Wanda's world wiews and wamblings

Wanda's world wiews and wamblings

So today we are onto another topic.  Well maybe not.  Maybe it’s the same as yesterday but more targets specific.  Today let's talk about authors. Let's talk about cavemen. 

I can tell you now, I can tell all of you, should you be in a bad mood, feel underappreciated do not read further.  You will take what I am writing in general as a personal affront while this is not what this is about.  So if this is you.  Shut down and come back later or ignore this in totality.  If not, maybe you will take something useful from this wambling. 

Yesterday I focused on the 50 review minimum on Amazon I also talked about the 20 word minimum which, according to me is easily done. So on FB we are all promoting authors and pages from dawn till dusk, sometimes into the wee hours of the night.  I am one of those page spammers extraordinaire.

What does this have to do with authors?  Everything!  Indie authors especially, support one another. They help promote others pages etc but……  Come on you knew that one was coming.  But….

When I go post a review on Goodreads, Amazon etc, do I see a few sentences by other authors? NO. 

Simple hey, no.  I do not see it and I wonder about it because I know x, y and z author read the book.  Confessed to love it or confessed to like it at the very minimum.  But not a word from these authors on the places it can actually make a difference. 

The second thing about authors I want to touch on is this; I get a lot of compliments for my reviews, although I am convinced that most of these compliments are for the fact that I did a review and not the quality of the review.  I really appreciate the fact that the authors do get back to me and thank me for a review and here I have to give every single author I have ever dealt with credit.  Not a one of you remised on this.  But…. Seriously? You did not see that one coming…. but…..

When I go on Goodreads, I am rated as a reviewer as on Amazon.  Very little authors will mark my reviews as good and at this stage; seriously I would be happy with a "noticed" button.  It is a costly story.  The authors that send out printed copies would attest to this.  They pay to have their work send out into a mailing system that fails as often as it succeeds, they need to pay postage and sometimes they even pay the import tax on our behalf. 

Authors, this does not go unnoticed.  But remember, I pay for my internet service, so the same amount of time and money that goes from my account when I switch from my FB account to my blog, to Goodreads to Amazon will be going off from your accounts when you do the same.  My question is, why when you get notified about a review do you not press the button, whether it is the like, helpful or any button?  We get rated on the most obscure of all systems, so obscure that its validity is not questionable it is laughable, but we DO get rated and I have received request for reviews based solely on my review rating.  So please, in future, take that one second longer and click on that button.  It means the world to us. 

My third gripe with authors, I keep hearing you say you have another 5 star review.  Whoopee, I know this sounds harsh but really here I have to say that you guys are chasing stars so much more than reviews, starts will not help without a review, what would you prefer a few five star reviews or 50 reviews written by real people with real opinions and real preferences?  I want to quote a few lines from my current read "The Coffee Shop" by Author Lauren Hunter here that I found perfect for this wambling,

" “Oh, that. I was just wondering how you are with your friends. You don’t mind them being honest with you. You seem to appreciate it. I can think of lots of people that don’t, appreciate it that is.”

“Oh, I don’t always appreciate it, believe me, and if I don’t I’ll let them know. Maybe it’s a guy thing.”

“A guy thing?” “Brutal honesty. Probably goes back to the cave men.” 

Now I love this piece of dialogue because I believe in my heart of hearts none of us like honesty directed at us, I also believe that growth is not possible without it. What is the relevance of this? Guys, you need to wake up and smell the coffee, this is real, critique can at times be unfair and useless, sometimes, though, and it is not.  You and only you know which category critique will fall into pertaining to you personally.  But stop chasing cars in your heads.  Remember that stars will not get you recommended on Amazon etc.  Reviews will. 

Well thats what i think