In this issue:
On Authors and Reviews (Should authors be interacting with their reviews?)
Self-publishing update
Serial fiction update
What I’m Reading/Watching/Listening to
On Authors and Reviews: Should authors be interacting with their reviews?
This month I attended a talk on Goodreads for authors, and in the talk, it was suggested that authors should be interacting (aka liking and commenting) on good reviews of their book.
I won’t lie; I was horrified by this idea.
In the serialized fiction space, it’s common and almost expected for an author to respond to comments and interact with readers. I respond to all my comments and messages on Wattpad, for example, even if it’s a simple “thank you for your feedback!” or a smiley face emoji (Yes, I am a millennial who overuses emojis. Sorry, not sorry.).
However, things in the traditional publishing space are a bit different. The unspoken rule (that I’m aware of) is that authors should not be commenting on reviews or complaining about reviews on social media or doing really anything with reviews. We should pretend we do not see it. 1
And that’s exactly how I plan to handle reviews for Wyrmrot.
I appreciate every reader who takes the time to leave any kind of review for my book(s), but I have zero intention of responding to any of them. This is because, in my mind, reviews and reviewer spaces are for readers and not for authors.
But this talk had me wondering if maybe I was wrong about that, or perhaps it depends if you are traditionally-published vs self-published?
What do you think? Do you think it’s fine for authors to interact on places like Goodreads?
Would your answer change if the interaction was on a social media platform like Instagram or TikTok? I’m not sure on the exact etiquette for those platforms. Is interaction okay if you are tagged, but not okay if you aren’t? Or is it similar to places like goodreads where you shouldn’t be interacting at all, tagged or not? If you know the answer, feel free to let me know.
Self-Publishing Update
Wyrmrot is officially out in the world . . . as an ARC.
At the beginning of July, I sent out the first digital ARCs of Wyrmrot to everyone who signed up, and boy, did that feel scary. You would think that since I’ve been writing online since the early 2000s that I would be used to putting my work out there for strangers to read, but nope, it’s still scary.
By the way, if you signed up and haven’t downloaded the ARC yet, you still have a few more days until the link expires. If you need the email resent, just drop a comment.
And if you missed the signup form, my campaigns on BookSirens and BookSprout are still open.
Besides, ARCs going out, I also finalized all my files on Amazon, so everything is ready for the big day. Only 13 days left until publication!
Serial Fiction Update
This month, Radish announced it will be shutting down at the end of the year. It joins Kindle Vella and Yonder in the serial fiction graveyard.
While Radish is one of the many platforms I use, the only book I have on there is Snowflakes on Saguaros. This is a book I don’t talk about a lot and mostly forget exists because it’s not a genre (contemporary college romance) that I think I will continue to write in. However, if anyone would like to read it, it is still on Radish until the end of the year or available as part of my Dragon Hoard tier on my subscriptions on Ream Stories or Inkitt.
While I’m still planning on leaving serial fiction entirely, I will be keeping an eye on the other platforms. It would not surprise me if we see more of them shutting down in the next few years. I think it was always difficult for these platforms to monetize content, and the alternative is putting ads all over everything, which no one likes either. I’m sure it doesn’t help that AI (yuck) is wreaking havoc in all areas of publishing too.
What I’m Reading/Watching/Listening To
Watching:
I finally watched K-Pop Demon Hunters after seeing it all over my socials, and I am not disappointed. It was so cute, and the songs are now stuck on repeat in my head. July is also the start of the summer anime season, so I’ve been watching a lot of new shows. My returning favorites are, of course, Sakamoto Days, Dandadan, and Kaiju No. 8, and some new favorites are Lord of Mysteries and Tougen Anki.
Listening:
The soundtrack for K-Pop Demon Hunters has been on loop, but also Ateez’s latest release: Golden Hour Part 3 has been played lot. I’ve also revisited Wyrmrot’s writing playlist from way back in the early drafting days (hi, 2017). It’s a public playlist, so if you want to check it out, you can find it here:
Some songs are related to the book, while others are just songs I happened to like at the time.
Reading:
This month I read five books, and the standout favorite was The Will of the Many by James Islington. This is a Roman-inspired epic Fantasy that takes place mostly in a school setting with a deadly competition. I’m glad I waited to read it because it means I don’t have quite as long to wait for the sequel to come out. The other four books I read were: Dungeons and Drama by Kristy Boyce, Assassin’s Quest by Robin Hobb, The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig, and Mirrored Heavens by Rebecca Roanhorse. My TBR may be permanently out of control, but I’m always open to suggestions if you’ve have any.
And that’s all I have for you this month. See you in August for Wyrmrot’s birthday!
P.S. If you are a new subscriber and haven’t grabbed your free goodies yet, you can find them here.
For the most part, at least. Some authors like to read their reviews to see what readers are thinking of their work, while others prefer not to look at them at all to preserve their mental health. To each their own. There is also the case for using quotes from reviews as marketing material. I think this is more common in self-publishing than in traditional publishing, where blurbs from fellow authors are more common for marketing material.
I feel like it depends on the platform. Getting tagged prompts me to thank the reviewer because they're helping to advertise the book. On Goodreads, I like my reviews but don't comment on them (maybe I shouldn't be liking them, either. I'm not sure lol).