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Storytime: The importance of Reviews

jennifermarciaauth

Updated: Jan 18, 2024





I suppose I never really understood how important reviews were for authors until I published my first book, a romance novel in 2022. Which is strange to me now since as a reader, I always checked the reviews before buying a book from an unknown author. Like most of you I have my one click authors, I've read many of their books before and am almost certain I will enjoy their new book. I have also read a lot of terrible books. So when I wrote Luca: A Brotherhood MC it was a sort of surprise for me. I have always loved romance novels and enjoy a good suspense, so it really shouldn't have been much of a surprise to me that I had a good romance novel (or as it turns out, a series ☺ ️)  up my sleeve. 


Like any reader I noticed the request for reviews at the end of each book that I finished, but I never felt qualified to write an actual review. Somehow, I always felt as if writing reviews fell to those who felt the innate need to critique novels, good or bad and pave the way for new authors as well as beloved favorites. I cannot tell you how much I regret those early opinions on my role as a reader and reviews. When Luca was published I sent out hundreds of requests to reviewers to read my new novel and pen a review so that the book I had worked so hard to write and publish could gain some traction and be found by readers. Of the hundreds of requests I sent out, only twenty-five people responded. Twenty-five. I was floored. And disappointed, but I was so grateful that those twenty-five reviewers were interested in my novel, so I sent out the ARCs and got back to work sending out more requests, and then I held my breath and hoped for the best. Out of the several hundred new requests I sent out, only thirteen people responded. Ok. That's fine, I thought as I shrugged off my disappointment and waited for the thirty-eight people who requested my novel to leave their honest reviews on Amazon and Goodreads when my book was released. Five people left reviews in the first month Luca was released. Five out of thirty-eight. To say I was sad and disappointed is an understatement. I was and am so grateful to those five people and incredibly proud that my book received high praise from those who decided to leave a review. But man was I sad that so many people either didn't read or finish my novel or simply neglected to leave a review. 


I started leaving reviews for my favorite authors the month after Luca was released. I hadn't understood how important those reviews were until I worked so hard for the first five reviews Luca received. Now I try to leave a review for every book I finish. I still struggle at times with believing that my opinion is “good enough” to be a review of another author's work but I also know how hard it is to get those reviews. Book marketing is very much a case of which comes first, the chicken or the egg… we need to sell copies of our work in order to continue writing and yet we can't reach more potential readers without reviews. It's tough out there especially for new indie authors. And so the cycle continues. I will always be incredibly grateful to those of you who read my work and to those of you who leave a review. I am sending you the biggest hug imaginable. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart, you have done more for us authors than you can imagine. ❤️🥰

Xoxo,

Jennifer  Marcia


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