When are people going to start reviewing?

[EileenG]

Originally Posted by Elfwreck

It's also unclear whether the "reviews" on ebook sites are intended for the authors or for other readers/potential buyers; the target audience changes what gets written.

That's true. When I review, it's to give potential readers an idea of what they are getting and if they are likely to enjoy it. I assume the author has already had all the feedback he or she is likely to accept.

[Elfwreck]

Originally Posted by EileenG

That's true. When I review, it's to give potential readers an idea of what they are getting and if they are likely to enjoy it. I assume the author has already had all the feedback he or she is likely to accept.

And even if the author wants feedback, reviewing to avoid spoilers means the author doesn't get to find out what really worked or didn't.

Reviews that say "get this book if you like intensely emotional action scenes and hot romance; skip this book if you don't like detailed medical info or jealous-ex-girlfriend scenes" is useful for other readers, but may not give the author any info.

[Anke Wehner]

Yep, like the previous commenters, I see reviews as a tool to tell other potential readers what I thought about a book, if I would recommend it, and what aspects stood out to me that other people might like, or be put off by.

For feedback to improve my writing, I'd ask other writers to beta-read... (Not that I have the nerve to actually do that yet.)

[VydorScope]

Yea I feel the same way as.... eh everyone. As an author I wish I had more feedback from my readers. As a reader... I read to relax and for enjoyment, not for more work writing a review... I do post book reviews from time to time on various sites, but only if the book stands out in some way.

Now if anyone ever asked me to review their book for a blog or etc, I probably would do it. But that has not happened yet...

[apbschmitz]

Maybe in the future readers will look at a novel as being a collaborative process, and will understand that the technology now allows a book to change over time. Maybe then they'll be more eager to tell you what they think. But that's not how it's been up to now. Until recently there wasn't an easy way to get in touch with the author. And really, I'm not sure where it would get you if you considered your readers your collaborators. You could end up rewriting the same book for half your life on the basis of their good and bad suggestions.

[Aladyleyna]

In most cases, especially on places like Smashwords, I don't dare to review because I'm afraid that I'm not professional enough. I do review the books on my blog though (or at least, am trying to, provided I am disciplined enough to do so), but not on the site itself. I guess I'm afraid that I don't really know much about what makes a book good and so on in a professional way.

But I do review from time to time on fanfiction.net though, because at least I know the writers there are of the same standard as me. But for professional writers though? Too scary.

[ficbot]

Why is it too scary? Reviews, imho, really aren't for the writer anyway. They are for the other readers, who are people just like you and simply want to know if a given book is worth their time.

I have several years experience with another niche community (exercise videos) and what I found was that over time, most people who read the reviews come to recognize other people who have similar tastes as they do. For me, there was a woman named Debbie who seemed to like the same things I did. If Debbie liked it, odds were I would too. If Debbie said to pass and I didn't, I was always sorry later. To be, blogs can serve a similar purpose. If someone reads enough of the same books I do, and reads my reviews, they can come to get a pretty good idea of whether they share my taste. And if they do, my reviews will be useful to them.

I have no problems with the authors reading the reviews, and when I do offer a criticism, I offer it constructively. But I really do see the reviews as being written primarily for other readers, and it is to them who I feel more responsible.

[Tome Keeper]

I think most readers will never review a book, if you want a review contact book reviewers.

[VydorScope]

Originally Posted by Tome Keeper

I think most readers will never review a book, if you want a review contact book reviewers.

Over 7k copies of my first book have gone out via Amazon alone.... I have 14 reviews on Amazon... so I guess your right on that.

[basschick]

consider this: laurell k. hamilton's guilty pleasures has gotten 570 user reviews on amazon but tens of thousands of people have read the book.

http://www.amazon.com/Guilty-Pleasur...9310004&sr=1-1

[Harper Kingsley]

Originally Posted by apbschmitz

Maybe in the future readers will look at a novel as being a collaborative process, and will understand that the technology now allows a book to change over time. Maybe then they'll be more eager to tell you what they think. But that's not how it's been up to now. Until recently there wasn't an easy way to get in touch with the author. And really, I'm not sure where it would get you if you considered your readers your collaborators.

