R is for Reviews

One of the stocks in trade for all authors are the Reviews their works get.   But we spanko authors have an additional handicap when it comes to getting reviews.  I shall explain.

The perceived wisdom of the authorship world is that it takes about 750 readers to generate one review.    _(Which means that newly minted works that arrive with half a dozen glowing reviews are treated by all with considerable skepticism).

The work of a promotions department at a publishing house is to bring attention to new works by such means as having the author go on a lecture circuit, send promotional copies to professional reviewers and use social media to get the title in front of potential readers' eyes.    The more people who read a book, the more likely there will be reviews and the more reviews - even mildly unfavorable ones - the more sales the book will likely get.

For most of us writing spanking fiction, the thought of going on a speaking tour is a double disaster:  for not only would you be expected to stand up and speak in front of strangers, you would also reveal to them from the get go your most private and carefully hidden secret - that you are into spanking.   While there have been some very brave souls who have outed themselves, none with any sort of set back - but having kept it secret for ten, twenty or even thirty years, few of the rest of us can face the prospect of standing up in a lecture hall brandishing a sign that reads "I am a Spanko!"

For the self same reason - the preservation of our most cherished secret - we never use social media that is likely to get into the hands of our family circle/   Yeah, they have a pretty shrewd idea what makes us tick - but we refrain from shouting it from the roof tops.  Discretion and all that.

So we sit and pray that people will review our books of their own accord.   But now another snag:  our readers are virtually all spankos - and they are afflicted with the same desire to stay in the shadows that we ourselves have.   While the average book may take 750 sales to generate a review, I have personal experience that suggest spanking fiction takes four or five times that number to get each review.    No matter how unlikely a reverse search may find the author of a review, not making one eliminates any possibility of the real identity of a reviewer being discovered.

So - dear reader - we have yet another solid reason why we should march arm in arm down the high street in the spanko equivalent of a Pride March - so that the world is aware of our foibles, we can also face the world back without feeling that we are doomed to disaster by telling it who we are.

I know deep down that will never happen.  So - do tell - what is your rational for keeping your spanking secret hidden from sight?