HOW TO SAVE THE LIFE OF AN AUTHOR

By Linda Lee Greene, Author & Artist

It is a fact that “Muse,” that mysterious and severe task-master chains authors to their writing instruments for weeks, or months, and sometimes years at a time. They aren’t allowed to eat, or brush their teeth, or bathe, or sleep. They almost never get to see other human beings. Muse makes them ignore the ring of the doorbell and the phone, and pull the drapes and close the blinds. Nothing, nothing, nothing must get in the way of scratching down those precious lines. At long last the book is done—finished—complete! And authors wait; they wait; they wait for feedback from readers, feedback that is the lifeblood of writers, that keeps them motivated, that keeps them sane, that rescues their self-esteem, and that very well might save their lives!

Accumulating reader reviews of books is a huge hurdle for authors, and the truth is that without reviews, books don’t stand a chance of reaching a wide audience, even though they might be very worthwhile reads. Nowadays, by way of cyberspace, something like 4,500 new books per day hit the bookseller market, a large percentage of that number written and self-published by highly talented and fearless authors. The crushing heap of competition they are under demands that many good reviews on Amazon and/or Goodreads is the best, and perhaps, the only way they can crawl out from under the pile and receive the notice they deserve.

A lot of readers would like to post reviews but feel intimidated by the process. You’re in luck. You can write something as simple as “I loved it!” or “This is one of the best books I’ve ever read!” or “I couldn’t put it down!” If you didn’t like the book, explain the reason in the review because that’s information the author needs to be a better writer.

Please support authors by posting reviews of their books, especially at Amazon.com. All you have to do is go to Amazon and type in the name of the book. When the correct page comes up, click onto the space on the right indicating the number of current reviews. The reviews page comes up. You will see a series of five stars on the left side of the page. Click onto the star that corresponds with your rating of the book. The fifth star on the right indicates the highest rating. A dialog box in which to type your review is directly below the stars. And below that, a box shows in which to title your review. When you have done all these things, click “submit” at the bottom of the page. And wallah—you’ve helped to save the life of a hard-working and lonely author!

My latest novel, A CHANCE AT THE MOON is at https://www.amazon.com/CHANCE-AT-MOON-Betrayal-Murder-ebook/dp/B07Z44YN9X/.  Reviews are welcome.

Image: BOOKWORM  – Watercolor painting by Linda Lee Greene

Learn more about multi-award-winning, Ohio author Linda Lee Greene at http://booksbylindaleegreene.gallery-llgreene.com/, and at her online art gallery at www.gallery-llgreene.com. She is on social media at the following:

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/lindaleegreene

Email: lindaleegreene.author.artist@gmail.com

Blog: http://Ingoodcompanyohio.blogspot.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/LindaLeeGreeneAuthor

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/LindaLeeGreeneAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LLGreeneAuthor

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest/LindaLeeGreene/

A WRITER’S TERROR

By Linda Lee Greene, Author & Artist.

I am reminded today by way of “Your Facebook Memories,” of a piece I posted five years ago, dated: September 12, 2014. It describes the terror I felt at the time, and still feel, at putting my words on the page and disclosing myself to a reading public.

Correction: It isn’t that I fear the process of writing and its reception. I am blessed that my work is usually well received. My terror arises from the hoops through which we writers must jump to reach a reading public, and the disappointment that comes when our efforts yield less than we had hoped. The emotion that overpowers me most strongly during those dry periods of silence from readers is despondency, and my despondency leads to avoidance of its pain, which results in evasion of the demanding process of putting myself out there again. I am not a very brave person. I avoid pain! And I recognize full well that my avoidance of pain corresponds directly to the scope of my living.

That’s all for today and as I stated five years ago…”To be continued”…Below is my Facebook Post, dated September 12, 2014:

September 12, 2014—I sit uneasily before the blank white window of my laptop, my unproductive fingers jerking like dying pulses above the keyboard, my silent throat beating like an uncaged bird against my exposed skin, my wild heart snaking unimpeded in a poisonous orgy to the bottom of my stomach. This unstroked rectangle might as well be the longest, widest, cruelest stretch of the Sahara Desert, and I, a lone, fluid-starved initiate who must cross it, but know not how to get to the nearest source of water.

