Addicted to Writing

Manage Your Freelance Writing Career While Writing What You Love

4 Thriller Tropes and Twists That This Thriller Fan Hates

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This is my second post on what to avoid while writing exciting thrillers. You can read the first one here.

As is customary (and necessary) with these kinds of posts, let’s get my thriller credentials out of the way.

I’m a not thriller writer yet. I’ve been however reading and watching thrillers for as long as I can remember. It’s one of my favorite genres, and over the years, I’ve developed an acute sense of what works, what is too tired, and what really shouldn’t be attempted for the good of the writer and the audience.

Let’s go over four pet peeves of mine, why/how they came to be so, and what can you do about it if you want to include them in your story.

And please remember, while readers and watchers come with all kinds of tastes and preferences, if there is one person in your audience that hates one thing, there’s a big chance there are many more people who agree.

  • The “They were dead all along!” ending.

Ah, yes.

This type of ending is nostalgic and takes me all the way back to 1999 – a simpler time. When your audiences (including me) hadn’t seen this ending a bunch of times before and welcomed the twist.

I welcomed it so much that it elevated the whole movie for me. Also, my bad for attempting the see the movie on the small screen. Still, watching this movie was a better experience due to this surprise ending.

You seriously need to watch it (affiliate link) if you like supernatural stuff featuring ghosts.

Then, 2 years later, another mystery/thriller/horror came out. Also featuring ghosts.

I honestly enjoyed this one (aff. link) as a whole more than the first one. Maybe because I watched it on a bigger screen, with the lights out, at home alone with a friend where we were on the sixth floor. The wind noise could get to such spooky levels that you could shoot a Paranormal Activity there without paying for sound effects.

Then the ending was…yes, they were dead all along. And… I didn’t mind. It made sense. It didn’t take away from the experience. It worked for the movie.

But this kind of ending is not the happily ever after romantic comedy overs expect and welcome. You can’t keep writing thriller after thriller with this ending and then be surprised when the audiences hate you for it.

7 years after the second movie I mentioned, a romantic mystery thriller came out. Solid actors. Interesting story. Likable characters. And then the ending…. oh, yes, you guessed it…They were dead all along.

Now, there is no law or rule that says you can’t use this ending. But it’s no longer a surprising, impressive twist.

It disappoints the reader/watcher.

Seek out the films I talked about above. See if your ending brings something different to the table.

Chances are, your audiences will prefer a more used but less “memorable” ending. Because while you want to be remembered, you’d rather be remembered for having entertained them.

  • Memory loss.

Ah, memory loss…

Where would most genres be without characters that suffered from some sort of temporary or permanent amnesia?

Like most things, earlier ones in the market are going to receive a better welcome. Especially if one of the earlier ones was so original in its storytelling and the screenplay.

I love the film Memento (aff.link). The story is told chronologically backward, with the ending being the beginning. And the answer to whodunnit is also just…amazing.

Memento tells the story of Leonard, a man with short-term memory loss trying to find out who killed his wife. But due to his condition, he can’t trust anyone, including himself. And this makes for a very compelling watch.

But Memento is an exception for me.

I usually get bored. If I read memory loss in the description, I put down the book. I don’t pick the film. I debate whether to continue the series.

Don’t get me wrong. Memory loss is horrible, and if it happened to someone I knew, I’d do everything I could do to help them and be there for them.

However, I don’t have the energy and enthusiasm to do that for fictional characters.

Because I have seen them so often.

While as a writer you need to put your characters through hell and make them suffer through/deal with different sorts of conflict, memory loss should be handled with care.

Is it making your story more thrilling or less thrilling?

Is it making it more or less predictable? You don’t want your audiences bored. And when it comes to predictability, they don’t want to be able to predict certain things.

How much has your audience seen this kind of memory loss in this kind of situation with this kind of character? (Be careful before you say never. They probably have.)

  • The protagonist has an identical twin!

I don’t have anything against twins or twin characters in fiction.

My complaint is about certain tropes.

Are your twins so radically different in personality, maybe to the point if one is a good cop and the other is a vicious criminal?

Is one twin happily married with kids living in suburbia while the other can’t stay sober, hold down a job/keep a relationship, or a job?

