Praise It? Trash It? Write It!

Whether or not you like a book, the Internet offers a chance to express your opinion to hundreds, perhaps thousands, of potential buyers.

As I noted in my previous post, Point of Sale reviews on sites like Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com and Goodreads (a subsidiary of Amazon where tons of readers gather to talk books) and others, are essential to book sales because they offer feedback from readers to potential customers.

Writing a review is easy. Here are six ideas to get you started:

 (1) Your post doesn't have to be as long as the book!  Short, snappy assessments are more likely to catch the eye. Aim for two to three paragraphs at most.
(2)  It's helpful to briefly summarize what the book is about ("Joe the Robber  follows the exploits of a thief who steals from the rich to give to the poor in modern day New York City") but long explanations aren't necessary. Your opinion is what counts.
(3)  What's the first thing you'd say to a friend who's interested in buying the book?  No matter if it's good, bad or indifferent, write it down. That's your lead. ("Joe the Robber" may be fiction but it offers a fascinating look into the way modern armed robbers work, how they pick their targets, how they feel afterward and how they spend all that dough.").
(4) Give some specific examples. Were the action scenes exciting? Did the characters' conversations make it seem like you were listening to real people talking? Did the book move along, or drag in certain parts? ("I liked how Joe managed to get out of some really hairy situations by using his head rather than hurting people" or "After the first five stickups, it was pretty obvious the author doesn't like coffee shops because that's all he sent Joe to rob.").
(5) Reviewing a novel is different than reviewing a textbook. If you're a trauma doc reading a thriller about hospitals and the main character takes a risk you'd never in a million years take to save a patient . . . remember, it's  fiction, not fact!  The author may have written the scene that way to hype the suspense or help describe a character. On the other hand, if you find significant problems with the basic research revealed in the book, that may be fair reason for complaint.
(6) Know your audience. Most folks who consider buying a spy novel starring a stuffed panda appreciate fantasy. Just because you happened to pick up The Panda That Assassinated Putin by mistake, and you really prefer the James Bond approach, is no reason to trash the book.


Bottom line, keep it classy. Authors do their best to create a fun and informative experience for their readers.  Good reviewers do the same thing.

You Too Should Write A Review

My newest book, Easy Evil, will be out in a few weeks and already I'm trying to dream up ways to persuade my friends and fans to write reviews.

Reviews, you say? You mean those things in the New York Times?

I wish I could be reviewed by the Times. But no. There are professional reviews, written by journalists, and then there are the reviews written by everyday folk who like, or dislike, a book and then feel compelled to share their feelings about it.

My goal for Easy Evil is to collect so many reader reviews that potential buyers on Amazon and elsewhere, are stunned by the numbers. And, hopefully, motivated to purchase the book based on the good things people have to say.

Reader opinions shared on Amazon, on Barnes and Noble, Good Reads and other sites are called Point of Sale reviews. They can be critically important to the sales of a book because they reflect the way consumers feel about it.

Say I read a Twitter post about a book, click through to its Amazon page, and see dozens of five-star reviews and great commentary. A bunch of 5-stars. You can be darn sure I'll edge my finger ever closer to that button that will buy and send the thing to my e-reader.

Now here's the catch. A lot of ordinary readers don't understand that their reaction to a book is so important to the life-cycle of that author's work. But, frankly, it's the electronic equivalent of shouting from the rooftops.

You don't have to be a Pulitzer Prize winning writer to write a review. And what you write doesn't have to be more than a few sentences long. What's essential is that you make your opinion known...on Amazon, on Barnes and Noble...and even on your blog or Twitter page. Even on Facebook. Anywhere you have online friends...you have a ready audience.

A simple "I liked Easy Evil by Doug M Cummings because . . . will spread the good news.

Even a "I didn't like Easy Evil by Doug M. Cummings because . . . is useful. As someone once said, "all publicity is good publicity" or something like that.

Notice how I've gone from talking generally about reviews to casually suggesting you write one?

Give it some thought when the book comes out, will you? Maybe even go to Amazon and see how it's done. The process is easy and ... bottom line ... I will really appreciate your taking the time to do it.

Rolling Stone Gathers Some Flak

The latest edition of Rolling Stone magazine features the the surviving Boston bombing suspect on the cover.

At first glance, he could be one of  the scruffy-faced rock stars that usually inhabit that space. But no, he's just a run of the mill, scum-sucking dirtbag who killed and/or maimed a bunch of innocents in his quest for fame.

Regardless of the appropriateness of Rolling Stone's editorial decision, what fascinates me is the reaction from other media. Every outlet I follow on Facebook, from CNN and ABC to local stations in Chicago, Kansas City and other parts of the country, is asking how people feel about that RS cover.

