I haven't spent much of my adult life thinking about reviews (thank goodness). The first time I ever really thought about reviews was when I was linked to a post about a man that made his living selling reviews. My response?
A thousand dollars for reviews? People will buy just about anything, won't they?
I couldn't fathom why someone would spend even a dollar, let alone a thousand dollars for someone else to review their work. Don't these people have mothers?
But of course, at the time, everything I had published was paid for with a flat fee. I had no investment on how the anthologies did because I had already gotten every penny I'd ever see from the story (at least for the next few years).
A thousand dollars for reviews? People will buy just about anything, won't they?
I couldn't fathom why someone would spend even a dollar, let alone a thousand dollars for someone else to review their work. Don't these people have mothers?
But of course, at the time, everything I had published was paid for with a flat fee. I had no investment on how the anthologies did because I had already gotten every penny I'd ever see from the story (at least for the next few years).
Then I took my first step into self-publishing and my eyes were opened. Learned all kinds of new things like Amazon's fancy pancy algorithms for which books show up first in searches. And I also learned the most important lesson regarding reviews.
Most of the time, people don't write reviews.
I don't know why this didn't occur to me. I mean I'd had an Amazon account for years, and I'd written maybe two reviews over a 10 year period. Why wouldn't I expect others to think and behave the same way I do?
So after my first promo, after I'd given away hundreds upon hundreds of books, I sat back and waited for my first reviews. And waited...and waited...
Most of the time, people don't write reviews.
I don't know why this didn't occur to me. I mean I'd had an Amazon account for years, and I'd written maybe two reviews over a 10 year period. Why wouldn't I expect others to think and behave the same way I do?
So after my first promo, after I'd given away hundreds upon hundreds of books, I sat back and waited for my first reviews. And waited...and waited...
Were they not reading the book? No, my webpage was linked at the last page and my traffic soared. If they hadn't read it why would they go to my webpage?
Did they hate it and not want to say anything bad? No, people sent me fan mail. Bought the other books I had written. Gave ratings on Goodreads. But Amazon reviews weren't happening.
Then I remembered back to so long ago, when I wondered why someone would pay for a review and thought..."Oh...".
So what do you do when it looks like no one is reading your book? Hit up your friends and family for reviews. Let me tell you now, it's worse than begging for money. Can't do it. Mom raised me with too much pride. So really, this is all her fault. Wait! Mom!
Mom raves about my books (cept the one with torture, she had to put that one down). Surely, she'd transfer her love for her daughter and everything she creates into wonderful, adoring praise. Right?
To this day my mom has never reviewed a single one of my books. But she did do a review for Kresley Cole's book, where she gave it one star, ranted about how she hated it, and wanted to post the link to my books if people wanted to read something good instead.
"No, mommy. No!"
This is the part where I'm supposed to offer the solution that solves all your problems. Uh...I'm not that kind of blogger. Sorry.
Honestly, I'm still on the quest that leads to fair, honest reviews raining down upon me. When I figure it out. I promise to let you know.
But at the moment reviews are low on my list. There are only so many hours in a day, and I like to put most of it towards creating the best fiction I can (and fiddling with my blog layout).
Did they hate it and not want to say anything bad? No, people sent me fan mail. Bought the other books I had written. Gave ratings on Goodreads. But Amazon reviews weren't happening.
Then I remembered back to so long ago, when I wondered why someone would pay for a review and thought..."Oh...".
So what do you do when it looks like no one is reading your book? Hit up your friends and family for reviews. Let me tell you now, it's worse than begging for money. Can't do it. Mom raised me with too much pride. So really, this is all her fault. Wait! Mom!
Mom raves about my books (cept the one with torture, she had to put that one down). Surely, she'd transfer her love for her daughter and everything she creates into wonderful, adoring praise. Right?
To this day my mom has never reviewed a single one of my books. But she did do a review for Kresley Cole's book, where she gave it one star, ranted about how she hated it, and wanted to post the link to my books if people wanted to read something good instead.
"No, mommy. No!"
This is the part where I'm supposed to offer the solution that solves all your problems. Uh...I'm not that kind of blogger. Sorry.
Honestly, I'm still on the quest that leads to fair, honest reviews raining down upon me. When I figure it out. I promise to let you know.
But at the moment reviews are low on my list. There are only so many hours in a day, and I like to put most of it towards creating the best fiction I can (and fiddling with my blog layout).
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