Tuesday 21 August 2012

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.

13 comments:

  1. I never realised hpw imortant tags were until recently - I read a book about marketing and using your blog efficiently. Now I plug away with as many tags as I think say what my article is about.

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  2. Yes,Pat ..and I learned a lesson when I accidentally'mistagged' one of my non-fiction books as 'cosy crime'. I'll be more careful in future!

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  3. Wise words as ever, Myra. Your point about readers being disappointed to find they've bought something which isn't what they expected shows the importance not only of tags (about which I agree) but also of making sure your blurb isn't misleading. If you tell them your book's a passionate romance and it turns out to be 50 Shades of Bruises, you're asking for bad reviews.

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  4. Always great to get the boost of a good review, Myra!

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  5. Yes,Bill,I agree the blurb is important ...but I often find it the most difficult bit to do.I've noticed on Kindle that some blurbs are more like a synopsis!
    In the middle of The Stationmaster's Daughter,Maggie and so enjoying it.

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  6. There's no doubt, Myra, that it's important for writers to have (or grow!) a thick skin. Bad reviews are hard to take, but the good ones keep the roller-coaster in motion. Enjoy your great review in The Buteman.

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  7. Great post, Myra - and I'm so pleased you had such a good review in the Buteman. really looking forward to reading Last Dance, as is Simon!

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  8. Thanks for all the comments -how good it is to connect with other writers.

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  9. This is a great post. And well done on that great review. x

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  10. Thanks, Suzanne -I guess we all need encouragement!

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  11. What an interesting post Myra. I never knew that is where Poirot was filmed. Tags - they are my problem, especially when limited to a list from which we must choose. I am so pleased you got a good review. I have no doubt you deserve it but it does help boost the writing moral to see it in print.

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  12. Thanks Gwen- I'm a great fan of Art Deco and was so pleased with the cover Mandy did for the latest book.

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  13. An interesting post. At my stage of writing I'm always thinking about how you need a thick skin when faced with rejections, but so true we still need to have a thick skin once the work is 'out there'!! Good to hear you are getting good reviews!

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