Let's see if I have this right. The media (especially CNN...the network that darn near reported every time hospital officials changed his bed linen) that made the jerkwad a superstar by repeating his name and endlessly displaying his image in video and stills in the weeks after the bombings now wants to know our reaction to giving him even more attention? And by asking the question, they're undoubtedly jacking up sales of the issue far beyond what they would be otherwise.

Next will come the indignant, finger-shaking rebukes from the babbling heads who couldn't wait to get on the air to talk about him the first time.

And so...the cycle begins again.

Which is, I'm sure, just what Rolling Stone intended.

Of course, I'm also indignantly writing about him. And you're reading about him.

What's that say about us?


 

"No Comment" is Not an Acceptable Answer

I once had a TV boss with no tolerance for the police department and especially none for the police chief. When the cops refused to talk to us about a case, Ken insisted we find someone, anyone, who could, "Stick it to 'em!"

One of his favorite sayings: "No Comment is not an acceptable answer." 

That's true for news reporters, but it's also true for crime fiction writers. A number of young or first-time novelists have approached me at conferences and elsewhere to ask how they can get information from unwilling local police departments. Apparently it's common nowadays for law enforcement agencies to refuse to answer even the most harmless questions from any civilian...not just the news media.

Here are a couple of work-arounds I've used that you might find helpful.

Approach the police chief, not the guy on the front desk. Explain that you're a fiction writer, not a journalist, and that you're looking for basic, procedural information, not asking about specific cases. Offer to share what you've written before its published (a good idea in any case to make sure you have the sometimes arcane information correct). If you still get push-back, offer to give the town you're writing about a different name (Ed McBain did so and look up his sales numbers sometime).

If the police chief won't help you,  the local union that represents the police or sheriff's officers in your area may very well agree to answer your questions. Police unions often have a much different take on what information can be discussed. Union officials can also point you to retired officers eager to share their experiences and discuss the way the agency works.

If you still find yourself banging your head against a wall of silence, a call to the mayor or a council representative may unlock some lips. Politicians love to see their names in print (and on an acknowledgements page of a crime novel may work for them). Remember, no matter how "independent" a police agency is, the chief always reports to the mayor or city/village manager and town council.
 
Here are a couple of other thoughts. Social media, especially Facebook and Twitter, is full of all sorts of people, including cops. Many towns have their own social media contact person. Link up, follow, and make friends.

If you can afford it, buy a police radio scanner. I started freelancing for the local paper after buying my first scanner in high school. It's a good way to learn the sorts of calls that your town handles. Some jurisdictions have made their police communications very difficult to monitor but most places don't go to that extreme. Ask at your local Radio Shack (Ask as well if there is a radio hobby group in the area. They may have police officer or retired police officer members.) One caution: after listening for awhile, you may be tempted to chase the police calls. While that can be exciting, you're probably not going to get close enough see much, you risk injury,  and you may annoy the very officers whose help you're seeking. On the other hand, if you're cautious and responsible about your chasing, you might meet some good sources.

They key to getting information from anyone is to be quietly, respectfully persistent. Eventually, even some of the toughest of the tough will eventually realize you're a willing listener...and there's nothing most cops like more than sharing war stories.

A Baby Faced Killer in a Batman Shirt

She's 21, has two kids and a husband she wanted murdered.

That's the allegation against a Muskegon, Michigan woman, caught on tape telling an undercover police detective posing as a hit man that she thought having her husband killed would be "easier than getting a divorce" and she wouldn't have to "worry about breaking his heart."

All that coming from a baby-faced young woman with dyed red hair wearing a batman shirt and carrying a batman-stickered phone.

It's one of the coldest conversations I've ever heard.

According to news accounts, the suspect has pleaded guilty to Solicitation to Murder and is scheduled for sentencing later this month. She could go to prison for life, though her husband has reportedly asked that she not spend any time behind bars.

Somehow I doubt the judge will agree.

She doesn't appear angry in the video. She claims she and her husband aren't having problems. She just wants a "clean getaway" from the marriage and doesn't want to worry about her her "family's judgement." When the phony hitman tells her he's going to shoot her husband twice in the face to kill him, she responds, "It makes me sad," though I can't hear a lot of regret in her words.  Earlier in the conversation, however,  she stresses she doesn't want him hurt, even suggesting that perhaps the killer, "could do it painlessly, breaking his neck."

Her breezy manner is what's so terrifying. It suggests nothing more sinister than if she were planning a birthday surprise or a trip to the mall.

Take note, all of you who think evil wears a monster's face.

Sometimes it appears in the person of a smiley-faced girl-next-door with apple cheeks and a bad outfit.