http://megancashmanbooks.wordpress.com/2013/11/26/id-say-writing-is-like-acting/
This blog posting I'm attaching, by Megan Cashman -- someone I appreciate, respect and follow -- tells it well.
Actors on the stage are lucky to get their appreciation known to them immediately through applause. Movie actors (or radio, especially in the past) have each other to congratulate as well as audiences sentiment, public reviews, and the box-office count.
Writers, especially independents, well, we can watch the sales count, and hope some lone soul will take the time to post a review (since we all know professional paid-for reviews don't count). Since the sales count doesn't usually go up without the reviews any show of appreciation may never come, so we are the working, often truly starving artists you hear about.
Our rewards are often few, unless you become very popular, like Stephen King or Neil Gaiman, to name only two. And, of course, those with big name publishers have all the promotion and review getting done for them in advance by passing out hundreds of free ARC -- advanced (before publication) readers' copies -- of their book for reviews. Who can say "no" to one of the big guys? And for a free book, probably signed by the author no less. Neil Gaiman's book, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, had over 1500 reviews after it was first released. How? Signed ARCs. In a obscure sense its like bribery.
We independent authors/publishers, who (like me) do the same work as several people within a big publishing firm, have a harder time finding an audience and especially finding members of that meager audience who are willing to take the time to make a written, public comment. The friends who will commit are few, but we know not to rely on the comments of friends and family who may be biased for us. That's why Amazon knocks off reviews that look like they could be by family members. And if you don't think writing is hard work then read Roy's blog post -- http://roydimond.wordpress.com/2013/11/23/242/#like-242 He even has a publisher.
Independents resort to author to author reviews -- a like for a like. It gets the number of reviews up, which can increase sales a bit, because John Q. Public doesn't know the difference. They go by the paid-for reviews after all. Hard to compete with money when your starving.
I have begged for a review from someone who read one of my books and loved it, and it never came. I have been promised numerous reviews that never show up, even by other writers who have to look me in the face on occasion. I've given books to others who don't even acknowledge receipt, much less thank me for it. It's just a book, not a novel of a complete life scenario of several others a writer has to create, devise, get as correct and in order as an architect of a high rise building, airplane, boat, or spaceship has to get his construction. And it can "fall apart" with less error than any of those objects.
I have started the giveaway of my hard work for no royalty in hopes of a few kind appreciative souls out there who might post what they thought of it. Next time you get something free from its creator, a table, a plant, a clay pot, a painting or sculpture, you let me know if you really appreciated all that went into creating it. I don't think so, but it will definitely more so than you would if it was just a book.
I always hope, so my faith in humanity isn't completely dashed, yet. But I am also too often disappointed. I feel lucky I am still compelled to write even with extremely little or no reward.
It's like working to train and clean up my horse, perfect my riding, then go to a horse show where there is no audience, no judge and no competitors. My horse and I are the only ones in the ring. It's like that part of life was cancelled and no one told me. I immediately picture myself a lone rider on a vast field on a horse with my bare legs on a doeskin and a single rein from the horses mouth, with feathers in our hair, assuming we are the only ones like that on the planet. At first it's lonely, but eventually I come to have a peace about it, and dread the moments its necessary to come in contact with others.
That's especially true of those I run into on a regular basis who have give book marks for each book and suggestion they look it up on Amazon. Few can look me in the eye when we meet, so I know they never bothered. People just don't seek out writers, or their books, like they seek out grocers or doctors, or even lawyers.
When I get a review that is thorough and professional by someone who doesn't have to do it, and is not receiving any pay for it, I boast about them. Why, because they need the appreciation also.
I think the best way to wake up the public to a writer's need for appreciation for all their work is to make them aware of its necessity and steer them away from the paid-for professionals. I know I relied on a particular (unnamed here) review company for the books I chose before I became a writer, never realizing it was paid for. You get what you pay for, so it makes sense the more you pay the better the review. That doesn't mean the book is really that good. It only means it's been set in your mind that it is, so if you find it is not, you know, something must be wrong with you. Well, it's time to stop that kind of thinking and make a choice of your own. And show writers without backing, independent writers, how much they are appreciated. Granted there are some who are very good or error few, but if the talent is there then encouragement should be no less than you would give a child in discovery.
I hope you become enlightened as a reader and begin to appreciate one aspect of the work that goes into creating a book. Then consider posting a comment for the next book your read telling of your experience with it, whether you like it or not. Like the middle child who gets less attention, we'll even take a negative blow to know someone noticed what we'd worked so hard to do.
