Reviews are important for
every book to meet with success. Good or bad, having a number of reviews helps
to create buzz about a book. Every author hopes for glowing reviews. Good
reviews not only affirm us as writers, they tell the world to read our books.
Not all reviews are positive
of course. In fact, some can be downright negative.
But here is the key: As much as you may want positive reviews, if you take your writing
seriously, you need helpful reviews. Look
for reviews that are honest and specific.
Writing Reviews: If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all. Maybe. At
least that’s advice my mother handed down to me.
There is some truth in those
words when writing a review, but that doesn’t mean you have to be flowery and
complimentary about a book you really didn’t like. Be specific. State exactly why
you didn’t like the book. The reasons you offer may be the very reason someone
else will want to read it. Here is an example: If someone said they didn’t like
my book because they like books filled with explicit sex and my was a clean
read, people who like clean reads will want my book and people looking for
sexually explicit material won’t waste their time.
As a rule of thumb, if I
can’t give a book at least three stars I don’t leave a review. If the book is
poorly edited or had defects the author could fix, I will message the author
with my concerns. That is the professional approach.
Reading Reviews: Don’t look only at the “stars.” Read and re-read those specific
reviews.
One reviewer for Breathing on Her Own said the book was
well written and had a good story but stated she could only give it three
stars. She said the main character was infuriating! The reader lost her
patience with Molly and referred to her as “smother mother.” Was that a bad
review? Not in my book. If I can evoke that kind of emotion with words, I’ll
take it.
Writing Reviews: If you didn’t finish the novel, don’t
write a review.
My husband was probably the
most honest man I have ever known. He
was so brutally honest he could embarrass me in social situations. (“Sorry, I
can’t eat that. It looks like bait!” followed by a very loud, “Becky, why are
you kicking me under the table?”)
He shocked me one day when
told me about a time when he wasn’t honest with his teacher.
Tom’s fifth grade teacher
required a certain number of book reports from each student. She randomly
selected students to deliver oral book reports to the class. One day, Tom was called on to report on a
book. He hadn’t finished the book. He had barely started it, choosing to ride
his horse and play outside instead of doing his homework.
Instead of owning up to his
unpreparedness, Tom stood in front of the class. He recited the title and
author of the book. He named a couple of the characters and told something they
did. Then he lied. He spoke briefly about an adventure the characters faced
(taken straight from the book jacket) then told his fifth grade audience, “I
won’t ruin it for you. If you want to find out what happened, you’ll have to
read it yourself!” At least that was a
somewhat positive review.
I’ve read a few books that
developed slowly, but in the end everything tied together nicely and I was glad
I finished the book. That said, I’ve a couple of troubling negative reviews for
Breathing on Her Own where the reader
didn’t finish the book.
Reading Reviews: I don’t mind a negative review if it helps me grow as a writer, but a
review that states, “This wasn’t my kind of story. I kept reading hoping for
me, but gave up after 20%.” Really? I understand picking up a book and later discovering
it isn’t your cup of tea. I’ve done that myself. But if I didn’t finish the
book because it wasn’t my kind of story…I wouldn’t leave a review at all.
Now if the reader had
said, “The back cover copy made me think
it was going to be a sci-fi thriller” or something totally goofy like that, I
would at least know to go back to the description of the book and see what made
the reader think along those lines. That sort of review would be helpful.
Writing Reviews: Check your facts. Remember I said you should be specific? Make sure
your facts are correct before you post the review. You don’t want to mislead
other readers and you want it to be evident you read the book.
Reading Reviews: “With a grain of salt.” You may receive a review that is negative with
no real foundation. Read it and move on. One review I had suggested the main
characters tried to hide everything Laney owned to keep it away from another
family suing them. Since that wasn’t true, I read it and moved on. [Actually,
in light of the fact Laney was likely to lose everything, her parents gave up
their retirement fund to make sure she and her family would have a home.]
A few ideas about book
reviews for you to mull over. Remember as you publish, reviews are desired.
They are powerful. And, if well written, they can be helpful to both readers
and writers.
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