Write a Review, Win a Book

 

For 'tis the sport to have the enginer Hoist with his own petar'

To the degree that I have a reputation, it was built largely by reviewing the work of others. So the time has come for the tables to be turned, so to speak. Now that I have something available other than reviews, I open myself up to criticism. I view this prospect with anticipation - I don't dread reviews, even the bad ones. Inevitably, there will be those who write negatively because they have an ax to grind. They are easily dismissed.  However, those who identify legitimate flaws and problems do an invaluable job. I like to think that my reviews have improved over the years in part because of some criticism I have received.

I look forward to seeing how The Last Whisper of the Gods is received and, more importantly, to understanding why it is received as it is received. A comment stating: "This book sucks" is not terribly helpful, but a review that follows that three-word judgment with an explanation is both welcome and useful. Of course, I prefer positive reviews (who wouldn't?) but I don't ignore the negative ones unless it's clear that they deserve to be ignored.  Which brings me to the contest...

If you like the first book and want a free, pre-release copy of the second one (called The Curse in the Gift), simply go to the amazon.com page for the book and rate it/write a review. In mid-December, I will choose what I feel to be the most clever/useful/fun/intelligent/whatever reviews and send out copies of the book to my two or three or four favorites. (I'm not going to specify the number of pre-release copies because I want to allow myself some freedom. If there are no reviews, no copies will be sent out. If there are dozens of reviews and I like many of them, I may send out more than four copies.) Pre-release copies can be sent as either pdfs or mobis - your choice.

What's the process? Get a copy of The Last Whisper of the Gods and read it. When you're done, go back to the amazon.com page and enter a review. It doesn't have to be elaborate. In mid-December, once the second book has gone through its final proofing and is ready for publication, I will pick the winners. Since there is no direct way for me to contact an amazon reviewer, I will publish the amazon "handles" in this blog.  The winners can then contact me with an e-mail address I can send the advance copy to.