As a new author I was waiting nervously to get my first reivews. The only thing that was able to take my mind of it was diving into my current work in progress. The waiting game is a killer.
It's a wierd process of waiting when you're an author. I mean you work on your story submit it and WAIT to see if the publisher, or editor liked it. It get's accepted and you go through the editing and cover art process and WAIT patiently for your release date to come around. Then you WAIT for someone you've never met before to read your work and tell you what they thought of it.
Now I know everyone will have their own opinion. And yes not everyone will love it. I can take the good with the bad, though in all honesty I hope there's no bad.
I love checking out the dozen or so review sites I've been to. Not to mention people's blogs about their recent reads. I know I have bought books based on the reviews I read and totally disagreed with the reviewer on whether or not it was a good book.
I write my stories for me. So in the long run if I'm happy with them then that's all that should matter. Still crazy as it may sound somewhere in the back of my mind I want to know what people think. Good or bad.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
A New Author's View On Reviews
Posted by Rita Sawyer at 11:06 AM
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2 comments:
Ah, Rita, don't we all want everyone to love our books as much as we do. I'm a new author, too, and my first book has just come out. I've got one great review, and I am so grateful that someone likes my book as much as I do.
But I agree with you about not necessarily agreeing with the reviewers' opinions. I've hated some books that were praised to high heaven and adored some the reviewers panned. There is always personal preference involved. Just as long as enough people like my work, I'm happy.
Good luck.
Linda, I do agree. And Rita, being an author of several books, I totally understand. To add on to the perspective, I've learned to break readers down into categories:
There are the lyrical readers; those who romance the rhythm of words, as opposed to embracing a story, Just as there are authors cloned to impressing readers with elegant prose as opposed to focusing on the braids in the story.
There are the WoW factor (or rollercoaster) readers; those who too could care less about a well developed story so long as they jump 10 or more times every other page, totally engaged in a wild hairy ride.
And then there are other readers (certainly among a list I'm sure I've omitted) who enjoy those old-fashioned who-dunnit novels or stories. You know, keep it simple, but make sure its twisty and Deep!
My fingers are crossed for you too!
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