You will often hear writers asking, yes, maybe even begging for
reviews. I can certainly understand this behavior. The most simple
reason why we’re always asking for reviews is because the more reviews a
book or story has, the more likely it is that the market will show the
product to more readers. This is especially true with Amazon. In order
to have much hope of being seen on a main page of Amazon, an author will
almost always have to have 10 reviews or more.
Another reason for asking for reviews is because not everyone is
going to like a piece that you create. It doesn’t matter if you’re JK
Rowling, Robert Sawyer, or even little ol’ me, there will be readers
that don’t like your work, and if those are the only readers reviewing
your work, you have less chance of reaching more readers.
A good example is my short short story (yes, the two shorts are
intentional) “Lost in the Dark.” One reader refers to it as “Extremely
implausible,” while another reader refers to it as “Good angst, totally
identifiable protagonist. Nice (one more time – short) story.”
Who’s right? Well, both of them actually are…at least in their
opinions. So, if only the first review was posted, people would be less
likely to want to read the story, so reviews are good so that people can
see all possible sides of a story.
So, in short, review an author’s work. They’ve put a lot of effort
into whatever you’re reading, and they deserve at least a few words of
praise. And, oh yeah, definitely make sure you review my work if you’ve
liked it! I can genuinely tell you that I will be highly appreciative of
your effort on my behalf!