A New Year, a simple request, an honest confession.

Being an author is hard. So hard at times, I have seriously considered giving up on my dream. It happens to everyone. That soul crushing moment where an author is reduced to a quivering mess in the corner, wondering why they continue writing. Readers don't really think about what goes into a book as they hold it in their hand or read it on their electronic device. The book is read, they are provided a different world to exist in while reading, and when finished... they're done. It's that simple.

It's not that simple for the author.

At times, it's a crippling vocation.

There's the hours upon hours dedicated to the current work in progress. Time away from friends, family, loves ones... as that little book baby gets your heart and soul dedicated to it.

Finally, it's finished! Time to celebrate!

Not really...

Then there are hours of rewrites, rereading, editing, formatting, creating the book cover, writing the blurb, deciding if it should be an Amazon exclusive, and only THEN does that little book baby become ready for release.

BOOM! Release day happens.

If you are lucky enough to be able to afford paying for advertising, it might launch extremely well. Otherwise that little baby that your heart and soul was poured into for months on end just sits there and garners a few sales.

Being an author is a soul crushing experience.

It's not for the faint of heart.

It's not for someone who can't invest a large portion of their life to writing and living in near solitude.

It's not for anyone that doesn't have thick skin, a strong will to persevere, or who can't drink a gallon of coffee a day.

Then there's the waiting, the tapping of fingers, the obsessive checking of rankings and waiting for reviews.

Reviews that often don't happen...

A review is the life or death of a book on Amazon. Books with 25 or more reviews launch far better than ones that don't have any reviews or very few. Authors often hand out countless prelease copies only to discover people just wanted a free book, there was never any intention of leaving a review. Even putting the book for free through KU often doesn't deliver reviews. IF one review happens out of 500+ downloads, hell that's a great hit.

Reviews matter. They help a book at the start and through the longevity. Reviewed books also perform better overall across time.

Why is it so hard to get reviews? I've never figured that out. A review takes a few moments out of your life. It means the world to the author.

There's not a need for a thesis. A simple I liked it and the stars you feel the book deserved is worth is all it takes to leave a review.

Don't allow the books of your favorite author to die a slow death. Months of their lives were poured into the book you just read in a few hours. Take the two minutes. Leave the review. Make 2019 a year for your favorite author to smile. Make it a year where they don't feel like giving up.