After almost every play in which I performed in high school and college, my mother would praise my acting, often claiming that I was the “best person in the whole cast.” While I was glad she liked my work on stage, I took her compliment with a grain of salt. She was my mother, after all, and as such, hardly an unbiased observer. Compliments about my writing from friends and family members I take much the same way. It’s a simple fact that people who like me are going to be inclined to like what I write. Even if they don’t, they will at least soften their criticism with tactful language and words of encouragement. But to sell books, an author needs praise from knowledgeable people who have no personal connection to him or her, no bias one way or another, no reason to hold back harsh criticism if it’s deserved. That’s why, soon after The Bullybuster went to print, I sought (and paid for) reviews from four high-profile book reviewers.

Three of the reviews have now been released, and the results have been mostly quite positive. Reader Views liked how I “started right off the bat with a shocking event, followed by a sleuthing student and a hint of romance with characters the reader could relate to.” For its part, Indie Book Reviews asserted that “with a sweet teenage romance and a poignant message about the effects of high school bullying, The Bullybuster is an enjoyable and unique coming-of-age story.” Finally, Kirkus Reviews noted the “prose is colorful and generally light, replete with all the joys and anxieties of adolescence.”

To be sure, there was criticism, too, particularly with regard to my use of outdated slang. (Apparently referring to money as “dough” is totally passé.) But it is this criticism that makes the praise plausible and gives the reviews credibility. Unlike my mother and good friends, these reviewers had no personal reason to say good things about The Bullybuster; they said good things because they believed them to be true, making their respective evaluations of the book a good measure of its quality.

The fourth review from San Francisco Book Review is pending. It will only be published if the reviewer thinks it is worth publishing. I’m not too worried about it, because the three reviews that have already been done have given me good material for promotions. Currently, I’m working with the designer of my book cover to have excerpts from all three reviews added to the back cover. I also plan to have the three reviews linked to my Goodreads page and my Amazon author page. An excerpt from the Kirkus review will be included in an ad for The Bullybuster that will appear in the May 13 issue of the Kirkus magazine. Of course, the purpose of getting the reviews and highlighting them in different ways is to increase sales. Whether that goal is achieved remains to be seen.

The following links will take you to each full review:

https://readerviewskids.com/…/the-bullybuster-by-clay-corm…/
https://indiereader.com/2019/03/the-bullybuster/
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/…/clay-corma…/the-bullybuster/