Book Reviews: Your Opinion Matters

Every author loves a review. That's a fact. Good, bad, ugly, awesome, they all count towards the fact that someone read their work. Sure an ugly review isn't a joy to read like a five star would be, but an author usually has a pretty thick skin by the time a book is published, whether independently or traditionally. Why? Well, we go through a lot of rejection internally; edit after edit. But we also see rejection via the publishing process. First there is the hope that this one will get noticed by an agent or publishing house and 'it will happen'! That is a rarity. So you add the rejection letters to your pile and decide to go it alone.

Now - after adding your book to Createspace and amazon kdp - you have self-published and need to get the word out. That's another blog altogether...

So now you've marketed yourself to the best of your knowledge, and if you're lucky you can spend a few hundred dollars on advertising through other blogs and social media. Whatever the outcome, people have some idea you have written something.

Now you plead and beg and offer freebies for honest reviews. That will take time. That will likely peter out within a few weeks and you may have managed 5-10 reviews via favours and freebies. Beyond this exercise, it is my experience that roughly 1-2% of readers actually bother to review a book. And of that 2%, 50% is not going to be glowing.

Now, on to the reader/reviewer. Authors love you unconditionally. You read our book. You might have even paid the $0.99 we discounted the ebook at to boost awareness and sales, but you read it and that is paramount.

Did you love it or hate it? If you loved it our marketing paid off and you picked up the book because the genre is your fav and  the book descriptions were spot on. If you hated it then we've either disappointed our target audience (which is rare - this usually results in a 2-3 star rating with explanation), or you don't like the genre and picked up the book to what: torture yourself? 1 star ratings are usually that.  I would never read a book that didn't interest me from the get-go. If the description tells you: "She enters a psychiatric hospital" and you have an aversion to reading about mental health issues; you don't buy the book. You don't take a free copy. You won't like it. So there can be unfair reviews. Be mindful of the books you read, and if you realize it's not the book for you, ask yourself if it's fair to rate or review it. As thick a skin as an author may have, they are still human, and feel pain. 1 star reviews are painful. I've seen more replies to hateful reviews that argue the reviewer shouldn't have bothered reading a book they knew they would hate. Negativity for the sake of negativity actually irritates other reviewers and potential readers.

That being said, even bad publicity is publicity. Even lousy reviews can prompt sales. It's weird but true. So all I'm saying is, if you read the jacket of the book and are unsure if it is right for you and read it anyways, don't blame the author or the genre they are catering to and leave a scathing review. They didn't 'trick' you into reading it, and you could have stopped at any time. Be kind, and if you can, be helpful. Remember, the reviewer is an important part of an author's life; you have the power to  build a writer up and even help steer them in their pursuits, but you can also help tear them down. Honest reviews are important, but if you hated a book because it's not something you would normally read, maybe skip the review and rating, and save your energy for something positive.

Happy reading and reviewing!

Michael Poeltl's newest book of Multi-genre Short Stories has received 4.3/5 stars.

A Finished Trilogy to Read

Looking for a completed trilogy to entertain yourself over the next few weeks? Maybe you only need days to consume a full trilogy, but regardless of how quickly you read, and perhaps because of how quickly, a completed trilogy is always a welcome sight to the veracious reader.

Why wait a year in-between books of a series when there are quality reads like The Judas Syndrome Trilogy available for your Minds eye right now!? This trilogy is rooted in classic Apocalyptic fiction: no zombies, no aliens, no plants devouring your young. This is a tale that breeches generations and is born of an apocalyptic event which finds fourteen teenagers on the cusp of entering college caught up in the aftermath.

It is a tale which develops lead characters and is told in first person. Each of the books features a different lead character as the first person narrative, yet strings some of the characters along for the full trilogy.

The Judas Syndrome is a fascinating look at what a group of teens might do in the face of a worldwide nuclear attack, and what those they stumble upon will do to survive.

The trilogy features a wide array of characters and there is no shortage of in-fighting, even amongst these 'friends'. But as the author quotes: "It's the end of the world, will you know who your friends are?"  

Find the books on Amazon in both printed and ebook formats. Start your summer off with a 'BANG' and get to know Joel, Sara and Leif through the intimate story-telling that is first person narrative.

The entire ebook library of the trilogy is just $7.97

The books have also been consolidated into a single tome in paperback only for only $22.00.


Remember, and author always appreciates a well thought out review. Find Poeltl on Goodreads as well.


On Facebook? Find Poeltl there too.

Creating author book quote graphics

This is where it all began for me in 2009. My first book which inspired a trilogy and from there I have been writing non-stop. With now eight books published ranging from Apocalyptic to children's literature, I have enjoyed bringing my stories to a varied audience.


This sort of  marketing I have found to be very useful in giving potential readers visuals  accompanied by quotes from the books in order to arouse interest. I have seen them work time and time again and will continue to market my books in this manner.




