From the Conference Grapevine

I heard some interesting facts, rumors, and speculation at the recent Christian writers' conference I attended. First of all, bookstores, like Barnes & Noble are closing hundreds of stores and downsizing others. This seems to be a trend that started several years ago among bookstores. Some blamed it on the popularity of ebooks, but I think it's more likely affected by a number of factors.

Books-A-Million is under new ownership, and no one, not even the employees, knows what's going to happen there. I think there's a wait-and-see policy temporarily in place, because many of the stores aren't placing new books on their shelves until they hear more. 

Amazon, however, is opening up some physical bookstores to see how they're received. They are going to be small and stocked by the best-sellers from their online store. The criteria is that the book has to have a five-star review rating, and then they'll choose the ones with the most reviews. Might other bookstores begin to do the same? This is going to have huge implications for authors.

All three of my historical novels have a five-star rating on amazon. However, Cleared for Planting, the one with the most reviews, only has twenty-two. I find getting readers to leave a review is extremely difficult. Many tell me that they really enjoyed the book and couldn't put it down until they finished it, but they still don't leave a review, even if I ask them. Any suggestions?

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