My thoughts on book reviews

Writing a review for a book is not the same thing as writing a review for a toaster. A toaster either meets your expectations of toasting bread or it doesn't. But it's a whole other story (pun intended) and there's so much more to take into consideration when you write a review for a book you've read.

As a reader, I will never write a book review unless I believe it deserves four or five stars because, as a writer, I know what it takes to write a book, to see it through from an idea to a published novel.  Months, sometimes even years, researching, developing the characters and the plot, writing, rewriting, editing. . . . The list goes on and on.

And, just because I didn’t like a book, does that mean it isn’t a good book? No! We all have different reading tastes, which means we have different opinions. And those opinions can affect a book’s sales because many readers rely on reviews when deciding whether or not to buy a book.

In most cases, the title, genre and cover are what draw me to a book. I read the synopsis and, if it sounds like a book I’d enjoy, I read it. If not, I don’t. I don’t read the reviews because I don't want to be influenced by what others have written; I prefer to make my own decision about whether or not to read it.

The same goes for recommendations. If another author and/or a friend suggests I read a book, I'll consider it but only after checking out the book for myself. My reading time is precious to me and, if I can’t “get into” a book after giving it a fair chance – several chapters, I put it aside and read something else. I don’t write a scathing review, telling other readers how terrible the book is. That’s not my job; after all, I’m not the reading police.

When my first Malone mystery was published, my publisher decided to do a giveaway on amazon. Lots of people downloaded Mixed Messages and several of them wrote reviews. Some, only a few hours after the book went up for free. How could they possibly have read an almost 80,000 word novel that fast? Well, judging from the fact that a few of those reviewers couldn’t construct a basic sentence nor could they spell, I’m assuming they didn’t. As a newly published author, I was at first devastated because those one and two star reviews significantly affected my review average.

But time went by and, thanks to many wonderful reviews, it all worked out. And, I noticed something interesting. Most of the big name authors get those same kinds of negative reviews. I guess there are just some people out there who, for whatever reason, take pleasure in raining on someone else’s parade. I think that's pathetic and sad.

Like all authors, I LOVE to get positive reviews for my books and I appreciate each and every one of them because, as I mentioned, there are lots of readers out there who rely on reviews to decide whether or not to buy a book. And, of course, I really, really want to reach as many of them as possible.

I’ve given my opinion on book reviews and I would love to hear your thoughts. Happy reading!