Goodreads Ireland discussion

Lock-In: An Irish Tragicomedy

I self-published my first book, Lock-In, this time last month. Still waiting on the reviews to come pouring in. Should happen any day now! While I wait, I decided to write a poem all about the struggle!

I sit and wait for reviews,
On my debut indie book,
Tried for weeks to get honest feedback,
With hardly any luck.

Today, I got my first review,
Five stars I’m over the moon,
I click to see who wrote it,
But it’s only my Auntie June.

Today, I got my second review,
Shock horror it’s family again,
At least it’s better than nothing,
Kind words from my brother, Ben.

Today, I got my third review,
My girlfriend is proud as punch,
An unbiased view wouldn’t go amiss,
She takes me out to lunch.

Today, I got my fourth review,
And so finally ends the drought,
A stranger said they loved it,
I celebrate with a pint of stout.

Today, I got my fifth review,
From a former teacher at school,
She said I’m diligent and have potential,
This isn’t a report card, you fool.

Today, I got my sixth review,
Unputdownable says Jack,
I try and do a cartwheel,
And slip a disk in my back.

Today, I got my seventh review,
I read from the hospital bed,
A true tour de force of literature,
I’m starting to get a big head.

Today, I got my twelfth review,
Now we’re picking up steam,
Local paper wants an interview,
Sure I could literally scream.

Today, I got my twenty-fifth review,
One star is all they give,
So I hunt them down online,
And find out where they live.

Today, I got my twenty-sixth review,
But that negative one has left me scarred,
I kidnap the person responsible,
And bury them in the yard.

Today, I got my two hundredth review,
I think I’ll quit my job,
Hotshot agent has signed me up,
Promises he’ll earn me a few bob.

Today, I got my one thousandth review,
4.8 stars average rating,
Some say I’m overrated,
Haters will always be hating.

Today, I got my five thousandth review,
The offers come thick and fast,
Movie studios are pitching to me,
I demand an all-Irish cast.

Today, I got my ten thousandth review,
I’ve moved into a splendid mansion,
Also started my own publishing house,
It’s all about expansion.

Today, I got my fourteen thousandth review,
I’m hearing some troubling news,
A body was found at my old property,
It spoils my Caribbean cruise.

Today, I got my last review,
The police are at my door,
They arrest me on suspicion of murder,
But officers he said my book was poor!

If your book is as good as your Poem Netflix will be after the Movie Rights soon.😂🤣. I liked it and so I went and downloaded a copy of your book. The Blurb on Amazon tells me it looks like it could be a fun read. Good Luck with your writings.

Carol wrote: "If your book is as good as your Poem Netflix will be after the Movie Rights soon.😂🤣. I liked it and so I went and downloaded a copy of your book. The Blurb on Amazon tells me it looks like it could..."

Carol, thank you very much! My first Goodreads post so that means a lot. Hope you enjoy the book! 😄😄

A novel approach to promotion. Liked the poem, best of luck with the book. I have had less than 10 reviews of my 3 books on Amazon in the last 4 years so they are like hen's teeth. Stars are nice but someone taking the time to comment (good or bad) is invaluable to us who are starting out as writers. Hope to see you on Netflix

Thank you, Stephen. This is true. Reviews are a rare commodity! I like the sound of 'Battered' so going to give that a go over Xmas

Cheers Mark, I have downloaded your 'Lock-In' for a read. Looks like it is getting good reviews already. Have a good Christmas.

Mark wrote: "Lock-In: An Irish Tragicomedy

I self-published my first book, Lock-In, this time last month. Still waiting on the reviews to come ..."

I like your poem. Good luck!

Stephen wrote: "Cheers Mark, I have downloaded your 'Lock-In' for a read. Looks like it is getting good reviews already. Have a good Christmas."

Thanks, Stephen. You only remember the bad ones though! Have a good one yourself!

Thomas wrote: "Mark wrote: "Lock-In: An Irish Tragicomedy

I self-published my first book, Lock-In, this time last month. Still waiting on the rev..."

Thanks, Thomas. Appreciate it!