Do they dress as different as Marilyn Manson in make-up and a Jonas Brother?

These twins, because they are basically night and day, usually have a falling out. They don’t keep in contact.

Oh, and often, they have managed to keep it a secret from anyone that they have a twin.

Yet somehow, despite all the extreme differences, when push comes to shove, they can replace each other just like that and no one notices. (Eye roll.)

I’ve had identical twin friends, and even when they dressed alike, and their personalities were pretty similar, they were still clearly distinguishable from each other.

Despite the shared genes, these are separate people with separate identities. And the more time they spend apart, the more difficult it’d be to imitate each other flawlessly.

This is such a common plot device in so many genres, but I see it most often with thrillers.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t write about identical twins. They are fascinating. But you should know what came before you.

Bring something fresher to the table. Go to where authors haven’t traveled to so often.

Your biggest twist probably shouldn’t be “Hah, he had a twin! That explains it.” Because that is probably what the audiences guessed first and wished you wouldn’t go there.

Now, if you’ve conducted market research and found out that thrillers with twins are selling insane numbers, then fine. I guess it is what the market wants.

But be sure.

  • Split Personality Disorder (especially as the source of crimes/big plot twist/twist ending)

Audiences, especially those who deal with mental health issues and/or those who are sensitive about mental health in general (and yes, this is a big audience in numbers) are a bit sick of seeing people with mental health issues being the criminal and/or villain.

And certain mental illnesses fascinate writers more than others.

The movie Split (Amazon aff. link) takes a bit of a pass from me because James McAvoy is a phenomenal actor. And also because we know what we are going to watch going in.

His split personality is not the big twist. While there are some issues in the film, the diagnosis is not it.

If you are giving your villain mental illness(es), be very careful. Get help from sensitivity readers. Use trigger warnings.

And make sure you’re not pulling a variant of “they were dead all along” but in the form of “oh, one of their many personalities is the murderer!”

Some people love that twist. However, even people who loved that twist the first time might not enjoy it over and over.

Friendly Reminder

You don’t have to take my advice. You don’t really need to take anyone’s advice when it comes to your story. But it’s always a good idea to stop and consider.

How does your target audience feel about this?

And it’s always possible to combine several seemingly unrelated or not-so-fresh ideas and come up with something interesting.

As much as I have complained about memory loss, protagonists who were revealed to be dead, and twin replacement tropes, it doesn’t mean there are no stories left to tell here.

Hell, if one of your twins had complete memory loss, the other replaced him/her but then they are revealed to be dead all along? If you can coherently pull this off, send me the link to your book. I’ll take a look!

It might be pushing it to give them a split personality disorder on the top of everything, though…:)

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What about you? What thriller tropes and twists are you sick of? Let me know!

 

 

 

 

8 Reasons I Procrastinate and How I Make Procrastination Work for Me

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One of the most common (and generally sound) writing advice is to write with your audience in mind. What’s their pain point? And how can you fix their problem?

Except, I sometimes do things the other way on my blog. I take my pain point and write it in a way that will relate to my audience.

This usually happens when I keep reading articles that are supposedly targeted toward me but I can’t relate to at all. And I’m not a unicorn. Chances are, there are writers who will relate to me.

So I hope this procrastination article speaks to you and that you find it relatable.

As for fixing the problem of procrastination, well… we’ll see.

Fear of what now?

The reason blamed most for procrastination is usually a tie between fear of success and perfectionism.

And when that happens, I usually stop reading whatever that is.

Because I don’t know about you, but I’m not afraid of success. Failure? Oh, yes. Absolutely. Very often. Success? No.

And I’m so not a perfectionist.

I’m by no means a perfectionist.

Sure, I like to check things. I like it when things are done right.

But I never aim for perfect. I aim for grammatically correct (as long as it doesn’t stifle style and voice), factually correct and enjoyable.

Because perfect doesn’t exist. Universally loved and accepted doesn’t exist either. So, why bother? I get that it might be the reason behind the procrastination of some writers. Just not mine.

So why do I procrastinate?

– Overwhelm (also known as overload). Whether it is due to too much information, too many ideas or specific difficulties like monetary or technical, overwhelm blocks me. It renders me frustrated.