Michael Poeltl

Reviews and Previews of Short Story Anthology

New Short Story for you - Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Snow Fort Wars

Snow Fort Wars – By Michael Poeltl

A story about the wars we waged as children, when there was snow in December, and courage found its footing in the heat of battle.

She had become a casualty of war; in less time then it took to free your hands from sweat-soaked mittens. She was an innocent; put down by a thoughtless and heartless enemy in waiting - in her own front yard.

I barely made it to safety myself, the horror of witnessing my mother take hit after hit as I climbed the stairs to greet her was paralyzing. I watched it all happen in slow-motion; one in the sternum, one in the shoulder, and a final indignity finding its mark on her forehead. I froze in place - eyes set in a dead stare with hers, my mother, her body twisted like a snow fence struggling to stay upright against a powerful storm. She was sent backwards, back into the house, the plate of cookies and thermos of hot chocolate she’d been carrying collided with the icy porch. There was a thump and a yelp as she landed on the tile floor, the screen door released, slammed in front of me and I lost visual on mom.

Regret enveloped me. Had I brought this upon her? Had she taken what hammering was meant for me?

“Assassins!” I cried. My team poked their heads over the open roof of our snow fort which stood just a few feet from my position. One, then another rose their goggled heads, as snowballs screamed past. They slammed into the thick, high walls erected to protect against just such an attack. I saw my friends play out as a game of whack-a-mole in that moment; each of the six popping up and ducking down, eager to return a volley of their own, but still reluctant to catch a snowball in the head, to fall as my mother had, to the cruelty of this enemy we knew all too well.

I lunged into the relative safety of my fort. Thoughts of my mother’s sacrifice fresh in my mind.

“I see you,” I heard my mother shout from the screen door to the vagrants of Rupert Avenue; the street thugs whose Christmas light-lined homes were not so different from our own, but whose temperament was more callous. Incredibly another snowball crashed against the brick beside the front door. Who did they think they were? She’s was an adult! Insufferable! I picked from the pile of snowballs in our arsenal and whipped one at the group, landing hard against a neighbour’s parked car on the other side of the street. A clear miss: I slunk behind our mighty walls and looked to my friends. 

“They have no honour.” I told them. “They won’t just be throwing snowballs for long.”

“What do we do?” asked Kevin, as his eye glasses slid down his long red nose.

“I’m not abandoning our fort.” explained Seth. “It took all yesterday to build it.” He searched for courage amongst the group. “Guys, we even poured water on the snow to harden it. This is a good fort.”

Water, I think.

“Do we still have any water?” I asked. Seth reached for the thermos of warm tap water. He shook it and handed it to me. It was half full. I screwed off the cap and drizzled the steamy liquid over our collection of snow balls.

“Nice,” said Earl. He is our best shot, and I would depend on him to hit his targets with the hybrid snowballs once they had completely frozen. I nodded at him. He returned the sentiment.

“We use the regular snowballs to flush them out of the snow bank,” I explained, the Rupert Avenue kids had huddled behind the massive snowplough embankments which ran the length of our street save where our fathers had shovelled themselves free from their driveways. “We need bait though.” Everyone looked to Tom.

“Not Tom,” Sonny told us in no uncertain terms. “I’ll go.”

John slowly raised his head over the four foot wall. An explosion of ice and snow erupted above us and John returned with his goggles covered in the white stuff. Freddy wiped them off for him with his woollen mittens. “Two are on the fringe of the snow banks.” John reported. “Either side of the driveway.”

“Do we know how many are out there?” Earl asked, as he adjusted his toque.

“How many are usually with them? About five, I think.”  Freddy counted on his fingers under his thick mitts, mouthing to himself our enemy’s names.

“We’re eight.” I reminded them. “And now we have ice balls.”

“And they’re cut off from any supplies; like water. So their snow balls will just be snow balls.” Earl wore a cruel grin. We all liked where that was going, all but Tom.

Another volley hit our fort and I felt the vibration through my jacket as I rested my back against the sturdy wall. They had good arms. They were a year older then most of us. Sonny was their age but he, like the rest of us, defended our own. We were the Elm Road Warriors. They: the Rupert Avenue Reckless. We’d done battle before. Earl still bore the scar above his left eyebrow that Jiminy Cricket gave him during a mid-summers cornfield fight. Jiminy was what we called him on account of the whistle his teeth made when he talked. Jiminy didn’t like the name, but then, we didn’t much like jiminy.

Earl picked up an ice ball and further formed it with his hands. Mittens won’t do when throwing an ice ball. Too sticky, too clumsy. Earl knew this; he also knew that the heat of the hands further pack the balls, and quicken the freezing process. These would be deadly. He had a dozen beautifully sculpted spheres stacked next to him. If it were summer and these were crab apples, they’d include thorns, but summer has been covered by three feet of packing snow, and so we used physics to our advantage rather then pure malice, though that was questionable.

