I like to think I’m a fairly normal consumer. I mean, I’m not saying I believe I’m normal. Let’s be honest. I’m a bit of a weirdo. You have to be to be an author. The movies, heck even books, have created some cool myth about novelists. We drink a lot. Perhaps smoke cigars or, better yet, pipes. Maybe a little pot. We wear those cool cardigans with leather patches on the elbows (man I wish I owned one those). Our muses are sexy little minxes (or whatever the male equivalent is) who get us into all sorts of trouble that then becomes fodder for the page.
The truth is that most of us have other jobs. Real jobs. The kind of jobs that keep us busy at least 40 hours a week. The kind that fund our crazy little side hustle, hunched over a laptop writing worlds into existence and having our way with our imaginary friends. Many of us have kids. A lot of kids. So many kids we’ve forgotten what silence sounds like.
And when we have finally finished a story, we wipe our blood from the pages and put our creation into the world where you, gentle reader, will either enjoy it or hate it. Or worse, give it a three star rating with no review.
You see, I don’t care if you like or hate my stories. Well, that’s not entirely true. I want you to love my stories, but I know they aren’t for everyone. So it’s my job to try and target the right kind of readers. In my case, people who love dark, twisty thrillers with weird, dysfunctional characters who live in the grey area between good and bad.
That’s why reviews are so important to me as an author. They tell me if I’ve written a story that at least some population of readers will enjoy. They also give me hints on how I can improve my craft. I appreciate every review I’ve ever gotten, even the dreaded “did not finish,” because I know how much time and effort goes into writing a book review.
So why should you consider leaving a review after you’ve read a book you’ve enjoyed?
- It helps authors get better.
As I stated above, I do learn from the reviews I’ve received. For instance, some readers thought that my debut novel, “A Killer Secret,” started out too slow. Sure, others liked its intentional slow burn, but I used this feedback to inform the pacing of my latest thriller, “The Fall of Faith.” - It helps other readers discover new authors.
As an independent author, I don’t have the power of a publishing house behind me to create promotions and send me on some multi-state book tour. Instead, I rely on my own guerrilla marketing (mostly email and social media to be honest) to promote myself and my books. And, if you think about your own buying behavior, products without reviews are a harder sell.
- It can help boost sales on certain online bookstores.
Did you know a book needs about 25 reviews on Amazon before the site’s algorithm will kick in and help promote the book to other Amazon readers? That may not sound like a lot, but to an indie author just starting out, it’s hard to amass that many reviews from people who aren’t related to you or aren’t close friends on social channels (yes, Amazon does check).
I’m certainly not telling you that you have to write a long-winded, well-reasoned, fair and balanced review for every book you read, but a few sentences about why you liked it or what makes it unique or enjoyable would be deeply appreciated.
So the next time you finish a book you enjoyed, consider leaving a quick review where you purchased it. And maybe on goodreads.com as well. On behalf of indie authors everywhere, I thank you.