How long has it been since I’ve credited myself as Linda Lee Greene, writer of two long-neglected blogs, the bestselling author of two books, and of three manuscripts chomping at the bit to see the light of day—to have their words printed on pages other people can read? How long—sixteen months, eighteen months, twenty? Am I spent—fizzled out? Was I just a brief burst of brightness in a friendly sky—or is my spirit still orbiting there—silently—intrepidly digging—no, maybe drawing off by now, a fountain, a geyser, or just a shy trickle of water yet to reach me? Even a droplet would fill me now.

The soles of my feet are burning from standing still. “But the sands of that blanched desert will be hotter!” I remind myself. Do I stay here within the fringe of this Devil’s disguise, a geography that’s choking me, hardening me into a pillar of salt? Or are my feet calloused enough from my grueling, silent traverse through this deadly drought to withstand the heat of that hotter place? Will I plant my right foot across that awful divide? Will my footprint rearrange the molecules of that gasping landscape lying ahead? I don’t know. All I can really hope for today is, “To be continued....”©

Books by Linda Lee Greene are available for purchase in eBook and soft cover at Amazon.com and other booksellers.

Reviewing Books Is an Invaluable Service to Writers

 

Do you make a habit of reviewing the books you read? Accumulating reader reviews of books is a huge hurdle for authors and the truth of it is that without them, a book doesn’t stand a chance of getting much notice. If you want to be instrumental in the fate of a book and/or an author, writing reviews and posting them on Amazon.com is the best way to do it. Posting your reviews on Goodreads, Shelfari, Library Thing, Barnes & Noble, Google+, LinkedIn, and other sites that promote books is also important, but reviews on Amazon have the greatest clout with readers, as well as with other booksellers and advertisers. As a matter of fact, some book advertisers won’t touch a book unless it has a certain number of reviews to its credit on Amazon.   

"The Bookworm"
watercolor by Linda Lee Greene

Have you ever been so touched, or informed, or entertained by a book that you wish you could communicate your appreciation of it directly to the author? Your review posted on Amazon.com is the best way to do it. Writing is a solitary, and oftentimes, a lonely undertaking, and feedback from readers is a writer’s lifeblood. It keeps them motivated; it boosts their self-esteem; it may well save their lives! You might be surprised to know that some of the most prominent authors among us don’t leave their computers for weeks at a time, or you have to use a crowbar to pry their pencils and tablets from their hands—they don’t eat, or brush their teeth, or bathe, or sleep. They almost never see other human beings. But the good news is that most authors I know respond to the reviews their books receive, if to little else. It could be your pathway to a new author cyber-friend. And you can bet your bottom dollar that many authors need your cyber-friendship desperately—as long as they don’t have to meet you personally because that would entail bathing, and ….well, you get the drift! Ha! Ha! Just kidding!  

Are you a writer who wants to support your fellow writers? Only you understand the blood, sweat, and tears that go into writing a book, and one of the most effective ways of validating other authors is to post reviews of their books on Amazon.com. Receiving endorsement from ones peers is akin to being awarded an Oscar of Literature. And it’s a good way of paying it forward.

A lot of readers would like to post reviews, but feel intimidated by the process. “I don’t know what to say, or how to say it. I’m not a writer,” is a response I hear sometimes. You’re in luck. Amazon has lifted its ban on reviews that are too short! You can write something as simple as “I loved it!” or “This is one of the best books I’ve ever read!” or “It will keep you entertained!” or “I couldn’t put it down!” If you didn’t like the book, explain the reasons in the review because that’s information the author needs to improve her/his writing skills. On the other hand, a wordy synopsis is valuable because many readers who are considering the purchase of a book will read its reviews beforehand, and summary-reviews of the story are helpful to them.  

Please support authors by posting reviews of their books, especially at Amazon.com. Go to the site and type in the name of the book. When the correct page comes up, click onto the icon on the right identifying the reviews section. The reviews will come up and will show a dialog box asking if you would like to post a review. Click onto it, and follow the prompts. It’s easy; it’s fun; and it’s satisfying. And you will make a lonely writer very happy, and maybe even save her/him from premature dentures!

 

http://www.amazon.com/Linda-Lee-Greene/e/B00864OVWA

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