Reviews: The No Cost Treasure Authors Seek

-



If you follow any authors on social media, then you've probably seen requests for reviews. Many people hesitate to post a review because they're not sure what to say, so I'm going to provide some tips.

Why authors seek reviews

1. Over 90% of people shopping on any book site will read the reviews before purchasing a book.

2. Amazon tends to promote books with 50+ reviews.

3. Books without or with very few reviews don't show up in searches.

In other words, if you enjoy an author's books and want to encourage other people to buy the books, then reviews make that more possible. Reviews help the author become more visible.

And for me, the problem is a bit more complex. When I republished the books in 2023, Amazon migrated the reviews from the first edition to the second edition for The Watchers of Moniah. They did NOT migrate the reviews for The Watchers in Exile or The Watchers at War, so it looks like no one is reading those books. I requested they be transferred, but Amazon said they can't. I don't know why, but if you've read the 2nd and 3rd books, I would really LOVE you for posting a brief review.

BUT, I'm not the only author who needs reviews. I'm sure you read other authors. Leave reviews for as many as you can manage. If you read a lot, maybe choose one day a week to post one or two reviews, then it might not feel as daunting.

How to write a review

First of all, rating the book is important, but people pay less attention to ratings if they're not accompanied by a written review. Don't worry, you don't have to be a great writer to leave a good review. 

Also, if you read a review on Amazon that you like, click the "Helpful" button at the bottom of the review. This increases the books' visibility.

Reviews can be short and sweet: 

  • I loved this book because . . .
  • This book reminded me of . . .
  • The really fun/interesting/intriguing/fascinating thing about this book is  . . .
  • You should read this book if you enjoy . . .

You can use any of the above phrases and complete the sentence. You don't have to go in depth. Most of the in depth reviews I've seen restate the book blurb, so it's wasted space, anyway. Short and to the point does work.

Of course, if you want to say more, feel free. Just remember to write a review. The author will appreciate it.


Some of the reviews I've received:

The Watchers of Moniah

  • I rarely read fantasy, but the unique components of this tale drew me in and kept me riveted to Princess Adana's story. Princess Adana and the other members of the all-female Watchers take the reader on a journey that is fraught with intrigue, adventure, and danger - all navigated by strong, confident female characters. The book has many unique components - archery, telepathic giraffes, and mystical elements. And no coming-of-age story is complete without a touch of romance, which this book has.
  • She had me at giraffes ...
  • Drawn in from the start ... this is an excellent adventure. Looking forward to seeing where book 2 takes me.
  • I was hooked from the moment we met the giraffes! This story has just about everything from good characters to villains, romance, mystery and intrigue. Thank you MS. Evers for introducing me to this series.
  • I agree with one reviewer who called this a unique and special story. I mean, telepathic giraffes, people! And while I'm not drawn to fantasy or coming-of-age novels, THE WATCHERS OF MONIAH pulled me in from page one with multi-layered characters, rich world-building, and non-stop political intrigue. This is a tightly plotted and beautifully written page-turner. (I have already started book two.) Ignore labels with this one: it will appeal to anyone who enjoys a heart-pounding read--part thriller, part romance, part women's fiction, part mystery.

The Watchers in Exile (from the first edition, not visible anymore)

  • There's a lot going in this one. And that's a great thing! Take your time with this one; savor it or else I'm sure you'll miss an important detail. Packed with nuance but not overburdened with superfluous detail, this is a fun world to fall into. Amazing read!
  • I really enjoyed this sequel to the first and without giving anything away I must say that the action and adventure are just as good as the writers ability to really pull you into the story, i can't wait for the next one!
  • Adana is on her way back to Moniah to assume the throne. She's got a lot to learn about being queen, especially about her bond to her giraffe Am'brosia. One of the bright spots is her betrothal to Kiffen, crown prince of Elwar, who is also learning to handle his own bonded giraffe Bal'dish. All should sort itself out with time, heading towards a 'happily ever after' for the pair. However, they're not the only ones whose plans are bearing fruit. Maligon, archtraitor to Moniah, has plans as well, and his armies are marching. A good follow up to the first book, The Watchers of Moniah, and a solid step towards a resolution in the final book of the the trilogy.
  • This is book 2 in a trilogy and the excitement never lets up. So often, the middle of a trilogy "sags" and has stagnant parts, but not this one. Adana, the rightful queen of Moniah and her betrothed, Kiffin of Elwar, must battle across the countryside to join one another and fight against the traitor who's already taken over the other kingdoms and is aiming his sights on Moniah next.

The Watchers at War (from the first edition, not visible anymore)

  • An outstanding finish to The Watchers of Moniah trilogy. The ending was completely satisfying, although surprising in some ways. All the sub-stories and loose ends were neatly tied. I cried or laughed through many moving scenes and reveled in the beauty of others. That dress! But the thing I noticed the most was the depth of the story. Relationships deepened. Secrets opened. Goals heightened. Glimmer cloth became so much more. Mysteries of the giraffe bond were revealed. But not entirely. More magic remains for the next adventurer to discover. And that makes it feel like a true story.
  • This is the third of a trilogy about young Queen Adana and her battle for the kingdoms against the evil Maligon. It's just as exciting as the other two books and you'll never guess the ending! Plus, there are giraffes -- how could you go wrong? Adana must try to regain her kingdom of Moniah, as well as try to help the other kingdoms free their rulers from Maligon's treachery ... but she's got a new weapon at her disposal if she dares to use it.
  • Sometimes a final book drags. Burdened with loose ends and sleepy dialouge. NOT Watchers at War. Moving right along with incredibly clear pace, Watchers at War packs in the action and emotion. Plus, you know, giraffes! So unique, I can't say enough good things about my journey through these books. Now I'm waiting for spin-offs!
NOTE: the links above are for Amazon. If you prefer to leave a review on Good Reads, Book Bub, or any other retailer, you can find those links Linktree.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Skin Tone: Describing Your Characters

-
Image
When you write about character's of different races, how do you describe their skin tone? If you've never thought about this, then consider this question: How do the authors you read described persons of color? A few months ago, I attended a webinar about writing diverse characters. The guest was Eliana West of Writers for Diversity . The information she shared felt fresh and valuable, especially related to describing a character's skin tone. I get really tired of seeing African-descended characters described in terms of the goods that drove, and still drive the slave trade--coffee, chocolate, brown sugar. There's some weird psychosocial baggage attached to that.    -- N. K. Jemisin As this quote from author, N. K . Jemisin , indicates, historically, writers have described people of color using food-related descriptors. Many people of color find this offensive. This surprised me, at first, but she has a point, especially when you view it through the quote above. My fir...
Read more

Character Development: Using the Johari Window

-
Image
In my last post, Character Development: the Johari Window , I introduced the Johari Window as a tool for developing your characters. It's important that your character not know everything about their situation. These unknowns can lead to an intriguing story and create possibilities for conflict within the story. How do you use the Johari Window? In this post, I thought I'd provide a simple example of the Johari Window with a character most people know:  Harry Potter. Below, I have filled out the Johari Window as it might appear within the first few pages of book 1, Harry Potter and The Sorceror's Stone . The Johari Window based on Harry Potter and The Sorceror's Stone Three of the quadrants in this window reveal what Harry doesn't know about who he truly is and what happened to his parents. I could add a lot to the quadrants representing what he doesn't know, but I hope this gives you an idea on how a Johari Window might be used. What do you d...
Read more

He Said, She Said, Who Said? Punctuating Dialogue

-
Image
Courtesy of Morguefile.com I've been focusing my posts on workshops and panels I taught or participated on at the Imaginarium Convention. Although this serves as a poor substitute for the real thing, I can share some highlights. This week, we're going to explore dialogue punctuation. The first thing writers need to learn is how to properly punctuate dialogue. I've discovered, over the years, that many don't know how. Notice in the first example below, the dialogue starts at the beginning of the sentence, and the speaking tag (he said, she said, Paul said, etc.) follows it.  A few points to notice: The first letter of the quotation is capitalized. What the person says is a sentence, so it must be capitalized. A comma comes directly after the quote and INSIDE the quotation marks. You can, also, have a question mark or exclamation point here. There is a space AFTER the closing quotation mark followed by the speaking tag and a period at the end of the sentence. In the next ...
Read more