Post #29 May 2, 2016

“Reviews: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”

In 2014, I uploaded an alternate history novel called Final Victory to Smashwords.com.  One reviewer from Goodreads had this to say about it, after giving the story 4 out of 5 stars:

“It is a little known fact that the Manhattan Project assembled four nuclear weapons before the end of the Second World War.  One, of course, was tested at Trinity Site, New Mexico and one each was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as we all know.  The last was held in secrecy in the event Japan did not unconditionally surrender.  Philip Bosshardt postulates how close to catastrophe we might have come if the Russians and the Japanese had cooperated on information gleaned from the sieve-like security surrounding the mad dash to perfect an atom bomb.  This epic-length saga tells a chilling tale that rings true at every convolution of the plot.  The historical backdrop is expertly woven, the characters fully developed and the pace nearly perfect.  All fans of historical fiction and alternate history are going to love Final Victory.”

Then another review came in just a few months ago, on my new series Nanotroopers.  This reviewer offered no words, but gave the episode two out of five stars.

So much for reviews.  Actually, book reviewers and reviewers are a godsend to any author, regardless of what they say or whether they love the book or just can’t stomach it.  Why? 

1. It’s feedback, man, from an actual reader.  Writing is by nature a mostly solitary art.  Musicians and actors (especially stage actors) can get nearly instant feedback on their performance.   Not so, writers.  You often feel like you’re working in a vacuum.  Reviewers tell you whether the story is any good.  Reviewers tell you how your efforts and your words have struck them.  It’s often bare-knuckles stuff…I like this, I don’t like this, it put me to sleep, the author should be up for a Nobel, whatever.  All feedback, however well or ill-intended, is useful.  Just seeing your story through another reader’s eyes can give you a new perspective on what worked, what didn’t, what could be improved, what really got their blood pumping.  It should make you a better writer and story-teller.
2. It’s a form of advertising.  One Hollywood wag once said all publicity was good publicity. Just ask Madonna or Lady Gaga.  Reviews can be used to promote your work to others.  Word of mouth and unsolicited testimonials are even better than advertising in many ways.   Who’s opinion would you trust more on what book to read: you’re Aunt Ada or a paid professional on TV or the Internet?  Reviews give you some guidance on what’s trending, what’s hot, what you ought to be looking out for.  Of course, blogs like this one as well as Twitter and Facebook carry some of the same freight now for authors.  More on that later.
3. Every review is a conversation.  Most reviewers are predisposed to write something, good or bad, because they feel strongly about what they just read.  In another words, they’re passionate.  It’s a truism today that authors need to do whatever it takes to identify their readers and engage with them, in other words, start a conversation.  There are valid marketing reasons to do this.  Some websites like Wattpad encourage a writer-reader connection, where the writer can post sections of a work for immediate feedback.  Many readers are very interested, even thrilled, to be able to contribute to fleshing out a story, suggesting possible plot lines, characters, settings, whatever.  A reader who invests time in a review is a reader who wants to have a conversation.  It may be a suggestion for how to do things differently in the future.  It may be a poke in the eye, or the literary equivalent of a Bronx cheer.  Regardless, accept it for what it is…an attempt to engage with the author in some kind of interchange.  Authors should never let an opportunity for interchange with their readers go by.
    
   The Word Shed will take a two-week hiatus during the first two weeks of May 2016.  The next post will be on May 16.  This one will be about researching a book.  How much time and effort should you invest in research?  Research can vary from building an entire world or universe as some SF authors do to writing about your next-door neighbor’s odd predilection for chickens and barnyard animals.  Striking a happy medium between generating an encyclopedia and winging it will be our theme. 
    
   See you May 16.
    
   PB