Book Reviews
I’ve been concerned a lot just lately with reviews of my books. That might seem a bit egotistical. There could be some truth in that, but there are also some very good reasons why reviews matter a great deal to a writer.
I can remember some five or six years ago uploading to a web site that was mainly for new writers, the first five thousand or so words of what was to become ‘Good Investigations’. I doubt I would have felt more exposed if I’d instead chosen to run naked down the local high street. The main reason I put myself through such an experience was the promise of feedback on my work from other users of the site.
And feedback I got. Most of it was really useful and clearly well thought through. It was the kind of thing that genuinely helped me to improve my work.
It is still a massive help to get feedback from readers of my books. Although I write what I enjoy writing, I do also want to sell my books, which means I need to be aware of what people like and what they don’t like so much about my writing.
The second reason reviews matter so much to writers, and in particular indie authors, is that they are a pre-requisite if we want to be able to use the better quality marketing companies to promote our books to new readers. And it’s not simply a case of getting a handful of reviews. Most of these outfits want twenty or more reviews.
And this makes a big difference to authors because the best marketing outfits produce vastly better results than the rest.
So if you ever find yourself wondering why this author, or any other for that matter, appears to be a little bit obsessed with chasing for reviews, you’ll know now what’s on their mind. True, there may be a little bit of ego at play, but mostly it’s all for very practical and down-to-earth reasons. Reviews really do make a difference.
For the full version of this post please see http://www.benwesterham.com/a-writers....
Get a free copy of the novel 'Good Investigations' here http://www.benwesterham.com/home.
Crime fiction with attitude and humour from 1980s London.
I can remember some five or six years ago uploading to a web site that was mainly for new writers, the first five thousand or so words of what was to become ‘Good Investigations’. I doubt I would have felt more exposed if I’d instead chosen to run naked down the local high street. The main reason I put myself through such an experience was the promise of feedback on my work from other users of the site.
And feedback I got. Most of it was really useful and clearly well thought through. It was the kind of thing that genuinely helped me to improve my work.
It is still a massive help to get feedback from readers of my books. Although I write what I enjoy writing, I do also want to sell my books, which means I need to be aware of what people like and what they don’t like so much about my writing.
The second reason reviews matter so much to writers, and in particular indie authors, is that they are a pre-requisite if we want to be able to use the better quality marketing companies to promote our books to new readers. And it’s not simply a case of getting a handful of reviews. Most of these outfits want twenty or more reviews.
And this makes a big difference to authors because the best marketing outfits produce vastly better results than the rest.
So if you ever find yourself wondering why this author, or any other for that matter, appears to be a little bit obsessed with chasing for reviews, you’ll know now what’s on their mind. True, there may be a little bit of ego at play, but mostly it’s all for very practical and down-to-earth reasons. Reviews really do make a difference.
For the full version of this post please see http://www.benwesterham.com/a-writers....
Get a free copy of the novel 'Good Investigations' here http://www.benwesterham.com/home.
Crime fiction with attitude and humour from 1980s London.
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