A Humble Request
Friends and readers, I come today not with tales of crazy goblins or cunning sorcerer lords, but with a request. It would be more accurate to call this shameless groveling, but I’m trying to retain some shreds of dignity.
One of the biggest problems for indie authors such as myself is getting the word out on their books. Many marketing websites require hefty fees while generating little results, and others only advertise free books. Offering free books gives away hundreds or thousands of copies in the hope that readers will go on to buy the author’s other books, but too often this generates only a few sales. A few advertising sites are notoriously picky about which books they will accept. I’m looking at you, Bookbub!
There is a way around this. Amazon is the largest and best-known book seller in the world. They also sell nearly everything else you could want short of live muskrats, and given time I’m sure they’ll enter that market, too. But I digress. Reviews on Amazon make a big difference in whether a book does well or poorly. Potential buyers are more likely to purchase books with lots of reviews. Amazon’s algorithm, a mysterious force that decides which books appear on customers’ suggestions list, also considers the number of reviews to determine which books it shows to customers. Verified reviews, which is when a customer reviews a book they bought from Amazon, count for even more.
Getting reviews for books can be a Catch 22. You need reviews to attract attention from both Amazon and its customers, but you need satisfied customers to get reviews. Many customers don’t leave reviews. Some readers leave reviews on Goodreads, a site Amazon owns lock, stock and barrel. Oddly enough, Goodreads reviews don’t appear on Amazon, nor do Amazon reviews appear on Goodreads, proof that big business is capable of boneheaded mistakes and oversights.
I come to you good people asking for a favor. If you have read and enjoyed my books, I would be eternally grateful if you would review those books on Amazon. This would help other Amazon customers know that you liked my books and give them some idea of what to expect if they buy a copy. These reviews can be as little as a few words and selecting a star rating. At most this will take a few minutes of your time per review. Nor does it cost you any money. If you have posted reviews on Goodreads, please post the same information to Amazon. If you have already posted reviews, I appreciate your assistance.
Thank you for your time and patience, and I promise my next post will be appropriately silly.
One of the biggest problems for indie authors such as myself is getting the word out on their books. Many marketing websites require hefty fees while generating little results, and others only advertise free books. Offering free books gives away hundreds or thousands of copies in the hope that readers will go on to buy the author’s other books, but too often this generates only a few sales. A few advertising sites are notoriously picky about which books they will accept. I’m looking at you, Bookbub!
There is a way around this. Amazon is the largest and best-known book seller in the world. They also sell nearly everything else you could want short of live muskrats, and given time I’m sure they’ll enter that market, too. But I digress. Reviews on Amazon make a big difference in whether a book does well or poorly. Potential buyers are more likely to purchase books with lots of reviews. Amazon’s algorithm, a mysterious force that decides which books appear on customers’ suggestions list, also considers the number of reviews to determine which books it shows to customers. Verified reviews, which is when a customer reviews a book they bought from Amazon, count for even more.
Getting reviews for books can be a Catch 22. You need reviews to attract attention from both Amazon and its customers, but you need satisfied customers to get reviews. Many customers don’t leave reviews. Some readers leave reviews on Goodreads, a site Amazon owns lock, stock and barrel. Oddly enough, Goodreads reviews don’t appear on Amazon, nor do Amazon reviews appear on Goodreads, proof that big business is capable of boneheaded mistakes and oversights.
I come to you good people asking for a favor. If you have read and enjoyed my books, I would be eternally grateful if you would review those books on Amazon. This would help other Amazon customers know that you liked my books and give them some idea of what to expect if they buy a copy. These reviews can be as little as a few words and selecting a star rating. At most this will take a few minutes of your time per review. Nor does it cost you any money. If you have posted reviews on Goodreads, please post the same information to Amazon. If you have already posted reviews, I appreciate your assistance.
Thank you for your time and patience, and I promise my next post will be appropriately silly.
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