Suzanne Woods Fisher A few weeks before my first novel was due to release, I received an advance review from Publisher’s Weekly. That moment is seared in my mind: I remember the time of day it was when I received the email, where I stood in my house, how it felt as I read it. Because it was terrible. …
What About Book Reviews?
By Nora St. Laurent A book review is a thoughtful discussion of a book’s content, style, strengths, value, limitations and recommendation for it (or not) for possible readers of a genre and/or subject. Here is an example of a possible compact review, “this book is a wild ride of adventure, romance and suspense. It would work well for a book …
The Book Review Conundrum
By Nora St. Laurent Authors want them because it helps sales and readers are not sure what to say in them so many don’t write them. Where do you find readers that will write reviews? We’ve heard of some creative ways authors have found new readers. They’ve thought outside the box. One author told us that she sold more books …
What to Do with a Negative Review
By Liz Curtis Higgs I’ve never been voted off the island, named the weakest link, or told what not to wear, but as a novelist I’ve weathered my share of criticism—constructive, destructive, and otherwise. A sharply-worded email from a disgruntled reader makes me question my calling. A scathing review on Amazon sends me back to my w-i-p with a heavy …
Giving Back Through Endorsements and Reader Reviews
By Elizabeth Musser Write now–ah-hem, excuse me–right now, I have a ‘stack’ of novels on my bedside table. Well, they actually reside within my Kindle. None have been published–yet. Some will come out next year with a traditional publisher, several I received from my agent who asked if I would kindly take a look, and three or four are from …
An Unexpected Opportunity
By Mary Lou Cheatham Do you ever find a review of your novel that you wish would go away…simply disappear from Amazon…and not be there when you visit your product page next time? As writers seeking to improve our skills of communication, we thrive on helpful criticism from critique partners, critique groups, and even negative reviewers. But you have a …
Writing Book Reviews: Help or Hindrance?
By Darlene L. Turner Five stars, four stars, or one star? What’s the best rating to give a book? Or should we even be doing book reviews? This is a question I ask myself quite often. Why? Because writing book reviews take time. As we all know, time is something we writers cherish. In order to get our word count …
Write a Book Review That Helps, Not Hinders-Part 2
By Dianna Booher Reading widely and writing book reviews either on your blog or at online bookstores serves your career and your colleagues well. But have you ever read a book review that was totally unhelpful? Certainly you’ve seen some of those posted on Amazon that have never been clicked as “helpful.” Why unhelpful? Think about these review comments: “I …
Write a Book Review That Helps, Not Hinders-Part 1
By Dianna Booher Sooner or later, either passion or generosity (or marketing savvy) will push you to review someone’s book. Passion: You either love or hate the book so much that you must tell the world. Generosity: You know the book’s message will help others. Or, you want to help the author sell books and understand that reviews help sell …