End of the Year Stats

It's been an interesting half a year: I started reviewing for Dark Divas, and about three months later, Jessewave gave me a shot. The requirements are different for the reviews, which is why the styles jump around a bit here, and the books we are offered differ as well, certain publishers don't request review at Wave's who do at DD. Keeps the TBR pile balanced, I suppose.

I've also started crossposting at Amazon. They don't seem to be as accepting of terminology. :S

Here's how the last six months break out.

39 reviews at Dark Divas, they had a head start.
15 reviews at Wave's
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54 total      A few are written but are still to post, something I have more control over at Wave's. Apologies to all who have been waiting on reviews; the Dark Diva reviews have all been delayed by the big holiday extravaganza, but should be appearing presently.

I have a couple books out, best get reading! The stats here are going to be combined.

By publisher:

Amber Quill		4
Carina		1
Cheyenne		1
Dreamspinner		12
eXcessica		1
JMS Press		2
Loose Id		2
MLR		5
Nazca Plains		1
Pink Squirrel		1
Riptide		2
Samhain		1
Self		2
Silver		3
Storm Moon		2
Torquere		12
Total E-Bound		1
Untreed Reads		1

Guess it's reasonable that the bigger pubs are better represented; I do try to catch a variety. But never again on Nazca Plains: that book was scarring, and after reading the pub site, another equally bad experience seems far too likely.

About authors:  a couple of authors that I've read more than one from: I'm allowed to have favorites.  Eden Winters, Carole Cummings, JL Merrow, Mara Ismine, Val Kovalin, and Josephine Myles all turn up more than once. I do try to sample a lot of folks.

By Genre:

Anthology		3
Contemporary		18
Cowboy		2
Fantasy		7
Historical		7
Paranormal		10
Science Fiction		2
Spiritual		1
Steampunk		3
Bizarro		1

No BDSM. My choice, no apologies.

Ratings

1	1
1.5	1
2	1
2.5	3
2.75	1
3	10
3.25
3.5	7
3.75	1
4	13
4.25	2
4.5	4
4.75
5	9

My gradations have gotten a little smaller since coming to Jessewave's, where reviewers use quarter stars. I really don't want to cut it any finer. I average 3.73, which isn't too surprising; I don’t ever choose to read a book I expect not to like. Some trends: I'm giving out fewer 5's, partially, because I'm getting pickier, but mostly because I’m getting a real rash of just-okay books. I try to judge each story on what it's trying to accomplish and has it done that. If it's a humor piece, did I actually laugh? If it's science fiction, did I believe in the world? It's supposed to be m/m, did I get a CWD/m? I'm always a little perplexed by having to rate a short humor piece on the same scale with a thoughtful novel.

Some of the stories haven't had happy endings, and they've been rated very high, at 4.33 average, probably because it has to be a superior story to even see the light of day without an HEA or HFN.

It was an interesting year, and I'm looking forward to 2012!

Stats for the last three months

Just in case anyone is wondering, I just passed my 3 month anniversary as a Dark Divas reviewer. Because I've been trying to maintain some sort of balance between lengths, genres, publishers, and authors whose names I recognize and those I don't, I have some data. Wanna see?

In the last 3 months I've reviewed 28 books and have 4 more out pending review. I could probably look at more but I have a life outside reading, and I read a lot of stuff that isn't m/m. Of those 28, 6 have yet to post but I did the work and want the credit. Keep in mind that either the publisher has to request a review through Dark Divas or someone has to either ask or otherwise attract my attention. Even as a reviewer I still buy books.

By publisher:

2 Amber Quill

1 Carina

6 Dreamspinner

1 eXcessica

1 JMS Press

1 Loose Id

2 MLR

1 Samhain

3 Silver Publishing

1 Smashwords

2 Storm Moon Press

6 Torquere

1 Untreed Reads

The reviews pending skews this a little, there are some publishers there that don't appear here, and one big one that looks underrepresented has something pending. That's why I keep a list.

About authors:

1 per author, except for Carole Cummings, and I defy anyone to read Aisling and not want more of this author's words; it's justifiable duplication and you can't tell me otherwise. IMO it's a pretty good mix of some known names, sort-of known names, and trying to get known names. 

Length:

The shortest was 13 pages, the longest was 457. The average is 139. The only thing you can really conclude is that I'll read anything.

By Genre:

2 short story anthologies

9 contemporary

1 cowboy

5 fantasy

5 historical

4 paranormal

1 science fiction

1 steampunk

So I'll read almost anything. BDSM is conspicuous by its absence. My preference, no apologies.

Ratings.

2  rated under 3

5 rated 3

3 rated 3.5

9 rated 4

1 rated 4.5

8 rated 5 (Only 1 got a recommended read on Dark Divas to go with it.)

This isn't a bell curve and I don't care. I’m not grading term papers, I'm reading books that I get to choose, or sometimes that I am asked to look at. I don't ever pick up a book that I expect to dislike. The low ratings broke my heart to have to write reviews, and if it was just me on my own, I'd have bailed on the books and not rated. Life's short. There's value in a DNF review if it's articulate, but if it's my DNF review, it has to say just about as much as a regular review. So I might as well finish the book. 

How do I choose? I get titles and blurbs, and can see what a particular publisher has offered to Dark Divas. Sometimes I get offered a book directly. I read blurbs like a menu in a strange restaurant, and if there's an excerpt of something that looks interesting, I read that too before I make up my mind. I'm trying to not go "ooh there's the new one from *Big Name Author* must read!!!!" but I admit to having a couple favorites. 

Authors can attract my attention outside of the review list. Sometimes it’s a blog post on an interesting topic. Sometimes it's an insightful comment on a board or a loop.  Doing Thousand Word Thursday posts attracts my attention, and occasionally gives the author something to publish. :D

28 isn't enough information to make some really firm claims on, so I'll take another look at this whole thing in 3 months or 6 months, but I'm seeing a couple of trends. Maybe. When I have more reviews to compare, I'll talk about the trends then.

I haven't been tagging by publisher, but it wouldn't be a big deal to go back and add that. Does anyone think this would add to the usefulness of the site to be able to sort that way?