I’ve been an avid reader since birth. (Yes, the plastic, floatable book about duckies Mum put in the bathtub with me counts.) I now read multiple books a week, so can’t even guess how many that is over a lifetime. But I’m here today to confess to a crime. I’ve only recently started reviewing books. Only since I became a writer have I realised the importance of participating in the author’s journey.
We all dream of quitting the real world and writing full-time from a yacht in the Caribbean, a lighthouse in Maine, an overwater villa in the South Pacific, or a cottage on Exmoor. (I vote last one.) Okay, that may just be me as a travel addict and homesick expat. Other authors may dream of covering publishing costs and paying a few bills with their writing, but you get the point. Anyway, do you, the reader, realise your part in helping an author achieve that dream? Buying the book is a lovely start; reviews are just as important in driving the machine. So here are a few points for your consideration:
1) Just fifty reviews on Amazon gets a book more exposure.
2) Reviews shape future work, and not just the good reviews. The author learns much from the reader who found their child-killing dragon’s love of teddy bears unreasonable. But the author is also encouraged by the reader who ‘gets’ their vision: dragons have needs too. And they’ll write more of what the reader wants.
3) A review only needs to be a few words. Sure, we’ve all seen the thousand-word theses on Goodreads. But ‘I enjoyed this book’ on Amazon is equally as helpful.
4) Giving a book lower than three stars impacts rating algorithms. I’m unlikely to finish a book I’d rate one or two stars anyway. It may not be a bad book, just a mismatch for the reader.
5) You can review a book on Amazon even if you didn’t purchase there, which brings me to my next point.
6) All the books in the photo were found on a charity fundraiser table for $1.00 apiece. I bought them, because, well, I’d have been stupid not to. But I did worry about the authors. Not one of them got a single penny from my purchase, which may not have worried Stephen King, from a financial viewpoint, but could have impacted others. And forget the money, what about the talent? John Green spent six years writing ‘Turtles All the Way Down’ and, in my humble opinion, it’s a work of genius. That deserves to be rewarded. So … if you borrowed from a friend or a library, purchased at a garage sale or half-price book store, please consider reviewing. If you paid full price, first, thank you! Second, you’ve definitely got skin in the game. Help shape what you want to read next by reviewing.
From all of us writing in basements or on the bus to work or at 5am before the household wakes, thank you for playing your part in the author’s journey. You and your reviews are appreciated more than you will ever know.
Now, I’m off to review that bathtub ducky book. My apologies to the author for my tardiness.
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