There are plenty of challenges most indie authors face. Sales, time management, motivation, relevance, but one of the most intense struggles we have is to get reviews. This isn’t the first time I write about this though I’d love for it to be the last (crossing fingers).
Here’s the thing, being an indie author I don’t have a team of people courting influences, bloggers, book reviewers, BookTubers, and bookstagrammers. I’m a one human army in the pursuit of my dreams in relation to plenty of things, reviews included. This means I depend on people like you and anyone kind enough to drop a review. You might be wondering on the title of this post and if you’re wondering what the relevance of the number 50 is, it’s the magic number on Amazon that opens a couple more doors to more readers. If we hit 50 reviews on Amazon, our books start appearing in more searches. Simple enough, right? Not so much.
Still… that’s what I’m aiming for in regards to any of my books: 50 reviews.
For some context, take into account that I published Only Human in 2013 digitally and have been selling physical copies since 2014. In that time, I’ve sold around 300-400 copies online in total. Might be more, but not sure. From all those sales, I’ve gotten 30 reviews and that’s actually a great percentage. Still, I do my best to earn those extra 20 reviews, even if they’re bad, because I know every review helps. I write about it once in a while, but I try not to pester because people have enough on their plates with their day-to-day lives. I also ask, because I’ve made it a habit to review everything I read. I do that for a couple of reasons. First off, to help others. Secondly, because it helps with retention and reading a review I can remember a LOT of what I’ve read.
When it comes to music, I may enjoy listening to things online, but I also share videos and tell people about new music, and when I really like something I buy the album, even in this age of streaming. The same with restaurants and I’m pending to write a lot of reviews to help out the places I love once this Corona Times pass. For me, it’s all about sharing the things I enjoy and giving a heads up about the good and the not so good. Some people write reviews just to be catty and nasty and although I see the entertainment value, I’ve only dropped one scathing review of one book because I had it recommended constantly at Borders, in Barnes & Noble, and other websites and when I read it, it was pretty awful. Since then, it’s not to say I haven’t left bad reviews, but I’ve desisted from spilling the tea for entertainment’s sake. It’s not to say you shouldn’t do this, but I’ve stopped seeing value in that approach.
Still, beyond sharing the wealth, I know the difference a review can make. I’ve known to be having a horrendous day only to be greeted with the wonderful surprise of a review, or someone who shared one of my vids or random posts on social media, or a comment, or a thank you note, or a picture with an Estrada Crate, or a shout out, or a mention, or an invitation to a podcast or live panel, or countless other generous things and I feel the need to pay it forward and to also show people I care about their work, their passions, and their dreams.
Does a review take much time? It actually totally depends on you. Want to dive in depth to the next level? Bring it. Want to leave a one-line review? That also works. Do you think the book sucked? Then give it a 1-star review. Seriously, don’t feel bad and let her rip because if you do, even if it brings the average down, it brings the total review count up and in some way, it still helps. As for the 40… I’ll be turning forty this coming August 13th and a boy can always dream, can’t he? So what say you, care to share a dream even in these peculiar times?
As always, a pleasure to have you in this nook of my hyperactive mind.
Peace, love, and maki rolls
Ps: here's the link to Only Human. Cheers
https://smile.amazon.com/Only-Human-Cycle-Book-ebook/dp/B00COMVDY4/
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