– Underwhelm. Something is boring, repetitive and/or takes too long to get to the point. Sometimes it can be hard to figure out whether you are overwhelmed or underwhelmed. The line is thin.   

– Writer’s block. How do you pitch something or write when you’re absolutely stuck?

I regularly go through what I call pitching blocks. Yes, I need to pitch guest posts to promote my novels.

And I need to pitch non-fiction article or essay ideas to editors.

But sometimes, the idea is just not there. Or the idea is there, but you can’t find a publication that is a good fit.

Sometimes you get over that hurdle, only to be rejected by the editor. Then it’s back to the drawing board.

I am often working on more than one thing, so complete writer’s block is not a thing for me.

Stuck in one scene? I move on to another. Stuck in one story? Go ahead and work on the other one. Not feeling the fiction muses? I’ll go ahead and write that blog post.

But no matter what form and magnitude writer’s block hits you, it still gets in your way.

It delays your launch plans. It might put a dent in your expected income. It will also occasionally drive you crazy.

Why can’t I find the right, exciting love story for this wonderful character of mine?

Why do I have the perfect premise for a sci-fi thriller but I can’t for the life of me figure out the personalities of my protagonists?

And why can’t I figure out the rules of this alternate universe?

– Fear of failure. Will this (whatever it is that you are learning or working on) be too hard to figure out?

Will the result have too many mistakes and/or look hideous (especially for techie things and/or things that require formatting/design)?

– Health problems. Good luck being proactive and productive when your health is bothering you a great deal.

Sure, conventional wisdom tells you to rest and sit it out, but what if your issues are chronic and the doctors haven’t figured out a solution yet? Just how much rest can you afford without going crazy and/or broke?

– Fun/being social. Yes, I admit binging Netflix too many times. Luckily, I turn that into content.

And what is sitting with friends for an hour longer? Although, if I knew Covid would hit, I would have procrastinated even harder on this front.

– Fear of failure/rejection.

I’ve been pitching for over a decade, and I still occasionally procrastinate on this.

I also call it “fear of more (unpaid) work”.

Because, if the editor rejects you, you have to look into other magazines and do more research and tweak your pitch. Then wait. Then follow up. Then maybe follow up once more before moving on. Rinse and repeat.

And if one novel doesn’t turn into the hit you are hoping for, you have to reconsider your entire marketing strategy, study some more, and gasp!, write another book – while dealing with fear and anxiety. What if this one also doesn’t work out the way I want it to work out?

Fear of more, endless, (initially) unpaid work in sight is real.

I don’t mind the work; it’s the uncertainty that gets to me. The feeling of working as hard as you can and still feeling you are not getting anywhere.

– Being intrigued by how the human mind works and how/why everyone does things. Have you ever watched videos of apartment rentals in New York even though you don’t live in the States and aren’t planning to move there anytime soon? I have.

For me, the peak of this type of procrastination is watching videos or reading about why people procrastinate. Like, I know why I do it. Why do other people? How? How often? How normal/rare/weird am I?

If this is you, you just might enjoy this Ted talk. It’s called Inside the mind of the Procrastinator.

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Procrastination isn’t the end of the world. Or the end of productivity.

I’ve never missed a deadline imposed by an editor or client, including when they asked me to set the deadline. It is only right and professional to turn in my work when or before I promised I would.

Can/do I perform the same level of “professional” courtesy if I set the deadline for myself for a passion project? I think you know the answer to that one. (No, I can’t.)

Part of the reason is, I believe, my personality. I strongly recommend Gretchen Rubin’s bestselling book Better than Before (Amazon aff. link) about habits, one of the only books I’ve read on the topic that takes your personality into account before drawing conclusions and offering advice.

I’m a questioner/rebel (terms coined by Rubin). I question everything, and I only do things if I’m satisfied by the reason. I also rebel. I do something only if I want to do it. So even if I happen to set a deadline, I would rebel against me.

Does it mean I don’t get things done?

