Thursday, May 24, 2012

The Power (and danger) of Reviews

I've heard that Regency historical fans are the most loyal and enthusiastic of any romance readers. They love history, the craziness of the time period, and the fun of escaping into another world. And they are indeed wonderful. I also know that some readers will hold your feet to the fire to for historical accuracy. This is a good thing. Historical authors want to be accurate, although mistakes can be made. We, as authors, do our best. We love Regencies, too. That's why we write (and read) them! 

I work hard to get my books right, though sometimes titles can be a bit befuddling to even an obsessive like me. The British do love their titles. Some nobles had (have) so many titles that even their own mothers had to have been confused. I recently read a book from a fairly big name author who called her duchess Lady, Lady, Lady. Duchesses are Her Grace, Your Grace, Duchess, etc. Neither she or her publisher caught that one. Though I admit to twitching while reading, the story was otherwise good and I enjoyed the book. I've found that most readers do the same. They fall in love with the romance between the hero and heroine and forgive a typo or two. That's why we love them!

Many authors suggest not reading low reviews as they can kick you in the confidence. This is true. However, tastes very wildly. One reader's hamburger is another reader's Filet Mignon. A book can spend weeks on the NYT Bestseller List and not be a hit with all readers, while a little book by a newbie author may be the best book in the history of the history of books. Who knows? It's all about what you like. All an author can do is write the best book she can and hope the story strikes a happy cord in her readers. Typos and all.

  

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