A Thank You to Reviewers

While having coffee with a fellow author today, our wide-ranging conversation touched on  books, authors, writers group, travel, politics —and book reviews.

Authors, especially those outside the realm of King, Grisham, Roberts, Patterson and a few other literary luminaries, depend on readers to leave reviews on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads and similar book websites. 

More reviews means more exposure to potential readers. 

That being said, we both agreed that asking someone to read a book and then write a review is asking quite a lot. Why? Because the reader has to invest several hours in simply reading, depending on the length of the book. And then, taking the time to write something about the book on a website, whether it's a few sentences or several paragraphs.

Sometimes we authors get a bit antsy about it, and that's simply from our selfish perspective. As mentioned above, a book receives more attention with the number of reviews. At Amazon, for instance, the first magic number is 20. Reaching that level, the book is recommended to other readers who purchase similar books. It's all part of the algorithms used in the Amazon shopping experience.

Now back to the reviewer. I believe it's important that the author requesting a review realizes that it takes time to read a book, in addition to everything else swirling in a person's daily life. I know I don't have time to read a book in a day or two because of other things going on.

While I have reviewed books at the request of friends and authors, one thing I always do is leave reviews and rankings in all the books I read. If you own a Kindle, that's the first thing you see when you finish a book. But I do it when I turn the final page on a print book as well.

And while readers are giving a boost to authors with their reviews, they're also letting other readers know about the books they recommend, or perhaps those didn't especially enjoy. I always check out reviews before deciding on a book. 

So I want to thank  those who have reviewed by novels. And for those who haven't, I do hope you will take the time to leave a few words and a rating at an appropriate website. And please do it for other authors and readers as well. We truly appreciate it.

Here are a few good blog posts to get you started:

How to Write a Book Review on Amazon

How to Write a Good Book Review

How to Write a Book Review on Amazon

Until the next time . . . 

Goodreads Giveaway

Thanks to all the 419 readers who participated in the Goodreads giveaway for my latest novel, Darkness Beyond the Light.

I mailed books the day after Christmas to Meredith in Florida, Robert in California, Jennifer in Missouri, Toya in Tennessee, and Ronald in Utah.

During an Amazon.com promotion that prompted 145 requests in November, I awarded five ebooks to Diane, Tammy, Stephanie, Michelle, and Jennifer (states not revealed). 

While there are no strings attached to a giveaway, I do hope the recipients will take a few minutes to rate and review the novel in Goodreads, Amazon, or some other website(s). 

Indie authors need all the support they can get from readers and fellow authors. I do hope that every time you read a book, you'll show your appreciation with a review and/or rating. I do that with every book I read, even those I don't particularly like. Any review/rating is better than no review/rating.

Needless to say, the biggest boost you can give to all authors is to purchase books. And I thank every one of you who made a financial stake in buying my books and investing your precious time in reading them. 

If you're short on funds, I recommend you ask your library to purchase the books you want to read. And that's not just the ones I've authored. You have your favorite authors so show them some support (and love). Libraries have budgets to purchase books, and your tax dollars support them.

Until the next time. . . .  

Book Promotion and More

It's been a busy past few days for me as I've been involved with various and sundry book-related activities. As I've mentioned in previous posts, writing a book is just one part of the process. There is also the rewriting and editing phase, and then, promotion.

My Goodreads promotion for "Old Ways and New Days" is over. There were 443 entries for the five books, with winners from South Dakota, Pennsylvania, Florida, Mississippi and Alabama. I hope they enjoy the novel and take time to leave a review in Amazon or some other review site. Or, better yet, tell their friends about it. Nothing helps promote a book better than word of mouth.

And I might add that authors appreciate reviews and or ratings and word-of-mouth recommendations. Those online ratings are visible so please do me and other writers a favor with a rating, and if you have the time, a short review. 


I've also produced a trailer for the novel. It's pretty basic stuff as I only wanted to include the essentials. I've been guilty in the past of having trailers that ran a bit long. Lots of viewers don't want to spend that much time on something like that so this one clocks in at about one minute, 30 seconds. 

Next on my agenda is the Kentucky Book Fair on Nov. 14 at the Frankfort Convention Center. About 225 authors and illustrators will be taking part, signing and talking about their books with patrons, taking part in symposiums and panel discussions. You can download the catalog at the website.

This marks the 34th year of the state's premier literary event, and proceeds benefit public and school libraries. If you're in Frankfort, drop by my table for a visit. A lot of effort has been put forth by some dedicated small army of  volunteers. 

I also hosted a "Meet Kentucky Book Fair Authors" program on the local FPB-TV cable station. I've included them here as well for your viewing pleasure.

Well, I need to go address some postcards and mail a few more books. 

Until the next time....