Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Writing Reviews "Right"


 Last week, I got an email from a reader who had just finished CALL ME DADDY which said:
I just wanted to let you know, I loved this book! I love how you can make something serious so funny and make the characters seem like real people. I know I should post a review for it, but I'm not very good at writing them and don't know what to say, so I thought I'd email you instead...

What this reader doesn't realize is that she just wrote an awesome review, one that any writer would be proud to receive, and yet sent it to me instead of posting it where other readers could see it.

I get it. When you go on Amazon and look at reviews, many are two paragraph, complex analyses of the book and most readers, while they appreciate the in-depth review, feel they can't write something like that, and therefore, shouldn't. But reviews are very important for authors, and the truth is, while those long reviews are very helpful and great to see, the shorter ones, the ones that are from the heart and written in everyday language, are just as important.

I'll be honest. Rarely do I write long reviews for books unless I see that an author has only a few listed (because, again, I DO realize how important reviews are for authors). Does that make mine less valuable to someone who might be considering the book? I don't think so, and just for fun, I thought I'd give you the "short and dirty" on a few of the books I've recently read.

BETTER IN THE MORNING by Fern Ronay: I loved this sweet, romantic comedy. It made me miss my grandparents, and I'll never look at a penny on the ground the same way again.
https://www.amazon.com/Better-Morning-Fern-Ronay-ebook/dp/B01E5U8TRG/ref=sr_1_1_twi_kin_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1496983526&sr=8-1&keywords=better+in+the+morning

Cheryl Douglas' PERFECT STORM: This is the first book in a series of standalone hot novels.  I love how this author has such memorable characters in every book. And unlike others series I have read,  the sex scenes are never the same and never boring!
https://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Storm-Exes-Cheryl-Douglas-ebook/dp/B071RPKVQ6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1496983894&sr=8-1&keywords=perfect+storm+cheryl+douglas

DESPERATELY SEEKING SIXTY-NINE by J.D. Frettier and R.E. Hargrave: This is a short, sexy book that also made me laugh. The best thing, however, about this book is the interesting way the author depicts life-after-death. I'd like to think we all have our own heaven, and I've been thinking about it ever since I read the book.

https://www.amazon.com/Desperately-Seeking-Sixty-Nine-Green-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B01KH2QE4G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1496984078&sr=8-1&keywords=desperately+seeking+sixty-nine
Justin Bog's WAKE ME UP: This book made me cry. It was disturbing to me because it was so real, and hit too close to home. It's a true artist who can use their words to evoke that kind of emotion.

https://www.amazon.com/Wake-Me-Up-Justin-Bog-ebook/dp/B01LC95HNC/ref=sr_1_3_twi_kin_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1496984775&sr=8-3&keywords=justin+bog
What do you think? I didn't really tell you anything about the books in any of the examples above, but I told you what struck me, personally, about each one. But I did say enough to hopefully spark an interest and make others want to read more.

Back to my original example. Would I be proud to have a review for Call Me Daddy that said:  I loved this book! I love how you can make something serious so funny and make the characters seem like real people.

ABSOLUTELY!

So please, as an author, I'm asking you to review every book you read. Honest reviews. From the heart. They don't have to be long, or detailed, or even written using proper grammar. Because all reviews are important, and they keep us all writing.

And check out the four books I mentioned above. Click on the book title to go straight to their Amazon page, where you can read all about them!

No comments: