Monday 13 August 2012

A Small Rant - Is This Etiquette?


I’m never quite sure what to do with reviews - apart from read them where they are posted! Do I put them on my blog/twitter/facebook or not?
 Etiquette (social media-style) says it is not a good idea to keep pushing your own work on blogs/twitter (but then again I thought that was the whole point???) I guess it’s a matter of not boring folks rigid with it and being judicious about how much self-promotion is a good thing… Heck, I’ve often been very irritated on twitter by the increasing amount of people who only seem to self-promote their own stuff – they never seem to join in conversations.  AND I do get tired of having their latest blog/ book release shoved down my throat endlessly.  Don’t get me wrong, I am always pleased for other people when their books are published and I do understand the need to self promote – we all need to do it. I’m just not sure it should be done all the time at the expense of other articles, news items etc.
I also hate it when folks post long, long excerpts of their books on their blogs – especially when the said excerpt is out of context. As if I’ve got half a day spare to read their pages-long post!!  (squeaky voice rising hysterically)
Okay, my rant is now over!!! I am calm…
But wait… Back to my review – to post or not to post??  Should I join in? Mmmmm…. Err yes…  What a hypocrite you say! And you are right. So here is my review (taken from amazon): Ta Da!

The Afterlife of Darkmares


“Having read P J Newcombe's third thriller - the Afterlife of Darkmares I found that it was just as I had expected. I've already read the first two and so I knew that I was in for a good read. I wasn't disappointed. The author has developed a way of weaving the twenty-first century story of a troubled mother and her son, into hypnotic paranormal episodes with great skill and sensitivity as Grif has unbeknown, even to himself, released an evil entity. The suspense is such that you must turn page after page . . .

Still grieving herself from the loss of her daughter, Kate gets help with her son Grif's tormented life from Ben the sleep therapist. At one of the sessions Ben asks Grif about his sister and dad.

"Megan died and Dad left home," Grif said flatly.

The continuing tale of Kate seeking help from the specialist is thwarted by steady pushing from the police to prove in some way that she was responsible for Megan's death, and the tension builds. She suspects that her estranged husband may be spreading malicious rumours. Now the darkmares really begin for Kate as the parallel story of the plague in the village of Eyam, four centuries ago unfolds and is skillfully woven by the author into the present day story forcing Kate to delve into the supernatural for an answer.

This thriller is skillfully plotted with strong rounded characters, making it not only a good read but gives the reader insight into how flimsy the threads of life are. I thoroughly recommend it. The Afterlife of Darkmares in an excellent read in every sense, but not for the faint hearted.”
AFTER THOUGHT!
(P.S. Just so you know - I am definitely NOT against promotional stuff on blogs/twitter etc - I simply think some folk have nothing to give/say other than self promotion and I think that spoils it for the rest of us...)
So do you ever post reviews on your blog? Do you think there is a limit to how much self promo work should be done through blogs/social networks??


8 comments:

  1. Great review! I'm doing something similar tomorrow, but it's a special occasion and not something I do all the time It puts me off if that's all the blog is about, but if you strike the right balance I don't see any problem.

    I've got a separate tab on my blog where I post the links to reviews, then people have the choice.

    I actually unfollowed some people of Twitter last night for continually sending the same tweet about their books DURING the Olympic closing ceremony. Everyone else was having a great party, and they were flogging.

    Sorry for the long comment, it's obviously something I think a lot about :-)

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  2. I feel as you do. I don't like writers who just self-promote without giving anything back. Self-promote but don't let that be all you do. What a wonderful review you have there.

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  3. I try to have a good balance on my blog and keep personal promoting limited. I do some book reviews and have a couple to post for September.

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  4. I agree that there needs to be a balance. I like to know what's going on with the writers whose blogs I follow, especially when they have a book out, or it goes free for awhile, or they get an award, great review, etc, but you are so right when you say that Twitter has gotten ridiculous with it. So annoying!

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  5. There is nothing wrong with posting your reviews on your blog, especially if they are good! Congrats! I think you're right that we should all be judicious about how much self-promotion we do on our blogs, that's all. I think it's all about balance. But you worked hard and you wrote a great book and you deserve to revel in that a little so by all means, share them! Lord knows, you're always giving us great posts that help with our writing so I think you've already got balance!

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  6. It's a terrific review.

    For myself, I'm of a mixed mind. The only reason I'd mention my reviews is to give credit to the reviewer. It still feels self-serving to me, but I want to show my appreciation.

    I used to post excerpts of a review. Now I usually post links on where to find the actual review so interested people can find it, plus it gives traffic back to the reviewer.

    Another thing you could try is to create a page on this blog just for reviews. And don't forget to name the reviewer if you quote them.

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  7. Excellent review!

    I'm in your camp. People so miss the point with 'Social Media' even though the clue is in the title.

    Twitter is especially misunderstood. I mean why would you buy from someone who constantly bombards you with stuff about their book or blog? Never once interacting with you, or proving they are not a 'bot'or a troll on auto tweet.

    If you look at the successful writers who use Twitter and Facebook, you'll see their tweets are a mix of marketing, and randomly fun comments, which allow us a window into their lives. What music they listen to, where they shop, what they are cooking for tea, and how the writing is going. They feel real. And sometimes will answer your tweets.

    Thus making them feel like friends, or people you know, and I don't know about you, but I'm much more inclined to buy from someone like this...

    Good post.

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  8. I havne't posted reviews of my own books on my blog. I was thinking of doing it but just haven't yet. I have a tab on my author blog for a couple of excerpts of reviews I've recieved, but that's about it.

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