Market Research

There are a lot of reasons to do market research. I've been delving deeply into it for a few weeks now as part of the end of my hiatus.

One of the coolest parts of market research is getting to read what else is out there. Sometimes it's not so cool, when you run into tidbits that make you think: what the hell?

I have found a couple authors I admire. I have found a couple authors I'd rather not read again. I have found a couple stories that don't seem to stand alone, where each piece is needed for the whole, but by itself it doesn't grab me enough to want to read more. I also found a few stories that make me want to read the entire series.

But my other reason for what I'm doing is seeing where my stories fit into the greater scheme of things. How I write versus how they write. How much I can get away with as far as word count and price and all the rest. I'm also thinking about reviewing several of the things I'm reading. Maybe those authors will have something to say about mine when I get it out there.

Yes, when I get it out there. I'm putting together a plan, and I happen to be tenacious once I get a plan in place.

Then I wonder about reviewing the other authors. I'm not one of those people who is able to just say 'oh, this is hawt!' like I've seen a few other reviews doing. It matters to me about the greater story that brought them to the erotic scenes. What are you looking for in a review of a book, say on Amazon or in a blog like this one? What do other authors see when someone new comes along and leaves a review, whether it is stellar or dismal?

I think what I would look for is either constructive criticism or something that would help a reader decide that, yes, this is the book for me. So it would include bits about characters, plot, and all the other pieces that create stories in every genre, not just erotic scenes.