Fabulous! We really should be reviewing each other's books here, I'm off to do it now. Power & support to our fellow authors! Please give us all a nice Christmas gift of a star and a review! :) (And a fellow Carlow author, too!)

Thanks a mill, Lissa! I'm going to have a look at your books now! It's a small world!

I'm always happy to support authors and give honest reviews in exchange for an arc. If I really like it, will post reviews on my blog, Amazon and here. If I don't, I give the author a heads up and give them the option of publicly reviewing it or passing. Perhaps that isn't fair, but I did leave an unhappy review once and got a hateful and mean letter from the author. So here's a question for the authors, do you really want to know if someone doesn't like the storyline, characters, etc?

Lissa wrote: "Fabulous! We really should be reviewing each other's books here, I'm off to do it now. Power & support to our fellow authors! Please give us all a nice Christmas gift of a star and a review! :) (An..."

Hi Lisa. I'm amazed that you have been writing since such a young age. I think your idea of reviewing each others books is a good idea. I will loook at yours soon,.
I only started writing in my 80s so I'm a bit of a late starter. If you
or anyone else can review my "FIRST TO GO" I would be grateful.
I had the unfortunate experience of one poor review. I don't mind the one star I was given but objected to the words used. We can do nothing about this but it was at variance with other reviews. Good luck. Pam

Obviously we feel a bit sad and our confidence dips a little, but if the dislikes are specific we can either learn from them or ignore them, taste varies and what kind of review would we personally give many of the Classics? I have bought books based on bad reviews because the criticism was about things I knew I would like. Any author who responds to a bad review, particularly in a mean spirited way, is in the wrong job! Shame on them.

Mark wrote: "Stephen wrote: "Cheers Mark, I have downloaded your 'Lock-In' for a read. Looks like it is getting good reviews already. Have a good Christmas."

Thanks, Stephen. You only remember the bad ones tho..."

Mark,

I just finished your book and enjoyed it. I gave it 4 stars and added a review ( a positive one).

If you would permit me to offer some feedback on the writing I would say for me as a reader the book took some time to get going. I think it was on chapter 20 before the actual lock-in started.
I feel you could have got away without the two old characters/narrators and the American couple and told the story from the lads drinking through to the end as a straight story.
You could even have started the story in the graveyard without mentioning who is deceased then it becomes a flashback on the bench, almost Forrest Gump style. The lad could just be talking to Betty Ford.
Similarly the opening walk up the hill seems unnecessary as the characters are introduced just as well on the actual night in No12.
Your comic timing is excellent in the banter between the lads, though there is a lot of cultural references that would be lost on a reader from outside Ireland.
Your action sequences are credible and coherent. The wife is a particularly sinister character. You have good plot twists to keep interest up once the action starts.

Anyway these are just my thoughts. They are offered as an honest reaction to your book. Feel free to ignore them. I enjoyed the book even though it is not my usual read. Best of luck with it.

Stephen

Great feedback, Stephen, thank you for giving your time and thoughts, the views of readers are always welcome and interesting, especially in such a polite manner. As a writer, I can learn from this, even though it isn't my book. We need more readers like you!

Stephen, thanks very much for this and I'm glad you enjoyed it. Appreciate you taking the time here despite it not being your kind of book. How's the WIP coming along? Another Eden. Sounds interesting!

Mark wrote: "Stephen, thanks very much for this and I'm glad you enjoyed it. Appreciate you taking the time here despite it not being your kind of book. How's the WIP coming along? Another Eden. Sounds interest..."

No worries Mark, we are all on this merry writing journey together. 'Another Eden' has been renamed 'Where the Truth Lies'. Currently stuck into the second draft, hoping to get it up on Amazon before Easter. All the best.

Sounds good. Keep us posted.

Aside from reviews, if anyone would like to share their author website/blog here, I'd love to take a gander and subscribe.

Here's mine: https://www.markbyrne.ie/

Cheers!

Thanks, Mark, I'm signed up to yours, lovely site. I can be found at www.lissaoliver.ie
but I don't have a newsletter to sign up to. Still getting there!