How Readers Choose A Book

The first thing a reader has to know is what the book is about. Is it fiction or nonfiction? Classic, literary, or genre fiction (e.g., science fiction, historical, crime, or horror)? Sometimes the setting alone can be enough to capture your interest.

My latest book, THE DEADLIEST DECEPTIONS, is a collection of nine short mysteries set in first-century CE Roman Alexandria. One reviewer comments that other than Miriam, the strength in the collection is the city of Alexandria:

The reader gets to see, hear, and often, smell Alexandria in all its elegance and poverty. It is also a polyglot society, wherein Greek is the daily driver, and Latin is the second or third or fourth language, the one used for dealing with the Romans, who are more an ominous threat than an actual presence. (Amazon review)

A review helps readers choose a book. They can learn what the book is about and others’ reactions before commiting to the book. Reviews also help an author because they increase the visibility of the book, which ultimately increases sales.

And writing a review is easy. All it takes is a sprinkle of 1-5 stars, 5 meaning you loved it, and a sentence or two to say what you liked. The only restriction is that to be useful, the review should be honest.

Reviews are so important to authors that most of us subscribe to a review service. So, if you’re interested in reading the latest collection of Miriam bat Isaac short mysteries and getting your own free e-book to read and review, then download it here. And by the way, you can post your review anonymously. Just click here.