Jan Cline

lover of relics and history

Why and How to Write a Book Review on Amazon

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Books are gifts that keep on giving!

The memory of stories we read, the knowledge we gain, and the pleasure of a few hours living through our imagination all are lasting benefits of reading. Experts say that reading helps us focus, relieves stress, and helps us gain perspective in a hectic world. There’s just nothing like opening the new pages of a book, or flipping past pages on a Kindle reader. It’s all about a new revelation about to unfold.

Do we stop to consider the author’s journey to write the book? Not that we don’t appreciate their talent and time, but there is an author investment we can’t relate to unless we too are authors. Personally, writing books is the hardest thing I’ve ever done, and I have great gratitude for all the writers who have blessed me with their words.
There are several ways for us to show our appreciation for the authors who have entertained and informed us. I would like to talk about one.

Online reviews.

Because of the way the algorithms work at online booksellers, especially Amazon, reviews are an important part of the success of a book. In fact, it can make or break sales, the book’s visibility, consumer confidence in the author, and much more. Reviews are important, yet very hard to acquire unless you are an already known author with an abundance of followers/fans.

Reviews don’t have to be 5 stars, and they don’t have to be long or explain the plot. The best reviews are ones that tell other readers how the book made you feel, what you thought the theme was, who your favorite characters were, and/or the spiritual message (if that applies). Telling too much about the plot can spoil the story for future readers, and authors often cringe at reviewers who give too much away.

In case you don’t know how to leave an Amazon review, here is a quick lesson.

1.  Bring up the book on Amazon and look for the stars under the title. (If there are no stars yet, there will be a “be the first to leave a review” link on the page.

2.  Click on the stars or where it names number of reviews.

3.  It will take you to this where you will click the box to write a review.

4.  Here you will click the number of stars you wish to give the book and then fill in the boxes with a short “heading” (Like: loved this book, or, a must read, or, not my favorite…) Then you can write the review in the next box and click Submit.

That’s it. It may take a while for it to show up on the book’s page, and if you are a close relative or have a strong association with the author, Amazon may reject your review. Never fear – you can leave reviews on Goodreads, Barnes and Noble, and other booksellers where the book is listed. It’s all helpful.

All that said…I have a few copies of my latest release to give to someone who would agree to leave an honest review. It’s the 3rd and last novel in my series, and it’s set in WW2. 

If you would like to try your hand at a review, I will choose from those who email me to send either an Ebook file or print copy (limited supply) – just indicate which you prefer. [email protected]

Thanks for reading this post. I hope you will begin to leave reviews for the books you read. It’s a great way to keep the flow of good writers coming.

Best wishes for the New Year!

It’s Where You Belong

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lake5 - Copy

You belong there. Pick up where you left off. Begin again. Start over. Get back to doing what you were doing when you quit doing what you were doing.

I hear these words so often in my head, and sometimes I blow them off as meaningless. I have done all the above so many times, what’s the use? You may have asked yourself the same thing a time or two.

But if my brain is continuing that driving drone, there must be a reason.

The reason, I’ve come to know, is that trying to deny your purpose in life, trying to avoid what you have been given to do, isn’t worth the struggle. Your brain, and most likely your heart, have figured it out. It’s your bruised ego that has yet to surrender.

I have no ego, you may say. Yeah, I used to say that a lot too. Yes you do, just as I do.

The reality of life is that we don’t like to fail, stumble, waver, be a fool, or sit at the bottom of the success ladder when it comes to our talents and gifts. It’s hard to keep plugging away, standing below those who are near the top rung of that ladder you love so much.

Our egos take many hits when we are striving to achieve a place in a field where there is so much competition. I have learned that the writing/publishing world is highly competitive and therefore has the potential to become my source of discouragement instead of my favorite place to be. I know in my head that comparing myself to others in the field is only going to hold me back. It’s the beckoning crook of my ego’s finger that gets me every time.

What’s the cure for this common disease?

How do you get back to where you belong?

Tell your ego to take a hike – a back seat to the truth. The truth is that if you keep going back to it, you are probably doing what you were designed to do. Can’t stop picking up that paint brush? Keep pulling out that computer to jot down a story idea? Is the five lines on that blank music paper still calling you? Putting up with some discomfort, discouragement, disillusionment, and fear is the price for being on the chosen list. I’d rather be chosen to be or do something than spend my life being or doing something I’m not supposed to do at all.

Time to get back to doing what you were doing when you stopped doing what you were designed to do.

Keep reaching,

Jan

How Do You Move Forward?

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lake5 - picmo

 

I’m ready to move forward in this new year. Middle of last year, I wasn’t sure I could. 2015 brought too much loss, too little good health, too much indecision, and not enough order.

I bet many of you could say the same. It’s nice to have a fresh start, choose a new road, take a decided leap, or just leave the past behind.  I think January was invented so we could have a marker, a reset, a deadline for change.

