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Reviews (auf Deutsch)
Dec. 14th, 2004 03:06 amLast night I came across the first review (that I've found) of the German edition of VACATION IN IBIZA. It's in the December issue of SIEGESSAEULE, a free monthly gay/lesbian magazine for Berlin with a circulation of 45,000 copies.
It's a strange review, since it's a bit snippy, although it looks like they've a contest involved with the book, where readers can win copies in a raffle.
They call the German translation "wooden" and in general say the book is so slight that they recommend readers take an additional book along for the flight to Ibiza since reading my comic won't last long.
Snippiness aside, I'm glad they reviewed the book. (SIEGESSAEULE has generally been good to me, perhaps because the German edition of SWITCH HITTERS won their book of the year award.) I actually hope all the gay papers in Germany (not to mention Switzerland, Austria, etc.) review the book.
While vanity would prefer that they're all raves, the more important thing is being noticed/taken seriously.
And many readers might disagree with (or not care about) the reviewer's opinion, but might not have otherwise learned about the book.
And many casual readers don't even remember if a book was reviewed well or not.
When I worked at Books of Wonder, a children's bookstore in Manhattan, countless times customers would pick up a book that had been savagely panned in the NEW YORK TIMES or wherever, and customer A would say to companion, "Oh look, there's that book we saw reviewed in THE TIMES (or wherver)."
From this one can learn that the most important aspect to any review is that a picture of the cover appear alongside the criticism.
I'm hopeful that other regional gay papers in Germany have reviewed the book in their December issues, even if these are not online; while I'll still be glad to have the title reviewed for January issues, if it's in the December issue, it hits people's radar as a Christmas gift.
It's just my luck, but there's a competing gay comic about Ibiza that came out in October (the same mnth ABENTEUER AUF IBIZA was scheduled to come out, but there were delays at the printer in the Czech Republic and it didn't land until mid-November, sigh). But I'm glad that places are choosing to review mine instead of theirs. :-)
Although I did suggest to the publicist at the German publisher of my comic that for magazines that weren't interested in reviewing it, he should try pitching a joint overview of the two competing comics together. Aside from the fact that mine holds up quite nicely when compared to the other comic, it's better to get half a review than no review.
It's a strange review, since it's a bit snippy, although it looks like they've a contest involved with the book, where readers can win copies in a raffle.
They call the German translation "wooden" and in general say the book is so slight that they recommend readers take an additional book along for the flight to Ibiza since reading my comic won't last long.
Snippiness aside, I'm glad they reviewed the book. (SIEGESSAEULE has generally been good to me, perhaps because the German edition of SWITCH HITTERS won their book of the year award.) I actually hope all the gay papers in Germany (not to mention Switzerland, Austria, etc.) review the book.
While vanity would prefer that they're all raves, the more important thing is being noticed/taken seriously.
And many readers might disagree with (or not care about) the reviewer's opinion, but might not have otherwise learned about the book.
And many casual readers don't even remember if a book was reviewed well or not.
When I worked at Books of Wonder, a children's bookstore in Manhattan, countless times customers would pick up a book that had been savagely panned in the NEW YORK TIMES or wherever, and customer A would say to companion, "Oh look, there's that book we saw reviewed in THE TIMES (or wherver)."
From this one can learn that the most important aspect to any review is that a picture of the cover appear alongside the criticism.
I'm hopeful that other regional gay papers in Germany have reviewed the book in their December issues, even if these are not online; while I'll still be glad to have the title reviewed for January issues, if it's in the December issue, it hits people's radar as a Christmas gift.
It's just my luck, but there's a competing gay comic about Ibiza that came out in October (the same mnth ABENTEUER AUF IBIZA was scheduled to come out, but there were delays at the printer in the Czech Republic and it didn't land until mid-November, sigh). But I'm glad that places are choosing to review mine instead of theirs. :-)
Although I did suggest to the publicist at the German publisher of my comic that for magazines that weren't interested in reviewing it, he should try pitching a joint overview of the two competing comics together. Aside from the fact that mine holds up quite nicely when compared to the other comic, it's better to get half a review than no review.
