with guest blogger, Amanda Cabot
“How do we measure the impact of our
stories? How do we know if we’re successful?” Those were the questions a member
of my Colorado writers group asked last summer. I don’t claim to be an expert,
but I wanted to open today’s discussion with some of my thoughts.
Let’s consider a few measures of
success.
Copies Sold – For as long as
I’ve been published (a long, long time), this has been the gold standard of
success. From both the publisher’s and the author’s view, that’s understandable.
After all, both the publisher’s profits and the author’s royalties are based on
the number of copies sold. And the greater the number of books sold, the
greater the probability that your story has touched readers’ hearts.
All of that is good, but the sad
reality is that just because someone bought a book doesn’t mean she’ll read it
or that if he begins to read it, he’ll finish the book. I tried unsuccessfully
to find the article I once read about the depressingly small percentage of
bestselling books that were read in their entirety, but my own experience has
been that I finish no more than three-quarters of the books that I purchase.
Yes, the authors of those unread books registered sales, but I doubt they
expected or wanted me to abandon a story they’d labored over after I read only
ten percent.
Amazon Ranking – Raise your
hand if you’ve never checked your book’s rank on Amazon. Hmmm … I’m looking out
over cyberspace, and I’m not seeing any hands. Maybe I need new glasses. All
joking aside, Amazon rankings are valuable because they measure the velocity of
sales at the world’s largest bookstore, but they have the same shortcoming as copies
sold: they’re not a measure of impact, simply of potential impact.
Journal Reviews – Who
wouldn’t relish a starred review in Publishers Weekly or Booklist,
a review in a major newspaper, or having his book on a “best ten of the year”
list? Those are all significant accomplishments, and if the author is
fortunate, they lead to higher sales. They’re also a boost to the ego, since
the reviewers are professionals who are presumably experienced in evaluating
fiction. But are the reviews a true measure of the impact of the book? I say
“no,” and that brings me to the next two categories.
Reader Reviews – If you’re like
me, you cherish those five-star reviews on Amazon and cringe when you see a
one-star. What makes these reviews special? Quite simply, it’s because they come
from readers. This is our target audience. Unlike professional reviewers, the
people who post reviews are not paid to express their opinions. They’re taking
time that could be spent doing a hundred other things to tell others what they
liked, which portions of the book resonated with them, what they didn’t like. We
may not always agree with them, but these reviews, which some librarians use
when they’re deciding which books to add to their library’s collection,
represent real-world opinions. They also help us measure how our stories affect
readers.
Letters from Readers –
Whether they come via email or snail mail, readers’ letters are my favorite way
of determining the impact of my stories. Some of these readers will post
reviews, but in most cases, their stories are too personal for them to reveal
to the world at large. The fact that they’re willing to share their experiences
with me tells me how much my stories have touched their hearts and how much of
an impact fiction can have.
Patricia Bradley shares my view.
Here’s Patricia’s story:
I’ve had several
readers tell me the way a character solved their problems helped them work out
their own problems. One wrote to me about A Promise to Protect and said,
“I never felt my mother wanted me (which was the problem my heroine faced), and
it affected my marriage, my children, my life. Reading your book and the way
your heroine forgave her mother has changed my life. I thank you and my
children thank you.”
Here’s what one reader wrote to me
about Scattered Petals:
“What makes your
book special is that you’ve touched my heart so deeply that I’m finally
beginning to really believe God loves me. I’ve had that head knowledge for
years, but now with the help of Scattered Petals, it is becoming real to
me. Thank you for working in partnership with God to touch and change me as
never before!”
Paper Roses had this effect
on a reader:
“I had really
started to think that God wasn’t listening to me, and that I was indeed all
alone, and that perhaps even God really didn’t exist. After that book, I just
have such peace. Thank you for writing this. Just a little hug from Jesus
knowing that He does use other people to touch lives. He really is there, and He
really does love me! Thank you so much.”
I won’t claim that I’ve received
hundreds of letters like these, but I will tell you that they’re worth more
than a royalty check to me. They affirm my belief that I’m doing what God
intended for me and that my stories are having a positive impact on readers.
How do you measure your impact?
Back
Cover Copy
A young woman with a tragic past has arrived in town . . .
and trouble is following close behind
Ten years
after her parents were killed, Evelyn Radcliffe is once more homeless. The
orphanage that was her refuge and later her workplace has burned to the ground,
and only she and a young orphan girl have escaped. Convinced this must be
related to her parents’ murders, Evelyn flees with the girl to Mesquite Springs
in the Texas Hill Country and finds shelter in the home of Wyatt Clark, a
talented horse rancher whose plans don’t include a family of his own.
At first,
Evelyn is a distraction. But when it becomes clear that trouble has followed
her to Mesquite Springs, she becomes a full-blown disruption. Can Wyatt keep
her safe from the man who wants her dead? And will his own plans become
collateral damage?
Suspenseful
and sweetly romantic, Out of the Embers is the first in a new series
that invites you to the Texas Hill Country in the 1850s, when the West was
wild, the men were noble, and the women were strong.
Bio
Amanda Cabot’s dream of selling a
book before her thirtieth birthday came true, and she’s now the author of more
than thirty-five novels as well as eight novellas, four non-fiction books, and
what she describes as enough technical articles to cure insomnia in a
medium-sized city. Her inspirational romances have appeared on the CBA and ECPA
bestseller lists, have garnered a starred review from Publishers Weekly, and have been nominated for the ACFW Carol, the
HOLT Medallion, and the Booksellers Best awards. A popular workshop presenter,
Amanda takes pleasure in helping other writers achieve their dreams of
publication.
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