What’s in a Review?

One of the ways it’s said that books sell is to have reviews.  Lots and lots of reviews!  Of course, you probably want good reviews to sell your books.

But how do you get them?  You can do what I do with some authors - it’s called a review swap!  It’s where we swap books and review them for each other.  Hopefully if you try this you will have a positive experience with it.

It’s a great way to read books in genres you wouldn’t normally read.  Plus you will make some nifty author connections as well.

It’s probably no surprise that as a writer, I also like to read.  My favorite genres to read are poetry, mysteries, sci fi, adventure and non-fiction.  I find out about books I like to read from reviews usually in articles, email book clubs or updates from bookstores, or in magazines.

I started thinking, though, about all the books these places must come across or receive for review.  How can anyone review that many books?

Many times the blurbs in a magazine sound really good, but when I get the book to read I don’t like it at all.  It’s like a movie tag line or an elevator pitch - you may not like the product as a whole or in this case book as a whole, but then again you may love it.

Now, I’m sort of an unconventional writer and poet.  I work in sales and marketing in my day job and I simply do things differently.  I do the same thing with my writing as I don’t really seek to get my books reviewed, and I know I’m not selling them so much based reviews.  I don’t truly worry about it.  It’s nice if someone gives my book a 4 star or 5 star review but it’s okay if they don’t!

What’s in a review?  A review is something you have to read with an open mind (as hopefully the reviewer did as well) and realize the reviewer might love, like, or hate the book and you as a reader might not feel the same way at all.

So by all means, go after those reviews or review swaps if you want, but don’t worry if you don’t.  I have had great success with my e-book and book sales with reviews and without!

It’s the writing that is important after all, and if your piece is meant to be read, it will be!