I know I have talked about reviews in the past but this one really brings to light something we often don't think about. Does your reviewer really have a clue about that book you just sent them to review. Are they really an expert in the field or just someone who loves to read and thinks this is a "great gig."
Now, let me say, not all reviewers are not like this. There are some reviewers who really do know and understand their genre and these are the great ones! I am talking about all of those reviewers who, as I said, found this a great gig. I mean, think about this. Here is a way to get a lot of books to read from authors without having to buy the book. People just send those books to you. Sure, you might have to weed through some bad ones, but the odds are, you will get some good ones here or there! But the thing I want to focus on here is on the author side.
When you send a review out, make sure that person really does understand the business. They understand what goes into your genre. That person needs to understand all of the nuances of that genre. If these are people who just see the plot and that is about as deep as they go, this is not going to provide that review you want.
I should also note, this is an issue for so many contests out there. Those preliminary rounds are often judged by people who are still learning the business of writing. These are volunteers! They are honestly putting in the best they can do, but there will be limits. This is really why so many contests become a crap shoot for an author and being able to win.
We can also take Chef Ruiz's comment and apply it to workshops. There are a ton of people who present because they have a great sounding proposal and claim publishing status. BUT, have they only taken that cookie class at Williams and Sonoma? If so, is this really worthwhile.
So, before you send that book out for a review, take the time to examine who is putting that "stamp of approval" on your hard work?
No comments:
Post a Comment