Blog Tour Recap: Why Book Reviews are so Important
This is a guest post I originally wrote for the I Just Want to Sit Here & Read Blog for my Hidden World Blog Tour. But for those of you who missed the post, I wanted to share it here. Enjoy!
If you’re here, you like books. You may love books. You might sleep with one under your pillow, in lieu of a bat, so that you can ward off robbers in the night with your 5×8 rectangle of poetic prowess and literary masters. Oh, you don’t do that? It’s just me, then.
Thing is, those who like to read and do so often are the reason authors do what they do. We love connecting with you as you read the book, hearing where you are or what your reactions are. It’s exciting! It’s cool enough that you picked up the book, but oh my goodness, you like it, too? That’s a dream come true.
And then we get readers who go above and beyond: they post reviews. Reviews are more than the icing to our literary cake; they’re the flour, butter, and sprinkles, too. They’re crucial. I mean, come on, what’s a cupcake without sprinkles?
That’s why book bloggers like Kate and the other amazing bloggers who are hosting this tour are so freaking amazing: they post reviews to their blogs on a regular basis. But you don’t have to be a book blogger to share your awesomeness with the world—you can go out and review on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads, and LibraryThing yourself. Every review makes a difference in the author’s sales.
Authors only ever ask for your true and honest opinion. It doesn’t have to be a glowing review—just what you thought. Rating systems differ for each reviewer, too, so find one that works for you. Typically, if you enjoyed the book, a 4- or 5- star rating lets other readers know to buy it. A 3-star rating is a “meh,” while 1- and 2- stars means you really didn’t like it. Keep in mind that everyone’s tastes are different, so someone else might leave a 1-star review on your favorite book ever. I mean, the first book in the Harry Potter series has 33 1-star reviews in the UK and 88 in the US, and that series broke international records with its sales.
Some authors offer review contests as an incentive to leave reviews, like the one I’m holding throughout the month of March to celebrate this book tour. But whether or not there is an incentive to review the book, consider at least supporting your favorite authors. It’s why I review the books I read. While it takes just a few minutes for you to say why you enjoyed a book, it means the world to the writer who spent so much time and effort make the book a reality.
Happy reading, everyone, and feel free to connect with me and say hi whenever.
