I’ve often wondered if any of my reviews make a bit of difference. I like writing them, so it’s never really slowed me down, but that nagging question is always there in the back of my head. Do they matter at all?
Well, in a way, I kind of answered that question today.
I stumbled upon Zombies!: Tales of the Walking Dead on Amazon. As you can probably guess, it’s an anthology of zombie stories. My first thought was ‘AWESOME!’ I’m a sucker for zombie stories. No matter how many zombie movies/shows are out there, I watch ‘em!
But then I took a step back. I wasn’t familiar with too many of the authors. Of course I knew Barker, Poe, and Lovecraft, but the others I didn’t really know. Something about the author selection also made it feel kind of dated. An older book isn’t a bad thing but, for some reason, my subconscious put that as a negative. I was seconds away from closing that window and moving on with my day.
Then I noticed it had a review. Only one, but a ‘verified purchase’ review. The reviewer was only known as Weedwacker.
Weedwacker revealed that Zombies!: Tales of the Walking Dead was actually a reprint of a now out of print anthology called The Mammoth Book of Zombies with one added story. WW went on to say:
What you will get with this book is more sophisticated writing and higher caliber story-telling than what is typically compiled in modern zombie anthologies. Some of these stories are kind of funny, some are creepy, some are bizarre and sometimes sad. All of them are entertaining.
I was sold. Bought a copy that moment. I owe thanks to Weedwacker (whoever you are) and so does the book’s publisher!
Reviews matter.
I definitely rely on reviews, especially when I’m not sure of a book 🙂 Great post. Whoever WW is, they’re very eloquent. They should set up a blog!
I will say you are the reason I want to read Ready Player One. So yes, I’d say your reviews and all your other posts really do make a difference!
Aw, shucks! I bet you say that to all the bloggers. Jk. Lol
Only to the ones I like 🙂
Such a great point! At the beginning of the year, I debated (with myself) over whether or not I should remove my reviews from my page completely. They generate the lowest traffic on my page, so I thought they might not be worth having. But I thought about some more and came to the same conclusion that you did with this post!
It is a great reminder that while it may seem like they don’t matter and that we aren’t being heard, we could still be making a difference to that one person. And that is still something special.
I agree. They always bring in the least amount of traffic, but… I’m just as guilty of not reading reviews. In fact, I’m WAY more likely to read a review of a book I have read then one I haven’t. I’m so paranoid about spoilers, I just can’t bring myself to do it!
YESSSSSS SAME! I usually “like” the review though so it is a bit easier to find if I do get around to reading it eventually.
I know I find it hard to interact on the review posts about books I don’t know much about but still I appreciate the review. I’ve bought books based on blog reviews too. I definitely think they’re worth doing. Just gotta mix it up with more fun interactive posts too!
Most of the books I review are Indie books with little or no reviews at all. I know my review will help someone else either decide to review it as well or just read it.
i do check reviews and they help me decide if i i want to read the book or not
bad reviews don’t matter that much… maybe the person gave a low review cuz the story was slow and they expected a fast paced one, but i love slow burners, so this review would already have helped me
I think all reviews matter! Well, at least the ones that give some sort of explanation about why the person liked or disliked the book. I use reviews almost always when I’m deciding on a book, and they definitely make or break my decision because they help me decide if the book will be right for me or not!
Hi JW 🙂
I absolutely believe that reviews matter! Personally, there were some books that I loved that I NEVER would have read if not for the reviews that are out there in the blogging community. Sometimes all it takes is a nudge from one or two people 🙂
That’s a good point. There are quite a few books I wouldn’t have read if it wasn’t for the book blogosphere.
It’s really great to hear what an impact reviews can have- personally I trust a lot of reviewers and a lot of reviews have got me to pick up books so I relate to this! 🙂
All reviews matter. I review every book I read because I know how important they are to authors.
I definitely fee reviews matter. I have read or not read a book because of what others have said about it
I definitely rely on reviewers for recommendations on book – I like to find stuff I wouldn’t normally find on my own via bookstores or bestseller lists.