A lot of authors, especially indie and self-published authors, feel this way. Authors basically pour their heart and soul, not to mention time and talent, into a project only to wait in frustration to find out the honest opinions of their readers. I mean, don't get me wrong, a positive and supportive email, text, or call from someone telling you that they enjoyed your book is GREAT! But reviews are different. Reviews can be read by anybody and everybody! Reviews can increase an author's readership and fanbase, especially reviews on Amazon. Yet many readers, even if they profess to love the author's work, do not go the extra step of leaving a review. It's possible that the reader is intimidated by the idea of leaving an opinion of an author's work in a public forum. Well, they shouldn't be. The person writing the review should understand that they are doing the author a tremendous favor! Reviews can even wind up being an author's bread and butter in a way, by letting potential readers know about their work before they make up their mind about purchasing or reading it themselves. And a review doesn't have to be an essay, far from it! Three simple words are all that's needed, "I loved it!" "I liked it!" or even, "Not that good." Three little words can bolster an author's confidence, keep them informed, help them make future writing choices, or just let them know what you thought of their work.
Author Jan S. Gephardt stated recently in an article titled, "Have you thanked an author today?"
"The truth of the matter is, it's really hard for any author - traditionally published or indie - to help more people find his/her book, especially when he/she is just starting out. Traditional publishers set an author loose upon the world with a stamp of approval - somebody already thought this was good.
But a new author is allotted no advertising budget by his/her publisher, and no promotional help. So once the book is produced, they're in the same boat as the Indie (just making less money on each sale).
No matter how it's published, readers need to now about new books that they might like. And author's careers, and their future as producers of more excellent books may absolutely live or die by how many people find, enjoy, and share the information about their book.
One excellent way to get out the word about a good new book is through reviews that readers write and post on Amazon (definitely!), but also on Goodreads, other review sites, on social media, on one's own blog - anywhere possible.
Reviews don't have to be long either, most people won't read past 50 - 100 words. A review short enough to Tweet is better than no review at all."
So, reviews are important. Besides, a nice review can help bring a smile to your favorite author's face. So next time you find yourself with a couple of extra minutes on your hands, please write a review... that hardworking author will be glad you did!
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