Of course not. But it is unlikely for me to say “I’ll finish this book by March 15” and then have it finished by March. I will do it as soon as possible, but I can’t give a date. And if I did, I wouldn’t stick to it.  I’d probably finish it even on the 14th or the 16th of March just to spite my goal-setting self.

I’m trying to tone down the Questioner/Rebel in me, and luckily, I’m a total obliger when it comes to dealing with other professionals.

I’m trying to understand why I procrastinate and come up with methods to tone it down. And when I can’t tone it down, I come up with reasons to make it pay.

Make your procrastination work for you

– Watched too many episodes in a row? I pitch and write articles on it in a row while everything is still fresh in my mind.

– Spent days socializing with friends as opposed to working? I am grateful for the fun I had.

And I might or might not use the stories we shared for future inspiration. Always with their permission, of course.

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So, there you go. This has been the procrastination analysis of a non-perfectionist.

If I regret any procrastination, it’s usually the mindless social media browsing or YouTube watching before I go to bed. But even then, those are my creatively and energetically dead hours.

And let’s face it, cute cats can’t be that bad for our mental health.

Could I be working instead? If I could, trust me, I’d be working.

Could I be doing something else? If there was a way I could be out safely dancing and mingling outside, I’d be doing that.

As long as I don’t hang around online past midnight (which is the latest I can go to bed where my brain and body will allow me to wake up properly in the morning), I’ll be fine.

And in those “mindless” strolling moments, I’ll still find hilarious memes, story ideas, what I want from a rental apartment, what (not) to do with my social media, where I (don’t) want to travel, and beyond.

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Here’s what I want you to take away from this post:

– Not all procrastination is bad.

– Not everyone procrastinates the same way or for the same reasons.

– You can make procrastination work for you.

– Reading about other people’s procrastination reasons (and ways) will be helpful to a certain extent. But you might decide you have to work on it if you are filled with regret and disappointment afterward.

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Why do you procrastinate? How do you procrastinate? And what do you do about it? Let me know in the comments.

How to Write A Book Review: Tips to Make Writing Your First (or Next) Review Easy

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Writing a book review is not fun.

No, no. Let me rephrase that: The idea of writing a book review isn’t fun.

Writing the book review itself can actually be quite enjoyable. Once you set aside a little time, sharing your thoughts on a book you read with the rest of the world can be a rewarding experience.

There are generally two reasons people don’t like to write reviews.

  • They don’t have the time.
  • They don’t think they know how.

That’s it. And luckily, both of these can be remedied.

Do you remember having to write book reports in school? We had to answer specific questions, were expected to fill a certain number of pages, we had to deep analyses…

It felt like such a chore, and this is coming from someone

1) likes books!

2) loves to write (duh!)

3) and someone who likes to share her opinions with the world. (double duh!)

But reviews aren’t book reports.

For one, they aren’t mandatory. And for two, they aren’t graded.

Why leave a review?

Because it really helps the author. It increases visibility. It provides social proof. More visibility and social proof lead to more sales, which lead to more reviews…creating a lovely, virtuous cycle.

People start to notice the author more. So the author can write more books because they can actually pay their bills.

Your review might be the reason someone decides to buy (or not buy) the book. So, you are also helping out fellow readers.

Now, at this point, Dan Brown will live just fine if you don’t review his latest book. I just opened up my Amazon tab and typed in Dan Brown. He has thousands (or even tens of thousands of reviews) on his books.

So, people will leave reviews, and he can live if he doesn’t get the 16,000th one. (I love Dan Brown by the way. I’m just pointing out how successful and well-known he is.) Readers also have plenty of information to decide whether to pick up their next book or not.

On the other hand, other writers aren’t so lucky. We have to work really hard to get those initial reviews, and even getting to double digits takes a lot of work in the beginning.

So, you make authors really happy.

Are there rules to how to write a review?

Yes, and no.

The more specific you are about what you like and don’t like about the book (without spoiling things of course), the more you will help out readers and authors.

Authors will treat it as feedback, and readers can make a more informed decision.

Just saying something like “this book rocks”, or “this sucks!” doesn’t help anyone.

If you liked the book, give examples.

If you didn’t like the book, you guessed it, give examples.

And it is also okay to be neutral about the book, or have both enjoyed some parts and disliked the others.

