It seems I’m always begging people who like our
books to post reviews on Amazon.com and Goodreads. Yet most don’t. Why not?
THEY THINK IT’S HARD
Actually, all it requires is a couple of minutes and a
couple of sentences. The star rating counts the most.
.
5-stars = Excellent read
4-stars = Good read, but not
outstanding
3-stars = Just okay (On Amazon,
it’s considered a negative review. On Goodreads, it’s neutral)
2-stars = Not great, but may have a
quality or two worth reading
1-star = Should never have been
published
I almost never write anything less than a 4-star
review. I recognize tastes vary, and what may not appeal to me may appeal to
someone else. I’ve only posted two 1-star reviews. One was so badly written I
couldn’t get through the first page. (Amazon subsequently removed this one
because of all the negative reviews and comments. I was far from alone.)
The other was by one of my favorite writers, but this book
was dreadful. Quite a few others also hated it. I had previously written many
positive reviews for this writer. This book had many reviews, and I felt
obligated to warn others away from this title.
The vast majority of my reviews
are 5-star.
THEY SAY THEY DON’T KNOW HOW TO WRITE
You don’t have to write a treatise. One or two sentences
will do. You can always start with: I liked this book because… Then list a
couple of reasons you enjoyed it.
THEY ARE FRIENDS
Amazon.com (and now Goodreads since they are now owned by
Amazon) will not allow friends of the author to post reviews. How Amazon is
aware of our friendships is beyond me. But it's worth writing one, even if Amazon removes it. You and the author will know in the future. (And Amazon may not realize you have a relationship.)
So why should you—and I—post reviews on books?
REVIEWS AFFECT PLACEMENT
It may seem strange, but the number of reviews a book
receives affects how it shows up in Amazon listings. The algorithms by which
Amazon makes these placements is arcane and confusing to nearly everyone, but the
more reviews, the better the placement. A well-reviewed book will show up on
the suggested books list for other books and may be suggested as a bundle with
other books.
PUBLISHERS LOVE GOOD REVIEWS
Publishers will feature their well-reviewed books more often
in their publicity. Since they do little of it anymore, good reviews give the
author a boost.
THEY AFFECT LISTING ON OTHER SITES
Some other sites which feature authors and books require a
minimum number of Amazon reviews before they can be listed. These sites have
large followings and can give a listed book greater visibility. But if there
aren’t enough good reviews on Amazon, they won’t be considered.
READERS USE REVIEWS TO BUY BOOKS
Readers looking at books to read on Amazon or Goodreads
often use reviews to decide whether or not to purchase the book. Good reviews
generate sales—always a positive for authors.
So, if you enjoy books, please follow up with a positive
review.
And if you’d like to post a review on one of our books, here
are the links:
The Memory Keeper, Ghost Writer, Snowflake Secrets, Seasons of Love, Directions of Love, The Art of Love, …And a Silver Sixpence in Her Shoe, An Aspen Grove Christmas, Murder…They Wrote, Murder in Paradise, 31 Months in Japan: The Building of a Theme
Park, The
McGregor Chronicles: Book 1 – Saving Mike, The
McGregor Chronicles: Book 2 – Escape From Eden, The
McGregor Chronicles: Book 3 – Alien Invasion
We would appreciate your reviews, especially if you have
enjoyed them!
Do you write book reviews? Why or why not?
Many non-authors really hate to write reviews. They're afraid their assessment will be "wrong." Of course, there's no such thing as a wrong review. Everyone has different opinions.
ReplyDeleteAnother problem is the GoodRead site is hard to navigate.
Both sites require some practice to learn how to maneuver. I write a review on Amazon, and then I copy it to GoodReads. I hope they will be completely integrated soon!
DeleteI write reviews too, but not as many as I should. Love it when I get reviews, so I should reciprocate.
ReplyDeleteI feel like I need to write good reviews for writers I love.
DeleteGreat post, Lorna. I love to write reviews, and sure wish all my readers did. If only I had more time to read so I could leave more reviews.
ReplyDeleteI often get pre-pub copies of books from several publishers, so I read a lot.
DeleteWell said, Lorna. I regularly write reviews and enjoy doing it. Like you, I try to give a supportive review whenever possible. There are a couple additional reasons why writers should do reviews. First, it helps hone your writing skills. Second, and muy importante--writers should support one another. We're all in this together.
ReplyDeleteI agree, John. Writers are also readers, and we need to support each other.
DeleteI only write reviews for books I like, which is almost all that I read. I've never given less than a 4-star review. I've only had 1 bad review and it was from a friend that I went to grade school and high school with and am still friends almost daily. Her review wasn't bad, but she only gave me 3 stars, which immediately lowered my 5 star rating to 4.5 where it remains to this day. With my first book, someone I don't even know thought she was helpful by going on B&N and not even writing a review, but giving it 4 stars "to make it look real" because she'd never read the book! She's in a grief group I belong to. I would have choked her, had I known her. I had all 5 stars till her "help".
ReplyDeleteI had one 1-star review from someone who said she didn't likes books in the genre, didn't like first-person reviews, and didn't read the book. I checked her other reviews, and ALL of them were negative. Makes me suspicious... Fortunately all the others before and after have been positive. The current rating is 4.6, but it has enough additional reviews to help mitigate the bad one. I also respond to all reviews--except this one. I figure someone took the time to write a review, so I should thank them.
DeleteShould have been point-of-view, not review.
Delete