I'm curious about other people's opinions about reviews.
Ideally as authors, we'd all be getting 5 star reviews with lots of in-depth commentary about the story.
Ideally as readers, we'd be reading reviews that say, "You personally will like this book", or "You personally will not like this book."
But obviously that's not going to happen.
Authors - Would you rather get a review giving your story 4 - 5 stars, but doesn't go into much detail about the story, or a review with 3-4 stars that has more content?
Readers - Same question. Which type of review makes you more interested in reading a story? Do you just look at the number of stars, or do you find an analysis of the story more helpful?
Personally, while getting a 4-5 star review is of course a huge ego boost, many of my favourite reviews have been in the 3-4 star range. I love seeing reviews by someone who really gets my story. I actually got one(3 1/2 stars, I believe) for Amber that hit on every point I'd hoped to get across to readers, and it was so fulfilling and rewarding to know that my story was having exactly the effect I'd been looking for. That meant more to me than a higher starred review without feedback.
Tuesday, 13 May 2014
Monday, 12 May 2014
Sunday, 11 May 2014
Why Free Reads and Giveaways Are Important - A Personal Example
A while ago, I made a new rule for when I visit the library: I always have to get at least one fiction book, for when I'm brain-tired but still want to read something. I couldn't find any from my TBR that were actually physically present at the library with me, so I was aimlessly browsing the adult paperback section. Gunmetal Magic by Ilona Andrews caught my eye, so I grabbed it. I enjoyed the book, and now I'm reading Magic Bites with Magic Burns requested from the library.
It was the same with Patricia Briggs' books. A Mercy Thompson book caught my eye in a bookstore, I started flipping through it, and now I've read all of them and purchased at least two.
It was the same with Patricia Briggs' books. A Mercy Thompson book caught my eye in a bookstore, I started flipping through it, and now I've read all of them and purchased at least two.
Saturday, 10 May 2014
John Reinhard Dizonhjre
1. How do you work through self-doubts and fear?
You have to believe in your product, and reinforce that belief with validation. From there you have to aggressively market your product. If you fail, you have to let go and let God.
2. Why do you write?
It’s what I’m good at, and it’s the one thing at which I remain competent as all the other doors begin to close at this advanced age.
3. What writing are you most proud of? (Add a link if you like)
That’d be a tie between Tiara and Nightcrawler. Here’s the Tiara link:
http://www.amazon.com/Tiara-Anniversary-John-Reinhard-Dizon/dp/1494366878/
4. What are you most proud of in your personal life?
In order of achievement: having been a ‘founding father’ of punk rock in Brooklyn during the 70’s, wrestled professionally during the 80’s, earned degrees in Korean martial arts and my BA at UTSA in the 90’s, resurrected The Spoiler heavy metal band in the 00’s, and published fifteen books (and counting) in the 10’s.
5. What books did you love growing up?
I owned the entire James Bond collection as a teen and the entire Conan the Barbarian anthology in my twenties. Ian Fleming and Robert E. Howard have had a great influence on my writing style.
6. Who is your favorite author?
I’d have to go with William Shakespeare as the master of brevity and conciseness. I’d also have to mention Franz Kafka in having influenced me as a postmodernist author.
7. What book should everybody read at least once?
The Bible. It’s a matter of life and death.
8. Location and life experiences can really influence writing, tell us where you grew up and where you now live?
I grew up in Brooklyn NY, did eighteen years in San Antonio TX, and will die here in Missouri. Most of my novels are centered around NYC, though a few feature backdrops in Texas. I also write novels with a Missouri background as well. I recognize it as God’s plan for my life, allowing me to experience three of the most disparate yet essential areas of the USA to draw upon for my writing.
9. Where do you get your inspiration from?
Half of the time I’m looking for new worlds to conquer, so if I see a genre previously unexplored I’ll give it a whirl, as I did with steampunk in writing Stxeamtown. The other half of the time I come across a current topic or event that I can weigh in on. Women’s issues are also important to me, and I feature strong female characters in all my novels.
10. What marketing works for you?
Your best chance is word-of-mouth promotion and having the reviews to back it up. My major focus is on social media, hoping that the work will eventually fall into the right hands with time remaining.
