Two Sides of a Coin

Every author gets reviewed by readers willing to make remarks. They can literally kill your book. People do read reviews. You would almost think that reviews are the hand of God. Perfect in all their ways.

I kinda (kind of) believed the reports I read until I sold books on Amazon. Did you know that there are authors posing as pissed off reviewers just to pitch their books. It sound paranoid, right? I got the proof. I save all their reviews that got removed (I complained). It is a shame when an unscrupulous author downgrades another's book in order to sell his own.

From time to time I will now respond to my critics. I know some will believe their reports, but I don't care. It's not about book sales, its about gardening and my credibility as a writer.

Here is a recent post on on Hay Bale Gardening:

Not very in depth. Nor many pictures to help explain. I appreciate the more organic ideas. I was disappointed there's were no plans in the book for building this home baler. Of course you can buy the plans...$$$

"Its not very in-depth." Any kind of bale gardening is not very in-depth. If you want a book with in-depth study...read Organic Gardening by Rodale Press. It has hundreds of pages of gardening facts. This was a short book for only $1.59. 

"Not many pictures."  For peat-moss sake. I showed three raised beds. Does it take pictures to align hay bales? Do you need photography of hay bales? If you want pictures, get my other book. I have in "Hay Bale Garden Habitat" so many pictures that I got penalized for its huge book size.  

"I appreciate the more organic ideas." Thank you. Glad to oblige. I do have more than most books.

"No plans for the home baler." I missed something here. Was it a book about building a home baler? Was it called,  Home Baler Raised Gardening?

"$$$" What is that? How much is that? I used to give away my plans for free to everyone that writes a review. I got no takers. How many people are going to make a Home Baler? They are going to buy the bales not make them. I did put in the resource link for those handy builder, but to think I would give plans after giving a brief mention, was not too bright. When a writer makes mention a shovel, do people think he will give plans for making one?

It amazes me that people will spend up to ten dollars on a magazine with all their advertising and not think a thing. But when I briefly mentioned plans for my home baler, I get accused of advertising.

Thank you for listening to me harp over the review. Let me just mention that, Hay Bale Gardening was my first book. It's historic in that it was the first book on kindle suggesting hay bales for gardening as it's main topic. The copyright is  March 26, 2012.