Writing and Receiving Reviews

Indie authors have a lot to learn about how to make their book visible to the wide world of readers and it takes time, lots of research, and some money.

A first step was to post my book on Goodreads, hoping for reviews there. To encourage followers I was urged to review a few books myself. Easy, I thought, but as I listed the books I’d read the last year or so, I found it wasn’t easy at all.

So I thought I’d start by just doing Star ratings. I soon found that almost all my ratings were 5 stars, because the books I wanted to list were all books I’d thoroughly enjoyed and didn’t hesitate to recommend. But were they all of equal and superior literary value? No.

Books have different strengths. Some are beautifully written, with each sentence elegant and perfect, their metaphors original and exciting. Some have characters one connects with—whether heroes or villains.

Other books may have a fascinating premise or historical setting that can lead to stimulating book club discussions, even if not especially well written. Books can resonate—or fail to–because of the circumstances in your life. How does one distil all these considerations into one review? Understanding this challenge has made me think carefully about what to write. I am sincerely grateful to readers who can write reviews that balance their emotional reactions with an evaluation of the author’s literary skills. I haven’t quite mastered it yet.

Perhaps, to begin with, we need two symbols instead of stars. Hearts for enjoyment, pens for literary quality?

For one’s own book one always hopes for 5 star reviews, but sometimes 4 or 3 star rating with an insightful review might be more intriguing to potential readers. Poor reviews are disappointing, but may provide lessons to you, the author, for your next book! Keep your perspective. There isn’t a book in the world that everyone loves, but every review means someone has read your book.

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Irene Wittig was born in liberated Rome to a Viennese mother and Italian father, arrived in the U.S. via Argentina, and grew up in New York, in a neighborhood of Holocaust survivors and fellow Europeans displaced by war. After studying in New York, Germany and Maryland she worked for the Dept. of Defense in Washington, DC before moving to Naples, Italy where she lived for five years. Later, she and her husband spent six years in Switzerland. After twenty years as a ceramic painter and teacher, Irene turned to writing. She and her husband have two children and four grandchildren and live in Arlington, Virginia.
She enjoys hearing from her readers. https://all-that-lingers.com

ALL THAT LINGERS

Sometimes the long arm of grief grabs you by the throat – In this novel of loss, courage, and resilience, we experience Vienna’s tumultuous years from Austria’s 1934 civil war, through World War II and postwar occupation, to independence. Three lives intertwine, bringing these extraordinary events to life. Emma fights to come to terms with grief and her country’s betrayal. Sophie seeks to reclaim her lost history, and Friedrich struggles with secrets that will throw all their lives into turmoil again.

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Category: How To and Tips, On Writing