Well....Duh

It had never happened to me before, but today I received a one star review on Amazon for one of my books. The poor guy said he wanted his money back because it was a more a romance novel than a science fiction book. Well...duh. Didn't he read my bio or any of the other reviews before he bought it?

I've been thrilled that the book had been selling so well in science fiction categories because it was written as a ROMANCE novel under my romance pen name, Susan Kelley.

But maybe not all book buyers look are reviews. Maybe not all book buyers look at what else an author has written. When I find a book by an author I like, I tend to look up all their books. Sell me one of your books and I might buy them all or get them out of the library. When a book by an unknown to me author catches my eye, I look at reviews, I read excerpts, I might see what else they wrote.

With two children in college, dollars are important to me and somewhat limited. I buy books carefully. I make sure before I make a purchase. Of the books I've purchased over the past year, I only had one I was disappointed  in and wish I hadn't bought.

I didn't upset when I saw the guy's review where he says, 'don't waste your money.' I actually laughed, though he must have been really incensed since it was the only book review he's ever bothered with. My advice to him is know what you're buying. But then again, it's not my fault if the Amazon rankings indicate good sales in the scifi categories. Obviously, some scifi readers liked the book.

Do you investigate before you buy a book by reading reviews or checking out an author's backlist? Have you ever purchased a book and felt you were mislead as to the genre? Ever give someone a one star review?

Insecure Writer: Likes and Reviews

Thanks again, as I say every month on the first Wednesday, to Alex Cavanaugh for starting this monthly get together where writers can encourage each other and ask for help. Every month I meet a few bloggers who are new to me and learn something from nearly everyone I visit. I'm always jotting notes down, buying a few new books, and finding some interesting blogs to follow.

This month I collecting opinions on 'likes' as well as reviews and those little golden rating stars. Many authors I know ask, politely, for their friends on facebook or readers of their blogs to 'like' their books on Amazon. And of course, hoping and requesting your friends to write a review, no matter how short is not too much to ask. Is it?

I have never done anything like this. I hope readers of my books would feel motivated to 'like' or review my books but I never specifically asked them to take the moment needed to click on a button. I 'like' other people's books all the time and about once a month I take the time to write some reviews. I'm pretty far behind on that but I have hopes to catch up on it over the holiday break.

So, I'm wondering, do you ask this of your readers and friends? Do you do it? Is it acceptable? Should I request it? Would you go to this link and click 'like' if I asked it of you? Does it help book sales?

I'm Stickin To It

I thought about taking a few days off from blogging this week. Usually I try to blog MWF and sometimes on Sunday.  But with A to Z Challenge starting this coming Sunday, I considered taking a mini-vacation from blogging and skipping today and Friday.  But part of being a writer is having the discipline to not slack off even if no one is watching.

A few things are working against my regular schedule this week. My daughter has three high school softball games this week on, you guessed it, Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  My husband is going out of town Thursday through Sunday and the grass really must be mowed this weekend. Lots of other little duties are requiring my time and attention over the next few days the largest of which is getting my posts ready for A to Z.

But I have discipline and I believe good things will come to those who work hard. One of many good things for me this week was this new review for The Keepers of Sulbreth from Dennis Royer on Amazon.  Thanks, Dennis. 

On a more personal level, my daughter received a terrific scholarship offer from Boston University, settling her agonizing decision of where to go to college. She worked so hard for this, we were all a bit giddy to see her get what she's earned come to fruition.  The only down side is that she'll be seven hours away from home.

So, I'm going to discipline myself, stick to my blogging schedule, get all my A to Z posts ready and still find some time to work on my writing.

Have some good things come your way lately? Are you disciplined with your writing time?

Love Coffee Time

Not only do I love to drink that dark brew with all its healthy benefits, I love the review site, Coffee Time Romance. They gave me my first review ever for my first romance novel, The Greater Good.

The Greater Good is the first book in The Chronicles of Solonia. The Lesser Evil and A Ruthless Good followed that first book and this past December I ended the series with One Good Woman. And this week Coffee Time Romance blessed the book with a five cup rating of excellence.

It's sad to end a series I've loved and especially this one. The idea behind this series was the nagging need that drove me to try my hand at writing. Thank you, New Concepts, for believing in me and all the readers who bought the books and proved their faith.

Thank you, Coffee Time, for the wonderful words and support. And thank you, Lotoya, for your excellent review.

Read it here.

Is Coffee Time a place you go to read reviews? If not there, what sites or sources do you visit to check out a book before you invest?

Another Book Contract!!!

I'm floating on air around the house, trying not to knock down the Christmas decorations. Medallion Press (Gosh, I love them!) has offered me a contract for Book #3 of The Futhark Chronicles. Beneath the Mountain continues the epic fantasy started on The Keepers of Sulbreth and Beyond the Gate.

The Keepers of Sulbreth is scheduled for release on January 1st of 2010, Beyond the Gate in 2011 and Beneath the Mountain in 2012. The yet unnamed fourth and final book in circling around in my head with the outline sketched out on paper.

To top off a truly wonderful week, I found another review for The Keepers of Sulbreth on Publishers Weekly. This time the reviewer was a teenager reading for PW. I can only say Bekah is a very insightful young woman with excellent taste.

Now if only I could get the manager of my local Borders to talk with me about a booksigning. Yeah, yeah, I know he's kind of busy now with lines to the back of the store for the holidays but this is important. LOL. I really want a signing early in January to catch all my former students before they head back to college. And so many people will be walking around with those wonderful gift cards from Christmas.

Later this week I'll be talking about the booksigning I have coming up next week at The Midtown Scholar Bookstore in Harrisburg, PA. Hope I see some of you there.

First Review for 'Futhark Chronicles'

What an exciting day for me. The Keepers of Futhark will be released in January but today I read the first review. Publisher's Weekly posted a review and said many kind things about my book. One little zinger about the start of the book and then everything was roses. I hope someone uses those reviews to make their must read lists.

I know there's often discussions on blogs about whether or not people read reviews to determine their shopping lists for books. I often do just that. ROF used to have pages of book reviews though the space allowed for that in their new, recently rescued, magazine is much less. I bought one of my daughter's favorite books after reading a review for it there. My daughter and I both highlight books each month in RT and intend to buy them. Of course, Keepers won't be reviewed in RT because it's not a romance. The only beef I have with PW was the way they referred to the book as a romantic fantasy. I would rather term it an epic fantasy with a romantic subplot but I won't complain too much if some readers buy it because of the romance.

Do you read reviews and allow them to dictate your must read list? Where do you find your reviews and have you ever felt misled by one?