The Best Review I Have Received (so far)

Background

Reviews are critical for small-time authors, since, without the name-brand recognition that a larger author can fall back on (e.g. “X has sold thousands upon thousands of books, so if they were complete dumpster fires we’d know by now”) we need to bring every persuasive weapon we've got to bear.

Potential readers are seeking clear indicators that a book is worth their money in the short term and time in the long term. Along with the book cover and description, reviews are part of how they make that initial purchase assessment.

Going into my first book, I knew that, but what I didn’t grasp at the time was the fact that, up until this point, I’ve never truly had strangers reviewing my work. Sure, my editor will offer opinions, friends will tell me their thoughts, but there’s always a sense that they will always give me the benefit of the doubt. That proverbial grain of salt.

When someone offers an opinion on my writing on Vocal, that’s closer to the true test. After all, I’ve only met one other creator from this platform in person. But even so, most commenters have established a relationship through previous interactions on the platform. So the grain of salt may be smaller, but it’s still there. The desire to hold back on some level rather than threaten the relationship.

I should clarify: I started out writing and selling short stories. For most anthologies I’ve been in, it’s rare to get reviews at all. If they do review, very few will actually share thoughts on any particular story versus the anthology as a whole.

Which meant for a long time, this was the best review I ever received:

I’ve read a few anthologies (not from this publisher) with stories that are somewhat uneven in quality, so I’m glad that every story in this collection is enjoyable. Some of the authors seemed to take the “assignment” literally, with stories that either feature Poe himself or imitate his prose style pretty convincingly. The other stories capture his atmosphere, if not his style; they’re all macabre, many are memorable. My personal favorites here are “The Light Station,” “Meduse,” “In a Tomb by the Side of the Sea,” “The Masks of Amontillado,” and “The Folly of Phillip Morton Hayward.”

Wow, my story was a personal favorite. He even listed it first! So it must be his absolute favorite (or so I’m left to optimistically assume).

Yes, that is about as much fanfare as an author contributing to a short story collection can expect.

Part of the reason I decided to move forward with publishing full-length, solo author works was because it started to feel a bit disingenuous asking my friends to spend their hard-earned pay on these anthologies.

“Spend $15-$25 to read the 10-30 pages of the book that are mine. As to the quality of the rest of the book, I can’t really say. But if I’m included, then it must be good (I hope).”

“Oh, and whether or not you buy it, I don’t see a dime of that money (with a few notable exceptions). Cheers!”

Not ideal. Especially when compared to the setup I have now:

“Spend less than a larger, beefier anthology because I don’t have to account for higher print costs that come with higher page counts. Plus, enjoy a higher degree of confidence that you will like the book because I can personally speak to its quality and contents. And finally, your hard-earned dollars go directly to supporting my work and future releases.”

And for those who like short-form work and/or are behind on their Goodreads 2024 Reading Challenge, add one more book to the “finished” pile in record time as A Bloody Business just *kisses* novel length. Concise, compact, and easier to carry on the beach than your complete Harry Potter box set.

The Best Review (so far)

Last week, I glanced at the Goodreads page for A Bloody Business and saw the number of reviews and ratings had increased by 1. A true cause for celebration.

And what I read is such a cogent summary of the book that I would have sworn my editor wrote it if not for the fact that she had already submitted a review under her own name.

Even better, I don't know this person, so she had no reason to be more forgiving if she found things that were lacking.

Without further ado:

Creative premise; approaching some of the most tragic historical events with comedy was fresh and incredibly fun. I laughed aloud several times (per chapter!). Intriguing characters unite the different episodes. Martin’s nonchalance and penchant for being in the wrong (or right?) historical place at the right time made for a hilarious saga, and Tessa was such a badass. So glad the author included a strong heroine to accompany his protagonist.

Lighthearted but with a healthy dose of solemnity that ultimately transformed the book into a nuanced cautionary tale. Loved seeing how Martin’s character development progressed throughout the book. Impressed by audiobook narrator Jonathan Kilgore’s ability to juggle several accents and voices.

What she describes here is everything I envisioned this book to be.

Fun, fast, and yet, sober by the end. Martin has to reckon for all he has done, no matter that many of his targets deserve his “professional services” (he’s a hitman). I said to myself way back when, “He can’t come out the other side of all this completely unscathed.”

I honestly find it a bit difficult to sum up all the different aspects of this book. That is the pitfall of the focus on snappy loglines and short synopses when it comes to marketing. It’s a thriller, yes, but it’s also a comedy. Also historical fiction. But light on the history part if you shy away from that sort of thing. But still present and accurate for those who do like that sort of thing.

So, yes, between genre, plot, and tone, there are layers here. Layers that I believe, as our reviewer noted, “ultimately transformed the book into a nuanced cautionary tale.”

Oh, and the shoutout to my audio narrator at the end is the perfect *chef’s kiss* to round out the review. I’ve had multiple people express surprise when I inform them this is Jon’s first audiobook. He really put his all into this, and it comes off as a truly professional and immersive experience.

That also gets to another goal of this book: to present the least “self-published feeling” book anyone’s ever seen. No offense to my independent publishing contemporaries, but we have all read something that could benefit from a few more editing rounds and/or some polish.

From shelling out the dollars for professional cover design to contracting an editor and formatter to proofreading the whole thing line by line with red pen in hand to reviewing every second of audio in the audiobook, I did my damndest to ensure my readers receive a truly pleasurable reading experience. Reviews like this affirm that all that effort, from me and my creative team, paid off.

Bonus: Discounted Copies!

If any of this has whetted your appetite for A Bloody Business, then I have great news: you can enjoy this genre-bending thrill ride through the first half of the 20th century at a reduced price!

For at least the month of July (perhaps longer if these promos really show some momentum), I’ve dropped the following prices:

• E-book: $0.99 (75% off the sticker price: $3.99)

• Print: $9.99 (17% off the sticker price: $11.99)

Unfortunately, ACX doesn’t provide authors the ability to set price, so the audiobook will remain at whatever dollar amount the Audible shadow council wishes.

If you’re interested, I recommend grabbing a copy before too long. These deals won’t last forever!

Grab your copy of A Bloody Business

And if you’re a savvy consumer who likes to sample before buying, I have you covered, too. You can find text and audio samples of Chapter 1 on the homepage of my author site:

Final note: If you like audiobooks, I am in possession of a limited number of Audible promo codes that will set you up with a free A Bloody Business audiobook. Only limitation is that these only apply to Audible and only the Amazon US and UK markets. Though there are workarounds if you shop in a different market.

If you want a free audiobook, let me know in the comments. I will happily furnish one (while supplies last) in exchange for an honest review on Audible.