Skip to main content

My Views on Reviews

When I decided in March that I was going to be organized and more active on social media as a still-burgeoning author, I wrote down in my brand new planner that I was going to write one blog post a month.

Author stuff is anything written in blue. There's not a lot of blue last week.
I truly thought that April's blog post would be centered around my re-release of Play the Man and my release of the novella "A Valuable Trade," which would be published on its own outside of the anthology in which it was originally published. Unfortunately, I don't have the full print cover back from my designer, so all that's going to have to wait.

Crying Dawson and Sad Keanu. Just to give you an idea of my disappointment.

So while I was lamenting over the fact that I'm behind my self-imposed publishing schedule, I tried to brainstorm something else I could blog about. Life has been kind of stressful lately, so there's not much I have to talk about.

Every once in a while, I check my Amazon pages and Goodreads page to see if there are any new reviews or ratings for my books. As an author, I encourage anyone to leave reviews for books! Typically, I only end up leaving reviews if I really love or hate a particular item and feel driven to give feedback, so I don't always follow my own advice. And on my last check, I noticed a new review for Play the Man on Amazon! Yay!

A one-star review.

At first, I was totally bummed. Of course, I want everyone to love my books! I put my heart and soul into them, so it's devastating when I find out that someone doesn't like what I've written. But then I took a deep breath and smiled. I'm sorry that the reader didn't like my book and felt compelled to tell the world how she felt—but that's okay, and I'm glad that she reviewed my work, regardless of how many stars she gives me.

Reviews are so important to an author. Reviews are feedback! Reviews mean that someone's reading and reacting. Ask any author, and they will tell you that they love (and need) reviews for their works. It goes without saying that we favor the good reviews, but I say, "Bring 'em all on!"

I don't interact much with my readers; I want to, but I'm just not that engaging. Honestly, I'm a part-time writer. I'm a part- part-time writer; I'm lucky if I have the brain power left at the end of the day to sit in front of my laptop and type out a paragraph or two. So getting a review really does mean a lot to me. I've only been publishing for two years, so I'm still trying to get my name out there. If someone leaves a review, it means my eBooks is getting out there.

So give me any amount of stars you want, as long as you leave a review. Review me, review other authors. Do your favorite author a favor and review! Feel free to spread the word!

I'll talk to you next month.

Jay

Comments

  1. Well, it's always depressing to get bad reviews. I take at least 24 hours to get over one. But at least text reviews give you a clue as to why the reader didn't like the book.

    I find when I'm writing a book, I can't really concentrate on all the other writing I need to do, like blog posts. There's only so much time to write, and I think books should take priority.

    I'm more excited about your re-releases, since I'm doing the same thing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, it definitely stung. I feel like I'm in high school all over again; I want everyone to love me and my books, but realistically I know I can't please everyone.

      When I'm in writing mode, I can write write write whatever. I can't read, though. I have books sitting on my nightstand that are collecting dust.

      I'm more excited about your re-releases! Haha. <3 writing buddies!

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hottie Hockey Hunks Blog Hop—GIVEAWAY!

Good morning, and happy hockey! Today is officially the start of the 2013-14 NHL season, and I for one couldn't be happier. Well, I'll be happier on Thursday when the Penguins play the Devils for the season opener, but I suppose I'm just being picky. Anyway. Have you ever heard of a blog hop? I hadn't—until I was invited to join one! So let me explain: bloggers with common interests unite to promote each other. So below, I have a link of seven other hockey romance writers you might be interested in. If you're familiar with me, then you've probably heard of Melanie Ting—a fellow writer who got her start in Blogger. But you should check out these other ladies and maybe find some new authors to enjoy! As a part of the Hottie Hockey Hunks Blog Hop , I'm sponsoring a giveaway (cue flashing lights! Cue trumpets!). I've decided to give a free copy of my new novel, Shots on Net , to one lucky reader who comments on this post! Please leave your e-mail addre...

Classy, Crafty, and Super Sassy

After releasing two books in the span of two months, I've been doing a bunch of different things. Some of it is working on what I've been calling my "Top Secret Project." I think it's gonna be a trilogy, taking place on a new team. I'm trying to get the entire trilogy ready for a quick release schedule. If I can manage it, I'll have it out by the end of the year, but no guarantees! I've also been enjoying my summer! Last year, I felt like I had wasted my summer. I didn't want that to happen this year. So I instituted Pool Day, which was every Wednesday at the community pool (weather permitting, of course). I went to see one of my favorite bands, Jimmy Eat World. I went to the zoo with my friend and her little one. I've already been to the Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival once, and I'm sure I will be going again. What else? I've tackled a huge project that's been sitting on my shelf for far too long. What's that...

Resolution Update #3

It's been a while since I updated my blog, which is just because life has been so crazy. My Maxie has crossed the Rainbow Bridge after her struggles with chronic renal failure. That was a very devastating day for me, but the positive side is that I was able to welcome two new kitties who needed a forever home. Flynn and Anna have their very own Instagram account , because I'm a crazy cat lady who needs an outlet to share all their adorableness! There was a lot of stressful change in March and April, but I feel like my life is slowly starting to even out again. One of my resolutions was to get three books published this year, and the past two months have definitely thrown a wrench into my writing schedule. I was able to get a lot of writing done this weekend—enough to get the first half sent off to my critique partner. So, while it's taken a lot longer than I had planned, BREAKOUT PLAY is moving along. Another resolution of mine was to go to the gym three times a week...