The Importance of Book Reviews for Readers and Writers by J.Q. Rose

Arranging a Dream: a Memoir by J.Q. Rose

Official Book Launch January 1, 2021

Available for pre-order

Click here to discover more books by JQ Rose at the BWL Publishing JQRose Author's Page

Hello and welcome to the BWL Publishing Insiders Blog! I am J.Q. Rose whose purpose is to Focus on Story in my writing. In other words, I am a storyteller. 

I am also an avid reader. I have been all my life. If you are a reader like me, do you appreciate it when your friends suggest a book they loved? I do. That's exactly how book reviews on a digital bookseller's site work. Reviewers want to spread the word about good books so other readers can decide if that book would be the one for them. Read on to discover how important these reviews are for readers and authors and how to write one. 

Book Reviews: Their Importance and
How to Write Them

The Importance of  Book Reviews for Readers and Writers

Book Reviews. Oh, the pressure of reading the required book, and then writing the review brings back the picture of my sixth-grade teacher hovering over me. Don't even go there about her criticism about the grammar and spelling or even neat handwriting. Visions of the red ink-covered page come to mind when Miss Oldaker noted every error. And then, the command to "re-write" the entire review.

Okay, relax. You can breathe now. We are not talking about a sixth-grade book report. Far from it. I'm discussing online book reviews, a kinder, gentler exercise written because you want to share the great book you read with other readers so they can enjoy the experience as much as you did.

Word-of-mouth is the best advertising when one receives information about a product or service from a friend, neighbor, or family member. Online book reviews work in a similar fashion. Do you read product reviews online to help you decide whether to purchase? Click here for a study showing that 85 percent of people trust online reviews as much as they trust personal recommendations. Book reviews can make a difference in influencing readers to buy a book.

Book publishing has changed the way it does business. Authors and small presses can publish their books with easy access to readers instead of having to go through only the elite few of big-city publishers. The advent of super booksellers online allows readers to share their opinion about the books they read to help readers find a book as well as authors to get noticed.

No longer is a book published, then off the shelves after a few months. Instead, the book is available for a long time on virtual shelves, and its popularity can grow through time. Sales can occur throughout its lifetime rather than a flush of sales when first released. 

Readers and their reviews drive this new model and mindset in book publishing.

If you're a writer, be prepared to market your book forever! Just because your book is a year old or two years old or more, celebrate each birthday and in between with fresh new ideas on promoting it.

Tips on Writing a Book Review

Tips on Writing a Book Review
Consider these tips when writing a book review.
* Go to the page where you bought the book and near the book review comments area, you will find a place to click that says "Write a Review."
* Rate the book using the bookseller's ratings e.g. 1-5 stars. A 5-star rating means you really really loved the book, 1 star is you didn't like the book. 
* Because you are on the book's sales page, you do not need to explain the whole plot of the book because it is on the sales page.
* Don't worry about a title for the review yet. Write the review first, then pick out a phrase you used in the review as the title.
* You need not write a long review. Three sentences or more are fine as long as the reader understands if you liked the book or not and why e.g. I liked the book because I really identified with the main character or I liked the way the author described the setting of the book.
*Write as if you are talking to a friend on the phone or at a coffee shop. Keep it casual and write how you talk. 
* Compare it to another book you liked and why this book reminded you of the other book.
* If you feel you'd like to read another book by the author, say so.
* Recommend it to readers of the genre such as cozy mystery, sci-fi, fantasy, etc. If you received the book as a gift from the author or publisher, amazon requires you to divulge this. Just say you are voluntarily leaving a book review. 
*You'll receive an email from the bookseller allowing you to read through the review and make changes if needed.
* You can leave your book review at goodreads, amazon, kobo, Barnes and Noble, Walmart, and booksellers where you have an account.

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The information in the diyMFA newsletter by Gabriella Pereira inspired this blog post. 

Thank you for stopping in. Happy reading AND wishing you success in leaving book reviews!!

Author JQ Rose

Click here to connect online with JQ Rose.