Things to consider when writing a review (so it becomes easy and fast):

For fiction

Note: You don’t have to mention all of these. These are just ideas to get you started. Usually, a well-written paragraph suffices. A few paragraphs? The writer will think they are in heaven. But even a few coherent and specific lines will do if you are in a hurry.

– Writing style/author’s voice.

How was it? How did it make you feel? What was good? What was lacking? Who do you think they are similar to? In what way?

– Characters.

Were they interesting? Were they memorable? Who was your favorite? Who did you hate? Did you hate the character because the author meant for you to, or did you just not connect with the protagonist at all?

– Plot.

Was it fun? Engaging? Scary? Boring? Full of surprises? A mess?

– Ending.

Was it satisfactory? Was it what you expected? Was getting what you expected good or bad, in terms of the genre/this book’s story?

– Pacing.

Did the author keep you awake at night, or did you have to force yourself to keep your eyes open? You can just say it lagged at times, or that you appreciated the flow.

– Dialogue.

Enough? Too much? Too little? Was it funny? Did it sound natural? In character? Interesting? Were there too many monologues?

– Genre.

Was this book a good example of its genre?

–  The future.

Would you consider reading more from this author?

– The future of the characters/storyworld.

Would you like to see more adventures from these characters? Which ones? Why?

This can inspire/motivate the author to create more books featuring these characters.

For non-fiction

– Did you find the information useful?

– Did the author deliver on what they promised?

– Was it entertaining and/or informative? Was it interesting?

– Was it comprehensive enough? Did you find it too short or too long? Or was it the right length?

– What did you think of the writer’s voice? Their writing style? Their use of language?

– Would you consider reading more from this author?

– What could the author have done better?

– Would you like to learn more from the author? If so, what? This not only motivates the author, but it helps them create a book that is better suited to their target audience’s wants and needs.

What to avoid

– Don’t give spoilers. Some people still swear at the people who ruined The Sixth Sense’s ending, and it’s understandable.   The ending makes that movie, really.

– Don’t blame the writer for your own mistakes.

If this is a 3-book series where you need to have read the first ones to follow the plot, and this was noted on the product page, then don’t start at book 3.

If you have and found it hard to follow and rate the book at 1, well…you know where this is going. Please don’t be that reader.

– Don’t be nasty. Is it really the worst book you’ve ever read? And even if it is, do you really need to put it that way?

Maybe list what hasn’t worked for you and expand on that.

You can be critical and leave a not-so-positive review without being rude and sending the author to a potential breakdown.

– Consider if you are in the target audience.

If you are an expert, a book for newbies might not appeal to you.

If you are a romance reader, you might not enjoy a psychological horror.

– Be specific.

Did you find the characters unbelievable? Or did you feel like you’ve known the protagonist all your life?

Did you think the main romantic couple made a good match?

Were the subplots satisfactory and relevant, or did they seem redundant?

Take some notes.

With the questions above to get you going, take a few notes.

It’s okay to go back to the book for a couple of pages to refresh your memory. I often do.

Then write your review in a coherent manner.

You don’t actually need to be answering the questions. You can write the first few things that come to your mind, give it a quick read to see if it’d make sense to an outsider, and publish it.

But do make sure it is easily readable through punctuation and good grammar. It doesn’t have to be perfect, just understandable.

It gets easier after the first few!

Like most things, practice makes perfect. Words will be pouring out of your mouth and onto the screen in no time.

Where to leave the review?

– Amazon and/or the retailer you purchased it from.

If an author is available on Amazon, they will appreciate a review there. But if you bought the book on Kobo, go ahead and leave it there. (This applies to all retailers.)

To leave a review on Amazon, you scroll down on the book’s page, and on the left-hand side, you’ll see the write a product review button.

Click on it. Rate it, write your review, and click submit.

You’re good to go.

– Goodreads. Goodreads is a great place for reviews, but I prefer it if readers can leave the review on Amazon first.

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Don’t leave a review if you don’t want to, or if you are really crunched for time. But know that authors and readers appreciate it a great deal.

