Well, I had said that I didn't think soliciting reviews was something I wanted to do. But I changed my mind. What made me change my mind was an article on someone's blog recently. It was on a blog by a writer who was saying the importance of reviews should not be underestimated, and she was specifically referring to negative reviews.
Her point was that even negative reviews get the word out about your books. And that is the most important thing when it comes to promotion. Spreading the word. And reviews do that. Yes, even negative reviews. One of her reasons was that there's no book out there that is loved by everyone. So negative reviews are normal. Inevitable. Of course, no writer looks forward to a negative review, but the plus side to a negative review is the fact that your book is being discussed. By someone. And that is to the author's benefit. Even negative reviews spread the word. And they prove that an author is not getting their reviews from just family and friends. They are getting their reviews from real reviewers who probably have no ties to that author.
Now, I wasn't against soliciting reviews because I was afraid of negative reviews. I just thought it was a little on the phony side. Like asking people to do something that they normally wouldn't do. I was thinking that people should just buy your book on their own, and only write a review if they were so inclined.
But if people want to write reviews, because they like doing that, then that means they are so inclined. And if they don't know about your book, then how can they write a review about your book? So you have to tell them about your book. As for exchanging a free copy for the review, well, for any product out there, it's not unusual for free samples to be distributed as a means of promotion. And that is the bottom line about my change of heart regarding the soliciting of reviews. Promotion. Marketing. Getting the word out. You have to start somewhere.
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