The value of reviews?

We all like praise and feel downhearted when we receive criticism, but as a writer it's something you have to learn to cope with. It's a bit like having one of your children criticised (well, your novel/short story/poem is your baby in a sense).The immediate reaction is to be defensive, to come back with some response, witty or otherwise.
A good review can inspire you, a bad review make you vow never to write another word. But that is to mistake what many reviews are about (ignoring those which are merely spiteful). Most are a statement of what the reader thinks of your book, rather than a full blown critique and not everyone likes the same kind of novel. This is very fortunate. If they did, there would be no mid-list authors at all, no possibility of success in an increasingly crowded market.
What is important, if you use sites such as Kindle, is to make sure the 'tags' for you book help the reader decide if your genre is likely to appeal to them. If readers like scifi they are going to be less than thrilled if the novel turns out to be a romance, or if they like a gritty thriller to find they've bought a cosy crime novel set in an English village.
With an increasing number of cross genre novels being published and as many e books are very competitively priced, the good news is that readers may be more willing to take a chance on something new.
The current writing and publishing market is so fluid,so unpredictable, we are all learning as we go. All the writer can do is produce the best book he or she can, send it out and move on.
Having said all that, I have to confess I'm delighted to be able to report my latest novel  Last Dance at the Rothesay Pavilion has had a great review in this week's Buteman so a big thank you to Karen Keith...and back to writing!

The front of the Rothesay Pavilion - the only other Art Deco building of this type is in Bexhill-on-Sea and is often used in episodes of Poirot.