All posts by NewEngland_Muse

I'm a traditionally and self published author. I write in the genre of children and YA at the moment but working my way up to adults. I'm a sports loving, photo taking gal who loves to sing/dance to my own enjoyment. I love to laugh even at myself. I am also owned by 8 birds and 2 hamsters, and yes they know it. :)
A blog about the topics of writing, Writers resources

Getting reviews for my books: A hard task indeed

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Getting reviewed for your book is not always easy. No, no, that’s not it. Maybe pigs will be able to fly once someone leaves one?

We learn where the issues are in our manuscript when others critique our works. It is so helpful for writers. When I go online to purchase something, I tend to check the reviews to get a better view of what to expect.

But asking for a critique is no guarantee you will get one, even if you

offer them a free book. Reading and writing a review online take some time, and one should consider that when they say yes after being asked.

What hurts is Amazon will remove reviews. Anyone who reviewed my book would have to spend at least 50 bucks a year, every single year. By doing so, any review they post remains on the site. If not, down it comes.

I woke up one day excited to log in and check how many reviews I had for my first book. I was anxious, for the count was close to 50. My giddiness went down the tube when I noticed 18 removed. A few years after that, another 12. It came down to customers having to buy $50 in a given year.

I was so frustrated and angry, but it made no difference, for that was and is the policy. Any review I leave will stay on Amazon since spending that dollar amount in one year is not an issue. But after losing reviews a second time, I started looking at other sites that are more writer-friendly with reviews.

So, if a writer asks for a review, think before you say yes. I rather hear no, than offer a free book and wait and wait and wait for one that will never come.

A blog about the topics of writing, Writing topics

Critiquing an author’s work: Do you say yes quickly?

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When a fellow writer asks you to critique their work, do you say yes quickly? I used to, but now I pause. I tend to ask the author if they want me to be as neutral as possible or do you want me to tell them what they want to hear.

I will turn that person down to look at their work if it is the latter. It is not easy critiquing others, especially if you know them personally.

It can cause hurt feelings or negative comments back onto you, or in one case, a negative review of one of my books. Yes, she went there.

Can you tell the author a piece of work has many issues? You can lessen the blow, but it still comes down to the fact it just does not work.

A new author asked me to review his book. When I read it, it was clear they had not used an editor or beta group to help them smooth out the multiple errors. But the story had meat on the bone where it was good. Contacting the author, I told them as kind as I could my opinion. I brought up positive points in the book. That way, not all they heard was negative. The author appreciated that I took the time to tell him instead of putting up a low-grade review. I was happy too. The book was good.

Joining a critique group is helpful. There are times when members would only give out the negatives. They didn’t think about how it made the author feel and not telling the author where they got it right. I always make sure I find positivity in the section we read. I know how it feels to get negatives making me wonder at times if I got anything right in the chapter I had submitted.

Looking over a piece of writing, especially if you know the person is not easy. One has to decide for themselves if one can handle the critique one will get back. One also has to ask themselves, can they give an honest review, even when the book has little going for it? Or perhaps the question is should I review at all?

A blog about the topics of writing, Writers helping writers

Is it easy to write books for children?: Yes, according to some

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How easy is it to write books for children? From my experience early on, I have heard people tell me various opinions on this. In fact, at one writer’s meeting, a fellow author scoffed and said he could write a children’s book in one night. There was nothing to it. I was so stunned I did not have a comeback remark. Of course, as I was driving home, I came up with a lot. Unfortunately, this is not the only time other writers have told me this genre was easy peasy.

That ticks me off. According to reports, this genre is one of the hardest to write. You have to write it in a language that is not above their hands or beneath them. The dialogue has to be just right.

Ask a kid to read your book. If they don’t like it by page two, they drop it and look for another book. Most adults will at least carry on to the end of the chapter.

In my first children’s book, I had kids from a daycare look it over, and the reviews were hard to hear, but I welcomed them because they gave me what I needed to fix it. Have an adult write a children’s book, and you can critique it but not through the eyes of a child.

A children’s book is like any other book. You have to have plots, characters, and a timeline that works together and does not fall apart. You still need to revise, edit and revise again. You still need to have a cover that shines on your work. You still need to send it through your beta and critique groups.

But aft all this, it finally hit me on how to reply the next time I hear this.
If you think writing a book for children is easy, go for it. Seriously. Go for it. After that, we will talk. But only after.