Readers are so important to writers. Without you, we’re just telling ourselves stories in the dark. Let me tell you how important you are to us. First, and most important, we love knowing we’ve connected with you. That we entertained, informed, and brought something special into your day. That’s our oxygen. But do you realize how vital you are, not just to our happiness, but also to our success? We do constant battle with the booksellers and promoters algorithms, and that’s a fight we can’t win without you.
Right now, the Goodreads Choice Awards are accepting votes and write-in nominations in various genres, including Cookbooks and Middle Grade/Children’s books. The books I wrote this year would have been eligible in these categories if I’d received more reviews and star ratings. As it stands, I have one 3-star rating (no review) for A Life Invented at Goodreads and nothing at all for Steamed and Steamy. Thus, I don’t qualify. Those little labors of love will continue to putter along, of course, but that chance of a real boost in recognition is lost. Both books have been selling at a steady clip, but the reviews simply aren’t being offered.
Goodreads contest rules state: “Opening round official nominees must have an average rating of 3.50 or higher. Write-in votes may be cast for eligible books with any average rating, and write-in votes will be weighted by the book’s Goodreads statistics to determine the top five books to be added as official nominees in the Semifinal Round.”
And then there’s the biggest dragon of all, Amazon. This graphic says it all. Thank you for listening, dear reader.
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