The Unexpected Five-Star Review

It's been a slow April, even in page views, never mind actual sales. By this point, it's easy to fall into the trap of thinking, "What if I never sell another copy of my book? What if it's really nowhere near as good as I think and my friends say?"

No sooner does that thought enter my head than I hear my inner Winston Churchill admonish me: "Never, never, never give up."

I'm not a good salesman. Being fairly shy by nature, I find outside sales in particular very difficult. But my Granddad, the eternal salesman, always drilled into me the fact that "you never get the order unless you ask for it." So I went through Amazon's list of top 100 reviewers, looking for those who provided both an email address and something in their profiles that indicated an interest in technology. Last night, I got my first hit. Arth Denton, Amazon's #2 reviewer in the world, gave me a five-star review and some highly unexpected praise, calling the material "interesting and a pleasure to read."

Will this help spur any sales? I have no idea. Honestly, the review's value may be more inspirational than financial. It marks the first time that a prominent reviewer, and a total stranger to boot, has given my writing real validation. So onward, dear friends! As a close friend of Churchill's once (nearly) said, "There is nothing to fear but lack of output itself."