“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.
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