It has been a week and a half since Raven was published on May 20. Time flies! Hopefully some of you have already finished reading the ebook by now, or have shared it with a young reader who ripped through it. Unfortunately, the paperback channel is slower, so paperbacks probably haven’t reached you yet. They’ll get there soon!
In case you haven’t already ordered Raven, it’s available NOW in both e-book and paperback form, on various platforms (search your favorite site!)
ONE LAST CALL TO ACTION – I have a new way you all can support my efforts: with book reviews!
Reviews are important. Prospective book readers frequently check reviews before buying. People who use social networks like Goodreads often find new books to read based on their friends’ reviews and ratings. Books don’t even seem worth inspection if they only have 1 or 2 reviews.
So I have a request: please, read the book and then write an honest review on your favorite site. I am not asking you to blindly give it 5 stars or make up things to rave about. Write what you really think, and give it a rating it really deserves. Even if there were aspects of the book you didn’t like, I have hopes it’ll get enough readers to be worth sequels, and those sequels will be better thanks to your honest input. If you don’t want to post feedback publicly, send it to me privately. If you don’t want to put your name on the review, post it anonymously. Seriously, every review is helpful, so please post your thoughts!
No, our friendship won’t hinge on the result. Remember that I hired a ghostwriter to write this book instead of writing it myself. There are some aspects of the book I didn’t like too. Whatever you say, I’ll most likely agree with. And not every book is for every reader. It’s not my performance review. Want to give it 1 star? OK, just explain please. A well-explained 3-star review is honestly more valuable than a 5-star review with no explanation. Thanks, feedback is a gift!
Also, in case you were worried, I’m not going to ask you personally what you thought of the book. If you don’t like it, you’ll never get stuck making a polite lie or awkward deflection. Similarly I won’t push you personally to post a review, or hold it against you if you don’t. But if you did like it, write the review already! 😉
If you gave the book to a young reader, please check in with them, and ask if they’ve read it and what they thought. Encourage them to write an honest review on their favorite site. If they liked it, suggest that they tell their friends about it. I know, you might receive a teen/tween eye-roll or two over it, but as far as I know, nobody has died from that! Word-of-mouth is one of the biggest ways young readers find new books. So please, wield that power by suggesting they share with their friends.
THANK YOU for the support!
– Sue
P.S. I could still use your help in other areas:
