READER'S ROCK LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE VOL 2 ISSUE 4 NOVEMBER 2014 Volume 1 Issue 1 June-July 2013 | Page 22

let’s chat just how close do you really want to get? The internet has made it easier than ever to get up close and personal with your favorite authors. Is this a good thing? How close do you as a reader really want to be? A recent examination of reviews might indicate that some readers don’t want to be that close after all. With the new wave of independent publishing has come a new crop of reviewers and book critics and while many still fantasize about long conversations with their favorite authors, others interact In a way that might indicate their desire to keep authors at a distance. The growing pressure for authors both traditionally published and independently published to actively promote their books might be part of the problem. It’s really hard for an author to promote while still maintaining the proper balance. So what’s the answer? How do you feel as a reader about the new opportunities to connect and the diminishing line between the reader and author? Of most importance to both readers and authors is to remember that the quality of a book is truly subjective. If it weren’t all book reviews would be the same and it would be much easier, while potentially more boring to pick out only books that you’ll enjoy. Instead authors struggle to find their audience much in the same way that you as a reader struggle to find just the right book. As more traditionally published authors dip their toes into the emerging trend to self-publish the more important it becomes for their to be understanding on both sides. Years ago it was necessary for a reader to quickly scan the back cover blurb and thumb through a paperback in a bookstore and attempt to decide if the book was worth plunking down several dollars. Today, the reader has been empowered by the new technology that allows them to read several chapters of an author’s work before purchasing. Yet, some readers often don’t take advantage of this opportunity.