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What Authors Need To Know About Book Reviews
I have been wanting to write this article for a while about book reviews. They tell you when you research the possibility of becoming an author that one of the best ways to sell your works is with good book reviews. However, book authors need to stop beating themselves up when they receive a bad book review or several bad book reviews.
Whether you receive one star or five stars -- what you need to realize is that you can't control what people say about you because we live in a critical world and if you are not being criticized then you are probably sitting in a corner somewhere. To be a successful author -- you need to have thick skin - which is the ability to withstand criticism. If you are not criticized every once in a while then something is definitely wrong -- but it could also mean that others are just hating on you.
Some authors really take these criticisms to heart and it might even stop them from publishing other writing projects. I am the author of 21 non-fiction books but when I wrote my first book, "Flying While Black: A Whistleblower's Story" in 2001 -- my co-workers went on these book review websites and gave me negative reviews because they were just hating on me especially after I became a federal whistleblower, TheCathyHarrisStory.com, and exposed some of the illegalities they were committing against international travelers especially black women.
I publish a lot of material through my series of articles and books so eventually I will probably make some type of typo or misuse the wrong word especially when I am on a deadline to get something out. But unlike many authors, I don't have every other word misspelled or used incorrectly in a sentence.
Even after using several proofreaders to proofread my work, I still go back sometimes and realize I said something incorrectly but I don't let it bother me because overall, I have good content in my articles and books that can be read by 12 year olds and above and as a non-fiction author -- it's all about publishing good 'readable' content that will change the lives of your readers.
Amazon is the largest online book publishing company out there with their own community of authors and others who criticize the work of authors by giving book reviews. Many of these authors have works out through Amazon but they not only criticize other authors -- they criticize Amazon -- even though this company is giving them a chance to make money with their books.
The people in the Amazon communities are very negative and I never spend too much time there reading what they have to say because again - everyone is entitled to their own opinions, however, initially I did go to these communities to get writing questions answered.
A fiction author with a series of .99 romance books was paying people to write reviews for him and somehow Amazon found out so now we know that authors are desperate to get these good reviews to the point that they would actually pay people to say something nice about them.
When new and established authors publish a book, they beg their family and friends to go to these book review websites and give them five stars and post a good book review, however, I believe if you put out good work with good content, the work should sell itself.
Marketing will be key when it comes to selling books. Promoting and marketing will be the most expensive part of writing a book. A website, blog or media kit will not make your book successful.
What you need to remember is that writing a book is 5% and marketing it is 95%. Every author or business owner should be marketing their books or business at least 75% of their time. Marketing brings in customers and clients and you need these customers and clients to keep your business afloat.
So the next time you receive a bad book review through these book review communities, it up to you to read it but again don't let it stop you from moving forward and continuing with your writing projects. However, remember that first impressions means a lot in the business world and on many occasions you only have one chance to make a first impression. When you put your work out there online, it is a clear reflection of who you are so make sure you put out your best work possible.
Just remember that receiving good book reviews is not the only way to market your book. You can find over 30 ways to market your books, your business and yourself by reading the business book "How To Take Control of Your Own Life: A Self-Help Guide to Starting Your Own Business," at www.angelspress.com -- which also list EVERY STEP you need to take to start and build a successful business. The book is available as an e-book and paperback and will be coming soon as an audiobook.
Cathy Harris is known as the Empowerment Guru and is the author of 21 non-fiction books which covers topics on family and community empowerment, health, youth and adult entrepreneurship, writing/publishing, workplace discrimination (sexism, sexual harassment, sex and race discrimination), whistleblowing, law enforcement, government, domestic and international traveling, politics, media, beauty/self-esteem, car buying and selling for women, aging/retirement - just to name a few. Her books and articles are full of content-rich material to help anyone get back into the driver's seat.
She is also an Empowerment and Motivational Speaker, Non-GMO Health and Wellness Expert, Business and Self-Publishing Coach and is the author of "How To Write A Book: The Complete Guide To Writing and Selling Your Own Paperback or E-book" and she can be contacted through her empowerment company at Angels Press, P.O. Box 19282, Austin, TX 78760, http://www.angelspress.com, email: [email protected]. She offers 90 day book consulting services at http://www.CathyHarris-HowToWriteABook.com and is available for health, business and self-publishing seminars and workshops at www.CathyHarrisSpeaks.com.
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