“I could run to the pine tree and get their attention, draw them out,” explained Sonny. “Then Earl could slam them with the ice balls.”

“One in the face is all it should take.” Earl had a ball in each hand. Seth continued to build on our munitions store taking from the endless supply of snow behind our wall. John was fingering a hole through the wall so he might have a better chance at tracking the enemy movement without becoming a target again. Freddy shook his mittens out, getting the clumps of snow to fall off the wool. Sonny re-tied his boots so not to stumble when he became our distraction. Kevin was fighting a losing battle against his glasses as they fogged up after each breath. Tom shook nervously, his arms wrapped around his quivering knees. All of us were breathing heavily. The rising breath animated around us must have seemed like we were burning a fire within the walls to an outsider.

“Okay,” I told them. “We’re ready?” I get a nod from everyone but Tom. I knew he was looking forward to the cookies and hot chocolate portion of the day. But that would come - once a victory had been claimed, it would come. I had not forgotten what they’d done to my mother, and if it had happened to have slipped their minds, I would make them remember.

A wind had picked up from the west. One which felt like it could be accompanied by flurries. That would have made it interesting. It was a cold wind, and we knew that the Reckless would be considering a full frontal attack on our fortress if only to get out of the cold. Earl warmed his hands between his thighs.

“It’s now or never.” He cautioned. He nodded to Sonny who nodded back, taking his mark. I noticed Sonny look to Tom and reveal his monster grin which meant all would be alright. I too took comfort in that, picked up a snow ball and stood to fire at the snow bank along with Fred, Kevin, John and Seth as Sonny ran to the pines. In a relentless volley, we took the top off the east side of the bank and one of the Reckless rushed out into the open, digging snow out of the neck of his parka. That’s when Earl struck.

WHAM! Kid went down like a sack of potatoes. I was sure I’d seen a line of blood fly upwards where the ice ball had smashed into his nose. Shouts of victory rose up out of our small fort and we narrowly missed being hit by their response, slipping back behind the relative safety of our walls.

“Was that Jiminy?!” Seth asked excitedly, his cheeks red and lips chapped.

“Not sure,” Earl replied. “But I think I heard a whistle when it hit!” We laughed. This was going perfectly to plan. I peaked around to see where Sonny had gotten to.  He gave me a thumbs-up and was busy making snow balls of his own.

Read the exciting conclusion here:
https://www.wattpad.com/199178795-snow-fort-wars

 

Halloween Inspired Children's Novella on Sale - Superstitions

Looking for a great Halloween read for your young reader? Pick up West of Noreaso for $0.76 on your kindle or just $9.99 paperback. 

October 31st, a deafening thunderstorm, two siblings, their grandmother’s mirror and a sequence of superstitions
finds Jackson and his little sister, Eloise in a strange new world, where superstition is law and bad luck lurks at every
turn. Good fortune, though smiles upon them when three unlikely volunteers shepherd the children in this bizarre world 
as they journey through the lands West of Noreaso, learning how to thwart bad luck and collect good luck as they find 
their path home.

Also find a list of superstitions on site to amuse and impress your friends and family this Halloween!


For more about the book and the author's/illustrator go to www.mikepoeltl.com 

Halloween Book Signing In Burlington, Indigo

Halloween day, October 31st, 2015 from 1 - 5 pm - Michael Poeltl, Author and Illustrator of the modern classic: West of Noreaso will be appearing at the !ndigo book store at 1250 Brant Street in Burlington, Ontario, Canada, 

"It's perfect timing," explains Poeltl, "As the young reader novella itself is set around Halloween."

Poeltl's own love for the creepy holiday is apparent
as he describes the book's main theme: Superstition.

"I love the concept of superstition; the way people believe if they do something, or don't do it, that something good or bad might happen to them, or someone they love; like their Mother. Where does a concept like 'step on a crack and break your Mother's back' originate? And why?!"

The angle Poeltl take's in telling his story steeped in superstitions and set on a stormy Halloween evening, is to introduce two young siblings, Jackson and Eloise, pull them from everything they know, and drop them into a land ruled by superstition.

"Then the children have to navigate their way back home, but all the while, adhering to the rules of the land West of Noreaso," How do they do that? "Upon entering this new realm, the children encounter three sheep. They think they must have wandered from their shepherd, but soon discover that the sheep would be their shepherds there. That Jackson and Eloise could understand them when they spoke, and that they were trapped in a world they know nothing about.

To support his appearance, Poeltl will be marketing the the event on social networks and including an infographic highlighting some of the superstitions examined in the book. Don't miss this opportunity to meet and a have your edition of West of Noreaso signed. Pick up a copy at a 45% discount. Saturday, October 31st only! If yo have to miss it, you can always pick one up from Amazon in print or Kindle versions.

                                                                                                                        www.mikepoeltl.com