“TAKE IT EASY ON ME”

 

     The Necessities of Book Reviews

 

 

 

 

Book reviews often remind me of report card time during my school years. A progress report to showcase how well or poorly you’ve performed. Scary times wondering if you weren’t studious enough or that you toed the line.

 

Still, that doesn’t lessen the necessity of why they exist and why every author should want their work reviewed when it is one of the most valuable author resources.

 

Consumers across the board rely on reviews before making decisions on hotels, restaurants, movies, and more. We even read food labels to ensure we get the most bang for our buck.

 

The fact is reviews are a valuable asset to our lives. If we like a product, we buy it and tell anyone who will listen if it’s good.

 

Book reviews work in that same fashion and are a two-way street. The author and reader benefit when reviewers do their job well.

 

I often refer to book reviews as constructive criticism—a necessary evil to gauge strengths and weaknesses of what the reviewer thought of your work.

 

You want your book discussed in vast circulations in more ways than one. No book is a one size fit all for readers. Therefore opinions will vary.

An essential tool since no reader walks away with the same impression of any story. It is valuable to have as many descriptive details of reviewer opinions of your work as an author.

 

 

There should be a balance between good, not-so-good, and bad reviews.

 

If we look at this from the reader’s perspective, then it’s more likely that the next person will read the review and give a thumbs up or down based on that context.

 

Vanity aside, authors want reviews because it sells more books and critiques how well they tell the characters’ stories.

 

Books without reviews are invisible. This doesn’t mean it isn’t great, just overlooked. Books are often starred, ranging from 1-5 stars, which is terrific but could have greater reader impact if accompanied by a review, with the potential to attract book clubs, bookstores, and other reader communities.

 

One major takeaway from book reviews is that they validate the author’s worthiness, especially when the reviewers are real and not manufactured. That could lead to book deals with a major publisher.

 

Book reviewers can be brutal. No matter how much we need them to survive, we can’t expect them not to give their honest feedback. Fact, I would rather have an honest review than none at all.