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| Hey! That's me! |
My next thought (encouraged by friends) is to set up a local book signing. I might even reach out to the next largest paper to see what I can get out of that. Maybe after I garner a few more reviews on Amazon. We'll see.
So there's that big news.
Next is that I discovered another review posted by someone on GoodReads. I believe this person won my book in a GoodReads Giveaway. I was very happy to have her rate and review my book...even though she only gave me 3 stars and discussed what she did not like about my book in her review.
Yes, you heard that right, I am HAPPY for a middling review with complaints and criticisms. Why is that, you wonder? Well, first let me post a couple of quotes from her review (if you want to read the whole thing, click on this link).
"While the characters and dialogue fell a bit flat for me, the story kept me going."
Hard to read that my characters and dialogue did not resonate, but, hey, that's how she felt. The nice part was, even with the criticism, she still kept reading. She actually did say some other nice things about the book, but this quote was my favorite:
"Overall it wasn’t a bad read, just not my cup of tea. I have recommended it to my mother and a few others who expressed interest after I told them what it was about."
And that, my friends, was a winner of a review. She recommended my book to OTHERS, even though she admitted it was not "her cup of tea" (also a quote from her review).
Her 3 stars were a fair 3 stars. I want honesty, people. Not high fives. I understand that my book may have flaws and might not be for everyone. And that's fine. The more honest reviews I receive, the better it is for me. Thank you to Colleen for telling it like it is...from her point of view.
UPDATE 2/2/16 - My local paper added the newspaper article to their online version late yesterday. However, only the first few paragraphs are available to read. Better than nothing! Click here to read the partial article.
I love this! I really wish I could read the article. Could you scan it in? I love, too, your attitude about 3 star reviews. I would tend to be annoyed -- but really, you're right. And all publicity is good publicity, actually :) You have excellent insights, I think. I will eagerly follow your publicity journey and may copy a few of your ideas (I am not one who likes to put myself out there publically, either).
ReplyDeleteSusan, Thanks so much for commenting. I was rather disappointed that the article did not make their limited online edition, but that's how it goes. I could try scanning it in. It's actually 2 pages long, so it might be tricky. Thanks for the idea.
ReplyDeleteTen years ago I would've been personally upset by someone's negative assessment of my book, but now I realize it is ALL useful. When I buy a book, I read multiple reviews first...5-star, 4-star, even the 1-star reviews. I like to see if I think the criticism is valid before I buy. So I LOVE this person's 3 stars. Although there were things not to her liking, she still couldn't put the book down and read the whole thing in one sitting, so I consider that a success. Plus the fact she recommended it to others who might be interested in such a book.
Publicity is HARD. We writers like to hide behind our words/books. Don't be afraid, Susan! Get out there.