‘Skywalker–Highs and Lows on the Pacific Crest Trail’ Receives 100th Amazon Review
The above was the 100th Amazon review for my Pacific Crest Trail narrative, Skywalker–Highs and Lows on the Pacific Crest Trail. When discussing book reviews, most authors would agree that you sometimes wonder if two reviewers even read the same book, the reviews can be so different. Perhaps then, it is the pattern of reviews that matters the most. Here is the breakdown for Skywalker: 57 five-stars, 26 four-stars, 11 three-stars, 6 two-stars, and 1 one-star.
I urge potential readers to take a look at not just the good reviews, but some of the bad ones. I would not for a minute say they have no merit, even though I predictably disagree strongly with them. I am a big fan of the book reader rating system that Amazon uses. It takes the review process out of the hand of the anointed experts and puts it into the hands of the collective readership. It is the wave of the future. As for writers, I urge you to consider this thought: an occasional very bad review is not a bad thing; you should be willing to stick your neck out and tell it exactly as you see it. This will anger the occasional reader. It’s the price you pay. Just consider that the wildly popular Pacific Crest Trail narrative, Wild–From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, by Cheryl Strayed, has generated dozens of one-star reviews.
Readers, thank you for the tremendous support you have given me. I assure you that I take each and every book review seriously. They are the lifeblood of us independent authors.
Bill Walker is the author of ‘Skywalker–Highs and Lows on the Pacific Crest Trail. He is also the author of ‘Skywalker–Close Encounters on the Pacific Crest Trail’, ‘The Best Way–El Camino de Santiago‘ and ‘Getting High–The Annapurna Circuit in Nepal’. Walker, who is nearly 7-feet tall, is currently working on a whimsical book on the subject of height.
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