I think that writing has always kind of been a collaborative effort in that you write something and if people buy it you write more. If people don't buy it... you go to the hospital with malnutrition after trying to survive on ramen noodles.

Sites like Goodreads and now Shelfari make it a lot easier to review books (though I'm still a little noob on Shelfari.) Other sites, like Amazon's boards, are more difficult because you get cliques of people and it's like walking in mid-conversation between a bunch of people that just kind of expect you to know what they're talking about.

Still, even if I don't review someone's books, I'll at least click on the star ratings. I guess books with a 4-5 star seem more attractive to me or something.

[Ditchleyportrait]

i would like to review more. there's nothing like penning a great review. i wrote an excellent review for a recent vonnegut tome. there's nothing like it.

i would like to review more, but sometimes books are slippery. you don't have the grasp of them you should. it means you should re-read.

there's nothing like knowing a book well enough or being enthused or made happy by the reading experience that you go on amazon and write up that review!

that said, the great review is like the great novel. it doesn't happen all the time. i wish it did. it takes a special admixture of inspiration and sense of accomplishment or comprehension.

inspiration.

[Aladyleyna]

Why is it too scary? Reviews, imho, really aren't for the writer anyway. They are for the other readers, who are people just like you and simply want to know if a given book is worth their time.

I have no problems with the authors reading the reviews, and when I do offer a criticism, I offer it constructively. But I really do see the reviews as being written primarily for other readers, and it is to them who I feel more responsible.

Cool, I've never thought of it that way. Here I was thinking that reviews were meant to be read by the author! I remember reading this scary story about how an author and the reviewer got into a flame war once and it kind of scared me after that. But what you say really does make a lot of sense though, because I do rely on book reviews to decide whether to buy something.

Since that is the case, I have a whole backlog of reviews to do on Smashwords then!

[EileenG]

Originally Posted by Aladyleyna

Cool, I've never thought of it that way. Here I was thinking that reviews were meant to be read by the author! I remember reading this scary story about how an author and the reviewer got into a flame war once and it kind of scared me after that. But what you say really does make a lot of sense though, because I do rely on book reviews to decide whether to buy something.
!

I remember that. A classic example of how not to respond to a review. I wouldn't mind, but the original review was quite good, and her writing was quite bad.

[anamardoll]

Weighing in as an avid reader/reviewer:

1. It does take time, I'm sorry to say. If your book is priced cheaply -- and if your an indie author, it should be, imho -- then people will pick it up for the price and set it aside for a rainy day. This is a GOOD thing -- you're getting their money today instead of eight months from now when they read it. But it's also frustrating because you're left thinking "Are people reading it and not liking it??? What's the deal??" Be patient, I know it's hard.

2. You might consider very carefully trying to solicit a few "seed" reviews. CHOOSE YOUR AUDIENCE CAREFULLY. Too many authors spam email every Amazon Top 500 reviewer and then get upset when their baby wasn't enjoyed by someone who usually avoids that genre. If you're interested in putting in the legwork, check out my husband's Amazon Reviewer Analysis Tool (ARAT) and start shopping for a reviewer, but you might have an easier time soliciting reviews in a forum on Amazon or here on MR.

3. When the reviews do go up, be polite. As a reader/reviewer, when I see an author ignoring a screed or simply providing a polite "Thank you for your review, I'll keep your points in mind for my next book", I will often support that author with MY purchase and review because they've just clearly demonstrated that no matter WHAT I write, I won't earn myself a new stalker. Some reviewers have had bad experiences with authors and will wait until a review or two goes up before they bite.

Good luck, and above all don't worry that no reviews == no fans. You could just have a book so good that they all don't think it's worth pointing out the obvious.