This does differ from last week’s posting because there’s no manner in which you can work this scare. The scare comes from the personal relationship between authors to reviewer to readers.
I’ve said before that every request I accept will receive a review – however late I may be. I try my best to reach each promise. No promise being given lightly. Life and time do cause problems. And being late is scary. I feel I’ve let you, the author, down and I’ve let myself down.
Then comes the waiting for your response. Whether late or in a timely manner, each time I send out the link to the review I’m scared-nervous of what you’ll think. What the readers will think.
The internet is not known for its kindness to different opinions. And what if my review opinion is different? Whether good or not so good – I’m still talking publically about your work.
Another scare comes from your requests. Will your book match what you’ve told me? Yes – great we just need to worry whether we’re a match.
No – oh poop. Did I just agree to read and review something I would have declined if the request information had been worded differently?
Our industry, the publishing one, is dang if you do and dang if you don’t. There’s no pleasing everyone.
Same for reviewers. Now that’s scary.