…an honest review is as gold dust to any writer… and I care not if the scribbler is a newbie, self-publishing indie… or a decades-established leading name for a major publishing firm… each and every time any reader takes the patience and trouble to offer his/her opinion on yer literary labours, it’s another one of an Author’s ‘golden moments’… an acknowledgement yer WURK is recognised… and let me affirm to yeez, it truly matters not whether the rating is 1-star, all the way to 5-stars, if it’s honest, it’s a learning mark for yeez… accept them all… usually with more than just a pinch of salt if they swing too much to the dark side or praise yeez to the high heavens… and as a wee aside, it’s worth bearing in mind not everybody on the planet is gonna LUV yer wee masterpiece with quite the same intensity as yerself or yer Grannie does…
…from the reader’s perspective, only a tiny percentage will truly appreciate the amount of yerself that goes into creating yer tome… a writer writes a book not as a ‘blurt’, and twenty minutes later, there’s the finished article… rather, the scribbler pores over it a paragraph at a time… a sentence at a time.. a phrase at a time.. and yes, Mabel, sum’times even a WURD at a time… sculpting, crafting, melding, choosing, nursing, teasing the narrative onto the laptop or writing pad… having been down that long and winding, lonely road myself, I am constantly in awe of emb’dy who completes their literary baby… especially the ‘first-timers’… to engage in the stamina, the discipline, the will, to get to these two wunnerful WURDS, ‘the end’, is much to be applauded… but here’s the rub, once yeez have reached that grail, the plaudits from yer readership are things of beauty… appreciating that for we Authors a reader’s review is a ‘gift’, not an ‘entitlement’… I wish yeez many of them, Lads and Lassies of Blog Land… see yeez later… LUV YEEZ!…
ALL MY BLOG POSTS ARE FREE TO SHARE OR RE-BLOG SHOULD YOU SO WISH—BE MY GUEST!
Seumas Gallacher 
Reblogged this on Books: Publishing, Reading, Writing and commented:
True words from Seumas Gallacher! We authors love every review we receive, but should never expect to receive a review from every reader.
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..thanks for the shout out, m’Lady, Susan:)
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You’re so right Seumas. Once in a while someone will enthuse that they liked my book, and i want to say “Then could you please leave a nice review for me?” But i don’t.
It’s true, the old marketing/customer service adage — people are much more likely to write about what they did NOT like than something that pleased them… Wishing you a sublime Sunday tomorrow, and tons of 5 ⭐ reviews. 🙂
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…cheeers, m’lady, Teagan… have a great week, yourself 🙂
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❤ ❤ ❤
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…mwaaah :):)
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Well said Seamus. As the saying goes – “Even a horse likes a pat on the back”. Everyone likes to be acknowledged in a positive light. If a reviewer doesn’t care for your writing – well, that’s ok because we have individual tastes.
I agree Teagan – people are more likely to complain about what they didn’t like instead of mentioning how much they liked it. On a bit of a related note – I was asked by an author to review one of his/her older published books – for free in exchange for a review. Here comes the caveat – the author (who is well established) asked me ” to *only* leave a review if I rate it at 4 or 5 stars. If I didn’t rate it at 4 or 5 stars, the author specifically asked me not write a review at all.
I decided not to read the book at all, and the experience left me with a bad taste in my mouth.
Wishing you a relaxing Sunday! 🙂
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..hi, Mary Jane… I’m with you 100% about the ‘requested ratings’… I do have one small wrinkle, a little different to your approach… I don’t DO ‘requested reviews’ for authors, nor do I indulge in the booby trap of ‘exchange of reviews’ … as an author myself, I make no pretence at being a professional reviewer, BUT I DO download about once a week, books by other Authors, usually newbies and self-published writers, as one small way for me to ‘pay back’ the phenomenal gifts this writing trip has given to me (and continues to give)… those which I review AT MY CHOICE, I usually only will publish those i feel merit 4 or 5 stars,.. the others I do not publish.. at first I used to go out of my way and call the authors of these others (at my expense ) to chat honestly about how I think they may want to look to improve from a sub-standard rating… unhappily, these calls weren’t universally welcome, so I don’t do THAT anymore.. life as an author is tough enuff! 🙂 cheers . m’Lady 🙂 have a great week 🙂
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Right on, Seumas. I like your attitude. 🙂
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Seems true with a lot of things. People in general have a sense of entitlement, rather than a sense of gratitude. Keep it coming sir!
