#Giveaway & Guest Post by @DanKoboldt

I’m so excited to let you know that Dan Koboldt, author of The Rogue Retrieval and Island Deception, is here for a guest post!

He’s sharing a little author love, by discussing the importance of reviewers and by giving away some FREE BOOKS!!!!

Make sure you read all the way to the bottom so you can enter for your chance to win a free copy of The Rogue Retrieval.

The Rogue Retrieval by Dan KoboldtThe Importance of Book Reviewers

When you become a published author, it’s a bit like joining a secret society. You gain access to some fascinating new places — like Amazon author pages, convention panels, and secret Facebook groups — and benefit from an insider’s view of the publishing industry. Like the V.I.P. room at an average nightclub, it’s not nearly as glamorous as some would have you believe.

I’ve learned some surprising things following the publication of The Rogue Retrieval. One is simply this:

Book reviewers are pure gold. The unsung heroes of the literary world. ~ Dan Koboldt

Book reviewers are pure gold.

The unsung heroes of the literary world. Here’s what I know about them:

They work essentially for free, devoting both their reading time and online space to share their thoughts on books. Yes, they generally receive free books, but that’s no big deal. Once you dip a foot into the publishing industry, ARCs and giveaways and discounted books are everywhere. It’s the same situation when trying to get books to readers, by the way – there are far more books than any one person could hope to read.

That’s why book reviewers are so important. They help readers sift through the never-ending pile of available literature to find the books they’re most likely to enjoy. Reviews themselves are an art form: it’s not easy to strike the right balance between enough detail without too many spoilers.

One of my favorite things about book reviewers is their ability to pick out aspects of the work that the author may not have noticed. For example, when she reviewed The Rogue Retrieval, Angel Leya pointed out that it was a clean read. As in, no R-rated content.

(You can read Angel Leya’s full review of The Rogue Retrieval here, and The Island Deception here.)

Benefits of writing “clean” fiction.The Island Deception, Book 2 of Gateways to Alissia series by Dan Koboldt

Sure there are a few curse words here and there, but overall The Rogue Retrieval is pretty tame. Some writers can’t seem to type a page without dropping an F-bomb. That’s not me. I want my stories to offer an escape from the real world, where there’s more than enough cussing to go around.

It made me happy that Angel pointed this out as a positive thing. No one else had done that, at least not that I’d seen (as the author I’m not supposed to be reading my reviews anyway, but that’s a rule I sometimes break).

Here’s another perk of writing a book that’s clean: when you find out your relatives or in-laws are reading it, you don’t have to worry what they’re going to think.

Here’s another perk of writing a book that’s clean: when you find out your relatives or in-laws are reading it, you don’t have to worry what they’re going to think. ~ Dan Koboldt

Unfortunately, book reviewers also seem to be a dying breed.

Many of the book bloggers/vloggers I wanted to approach about reviews for The Rogue Retrieval were no longer active, or were no longer accepting books for review. It made me sad to see how many had quit, though I think I understand why. When you accept a book for review, that creates a weight of expectation that can take some of the fun out of reading. It can easily become a thankless, non-paying job that seems to have no end.

Dan Koboldt, AuthorThe bottom line, however, is that book reviews sell books. It’s not just the star-rating but the number of reviews that tells someone to buy. Or not buy. That’s why people who remain active readers and reviewers are so highly coveted by the literary community. They’re helping us stay in business. So, too, are the casual readers who decide to leave a quick review for a book they enjoyed.

Every little bit helps.

That’s why people who remain active readers and reviewers are so highly coveted by the literary community. They’re helping us stay in business. ~ Dan Koboldt

So thank you, book readers and reviewers. We may not tell you so directly, but authors truly appreciate what you do.

Giveaway

[contestfriend contest=”1999″]

*Dan has graciously offered to gift a copy of The Island Deception if the winner already has The Rogue Retrieval, or an alternative Harper Voyager Impulse book if the winner already has both.

2 Responses

  1. You are so right, Dan! Those unpaid, unsung, overworked and overwrought reviewers are the butter on our literary bread, the cherry on our sundae. And they do indeed help to direct readers to navigate the mountains of material out there towards books they’ll enjoy. And while they may get free books, reviewers more than earn what they receive, because reading a book and crafting a cogent review (either good or bad) is hard work. Thanks for pointing out how deserving these folks are of praise, both by authors and readers.

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