I received the following message from a reader last week;
Hi Tim, Finished Unfinished Business. Wow! It is so different from your other books, but it is a subject that I am very interested in. Loved it!!
If you ask any writer they will all tell you the same thing…We absolutely LOVE getting messages like this. Who wouldn’t?
I know it’s a cliché, but this is arguably* why we write (click here for an alternate take on this topic). It’s hard to explain the feeling you get when somebody tells you that they truly enjoyed something you created.
However…
Yes, there is a but – isn’t there ALWAYS a but?
As much as we love to hear from you about how you enjoy our work, there is something you could do for us that is just as good, and in a way even better…
Have you ever been to a business and seen a sign that reads;
“If you don’t like our service, tell us…If you do, tell somebody else.”
It’s the same for Independent Authors…
We don’t have an advertising budget. Very few of us have a public relations manager and you won’t see many of us doing the talk show circuit.
We rely on word of mouth.
YOU are our advertising campaign.
A simple post on facebook, twitter, pinterest, google+ or whatever your social media of choice happens to be would help immensely!
A review on Amazon and/or Goodreads is practically invaluable.
If you have a blog, write about it there and even ask the author for some thoughts, very few of us will decline an interview.
I’ve asked people to put a review on Amazon before and many of them think they have to be Siskel and Ebert – writing long, complicated interpretations of the book.
No. A review like this is more than enough…
You see that message at the top of this post? That message would make a great review – except for the “Hi Tim” part….
Anything that will give other readers an idea of what you thought of the book.
And contrary to what some people think – you CAN post a review on Amazon even if you didn’t purchase the book there.
So the next time you enjoy one of my books, or a book written by any Independent Author, take five minutes to share your thoughts with other readers – you’ll be doing them, as well as us a great service.
As always – thank you for reading
blindoggbooks 