Writing Reviews for Authors

By Susan Reichert, Editor-in-Chief, Southern Writers Magazine

We are all probably guilty of reading a great book and our intention is to go to Amazon.com and leave a review. But things get in the way, and before the day is gone, we forget.

The thing is, however, that review from you could mean the sale of a book for that author. What? Was that too dramatic?

We all have good intentions, I believe, but we are all wrapped up in our day to day responsibilities having very little time for ourselves let along others outside of family.  It seems to be the nature of things in today’s world.

But, if I could bring to our attention, this is truly a gift we give to another person, the author, leaving them a review.

You see the review we write is personal. It tells the author about the experience we had in reading their book. The emotions and feelings it brought about, perhaps the memories that surfaced. To share with them what their characters meant to us as they went through their highs and lows––a brief respite in time to be entertained. It is a good time to thank the author and let them know how much we appreciate their talent and their time in creating the book for our entertainment.

It goes without saying, other readers will read the review and will let them know the book is worth reading. It will give them information on what the book is about.

These reviews will bring more attention to the book and the author and perhaps open doors for them. It is our way of thanking them for their time, their talent and their effort.

Next time, I will make a concerted effort to leave a review. It only takes a few minutes. It’s the digital way for authors to receive a “Thank-you-Note.” What about you?