Category: Reviews

Reviews and ratings of books and movies Toi has read or viewed for pleasure.

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Reviews

Reading Reviews

I ask and ask and then finally I asked the right question to the right people. What did I ask? Well simply, who wouldn’t mind reviewing my book…and no I didn’t pay anyone to do it. I just wanted to know what someone outside of my family really thought of my book. I was connected with a few people to see if there was interest and ‘tada!’ I got reviews… and honest ones at that.

I’m thrilled to know that though my book may not be the next great American novel, it hasn’t brought anyone into fits of rage with complete disgust. I’m also pleased to see that downloads of my free ebook have picked-up and will hopefully result in an increase of book sales.

In all I find that writing is still the one thing that keeps me going in the midst of all the chaos of life. Even though I desperately want my book to be widely popular and continue to take measures to help that along, I find that it’s not a bother to me or a worry. I guess I know that deep down in the back of my mind that no matter what happens I’m going to keep writing. I’m sure I’ll come across some highly opinionated person, eventually, who will tell me that my book is crap, but all long as I know I like it and at least five other people like it, I’m good.

Here are a few links to some of my reviews. Some are repetitive, but not all. There’s a good mixture of praise and criticism here, which I’m more than satisfied not to argue with. As a first time self-published author, I’m pleased with this achievement.

GoodReads-book description and reviews.

Amazon– book description and reviews.

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I’ve been interviewing authors over at the Eternal Curse Series Blog, check it out to see what author Bridget Straub has been up to.

Interview: http://ecsuniverse.blogspot.com/2012/11/interview-05.html

Guest Post: http://ecsuniverse.blogspot.com/2012/11/guest-post-02-bridget-straub.html

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Reviews

How to write a review: Part 4.

*Lastly, posting reviews can also be tricky, but I believe there is a rhyme and reason for that as well. Always try to post your review at the location or site it was purchased or obtained. Sometimes, books are received without knowing the location of purchase, but that’s not a problem. Most books are now available for viewing and reviewing at GoodReads.com.

Lastly, if you have a blog, Facebook page, Stumble Upon, Google+, twitter, or other social media outlet, post your reviews there. As with most sites these days, reviews are just the tip of the iceberg. You can also show your support by rating, ranking, and Liking books and pages where applicable. For example, most Amazon book listings come with a Like button, rate option, and review option. Take a few extra seconds and pursue all three.

I hope you found this to be helpful and wish you all the best in your reading, writing, and reviews. I think I have finalized the details of the Review Challenge that I’m going to host. I think it will be a lot of fun. I will be awarding prizes to the winners. Winners will be based solely on votes. Be sure to come back tomorrow to learn all the details of challenge and the prizes…

In the meantime, I will be posting a whole bunch of reviews I should have done ages ago. They are for traditionally published books as well as Indie published books. It’s time I started putting all my theories into practice and stop being afraid to express myself when writing reviews. (I used to post my reviews at the following blog: http://ecsuniverse.blogspot.com/)

Categories
Reviews

How to write a review: Part 3.

Step 5. Always be honest. A good review doesn’t mean that you have to love the book, but always try to be fair. Readers can tell if you’ve written a review to falsely build up a books rating and they can tell if you are intentionally beating a book down out of spite. Also keep in mind the average person isn’t going to be as thorough in their reviews as other writers and bloggers. This is a good thing. A distinctive credibility is what you want to display when writing a review. It should help set you apart as a writer and a professional. A good review comes with clear explanations of why the book was loved, liked, ignored, or hated; without clear explanations, reviews worthless.

After writing all this, I’ve decided to challenge myself to write more reviews. I also invite you to write more reviews, maybe even one for my new book Eternal Curse: Giovanni’s Angel.

Aside from that, I think I’ve just about figured out what to do with my Review Challenge and am pretty sure it will help some Indie Authors get more reviews. I think it will be a nice gesture just in time for the holiday season, whether you have something to celebrate or not. I know it won’t be a huge thing, but each day I’m more determined to try it. After receiving my first ever customer review, and not knowing when another will come, I just feel like I need to give back to the indie literary community somehow.