11. Do you find it hard to share your work?
Not at all. I’m at the 20/80 point right now (20% writing, 80% promo) throughout my workday.
12. Do you plan to publish more books?
I’ve got Transplant coming out on Assent Publishing in May 2014, it’s a suspense/thriller novel. I’ve also got Superstition, a supernatural Western, getting ready to self-pub. Stay tuned!
You have to believe in your product, and reinforce that belief with validation. From there you have to aggressively market your product. If you fail, you have to let go and let God.
2. Why do you write?
It’s what I’m good at, and it’s the one thing at which I remain competent as all the other doors begin to close at this advanced age.
3. What writing are you most proud of? (Add a link if you like)
That’d be a tie between Tiara and Nightcrawler. Here’s the Tiara link:
http://www.amazon.com/Tiara-Anniversary-John-Reinhard-Dizon/dp/1494366878/
4. What are you most proud of in your personal life?
In order of achievement: having been a ‘founding father’ of punk rock in Brooklyn during the 70’s, wrestled professionally during the 80’s, earned degrees in Korean martial arts and my BA at UTSA in the 90’s, resurrected The Spoiler heavy metal band in the 00’s, and published fifteen books (and counting) in the 10’s.
5. What books did you love growing up?
I owned the entire James Bond collection as a teen and the entire Conan the Barbarian anthology in my twenties. Ian Fleming and Robert E. Howard have had a great influence on my writing style.
6. Who is your favorite author?
I’d have to go with William Shakespeare as the master of brevity and conciseness. I’d also have to mention Franz Kafka in having influenced me as a postmodernist author.
7. What book should everybody read at least once?
The Bible. It’s a matter of life and death.
8. Location and life experiences can really influence writing, tell us where you grew up and where you now live?
I grew up in Brooklyn NY, did eighteen years in San Antonio TX, and will die here in Missouri. Most of my novels are centered around NYC, though a few feature backdrops in Texas. I also write novels with a Missouri background as well. I recognize it as God’s plan for my life, allowing me to experience three of the most disparate yet essential areas of the USA to draw upon for my writing.
9. Where do you get your inspiration from?
Half of the time I’m looking for new worlds to conquer, so if I see a genre previously unexplored I’ll give it a whirl, as I did with steampunk in writing Stxeamtown. The other half of the time I come across a current topic or event that I can weigh in on. Women’s issues are also important to me, and I feature strong female characters in all my novels.
10. What marketing works for you?
Your best chance is word-of-mouth promotion and having the reviews to back it up. My major focus is on social media, hoping that the work will eventually fall into the right hands with time remaining.
11. Do you find it hard to share your work?
Not at all. I’m at the 20/80 point right now (20% writing, 80% promo) throughout my workday.
12. Do you plan to publish more books?
I’ve got Transplant coming out on Assent Publishing in May 2014, it’s a suspense/thriller novel. I’ve also got Superstition, a supernatural Western, getting ready to self-pub. Stay tuned!
Friday, 9 May 2014
Sounding!
I came across a post about sounding over on S. L. Danielson's blog (though the actual post is by Dakota Trace).
This post is NSFW. You have been warned.
This post is NSFW. You have been warned.
Thursday, 8 May 2014
BDSMonday Archive - March 10 2014
It’s BDSMonday! (Better late than never, right?)
Today’s guest post comes to you from the blog of Ekatarina Sayanova! The topic is sub- and dom-drop.
Today’s guest post comes to you from the blog of Ekatarina Sayanova! The topic is sub- and dom-drop.
Wednesday, 7 May 2014
BDSMonday Archive - March 3 2014
It’s BDSMonday!
Today’s thought: setting up aftercare before you start playing can make a huge difference. Putting drinks and/or snacks (etc) nearby means you don’t have to get up later—and there are definitely scenes you don’t just get up and walk away from! (My Sir would like to add that sometimes the top doesn’t want to leave the bottom alone after a scene, not even for the few minutes it takes to get snacks)
Today’s thought: setting up aftercare before you start playing can make a huge difference. Putting drinks and/or snacks (etc) nearby means you don’t have to get up later—and there are definitely scenes you don’t just get up and walk away from! (My Sir would like to add that sometimes the top doesn’t want to leave the bottom alone after a scene, not even for the few minutes it takes to get snacks)
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