When my first novel was just about to be released, I read about the importance of getting book reviews. I researched various book reviewers and read some of their reviews to see what I might expect. The reviews were mostly well-written and quite positive, but I wasn’t sure if book reviews were the key to more book sales.
Right after my novel was released, I realized I needed to get at least one review from a book reviewer. It’s one thing to have close friends say they loved my book, but to have a total stranger read and objectively review my book made me nervous.
With some trepidation, I reached out to a book reviewer. She wrote right back and seemed so receptive to me sending her the PDF of my novel. Mind you, I had fears that she’d release the PDF of my book online, thereby shrinking future sales of my book. She was incredibly warm in her emails, so I quickly got over my fears and sent her my manuscript.
About two weeks later, the reviewer sent me a link to her review, which she’d posted on her website. The review was glowing and made me swoon with pride that my novel received such a positive review. But as I read the review, I noticed that she’d revealed a couple surprises in my book–details I wanted the reader to enjoy when reading my book.
Notwithstanding my concerns that some major plot points had been revealed, I’m still pleased with how positive this review was. Here’s a brief snippet from that review:
“What you’ll find in Just Beyond the Shining River . . . is an enthralling mystery, a love from the past still alive in the present and the promise of a second chance at love, of having the kind of connection with another person that lasts more than life itself.”
A few months after my novel had been released, I reached out to a woman named Alice Lowe from the International Virginia Woolf Society. I’ve been a member of the Woolf Society for well over twenty years and have presented papers at Woolf conferences. Alice contributes to a blog about Woolf and is especially intrigued by Virginia Woolf sightings in contemporary literature.
After we discovered that we live only about an hour and a half away from one another, we decided to meet in person for lunch to talk about Woolf, writing, books, art, etc. I gave her a copy of my book, and a few weeks later she wrote and posted such a positive review of my book. Here’s a brief excerpt from that review:
“Lynnette brings London to life throughout the novel. As in Woolf’s own work, I was able to visualize so many scenes and sites, the Chelsea neighborhood of Gemma’s friend, their walks along the Embankment, back lanes of Soho, and more. But it was the story’s frequent surprises, its twists and turns—both Gemma’s and her grandmother’s—that kept me turning the pages.”
The full review can be found here:
https://bloggingwoolf.wordpress.com/2018/05/24/homage-to-woolf-in-lynnette-beers-first-novel/
What I’ve learned is that book reviews are important for any writer. Be it longer book reviews published online or short reviews posted at Amazon from readers, reviews are necessary as a way to spread the word about books.