To review or not to review … that is the question!
REVIEW, I say! REVIEW!
But Eliza, why? Why are reviews so important for authors?
One simple reason: sales. When an author reaches a certain threshold for reviews (the magic number starts at 10; at 50 reviews, even more promotional doors open), they can engage the advertising machine. Here’s how it works:
—> Readers write reviews.
—> Authors qualify for ads.
—> Ads help sell books.
—> Selling books means the author and/or publisher recover costs of producing the product (book).
—> Selling more product (books) and reaching more readers means the author/publisher can continue to write/publish books to entertain people.
Because the bottom line here is about entertaining our readers.
Sure, some authors are bathing in Benjamins in their gilded tubs, but heads up: most are not.
And getting paid for our work is not a big ask. How many people do you know will work for free? Will you? Who’d be so crazy?
Which is why we ask for reviews. Think of it like a book report, but not the yucky, laborious things that your sixth grade teacher made you write. And if you Google “how to write a review,'“ those answers can be just as intimidating. You do not have to be an expert in the Hero’s Journey or commercial vs. literary fiction to write a great review.
Instead, think of it like this — when you finish reading a book, ask yourself:
Did I like this book? Why or why not?
What was my favorite part of the story? The setting? The dialogue? The characters?
Could I relate to the characters?
Did the story make me FEEL anything? Did I laugh, cry, want to throw the book across the room?
Was the mystery/romance/puzzle what I’d hoped from this kind of novel?
A review can be something as simple as:
“I loved how the author made me fall in love with these characters.”
“This story was exactly what I needed for an escape from day-to-day life.”
“This was a great story that kept me guessing until the end. Can’t wait for more!”
See? Easy-peasy! And if you’re still not sure what to say, click on the number of stars you want to assign the book, 5 being the BEST (and 1 being the worst), and then leave a line in reference to that. Example: “5 stars — I loved it!” Boom. Done.
What does “verified” mean?
Verified on Amazon means the book was actually purchased, rather than gifted through the author (or acquired through other nefarious channels). This step is entirely optional (and never feel under any obligation to do so—your review is more than enough and the most critical part). But if you PURCHASE the book before you leave your review, your review will be given a “verified” tag.
Readers take verified reviews more seriously, and other authors are reporting that Amazon has been removing reviews lately that are not verified. Every sale adds to the book's rank and makes it more likely that your favorite authors can hit their goal of reaching as many readers are possible.
Where can I leave reviews?
The more places you leave your review, the more impact it’ll have. Some stores may not allow reviews to be left when you go to post. This happens when a book isn’t released yet and/or is still in the preorder phase. If that happens, feel free to post your review on release day! Other retailers include:
Amazon
Apple Books
Kobo
Barnes & Noble
Google Play
Indigo/Chapters
Goodreads
Your favorite authors thank you for your time and energy—me included!