I’m taking a new road this year – but strangely it’s one I started to take last year. I turned back. I still don’t know if it was a decision thrust upon me or if I just chickened out.

It doesn’t matter, because God turns all things into good if we let Him.

I will publish my first novel this year. I tremble just typing the words. Sure, I’m committed now, but what if things go wrong again? What if I chicken out? What if someone whose opinion I value says it’s not good?

Again, it doesn’t matter, because God turns all things into good if we let Him.

This story is important, even if I haven’t told it excellently. It’s relevant for what our world is going through these days. But I think it’s good, and I must put one foot in front of the other and follow the road I know I was meant to travel. I don’t want to come to the end of this year and realize I turned back again.

My publication target date is end of March. I hope you will watch for more news about it – I’ll let you know as things move along.

It’s a new road for me and I hope to follow it to the end.

What road are you contemplating? Will you take the first step? What is standing in your way?

 

Keep reaching!

Jan

 

 

Navigation Pane as Promised

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editing2

In my last post 5 Editing Tools I Use, I mentioned using the Navigation Pane in MS Word. Here is an explanation of how it has helped me.

Note: This tool will not help you much if you have a separate document for each chapter in the book you’re writing. It is most helpful to those of us who have a continuous manuscript in one document. I used to separate my chapters to have their own document, but it drove me crazy to try and find certain characters or pieces of story when I needed to. So I went back to one document and began to use the Navigation tool.

Now I can see as I go what is happening in what chapter or scene because I make notes at each chapter and scene change. All I need to do to maneuver through the manuscript is to click on the chapter heading or scene subheading in the pane.

I just learned about the feature from my friend and fellow writer, Suzanne Kuchynka. She is the master of organization and tools to do that with your plotting and writing. I’m not one to go to great lengths to be organized, but I do like using this tool in at least a minimal way. You may want to take it to it’s full level. I’m just going to share how I use it. Simple as it is, it really helps me keep track of my story as I write.

You will find the Navigation pane toggle under the VIEW tab in the menu at the top of your document.

(It’s the same thing you see when you click on “Find” to search for a word in your document.)

nav pane

Simply click in the box and it will bring up a sidebar.

navigation 2

When I start a new chapter, I title it, i.e. Chapter Two, and then assign it as Heading 1 in the Styles bar that shows up in the Home tab.

If I put any subtext under the chapter title, I assign it as Heading 2.

You do this by highlighting the Chapter Two or Scene 1 and then clicking on the Heading you want it to have.

Here is an example of what mine looks like:

word (3)

When I click on any of the headings in the Navigation Pane, it goes to that place in my manuscript.

Under the Heading 2, I usually put the scene number, word count of that scene, and a little description of what happens in that scene.

If you click in the Nav. Pane on Pages, it will give you a view of all your pages.

navigation 3

I know there are other uses for this tool. Here are a couple links for tutorials:

Tutorial One

Tutorial Two

I plan to take some time soon and dive deeper into this feature. I hope you are finding your own tools to make your writing and editing easier.

Happy Navigating!

Jan

What Will You Be When You Grow Up?

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This afternoon I watched The Waltons.

Waltons_1972

You remember The Waltons…a family TV series from the 70s set in the 1930s. I tuned in a few minutes into the episode. John Boy Walton, college student and aspiring novelist, is being lectured by an older author. The author asks John Boy what he plans to do for a living.

“Write,” he replies.

After naming all the famous novelists who hardly made a dime in their day, the author ends the conversation by explaining that if John Boy intends to make money and be a writer, he needed to marry into money.

Doesn’t seem that things have changed much. Except that many authors these days are more prolific, which might increase their chances of making a living from writing. But then there’s something authors long ago didn’t need to consider….SOCIAL MEDIA!

Can’t you just imagine Margaret Mitchell or Earnest Hemmingway hanging over a computer, plugging time into Facebook and Twitter? How about the image of Mark Twain or Walt Whitman snapping pics on their phone to post on Instagram?

Personally, I have always pictured authors from those days to have all day to sit at their desk and pen the masterpieces we still enjoy. No social media, no conferences, no book signings. Just leisure writing, breaking all the writing rules, ignoring the trends and genres that we contend with today.

So at least I have no illusions of being a rich author when I grow up.

I do have hopes of being published in the near future. I’m also aware I will be somewhat of a slave to the social media grind. I still relish the thought of being an employed writer….

At the end of The Waltons episode, John Boy is bemoaning the statistic of over 10,000 unemployed writers in the U.S (during the 30s). His little brother tells him that’s impossible, that if you’re a writer, you work for yourself. And if you work for yourself, how can you be unemployed?

Makes perfect sense. I’ll never be unemployed. I’ll just forever be responsible to my talents, gifts and writing dreams.

How about you? Do you have plans to make a living at writing?

Keep reaching!

Jan