Monday's Links to Writing & Marketing Blog Posts

ARE 5-STAR BOOK REVIEWS BAD FOR SALES?

By: K.M. Weiland

reviews have become a bane.

They are everywhere you look. And it’s understandable—in this age of indie- and self-publishing and platform-building, what better way of garnering attention (and hopefully sales) than the come-hither testament of a glowing 5-star review?  Everyone and his uncle seem to have written the next Great American Novel. Perhaps you’ve been asked by a friend to review her book. Perhaps you’ve requested an acquaintance to review yours. And this is great—unless your book isn’t.

A 5-star review is the pinnacle–a sign of near-perfection, that gilded endorsement and validation every writer seeks. But the absolute deluge of perfect ratings suggests we have a big issue in giving honest literary feedback. See for yourself: how many 5-star reviews have you ultimately agreed with, upon reading the book for yourself? What’s more, how many reviewers put their money where their fawning mouths are and proffer specific, cogent validation of why they conferred such veneration? Not nearly enough.

5-Star Book Reviews Are Discrediting Your Book

The glut of 5-star book reviews has taken much of the luster off the once-shining achievement. You got a 5-star book review? Great! But so did Susie and Alan and every other person I see mentioned on Twitter. And it seems Susie gave Alan her 5-star review, and he tendered hers.

Let me say this: there are many amazing works out there, and some merit the lofty ratings. But even many good manuscripts do not. Many are more deserving of, say, a 4, which is nothing to be ashamed of. And yes, some are not 4s, either. Some work is not so hot, and bestowing undeserved estimation upon it is a disservice on many levels. The writer and reader forfeit credibility when others feel misled and disagree with the rating/review. Plus, the author loses a valuable opportunity to improve his product/craft.

5-Star Book Reviews Are Undermining Your Literary Community

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Read the full article HERE!

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If you missed my writing & marketing tweets and retweets yesterday, here they are again:

1. Top 10 Free Book Promotion Sites | Angie's Diary http://ow.ly/y2Pav
2. Are 5-Star Book Reviews Bad for Sales? - Helping Writers Become Authors http://ow.ly/y2OZY
3. 25 Pieces of Advice You Need to Build an Awesome Facebook Page http://ow.ly/y2Pgi
4. Who’s Afraid of Very Cheap Books? | David Gaughran http://ow.ly/y2Pir
5. Self-Publishers Aren’t Killing The Industry, They’re Saving It | David Gaughran http://ow.ly/y2Po3
6. 15 Blog Optimization Stats You Need to Tweet ... STAT http://ow.ly/y2Pqd
7. Anne R. Allen's Blog: How To Write For the 21st Century Reader: 6 Tips to Modernize Your Prose http://ow.ly/y2R19
8. How To Hook Your Audience http://ow.ly/y2R4I
9. Writing ‘Rules’: Start in the Middle of Action | Lit Central | O.C. http://ow.ly/y2R62
10. 3 Ways You Can Use a First-Person Narrator to Tell a Better Story - Helping Writers Become Authors http://ow.ly/y2Rdx
11. 5 Things Rocky Taught Me About Writing Knockout Main Characters | Positive Writer http://ow.ly/y2RfX
12. Michael Crichton’s Method for Plotting Out a Story | WRITERS HELPING WRITERSWRITERS HELPING WRITERS http://ow.ly/y2Rjg
13. Which Drawers to Open: A Writer's Boundaries | AndiLit.com http://ow.ly/y2RmXWritability: How to Create Twitter-sized Bites http://ow.ly/y2RoN
14. Wondering how to create clickable tweets for your blog posts? @Ava_Jae breaks it down here: http://bit.ly/1hNdjgZ
15. Understanding Character Wounds: A List Of Common Themes | WRITERS HELPING WRITERSWRITERS HELPING WRITERS http://ow.ly/y2RJE
16. 15 Easy Ways To Increase Your Twitter Engagement | Molly Greene: Writer http://ow.ly/y2S3r
17. Pucker Up: Writing the Kiss That Makes Readers Melt by Anise Rae | Romance University http://ow.ly/y2S88
18. How to Tell if Your Story is On Target—What is Your Book About in ONE Sentence? | Kristen Lamb's Blog http://ow.ly/y2S9M
19. Twitter Cards for Blogs: How to Set Them Up | Social Media Examiner http://ow.ly/y2Stf
20. Theme Week: How to Repurpose Your Content [and Why You Should Do It!] : @ProBlogger http://ow.ly/y2SGu
21. Writers: Use Visuals to Market Your Books - Social Media Just for Writers http://ow.ly/y2SJo
22. The Simple Pre-Proofing Checklist | Wise Ink's Blog for Indie Authors about Self-Publishing http://ow.ly/y2TbA

Happy writing and running, Kathy