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A D Rowen

Amazon Reviews

As an independent, self-published author of niche erotic fiction, I don't expect to receive a great many reviews on Amazon for my books, but I'm grateful for those I do receive - even when they are more critical.


I've recently seen some discussion on Twitter about the subject of authors asking for reviews. Actually that's not strictly accurate; what I saw was some authors posting that they would not continue to write if they didn't receive reviews, as a book with no or entirely negative reviews would affect their ability to get future works published. Many other authors had valid criticism of this position, with most pointing out that, if you aren't a self-published author, there are many factors that will decide whether a publisher opts to put out your future work, and the primary motivator will be how well your previous books sold, not how they were rated on Amazon: and that if you want to have a career as a writer, you should, well, write, regardless of how many Amazon reviews you receive, rather than taking your toys home in a huff because readers aren't behaving as you want them to.


However, it's arguable that an overwhelming number of negative reviews can affect sales, which if you are looking to get future books published, so it's not entirely beyond the realms of consideration for authors in that market. That said, perhaps the best way to ensure people feel compelled to respond to the experience of reading your work by leaving positive feedback is to write it as well as you possibly can, and rely on its quality rather than hitting algorithmic targets.


As a self-publisher or "indie writer", I don't have that consideration to worry about. A book I publish which does not perform critically well does not affect my chances of being able to publish another book (although if I alienate my core fans, they might decide that "AD Rowen sucks now" and not buy anything I put out in future!). The fact that I'm not beholden to a publisher gives me a lot of freedom; I can write stories based on quite niche kinks (erotic public nudity, only-one-naked, CFNF etc.) that a lot of the reading public are completely unaware of, and I can experiment with different formats and genres. Of course, I'm not kidding myself that self-publishing is a choice; I believe my subject matter and amateur status would exclude me from getting a publisher even if I tried, and were it not for ebooks and Amazon I would not be able to monetize my writing at all!


So I don't really think about reviews when I write. I do think about readers' opinions, but more along the lines of "I hope they like this" rather than "how can I make sure they like this?"


That said, I would be lying if I said I never read my reviews, and I'd be lying too if I said I don't care what they say. Reviews help me understand if I'm going in the right direction; they inform what I'm going to do in future projects (Carla Takes Her Clothes Off came about, in part, because of a comment from a reader of Love Life of a Naked Girl that they didn't like how little public nudity was in there compared to my first two books - so I decided to make my next book almost entirely just public nudity!) . Also, they are a form of flattery. Nobody should feel bad if they like receiving praise for their writing!


Fortunately for me as a writer, while I do not get many reviews, the majority are fairly positive. Currently in the US market Best Friends With a Naked Girl has a rating of 4.5 out of 5 from 4 reviews; Brave Nude World has a rating of 4.5 out of 5 from 6 reviews; Love Life of a Naked Girl has 4 stars from 2 reviews; and Carla Takes Her Clothes Off is rated 5/5, albeit from one review only. Even where individual reviews are more critical (one reviewer did not like the plot of Love Life... at all) I can respect the views of the reader and accept their comments.


Of course, I would welcome more numerous reviews as these help with the star rating, which I know some potential readers look at. When I'm choosing books on Amazon I do look at how they are rated and the reviews they have received to know if they will be a worthwhile purchase, and I'm sure others do too. More reviews, even if they are more diverse, do tell potential readers what they might expect from my books and may help improve sales.


I'm not an author who spends time on Twitter asking people for reviews, nor do I send out review copies as some do. Ultimately it's not important enough to me for me to do that. But I will say, if you've read one of my books and have a strong opinion about it, why not share that opinion? You don't need to worry that your purchase of an erotic/kink book will show up to others on your account, you can choose to leave a review anonymously and the process to do that is quite simple. As an author, I do appreciate it.



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