Writerly Rants: To Review or Not to Review… That is the Question

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When you're looking for the perfect new beach read this summer, do you check out the reviews? You have to admit, it's pretty helpful to be able to get a sense of the book to decide if it will be something you'll want to rave about to all your friends.

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Have YOU ever given a book a star rating or written a review? It's easy! You don't have to have any qualifications to rate a book and you don't have to come up with a whole breakdown of it. If you want, you can just click on a star rating and leave it at that.

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Goodreads, Barnes and Noble and Amazon all have places for you to give a book a 1-5 star rating and you can also write a review if you want.

But WHY should I give a star rating or write a review?

1) Word of mouth is the most compelling form of endorsement.
2) Positive reviews = more books sold.
3) Reviews have helped you to find good books before… pay it forward!

For example- on Amazon, once a book has between 20-25 reviews, it's in the "also bought" and "you might like this" lists. Once a book hits between 50-70 reviews, it can also be spotlighted online or in their newsletter, which will obviously get it more attention.

Many websites that review or promote books won't even consider the book unless it has a certain number of reviews.

And of course, it really helps the authors move up on the Ratings and Best Sellers lists.

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Ok. Ok. I'll try it out. But what kinds of things could I put in a review?

Pick a few words to describe your overall feel of the book. Think of a few words that pop into your head- Fascinating. A Nail-biter. Awesome. Scary. Thought-provoking. Scandalous. Hypnotic. Funny.

Tell us what you liked! Did you adore a character? Was it so fast-paced that you put off everything you were supposed to be doing? Did it make you laugh? Cry? Are you dying for the next book in the series? Did it keep you guessing until the end? Just pretend you're telling a good friend about it.

Specifics- if you want. You can be as detailed as you want with your favorite parts. Tell us what scenes really moved you or what parts made you feel a connection. Did you love the ending? Will you read other books written by the author?

NO Spoilers without a warning. If you want to give something away… let the readers know. You can just say *spoiler alert right before. On Goodreads there's a box you can check to hide the review unless people want to open it up to see. There's nothing worse than having a major thing revealed before a reader is ready.

Just be honest. You can mention what didn't work for you in a book, but just remember to be tactful in how you say it. Someone spent a lot of time creating something out of a blank page for your enjoyment, so be kind.

Do you recommend it? If you think other's will like it, let us know. If you think that a specific age group will really like it tell us! Or if it will appeal to someone that loves fantasy or beach reads or romance etc… give us the skinny!

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Hopefully next time you finish a great book you'll take a few seconds to add a star rating or give it a quick review. It's super easy, helps the author, and let's other people connect with amazing books!

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It's all about perspective… so give us yours!

Your Writerly Ranter,
Brooke

Delicious Reads…. Finding Some GoodReads

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Welcome to the first editions of Writerly Rants! Just in case you missed it, there's a new line up of Delicious Reads Contributors. I'm Brooke, and I'm an avid writer and voracious reader, which is why I'm really excited to give you the skinny on one of my favorite sites, GOODREADS.

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Goodreads is the largest site for readers and book recommendations- it's where readers unite to share the best of the best, to give everyone a smorgasbord of book options tailored just for them. If someone thinks they don't like to read, it's because they haven't had the right book at their fingertips yet! Goodreads makes it so much easier to find books you'll love.

If you've never tried it before, here are some of the highlights:

• Look Up Book Reviews- Each book has a description, overall star rating of 1-5 stars and reader reviews. Anyone can give a star rating or write a review so it can be as interactive as you choose to make it.

• See What Friends Are Reading- This is a great way to start. Since you probably have things in common with people who are your friends, chances are you'll probable like some similar books. You can even do a search to Compare Books with a friend to see what books you've both read or want to read. It's a quick and fun way to see if you have similar book-tastes and get some ideas.

• Shelves to Track: Currently Reading, Books Read, Books To Read- This is one of my favorite features because it keeps everything organized and user friendly.  When I'm ready for a new book, I can quickly check my To Read shelf and know I have something awesome lined up. 

• Reading Challenge- Goodreads will track the books you've read during the year. Simply set a goal of how many books you want to read and then once you mark them as read, Goodreads will pool them together. You can even put a badge showing your progress on your favorite social media site! Last year I read fifty books as part of the challenge and it was so easy to track and share with my friends from their site.  If you want to get an idea of how it works, here's a post I wrote about how I Read 50 Books in 2013.

• Explore Books and Get Recommendations- Goodreads populates books you might like based on books you've previously given high ratings.  Goodreads also has endless Book Lists you can scroll through to get ideas. 

• Scan Books - If you download the Goodreads app, you can scan a book right from your phone to have it pull up all the information about the book on the spot. It's an awesome trick so you don't have to type in the title and author to get some quick info.

• Follow Favorite Authors- Goodreads is a great place to become a fan of your favorite authors, keep apprised of new book releases and hear about upcoming events.

Just in case you can't tell, I'm a huge fan! If you want to give Goodreads a try, I'll be your first friend- you can Find My Profile Here. As as writer, and someone who has fallen in love with so many books, I want everyone to be able find books that speak to them. Goodreads is the most multi-faceted, user-friendly site I've seen. We even use Goodreads to help us choose our Yearly Line Up!

At DelicousReads, we're all about finding some GoodReads, so let's spread the book-love!

Your Writerly Ranter,
Brooke