After posting last week about adding your scores to increase visibility, I received a few comments. Most were along the lines of “why do you care?”
Here’s a secret: I don’t. Shocking, right? But wait, bear with me for a second.
From my perspective, scores, stars or any other simplistic feedback are of little value. Instead, they’re for other readers. Why? The stories you see on SOL, or the books purchased on Bookapy have been completed for several months. No score will affect their completion, nor that of a half-dozen similar tales already moving through The Yards.
It’s one reason I chuckle at the brigade of 1-score trolls who downvote instantly based on content they’d be far better off avoiding. Their misplaced efforts make no difference to me. Unfortunately, the people they do impact are those readers who enjoy such content. Lower scores mean stories aren’t as visible. Hence, my request to do your fellow readers a favor and vote for those stories you enjoy. Not just mine, but from any author kind enough to share their work on this or any site.
On the flip side, reviews and critical feedback are of great value. If they are provided upon conclusion of the story. Beforehand, see above; the story’s already written. No, I’m not changing anything, unless it’s an obvious mistake. In which case, I correct it before shooting the editor and promoting the assistant editor.
As authors, we’ve done our part by sharing, so do yours and provide legitimate feedback to help your fellow readers find our works. That’s what scoring systems accomplish. At least for me.
Hugs and a hearty “thank you” to all those who continue to support my efforts. You make this all worthwhile.
Ivey