Authors -and- readers: links, ideas, and preventing a good book from drowning in the deluge.

Posted on April 19, 2017 by jamesbradfordpate

Enough Light

Why Even A Bad Review Can Help Sell A Book. From NPR. Take heart dear author, why even bad reviews can help you!

Speaking personally, and in particular with new or self-published authors, I am suspicious of all positive reviews. A few negative or average reviews gives credibility. Are only the author’s friends writing reviews? Are only people who got a free copy writing reviews? Are friends and freebies the only people reading it? An author should hope for a wider reading audience.

I encountered a new, self-published author who was working hard to “control” his reviews and get only positive ones. Working so hard to control your reviews is…revealing. It indicates some problems with an author’s motives and ethics.

Authors need reasonable expectations and a thick skin. No matter how clearly you write, someone out there will still miss the point. Realistically, no book will be liked…

View original post 443 more words

About jamesbradfordpate

My name is James Pate. This blog is about my journey. I read books. I watch movies and TV shows. I go to church. I try to find meaning. And, when I can’t do that, I just talk about stuff that I find interesting. I have degrees in fields of religious studies. I have an M.Phil. in the History of Biblical Interpretation from Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, Ohio. I also have an M.A. in Hebrew Bible from Jewish Theological Seminary, an M.Div. from Harvard Divinity School, and a B.A. from DePauw University.
This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.

2 Responses to Authors -and- readers: links, ideas, and preventing a good book from drowning in the deluge.

  1. Theologian's Library says:
    April 19, 2017 at 4:20 pm

    Some interesting thoughts there. I get frustrated when there is a bad review with no reason given. It seems like if you are going to post something negative at least give some brief feedback as to why.

    Like

  2. jamesbradfordpate says:
    April 19, 2017 at 9:44 pm

    Sometimes it can be difficult to give reasons, though, especially with three-star reviews. Some books are just “meh.” It’s hard to explain why they’re “meh.” The authors may have tried their best. The books may not even be “meh” to someone else—-so much of the evaluation is subjective. But, yes, I agree with you when it comes to those one-star one-sentence reviews!

    Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.