A Sample Review

Let’s write a review right now:

A book review I write for a Jack Reacher novel might go like this (Because this is a series, everything I said so far goes for every Jack Reacher book):

Jack Reacher is the epitome of the badass, tough protagonist that you’ll definitely want on your side if you get in trouble. He is fair, cares about justice, and people and the truth matter more than the law.

Each book follows Jack Reacher on a different adventure against different villains, but the books always deliver with fast pacing, fun dialogue, tight plots, and great fight scenes.

I honestly would love to be Jack Reacher even for a day.

…. (and yes, I’d continue this with my comments on that particular JR book.)

See, even the protagonist had me going…Yes, I really love Lee Child and Jack Reacher.

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Your reviews can be longer or shorter. More or less detailed. More positive or negative.

At the end of the day, it is just you telling other people what you liked (and/or didn’t) like something and why.

Reviews Readers Left for My Books

Below are some of my favorite lines from reader reviews for my romcom drama A Change Would Do You Good (Amazon affiliate link):

You can read these reviews in their entirety on Goodreads.

“I loved this story and all of the wonderful characters in it. The author has given them all such unique personalities and the way that they interact with each other in this tiny apartment complex will have readers laughing until they cry.”

 

“There is a happy ending although I would definitely love to see what is in store for more of their futures! A fun read I could not put down!”

 

“Nice story with compelling subplots…”

 

“It portrays several characters who connect to each other in some way. The chapters are divided into little sections — always from a different point of view — so the reading is very dynamic and you never get tired of following someone’s story.”

 

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For more inspiration, below are two reviews I wrote:

Review for Niksen: Embracing the Dutch Art of Doing Nothing by Olga Mecking  (non-fiction)

Passport Control: Review for Gila Green’s Novel

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Go ahead. Write a review. It’s actually fun. At the end of the day, you’re sharing what you liked (or didn’t like) with fellow readers.

(Note to self: Remember to leave reviews more often!)

6 Things Readers Can Do for Indie Authors (aka Self-Published Authors)

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Happy Indie Author Day!

Indie author and self-published author are basically the same things, except a quick search online tells me indie author means someone who writes and publishes their books for a living, while a self-published author can write just for family and friends.

I don’t mind either term, but I prefer self-published.

Since I’ve had to do a lot myself, I liked the word self in there.

And even though you hire people for some of the crucial tasks like editing and cover design, you still have to come up with the money yourself.

With the definition of the concept out of the way, I’ll explain why my non-self-publishing audience should care. (I’m sure my fellow self-published authors will be nodding along the way.)

Self-publishing is becoming the go-to-choice of increasingly more authors, including previously traditionally published ones. Some authors choose to enjoy both worlds while quite a few stick to one team.

Self-publishing has a lot of attractive pros, both for the reader and the author:

  • There are no barriers to entry.

This doesn’t mean self-published authors can and should ignore quality. On the contrary, they have to constantly up their game so they can keep up with all the books being published, by traditional authors and other fellow self-published authors.

What no barriers means, instead, is that writers can get their words out there more quickly as opposed to chasing after agents and publishers for years on end.

  • They can be as slow or as fast as they like.

Self-published authors aren’t bound by the same length expectations of traditional publishers or certain agents.

They can write shorter books, publish more frequently, and in doing so, unite readers with awesome story worlds faster.

  • They can price at will.

Exceptions aside, self-published authors look at other self-published authors and reader expectations for pricing their books.

Most indie e-books books change from free (as in the writer is giving away this book) to $4.99. (At least this is so in the romance genre.)

Traditionally published books are usually more expensive.

  • It’s easier to build a direct relationship with the author.

While there are self-published authors making all sorts of bank and bestsellers list, many don’t have thousands of raving fans yet.

Obviously don’t get your stalk on, but you’ll have an easier time reaching the author.

Authors remember reviews that go into detail about favorite characters and non-spoiling accounts of what the reader enjoyed the most.

You might end up voting on the cover of the writer’s next book, helping name a character, deciding on a certain twist or other important story detail.

Traditionally published authors might get a vote on their cover themselves, but the publisher won’t be likely asking for your opinions.

