Gosh! Not another one of these eh?
The author begging for reviews...yet again.
Well, perhaps you might like to hear our side of the story?
Contrary to popular belief, asking for reviews is not a way for a quick-fix ego boost. Or even to rack up the numbers so that other readers are more tempted to check it out. Despite it doing both those things, it has a far greater purpose.
It tells the writer what their weak points are. Even the best writers, with the best betas/editors, make mistakes. Be it grammar, typographical, or plot holes. It’s an easy trap to fall into and reviews are immensely helpful in spotting those mistakes. There are a lot of eagle eyes out there but not enough fast fingers!
The main point is that writer’s spend a lot of time thinking about characters and the plot. Into thinking of dialogue that is essential to the story but not tedious to read. Into making sure the story will be entertaining enough, funny enough, profound, original, eccentric...
No matter what they aim for. All that time spent, often means that something else has to make up for it. Something will often fall below par in the same chapter as something is exceptional, it’s a catch 22. That’s where reviews beat the system!
Every time you spot a sentence where you think the writer is trying to convey something but hasn’t come out clear enough – say it. Put it in that review.
Every time you read a paragraph and think, “Man, that’s awesome.” Say it. The writer may not know what he/she is doing better than other things. Things like this only strengthen the story as you continue to read it.
Every time you think a dialogue or action is out of character or context – say why? Say what you expected. It could be an error of judgment on the writers part or it could be a hint for future chapters...in both cases, it is important that the writer know so that he/she can change it. Make it better so that nobody else gets stuck on the same point as you. So, that they don’t repeat the mistake at a later chapter.
Every time your eyes glaze over from information overload, or when you have to stop reading to roll around in laughter. All the good things you see in it and all the bad, or disappointing things...
I guarantee you that 99% of authors will appreciate a well rounded in depth review. It gives some insight into why the ‘Hit’ and ‘Visitor’ numbers go up exponentially to the number of reviews. Provided it does not directly insult them, they will not get upset from it. Be constructive, they will love it!
So tell me, a few questions to all you lovely people out there, have I persuaded any Ghost Readers out there? Was this useful at all or utterly ignorable? Are you going to review the next story you read? Or put on alert? Or ‘favourite’?
