My friend has always been leery of reviews for her books. I have to, to a certain extent. They make me queasy. LOL The thought of purposely handing one of my books over for someone to tell me what they think is scary. What if they hate it and tell the whole world? But on the up side, what if they love it and then tell the whole world?
I think all of my books have been reviewed, some books by several review sites. I’ve almost always gotten decent reviews, some very good actually. A Touch of Heaven, my very first published book with Linden Bay Romance won the 2005 Reviewers Choice Award from eCataRomance.Com. Not bad for a newbie, huh?
But back to my point. I promise I have one! The impact reviews have. I’m not entirely sure they ‘produce’ sales but I’d love to be proven wrong. Getting ‘reviewed’ is something every author does, whether they enjoy the process or not. I’ll admit there are times I break out into a cold sweat waiting for a review of a brand new book. Waiting to see how the ‘public’ will view it.
So, dear readers…do you read book reviews? Do they influence your decision to buy certain books? Do you frequent book review ‘websites’ actively looking for new books to read or do you rely on word-of mouth (friends, co-workers, family) to find new authors/books? Do the little ‘review quotes’ on books/websites help you make a decision to buy? Your input is greatly appreciated!
I never read book reviews. I look at the cover, the author and what the story is about and if it catches my interest. Most times reviewers suck so i nver pay attention.
What Maria said. I never read reviews. I read the summary, rarely an excerpt then make my decision. A review is one person’s (whom I don’t know) opinion.
Just because someone says they like or don’t like something means nothing. I like brussel sprouts and garlic and a lot of people don’t…
I am a reviewer with a site and I have to say that one of the reasons I became one is specifically because as a reader when I buy my personal books I do a comparison of reviews from the different review sites if they have reviewed the book. I also compare what readers say and take the time to read the blurb and excerpts if any.
I do not let the cover influence my decision too much because just like there are bad reviews there are covers that truly do not represent the story. Ultimately I look at the history of the author (if I’ve read her/him before) and will usually give them a chance before making the decision of whether or not to buy from him/her again.
Amazon, Goodreads and FantasyBookCritic are definite review sites for me! I’ve found myself checking reviews before spending precious money on paper…