This week I came across a positive review of one of my books. I really appreciate it when people take the time to write comments about my work, even if I don’t agree with them. Everyone has different opinions and I respect their right to form and voice these in public forums.  

Most readers don’t provide reviews in the same way perhaps that I ignore customer feedback surveys following routine transactions. It is usually only the people who are happy or disappointed who comment. Sometimes this highlights factual errors to be corrected. Sometimes, like this week it is a confidence boost but I cannot assume that a few readers speak for the others.

The star system used by Amazon and other websites allow me to gauge a general consensus once enough readers have contributed. For two of my three books this hasn’t happened yet. For my Jack the Ripper Suspect Encyclopedia the average rating is 4.1 out of 5. This indicates that the book is generally well received and is a figure that I can quote to potential publishers of future books to give them similar confidence.

Paul Williams is a writer of fiction and non-fiction best known for his Jack the Ripper Suspects: The Definitive Guide and Encyclopedia.