The ABNA quarter-finalists were announced April 14. 100 titles continued to the quarter-finals in each of the five categories. That’s only a small portion of the thousands that began the process, so I approached the announcement page with the same trepidation I’d felt as I looked through the list of names that had moved on to the second round. Heart pounding, I searched the document – and there it was again, my name and Recipe for Trouble. I’d done it! I was in the quarter-finals!

That pretty much fried my focus for the rest of the day, but in a good way. It’s not often that tangible evidence of success comes to a writer. I’ve learned to enjoy it while I can. There are always plenty of setbacks to ensure we don’t fall into ‘swelled head’ syndrome.

Shortly after posting the list of quarter-finalists, Amazon also created a page for each of the quarter-finalist titles. These mirror a regular Amazon book page, except there is no fancy cover in the upper left corner. Otherwise, the pitch is there in the product description area and the excerpt (the first 5,000 words) is hiding behind the gold category logo. The full excerpt can be downloaded through a reader’s Amazon.com account and, if the person wants to, he or she can leave a review and rate the excerpt.

Amazon has also included what they call “Editorial Reviews” below the pitch. These reviews are part of the second round judging system. To get into the quarter-finals each excerpt was judged on “strength of excerpt, prose and style, plot and hook and originality of idea.” They were then rated 1 to 5. Two of the reviews were forwarded to contestants and portions of each review posted on the book page.

Reviews are the lifeblood of book promotion and authors love them because we always want to know what readers think of our work. The problem is that reviews aren’t always … consistent.

Case in point, Recipe For Trouble. My two reviews are diametrically opposed. One reviewer loved the concept and thought the book would go far. The other was upset that the murder didn’t occur in the first 5,000 words and thought that the romance hook didn’t provide the needed punch.

While I preferred the enthusiastic review (who wouldn’t?) the second one gave me pause to think. It emphasizes how important the opening scenario is for any story.  That’s a good point and one I can make use of. I’m working on a New Adult story right now and I can see ways of pumping up the opening to add action and tighten the hook.

Writers spend a huge amount of time conceiving, structuring, drafting and editing a novel. It becomes part of them, an expression of an internal vision that demands to be given substance. It’s an act of courage to send the book for publication, and reviews can be scary. Joanna D’Angelo at Editor in Chief at Lachesis Publishing blogged about reviews and their impact and made some good points.

• Reviews, even bad ones, can help writers improve their craft.
• A review is just one person’s opinion and it may or may not influence others.

“At the end of the day,” she said, “we have to let it go, and just keep working.”

It’s a good thought to keep in mind.