Whenever you read a book and write a review it has an impact on more than just the writer of that story. Have you considered how writing a review can affect the author, future readers and yourself?
The Author
Of course authors benefit from reviews – they are provided with an insight from one of their readers. This could be in the form of finding out what in particular about the story was enjoyed, what could be improved or what just didn’t work for the reader.
Writers can improve their stories and make adjustments based on reviews they’ve received. In one novel I reviewed this year, I commented on the language used and the author received this feedback and adjusted their story! Reviews don’t go unnoticed.
Future Readers
If you’re looking for a good book to read, it can be great to find out what others thought of the story before purchasing it. Of course some people will like a book while others may strongly dislike it; either way, when you read other people’s reviews, you get a feel for what made it a good (or bad) story.
Future readers may find that what someone didn’t like is something that wouldn’t bother them – or they might even enjoy the idea of that aspect of the story! Writing reviews helps future readers.
The Reviewer
I love to read books; I know of a lot of people out there that do, too. More often than not, I love to read horse books. I review these on my blog, equus education. As a consistent horse book reviewer, I am often contacted by authors or publishers of horse books and asked if I would review in exchange for a copy.
As a reviewer, you can benefit greatly by offering reviews and in return, gaining free copies (paperback and electronic) to review. If an author sees that you’re enjoying their series and writing positive reviews, they will seek you out for copies of future releases to review.
If you love to read and haven’t considered reviewing in the spare time you may have, consider starting up a blog or just as easily setting up a Goodreads and/or Amazon account to review whatever you’ve read. You may also like to check out NetGalley for pre-publishing releases that need reviews.
Don’t underestimate the value of reviewing what you’ve read!
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