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So there you go. These are 4 great reasons to read more indie authors, if I say so myself. And yes, I read a lot of self-published authors. I walk the walk. 😉

Now that you know the why, if you want to help your favorite self-published authors reach a bigger audience (because a bigger audience means a better chance of making a living which consequently means, you guessed it, more great books), there are 6 things you can do.

6 Things Readers Can Do for Self-Published Authors

  1. Read the book.

OK, I know you are saying no shit, Sherlock. But hear me out.

Reading the book might be the most obvious thing, but it’s certainly not the easiest.

Reading takes time. I can’t read as much as I want to, and I read like crazy.

Taking the time to read someone’s work in its entirety is the single best thing you can do for them.

How can you read the book?

Well, you can buy it, yes.

Or you can borrow it if the book and you are both on Kindle Unlimited.

But you can also offer to beta read or read a review copy.

Beta-reading is when you help an author improve their drafts. You might or might not get to read the final version.

Authors always need more reviews (which I will get into in a bit.) So, before they launch, they will post on their social media and write in their newsletters, asking for early readers (so that they can read and review the book).

How do you receive those newsletters? You subscribe to their email lists. How do you subscribe? Well, they will be promoting it left and right.

Want to get on mine? Here’s the link: https://writing.pinartarhan.com/newsletter/ Subscribing to author newsletters has other benefits, which I’ll get to shortly.

  1. Buy the book.

This again?

Well, yes.

If you can afford it and think the author is worth it, you should buy the book even if you received a free copy.

This is how online bookstores come to decide the author is worth reading so their algorithms recommend their books to more people.

More purchases lead to more purchases.

  1. Review the book.

Review the book. If you hate Amazon, review it on Kobo. Or Goodreads. Review it on your blog or social media.

But review it.

If the book is on Amazon, though, the writer will especially appreciate the reviews there.

Amazon has a bunch of strict rules about who can review what. And not everyone who reads the book leaves a review.

Then there is the regional stuff. I have reviews scattered around Amazon. Italy, The Netherlands, UK…Which is great, but when someone goes on Amazon.com, they will see fewer reviews in total because reviews are not all in the same place.

No/few reviews stops or slows down sales. More reviews keep the book more relevant. Amazon shows it to more people. More sales.

Whether the book has 1 review, 10 reviews, or 50 reviews, that author needs your review. But the book with fewer reviews needs reviews more than the others.

And please don’t be daunted by the word review either. No one wants a book report.

But a writer needs a bit more than “I loved it/I liked it/It was okay.” You can mention parts you enjoyed, characters you identified with, being impressed with the quality of twists (without spoilers), talk about how well-written the sex scenes were…

Anything about the book/writer’s writing style is fair game as long as you don’t give away spoilers. (And if you didn’t enjoy the book, keep it constructive and decent.)

And if you want to do the writer a real solid, give them permission to use your name and review as a whole in their marketing of the book.

  1. Spread the word about the book, online and offline.

Writers need readers. And word of mouth can spread like wildfire. But someone needs to light the spark.

If you enjoyed the book, tell people. Tell them in person. Tell them online.

Post about the book on social media and/or website if you have it.

If you are following the writer on social media, like/retweet/upvote/share/etc. their posts. This will help increase their visibility.

  1. Talk about this book and other books with the writer

Whether the writer is your friend or someone who is just really good at engaging with (potential) readers online, writers love to discuss their stories.

For a lot of writers, their books are their babies. You can talk about what you liked. You can talk about what you didn’t like (but be gentle.) You can discuss suggestions and expectations.

This will inspire and motivate the writer. This might prevent them from banging their head on their desks when they are lost.

When readers talk to me about their favorite events, characters, expectations, surprises and ask questions, it’s one of my favorite things in the world.

  1. Subscribe to their newsletter.

Email newsletters are the direct communication link between the author and the reader.

Authors share their news, latest blog posts, upcoming projects, *free stuff, answer reader questions, and more in their emails.

The free stuff is exclusive to the email list and can be anything from sample free chapters to deleted scenes, bonus chapters to character interviews, fun trivia to entire new stories/books.

You can also ask questions, send requests and reviews to the writer.

*

Happy Indie Author Day!

If you are a reader, thanks for supporting us.

If you are an indie author, may all the right fans find you.

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