Another heads up: Looking ahead to when FH 1-9 are bundled for print, Joy and I are planning to experiment a bit with covers. I don’t know yet how soon these tests will happen. Just don’t be alarmed by any changes; the books aren’t being pirated or anything. We really are messing around with the cover art.
Also, I want to talk about something that’s been making me feel kinda’ bad/guilty, lately. I figured I’d talk about it here on the blog instead of private emails so that everybody knows my two-part review policy, and will hopefully understand why these two policies are in place.
First, I do not respond to reviews, good, bad or otherwise. Ever. For any reason. Please know that I am so grateful to people who take time out of their day to post reviews. And some people may find this very hard to believe, but bad reviews are appreciated every bit as much as good ones. I listen. Emma listens. We just do not respond. Ever. For any reason.
It’s not personal. It’s business. Responding to bad reviews is tacky in the extreme. And while I would, on a personal level, love to tackle-hug everyone who leaves a good review, this is not my first time in the rodeo-clown costume. No matter how well-intended the author, this practice can backfire to senseless degrees. So the no-response policy isn’t about time or ingratitude or anything else. It’s about risk management.
Second, I do not give book reviews on this blog or on Amazon in this persona or any other originating at my home or office IP address (or any other). I’m sure readers and other authors who’ve watched the recent review debacle(s) understand the reasoning behind this. I used to give the occasional quickie on Goodreads, but no more, lest B&N or other retailers go after (and subsequently confuse) “non-compete” or “purchased” reviews the same way Amazon has.
This policy is in place not only to uphold the integrity of my own readers’ reviews, but other authors’, too. I don’t want my fan-girl-squee moment to end up getting another author’s reviews yanked. And of course I would never want to create resentment with other authors whose books I love but haven’t reviewed.
Again, risk management. Not personal, though like I said, sometimes it makes me feel really, really bad that I can’t tackle-hug or squee at certain folks who sincerely deserve to be thanked or admired.
So. That was a lot longer than I intended, sorry. Have a great weekend. Go make someone feel good, just because you can.