A Pie For All Seasons by Helen Henderson

 

Windmaster Legacy by Helen Henderson
Click the cover for purchase information

 

Cold and gray skies that look like it will dump snow at any moment calls for comfort food. Although it is not a politically declared holiday, January 23rd is National Pie Day, which is as good a way as any to brighten a winter's meal. Although pies can trace its roots all the way back to the Greeks who are credited with creating the first pastry shell by mixing together water and flour, they and their Roman and Middle Age descendants bear little resemblance to the modern dishes called "pie." Fillings have ranged from honey and fruits or nuts to meats, fish, and mussels. The pumpkin, apple, and quince fillings once popular have expanded. Today, the top ten pie fillings include: 1) Apple, 2) Pumpkin, 3) Chocolate Creme, 4) Cherry, 5) Apple Crumb, 6) Pecan, 7) Lemon Meringue, 8) Blueberry, 9) Key Lime Pie and 10) Peach. And in recognition of my southern neighbors, don't forget sweet potato pie.

The smell of warm, fresh from the oven, pies pushes back the winter doldrums. The taste raises memories of holidays past and watching the elder members of the family make the crusts while us younger ones peel and slice what seemed like bushels of apples. Eventually, us "youngsters" progressed to making the crust under the watchful eye of our grandmother.

A family favorite that doesn't make the top ten list, but is very popular in the land of my kin is shoofly pie. For those who aren't familiar with this Pennsylvania Dutch dish from the 1800s, shoofly pie has been referred to as a molasses crumb cake baked in a pie crust. As to the name, flies had to be shooed away from the cooling treat. Or maybe because for some us us that was easier to say than Melassich Riwwelboi or Melassichriwwelkuche. For Valentine's Day (which is a short few weeks away). I may try something different, a "French Kiss" pie. It's described as a decadent French Silk pie, topped with strawberries dipped in Belgian chocolate, and kissed with fresh raspberries.

I like pie, but how about my characters?  One answer comes while shopping at the market when Lady Pelra helps a woman who tripped and fell.

“Why don’t you join me in a cup of chilled cider,” Pelra said. “I think we both can use a breather.” A signal to Cyfaill and Urith to maintain their distance and follow, she led Saibh to a booth farther down the street to a vendor who sold pieces of fruit pie and mugs of chilled cider. Four coppers later, she balanced plates of pie atop two mugs of cider and led Saibh to a bench in the trees behind the booth. (From Windmaster Legend)

On the trail, a hungry apprentice hopes for a meal. But his search raised a question.

Light wood smoke mingled with the enticing smell of fruit pies. Nobyn sucked in the fragrant air. Just the scent of the food was enough to start his mouth watering. Beyond the last of the large trees lining the trail, tall fruit vines covered neat rows of fences. Twisted branches laden with ripe green fruit showed the source of the pie fillings. But who was baking out here? (From Windmaster Legacy)

Whether you are a baker or an afficionado of the pie, here's to a happy pie day.

~Until next month, stay safe and read. Preferably with a big slice of your favorite pie and a cup of hot coffee to chase away the chill.  Helen

To purchase the Windmaster Novels: BWL

 
Find out more about me and my novels at Journey to Worlds of Imagination.
Follow me online at Facebook, Goodreads, Twitter.

Helen Henderson lives in western Tennessee with her husband. While she doesn’t have any pets in residence at the moment, she often visits a husky who has adopted her as one of the pack. 

Living With A Rough Draft - Janet Lane Walters #BWLAuthor #MFRWAuthor #writing #Rough Draft #twists and Surprises

 

 

Living With A Rough Draft

 

Starting a new story is always an adventure. While I generally have a rough idea of where the story will go, things occur during the writing. I begin with a rough draft and look at what I’ve planned to have happen. Sometimes the story moves flawlessly through the roughing in of the scenes and some times there are little twists and turns that pop up unexpectedly.

 

My latest book has taken a few of these turns and I write them in as they occur. Soon the rough draft will be finished. Then comes the fun. This time several twists happened and I must when I go back to the beginning find a way to accept or reject them. For this story, I will probably accept most of them. Yes, it’s a romance but it’s also a story of the dreams haunting not only my hero and heroine but at least one of his children. Though I’ve a few more chapters to finish the rough draft, hopefully all the twists have been found.

 

How about you, do you plan your stories and then sit down and let the words flow and embrace all those strange and new twists never thought of when the idea for the story arose?

 

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