The Reviewer Author Relationship

As a book reviewer and an author I have the unique perspective of knowing why reviews matter and how important they are. I get to see the best of both worlds, really. But today I thought I’d share a really fun story showing why reviews matter for both parties because it’s RARE that I get such a cool story that shows BOTH sides of this beautiful relationship. 

Rewind back to 2020 in your mind (if you can). I’m going to use my resources because, let’s be honest, a lot of that year is a blur. 

In April of that crazy year a book was released. It was released probably quietly by an independent author in the UK. Here in the US, I didn’t hear much about it. But, as you probably know, I was open to review requests at that time. I was humbly taking on as many books to read as I could but, as a one man operation (at the time) it was a LOT and the timelines for reviews were even worse than they are now. So, when this author reached out to me sometime around August of 2020, I’m sure they were disappointed to hear that I was booking for SEPTEMBER of 2021. But, they took the slot. At the time, I’m sure they figured this could go either way. It could turn out to be a big mistake, something that barely registered on the radar to move the needle. Or … it could work out. Sending out a free ebook copy to a reviewer is ALWAYS a gamble. 

Well, in 2021 I read that book by the promised date and gave it five stars. 

That would be enough of a feel good story for most authors. 

But that’s not the end of this story. 

Things kept being busy in my reading/reviewing life. I got bogged down by more unrelated reviews for a really long time. I’m sure the author probably figured, as I would, that they appreciated the five star review but assumed I’d moved on to other things. 

Finally, when I felt like I had my head above water and could go back and see what I’d missed, I found a second book in this series had been published in 2021. Because the author was located in the UK, the best deal on shipping was for me to order it from the Zon. So in 2023 I did that. I ordered the paperback and it promptly sat on my shelf unread because LIFE. I didn’t get around to reading it until January of 2024. 

It was also a five star read for me. 

At this point, I knew I was going to have to keep digging. At some point I ordered book 3 directly from the author. Forget worrying about shipping, I wanted this one! I think, at this point, I also ordered a physical paperback of book 1. It took me until December of 2025 (I know, don’t judge, I was doing that whole CLEAR MY TBR challenge so I had a lot to get off my plate first) before I read book 3. 

I logged onto Amazon THAT DAY and ordered book 4. Why the Zon? Look, I didn’t want to wait. International shipping can be a whole nightmare. Plus, based on the title ALONE I thought this might be the last book.

It was not. I just read that one (book 4) in April. It was great, loved it. This series is just PHENOMENAL and, at this point, I’m addicted to these characters and I HAVE to know how it all ends. 

More research showed me that this is a planned series of 6, the 5th of which is expected to come out next month (June 2026). So, I did the logical thing. I preordered a copy directly from the author’s website. 

This could be the end of the story. Through a review request on my website I found a new favorite series and an independent author I would never have met otherwise because we’re on different continents. The author got to sell physical copies of her entire series (even one she gave away for free) and gained some good reviews. That would be a win-win situation.

But it’s not the end of the story because this author is AMAZING and wanted to make sure the reviewer felt appreciated too. 

A few weeks ago I got a weird email saying my package had shipped. I shouldn’t have a package. The title releases in JUNE. I figure there’s some kind of mistake but I won’t know until the package arrives. I (im)patiently wait for international shipping to catch up and get the package here, all the time wondering what the heck it could be. 

It was the book. 

A little note inside told me that the author got her copies early and figured I’d appreciate it. 

So, this EXCELLENT purchase now becomes even better. I get to read (and review, of course) the month before release to find out what happens next. 

All in all, I think this has worked out pretty darn well for both of us. 

THIS is what’s cool about reviewing. Authors get instant fans from people they probably didn’t expect. Reviewers get new obsessions and sometimes get early copies of the next books. What a system!

Anyway, enjoy some pictures of my beautiful collection of the Seekers series by Josie Jaffrey. I’m going back to reading! Talk soon.