Monday, September 29, 2014

Review for my Novel. Next time it could be you!

I wanted this week to talk about a review I had gotten for my novel, Legend of the Mystic Knights.  The review is located on The Fantasy Guide website.

The Fantasy Guide is a site dedicated to help the reader discover a fantasy world and fantasy things of all types. Here is a link to the review of my novel: http://fantasyguide.stormthecastle.com/reviews/legend-of-the-mystic-knights.htm

There are several items I wanted to comment about this review. First, I do agree with the review totally and appreciate the criticism from the reviewer.


The comment they made about medieval life section being tedious is accurate, but intentional. People had few means of entertainment back in medieval times; it there was entertainment, it was usually an event like a faire or religious ceremony. Describing everyday life in these times might seem tedious to some readers, but it was also at this point that I was concentrating on the historical and accurate aspects of medieval living.

The reviewer also gave me some very glowing comments. “It was Rusho's intention to entertain and also educate—to which he did a fantastic job on.”


I particularly enjoyed the reviewer’s comments about one of my characters: “Sir Percival was a wonderful example of a knight in medieval times and reminds the readers about knighthood, and the chivalrous and brave attitudes it requires.”


So overall I was very satisfied with this review. The reviewer was very professional and courteous and I must recommend their site.


Reflecting on it, I had an idea, HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO REVIEW MY NOVEL? I thought that readers of my blog, those that have followed my adventures in writing, might like to read my book and tell me what they thought of it.

Many of you are not reviewers (and you are the ones I want to look at my book). I can go through the proper channels, such as websites, to get reviews, but I want a fresh look at my book. I want someone who normally does not review books look at mine with a reader eyes and a point of view. Who knows, maybe once you start writing a review, you will might enjoy it and want to do it again.

Here is what we can do.

1. Get my book

You can either pay the $3.01 on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MNKNI9U/

Here is the link through the publisher: http://www.safkhetpublishing.com/books/fantasy/MK1_Legend.html

Or you can also send me your email;  w.a.rusho@gmail.com  and I will send you a copy (I just have it in English). Just tell me what format you want it in (mobi, or e-pub).  I will NOT put you on any mailing list; I have a link for that on my site if you want to be added.

FYI; I may have to limit the number of copies I can send, so keep that in mind if I say I am no longer asking for reviews.




2. Send me an email and inform me how long you think it will take for you to complete the novel. I understand that we are all busy and we have to make time to read a novel.



3. Review the book. Try to keep it simple, precise and HONEST. I know many of the readers here have gotten to be friends with me, but even if you are, be honest with the review. A bad review can help me adjust my writing for future novels.



4. When you do send me the review, tell me how you want to be listed as (your full name, initials or alias)

Tell me if I can use this on my website, www.warusho.com If you took the time to review my novel, I should take the time to publicize it. Inform me if I can also post the reviews on this blog.



If you do not complete the novel in time for a review, then I hope you will still complete it and enjoy the reading.



5. As for posting the review, we can decide this in couple different ways.

a. You can simple leave your review as a comment.

b. Send me the review and I will put it into the post.

c. If you bought the book on Amazon, feel free to leave a review there too, it will be appreciated.

So if you think you want to do this, let’s do it together. If not, then I hope you will come back and read my blog, and also later to see the reviews left by others.

In return for the review, tell me what I CAN DO FOR YOU? Do you want a guest blog, or interview. Maybe you just want me to comment on your post, or to follow it, simply tell me.

So if you are interested, send me a message at w.a.rusho@gmail.com and we will start this review process. After I get some responses, we will then determine a time line to complete the review.

Let’s have fun with this.

For those who wish not to participate, thank you for reading my blog. I hope you come back, because we will be back on topic soon.

Next Week: It’s October, time for Halloween, and more spooky medieval stuff.





19 comments:

  1. I will definitely think about it, but am pretty behind on my reading list right now. I didn't read much during my vacation (even though I thought I would...) Some of the castles I saw definitely put me in a medieval frame of mind. Rothenberg in Germany and Strausbourg in France sweep a person back in time, and I'm sure your book does the same :)

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  2. Hi William and thanks for the offer to review your book. It sounds like things are going well and that is excellent news. I hope plenty of folks take you up on the review however I will not be able to do so. I wish you all the best as always. I did read the blog and will continue to do so.

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  3. I wish I had more time to read anything. I am coming into my busy season which even makes it difficult to write and respond to blogs. I hope you get good feedback. It is nothing personal, I am just swamped

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  4. That's a pretty good review William. What the reviewer thinks is a slow start might be interpreted by another reader as being meticulous about creating the environment in which the story takes place.

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  5. I think that having people review your novel is a great idea. It's a way to build a readership and get valuable feedback.

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  6. Quite a good review. Don't read books online so I will pass on reviewing it. But thanks anyway.

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  7. I have downloaded the book...it is my intention to read an review, and once again I apologize for being so behind on my reading. But don't discount review sites Bill. The carry a lot of weight with readers because the DO do reviews. I highly recommend joining writerswin.com Winners Circle. It's a very inexpensive author resource site for authors with book reviewers, book clubs, independent book stores etc. You'll probably have much better results with objective readers.

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  8. I enjoyed your article and like your suggestions about reviews as well. Good luck with the sales!

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  9. All in all I do believe it's pretty good review. I do plan on downloading your book (and provide a review) when I'm through with ALL my current projects. It sounds like a fun read and something I would enjoy. :-)

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  10. Too sad that I'm so busy with so many things, else I'll like to also review your novel. Anyway I'm glad that you have a novel. :)

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  11. Hi William. Thanks for offering us the chance to download your book and review it. Sounds like things are taking off for you! Best wishes.

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  12. Hi William - I really wish my grandson was old enough to read your book and review it, he would gobble it up. I like Jacquie's suggestion for you. I wish you all the best with your book.

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  13. Hi William,
    Reviews are certainly good to have! Potential readers like to have that stamp of approval before they purchase a book. Could you update your book to include a statement about reviewing the book at the end? Maybe in an About The Author section you could say: "If you liked this book please take a moment to visit _____ and post a review and you might also like to check out my blog."

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  14. Congratulations on the great review! There are a number of excellent review sites out there, some friends have had great results with Kirkus. While I'd love to review your book, I'm ridiculously behind with other work - maybe some other time ... Good luck with your work!

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  15. Thanks everyone for leaving such good comments, and also such great suggestions.

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  16. I'm happy your novel was reviewed. It's a smart, great idea for you to ask for reviews from us. I'm unable to review your book, but I appreciate being along for the ride when you report on your progress.

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  17. Looks like you did a great job Bill because I think that was a positive review and uplifting for your goal. The best seems yet to come there. Push on and all the best.

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  18. Congrats on the review, William!! :)

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