I find myself in a peculiar place. I’m at that point in my writing career where I’m starting to get book reviews for my debut novel, which is exciting and nerve wrecking at the same time. People are out there taking the time to read my book and write a review. I feel like I should thank them. But at the same time, I don’t want them to think I’m lurking around in the background.
So, I’m reaching out to you (readers, reviewers, writers) to get your opinions.
- True or False. If a reviewer thinks an author will read the review, it adds extra pressure and might intimidate the reviewer.
- True or False. A writer should never respond to a review.
- True or False. Responding to Amazon reviews is considered self-promotion or spam.
I’ve done my share of book reviews knowing the author would most likely read it, and hoping others would because how cool would it be to get a response from the author of a book I enjoyed. Though, I’m still not sure how to handle responses to Edge of Truth. So far, I’ve only thanked the reviewer, but have not left comments on the actual review. I don’t want to seem like I’m a shameless self-promoter (which to some extent writers need to be) nor do I want to come off as a suck up or tarred as a Badly Behaving Author.
These days, communication between author and readers/reviewers/authors is easier than ever. Sometimes, our In Box gets out of control, but I still believe common courtesy, even something as simple as saying ‘Thank You,’ is important. So, if I turn into that author lurking in the background, it’s most likely to show appreciation for another person’s time.
What are your thoughts? Readers and reviewers, does it bother you to think an author might read your review? Authors, do you comment on reviews and/or send a ‘Thank You’ note?