Also, my ghostly erotic paranormal mf romance 'Spooky Sojourn' prereleases at Totally Bound which means it's available for early download at the publisher's site.
Excerpt:
CONTEST:
Actually, I'm in bed working on my laptop.
I just came from the doctor's office for a recheck on my bronchitis. Unfortunately, I'm still in pretty bad shape: 101.5 fever, trouble breathing, coughing. I had to have a breathing treatment, a shot of steroids, and more meds yet.
My son's also been ill all week. I couldn't leave him in this condition.
Despite all this, I can still attend BEA.
Reviews is a popular subject. I've read more than one post about them recently.
During the past few weeks I've received multiple reviews for one of my sweet romances. Some have been good. Some not so good. A couple have made me really heart sick.
For instance, one person said the book was "horrible, horrible". Not just one "horrible", but two.
Another person wrote, "Ick ick ick".
When I read that I seriously considered not only to stop looking at reviews, but to stop requesting them.
But four star reviews for the same book were arriving in my email box. Better yet, I discovered that same book was (is) number one seller on Fictionwise for my publisher and number three for all books at Fictionwise.
What's going on?
I have received a lot of reviews. For that, I'm happy. An author friend mentioned recently she hasn't received a review for a year. And I've also heard other authors say they don't receive many reviews any more.
I see three issues with this.
Number one - Why is the book selling well with such a smorgasbord of reviews?
Number two - Why is this book getting a lot of reviews?
Number three - What can be learned from this?
Perhaps the book is selling well because reviews are subjective. Often I enjoy (really enjoy) movies that received poor reviews. Some of my favorite albums only received average reviews.
It's also possible that poor reviews generate more interest. People want to find out why the reviewer was so down on a book, to see if it's as bad as the reviewer believed.
Another possibility is that there are a lot of reviews, thus a lot of publicity. Perhaps the readers who bought the book did so because they read the positive reviews. Or perhaps, like me, they buy books because they like the blurb, and don't base buying decisions on reviews.
The last possibility is that I've also had several contests to give away this book. At first, I was nervous giving away a new book, that buyers would hold off buying the book in the hopes of winning it. But that hasn't hurt sales.
Second, I've sent a LOT of review requests out for this book. I sent it to small, medium, and large book review sites. I didn't only send it to large sites. I've held a lot of contests including Blogmania, Blog Jog, and smaller contests. I've also requested several guest blogger spots and author interviews, and received many acceptances. And I've paid it forward so that I interview and host other authors on my blog.
Three - What have I learned?
Be proactive. Ask for reviews, interviews, and guest blogger spots. Hold contests. Be generous.
When you find a poor review, take constructive criticism from it to make the next book better. If there are rude remarks, ignore them. Eat chocolate, soak in a tub, do something to make you feel better and forget the bad stuff.
Recent posts you might like to read:
Author Interview: Wendi Zwaduk
Author Interview: Frances Pauli
Author Interview: Marcia James
Author Interview: Elaine Hopper
Weathering A Bad Review
As you may or may not know, I attended Lori Foster's Readers' 'N Writers' Get Together this past weekend in Cincinnati. I had a great time. I made many new friends. I learned a lot of good things. I had appointments with one agent and a few editors and publishers. I signed my books. In short, it was awesome.
As promised, here are some pics. Better late than never. :)
* Also, if you're an author or a reader or a reviewer or an editor/publisher and you would like to be interviewed on my blog, please answer the interview questions below and email them to me and I'll feature your interview on my blog. Be sure to answer all the questions that apply and return them to me at:
chinara@aol.com
Since I get a LOT of spam, be sure to put in the subject line: "Interview with Ashley/Your Name"
If you have a book coming out or something time sensitive, let me know and I'll try to post your interview on or very near your special day. This goes for all my old and new friends, and those of you I haven't formally met.
The questions will be below the conference pictures. Just copy and paste and add your answers. If you're an author and would like for me to post your book cover or pic, email that to me with your answered interview questions.
Cerridwen author: Joanna Waugh









Whirlwind Relationship
Charity's Auction
Carnal Lust
Cougars And Cubs
Bad Conduct
Crazy in Love
Welcome To Paradise
Naked Ambition
Recipe for Disaster
Friction (Sorry Charlie)
Doggy Style - Summer Seduction
Simon Says
Best Mates
Caught in the Middle - Charity's Auction
Night of the Senses
My Secret Valentine
Last Man On Earth
Christmas Miracles
Naughty Boys
Heart and Soul
Submissive Dreams
Liquid Heat
Heatwave Anthology
Brit Party Anthology
Wild Fantasies
Confessions of a Nympho
The Perfect Gift
Wishcraft
Shipwrecked
Bon Appetit! (October 11, 2010)
Abracadabra (November 22, 2010)
Books available from Ellora's Cave
Pirates Booty
Truth, Justice & The Vampire Way
American Beauty
Purrfect Justice
Civil Affairs
Price of Fame
And Lady Makes Three
Chances Are
Heavenly Hijinks
Make-Believe Lover
Sex Kittens
Blessed Be
Carbon Copy
Books available from New Concepts Publishing
Eternal Damnation
Sky Pirates
Tripping Through The Universe
Mrs. Right
Forbidden Fruit
Deadly Love
Alien Encounters
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