The Murphey Saga: book reviewers

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Wednesday Writerly Way ~ Reviews and Giveaways

One of the hardest thing to get as an indie author is free book reviews and reviews in general. How can you get 'em? That's the big question for today.

Some GoodReads sections have areas where you can get your book in a queue line for ARCs, or reviews. There are even sections set up for reviewers looking for books to read and review. Be aware these fill up fast and the wait could be long before your book comes up. I believe my first indie published fiction, Escape from Second Eden, will be reviewed later this year after a year of being in queue.

Most times, you run across reviewers with a goodly number of followers (2,000+), but they are so back logged in reading material it could take months if at all. If I had a buck for every reviewer that has posted under their submission guideline, *Not accepting new material at this time,* I'd be rich. Believe me, I've perused thousands of these sites over the years.

Now I could pay to have someone review my books, but I have principles against doing so. But why you may ask...

Is the reviewer giving an honest review, or just in it for the money?
Can a reviewer be impartial when reading for money?
Does it really count as word of mouth advertising when using a paid for service?
Are they grammar Nazis or content readers?
How can they give an honest review of your work when they read thousands of books in a year?
How much credibility does it actually carry?

These are some points I ponder when I look at paid for reviews services. Now I was an rabid reader. Sometimes reading up to two books a week, but that only equates to 104 books a year. Maybe I'm crazy which wouldn't be far from the truth, but why pay for a service to read your book?

Does a Kirkus review carry more weight in your mind when it's a sentence taken out of context on the cover or description? It doesn't as far as me, the reader, goes. I've found more stinkers than roses with paid for review services. They'll review any book for a price. Now if the author was to post the full review that might be a different story too, but it would be unlikely to sell many books.

I've had the stinky reviews about grammar and formatting issues by those who leave reviews in the past and I take them in stride. I even pulled all but one of my books off Kindle for that very reason. That was a logical choice. A no brainer in foresight, but not necessarily a good move when you consider I had my stroke a few days later and have been unable to reformat them to put them back up for sale in a year.

If as an indie author you pay for cover art. If you pay for editing services. If you pay for formatting service. You've already paid through the nose for something you haven't even published yet.

While I agree with the premise you've got to spend money to make money...should you have to pay for reviews too? I'm a relative tight wad. I'll squeeze every penny until it screams for mercy. I'm not opposed to spending hard earned money when I can rationalize it as a need, but some things take a lot of debate to ratify in my mind.

The more rational choice for me is to giveaway copies and have the average Joe review it or maybe another author that writes in the same genre as I do. Someone with a respected opinion would be helpful.

Who would you trust for your reading material, some faceless service or a friend?
Keep writing and loving the Lord.

Monday, May 13, 2013

Monday Mailbox ~ Reviewers and Giveaways

As many of you know I tend to spotlight my reviewer blog/friends from time to time. I actually just read their blogs and posts rather than ask them to review my books because I enjoy their style of book reviews. They are my unsung heroes. I've been conversing with several via email of late.

I rarely do current book reviews here. Most of the books I review have been out a while if not years. They are books that I stumble upon or been reviewed by others. They are based on my current needs and desires. I'm eclectic as a reader and read a little of everything because even though I'm an author, I'm an avid reader too. Ah, the beauty of word of mouth sales as an author. The best kind there is.

Most recently, I've been emailing Michelle Miller. She not only does reviews of books but it takes it a couple of steps farther. She reviews books like any reviewer does, but she hosts several other blogs as well. Read-a-thons by genre where she asks authors to donate copies of their books as prizes to those lucky few winners. She also hosts a write-a-thon for those working on their novel. Talk about being an all around type of reviewer!

I first met Michelle two years ago on GoodReads. I don't remember which section, but it must have been a horror section because I was researching and promoting my zombie wanna-be series of books, I think. She was asking for prize books for her read-a-thon so I checked her out. What better way to get books in reader's hands and do double duty promotion? She had a far greater readership than I did at the time.

I thought about it for over a week before I jumped on it. I don't make rash decisions. I always put thought into every action prior to action. It was a win-win scenario was my final decision. I donate a couple of e-copies or a signed paperback and she does all the promotion. So whenever she asks, if I have something appropriate, I give and participate when I can.

So today I'm spotlighting Michelle is her various entities. All her posts to each site are current, and she still has time to read and write too. I thought I was multitasking with two blogs. I've got nothing on her in comparison. Check her out! She has something for everyone.