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…in the balance of things we normally ultimately get what we deserve, Shawn 🙂 :):)
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I think I”m entitled to my sense of entitlement! 😀
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ROFL 🙂
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Wot?
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..can’t argue with that , m’Lady 🙂
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You’re right. A lot of people might like to read the reviews but wouldn’t think of adding their own, and unless they are authors themselves they are unlikely to realise how important they might be.
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…I supposed however, it’s quality of reviews over quantity as far as I’m concerned., m’Lady, Olga .:)
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Olga, I’ve always tried to leave reviews on Goodreads, but I never understood how important it is to leave one on the sites where the book can be purchased until I started getting involved with self-published authors. It’s really something readers need to be told.
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…they really are gold dust to authors, as we all know and appreciate :):)
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Aye, but ye ‘ave ta catch the leprechaun afore he’ll share ‘is gold.
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I do a happy dance with every review. You’re so right that many readers simply don’t understand how important reviews are to authors. I never used to review books. I bought books at a bookstore, read them, and put them on the shelf or passed them on. Now, of course, I know better.
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..well done, m;’Lady, Diana …mwaah 🙂
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Really true. I would always consider it a gift. 🙂
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:):)
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Well said, Seumas! Reviewing is one of those things that ‘is what it is.’ We can’t hold a blow-torch to a reader’s feet and demand them. I rarely even look for them anymore but I do rejoice when people leave them and I do my best to leave them for the books I read myself because I know how precious they are.
As for MJ’s comment regarding only leaving a 4 or 5 star review… YEESH! Not surprised that left a bad taste.
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…cheeeers, m”Lady, Wendy Anne:):)
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Reblogged this on Everything Indie and commented:
What was the title of the most recent book you read? Did you like it? More importantly, did you write a review?
If you want more books like the one you’ve most recently enjoyed, it’s important to share your opinion with the author, other readers, and on prime-time television. (Just kiddin’ about the last, unless Oprah is reading this.)
Getting reviews, whether negative or positive, is one of the most crucial and arduous tasks an author faces. Why not be the first to write a review? Or go ahead and comment on one of my book reviews if you’re familiar with any of the books on my Website or on Goodreads? Let’s talk about books as one bibliophile to another.
Authors, whether they know who left the review or not, are extremely grateful for your acknowledgment. Just knowing that somebody read their book can make them feel appreciated.
Go ahead and write a review, especially if you want that sequel to be written… 😀
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…well said, m’Lady, Connie 🙂
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Reblogged this on MythRider.
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I’ve just published my first novel and am making the rounds looking for book blogs to help get the word out. I appreciate every review. It’s fun to get a pat on the back. But even a bad review is good. It tells me where I need to improve. I can improve unless I know what’s wrong.
Phyllis Moore
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…you’re more than welcome to throw a Guestblog spot ths way , and I’ll stick it on all my channels (20,000+ direct contacts )… include as much as you want in pics, bio, cover page,. buying links, etc.. your call.. my e-mail is seumasgallacher@yahoo.com :):)
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I’ll work on it and get back to you. I like to do something different for each guest blog offer. I’m also willing to do an interview of you or you can send me something to promote you and your books.
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I’ve only just found this (I have a lot of catching up to do, for I enjoy your words of wisdom, Seumas). I have to say that, long before I started publishing my own books, I would always reviews on Amazon for every book I read. Often they ask me far too soon (because I tend to stockpile books) but I always do it when I’ve finished reading one, even when they are from well-established authors; after all, what other time is this lowly nobody going to get the chance to review a famous author? But now I have my own books out there, I’m even more diligent, for I fully understand just how valuable reviews are. Unlike others, I love to say when I’ve enjoyed a book and what I enjoyed about it. If I didn’t like it, or I liked it but could see some problems, I agonise over what I should say to get the message across without being hurtful. And of course, we all have to remember, as you said, that not everyone will like what you’ve produced, even if your best friend loved it.
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