Reviews are possibly the hardest part of publishing your novel, but they are also the most gratifying. Getting a review means someone has taken the time to read all those words you spent months writing. A written commentary validates your work and allows you to climb into the minds of your readers.
In a way, when you publish, you’re revealing the most intimate part of yourself: your mind, your thoughts, & your beliefs. Not only do you dangle them in front of the people closest to you-who might not know the inner workings of your brain-but also in front of complete strangers. You expose yourself to praise and criticism. As long as you remain aware that the two go hand in hand, you can’t be disappointed. Criticism, after all, is a good thing. It helps you grow as a writer and as a person, whether you agree with everything that is said about your book and your characters, or not.
As an indie writer, my objective has not been to sell the most books; it’s been to collect the most reviews. Even simple star ratings help, although in my opinion, words are way more powerful than numbers, and just because you might not get 5 stars, it doesn’t mean your book hasn’t had a deep impact on your reader. Here are some examples of what I mean:
The latest review I’ve gotten was from Indie Reader, a website dedicated to promote independently published books. I only scored 3.5 stars, but what the reviewer has to say is quite wonderful. To read the full review, click here.
IR Verdict: GHOSTBOY, CHAMELEON & THE DUKE OF GRAFFITI stands out as a serious and emotional lesson about the price of getting deeper and knowingly letting in an unexpected friendship that has no chance of lasting but will never be forgotten.
Below are some other reviews I received from complete strangers:
This is the first one and I’ll treasure it because the person took the time to email me personally to tell me how much she enjoyed my novel:
Not sure how to explain how I feel about this book…it was touching and I LOVED every chapter. I finished it in less than 24 hours, because I just couldn’t put it down. At first, I thought I would be too old to appreciate it, but the storylines go so much further than normal high school experiences. The characters are extremely likeable and deal with hardships, from tiffs with a best friend to the death of a loved one. Considering this was her debut novel, I absolutely cannot wait to see what Olivia Wildenstein comes up with next.
-from Jamie on GoodReads.
Also love this one:
Love! This was a great read. Don’t forget the tissues though! This story made me smile, roll my eyes, laugh, and cry like a baby. The characters are very well written and developed. The one thing I enjoyed most about reading this story is how real the characters seemed to be. I love Jaime, Duke, Cora, and Grandma of course. I would definitely recommend this to everyone!!!!
-from Lesley on GoodReads.
Both reviews were accompanied by 5 stars, but even if they hadn’t been, the words would still have touched me deeply.
So remember, reviews are great and don’t worry about not getting all-5 stars! Even Stephenie Meyer and J.K. Rowling didn’t only receive 5-stars!