I am so happy! I have won five books this month from author giveaways. The good news is that I’ve got lots of great reading ahead. And I will do a review for each one on this blog and on other sites as well, along with a review of A Luminous Future by Teodor Flonta (which I didn’t win). Watch to find out what I say about each one, and if you would like me to do a review of your book, post a comment here or on one of the review posts. I will be honest, but know that I am a generally positive person and I only offer constructive criticism if any.
At first, giving away my book for free seemed counterproductive. Then, I remembered why I wrote it. I had an important and interesting story to tell, and I wanted others to read it. It is exciting when my friends and family read the book. So far, they have all been very enthusiastic about it. And let me tell you, this is not an enthusiastic bunch on most days.
It is fun to hear them telling me the story as if I don’t know what’s in it. They tell me what they thought and felt when they were reading the book, and they seem quite fascinated and moved. Just what I wanted! It builds my confidence more than ever.
I have also done other giveaways as well. All but one person has reviewed it. The ones who posted on Amazon gave me five stars, seemed very happy to have read it and excited to tell other people about it. That’s not just good publicity, but it is also good will. Now, they are looking forward to my next book. I can’t wait to finish it and make it available for them to read.
I got two reviews on GoodReads as well. Both readers only gave me three out of five stars. But, face it: GoodReads members tend to be tough. Most of them have read many, many books, and are sometimes comparing my books to the greats of literature. Well, this is my first book, after all, and I don’t expect to measure up to those standards.
Even though the two GoodReads author giveaway winners didn’t give me five stars, they were very positive in their reviews. In addition, they pointed out a few things that they would have liked to see more of in the book. Their advice was very helpful for the most part. And in the end, both of them recommended my book.
If you are a first time author, I would suggest that you do author giveaways too. You don’t have to give a signed print copy, either. All of the books I won were either PDF files or Kindle downloads. So, it doesn’t have to be any great cost for you, if any at all.
Giving away your book to just a few readers is a great way to connect with your audience and get people reading and talking about your book. I give author giveaways five stars, and I would recommend them to authors and readers alike!
I am doing several giveaways in September as a part of my blog tour. I will add a post with all my blog dates and URL’s so you can enter if you wish. Each winner will get a signed copy of my first novel, Loving the Missing Link.
In the meantime, check out this great giveaway by another author. She is giving away several Kindle Fire ereaders. That’s right, I said Kindle Fire! What a great way to thank readers and expose her work to people on social media. Here’s the Link: http://bit.ly/17aF9ji
Best of Luck on all your giveaways, both the ones you enter and the ones you sponsor.
And, as always, happy reading to all of you!
lovingthemissinglink 