Dave White is the author of the heralded Jackson Donne Series and this week he’s back, baby. There’s a new side kick for White’s mayhem. John Brighton is a young school teacher who quickly finds himself in the middle of a murder plot.
WITNESS TO DEATH
is out this week on Kindle and Nook. Press the button, you know you want to. I promise it is well worth it.
is out this week on Kindle and Nook. Press the button, you know you want to. I promise it is well worth it. And now without further ado, Mr. White has a secret to share with you, the reader.
Gonna reveal something about myself that might make you like me a little less.
I read all my reviews. Every damn one I can find. Whether it’s from a story I wrote in 2002 that someone just read or something that came out last week, if there’s a review out there, I’m going to read it.
And I’m going to take it seriously.
Good or bad. Well written or poorly written. Whether or not the reviewer got the book. I’m going to care about what they say and how they say it and try to understand why they feel the way they do about my writing.
That’s not to say I’m going to take it personally. Yeah, a bad review may bug me for a few hours, but not because the person hates me. No, the person dislikes the book. And there’s a good reason to look at that.
I like to know what the reviewer didn’t like about the book. Is it something that can be addressed down the line in future books? Is it something I messed up on? Reviews are an important way to analyze your own work.
My writing is not just for me. It’s for as many readers as we can find. And if something’s not working for one reviewer, maybe it’s not working for a bunch of other people as well.
At the same time, a good review is something to celebrate. You connected with that reader. You made them have an emotional response. They got up and cheered. Or at least felt compelled enough to write how much they enjoyed your work.
So I read every review. It’s possible I’m a bit of an attention seeker. I want to know what people think of me, me, me. Wait, that’s not right. I want to know what people think of my work. But don’t we all? We all want to have our writing out there, read by millions
To me, reviews are important. Reviewers are important. It gives an idea of what the masses are thinking. What works. What doesn’t work. And they let other people know about it as well.
So, thank you, reviewers, for spreading the word of the writer.
You're welcome, Dave. And thanks for a refreshing take on it.
Critics and reviewers (real ones, not friends and family of the author, members of the circle jerk or those online Amazon "reviewers" and their ilk) may be the only ones who take writers as seriously as the writers themselves do.
So the antipathy some writers (usually newbies and egomaniacs) show toward critics is puzzling. We're supposed to take their work seriously, but not publicly?
Granted, immature and insecure writers should just avoid any reviews like the plague. But if you've got nerves of steel and true grit, by all means read your reviews. Don't let the good ones go to your head, or the negative ones make you haul out the razor blade and stare at your wrist.
I write reviews for readers, not writers, of course. But a good, honest review, be it positive or negative, should be worth reading by readers and yes, even writers.
If they can take it.
Hello! What is the proper way to submit a book for your review at Crimespree Magazine? Do you have an email I can send a message to?
Thanks