7 Tips to Make Obtaining Book Reviews as Painless as Possible by James Rose
Posted by Kathleen Pooler/@kathypooler with James Rose/@instntpublisher
Photo Credit: adventishistory.org
I’m pleased to finish off this last week of 2015 with two posts relevant to writers of all genres. Although there is a debate among writers about the true value and validity of book reviews, many writers are pleased to have readers interested enough in their story to leave feedback. Please join me in welcoming James Rose from Instant Publishers who offers some suggestions on obtaining book reviews. James will return on Thursday with another post for writers.
Welcome, James!
James Rose, writer for Instant Publishers.com
7 Tips to Make Obtaining Book Reviews as Painless as Possible
Obtaining reviews for your book is unfortunately a must. One would hope that the shopper would solely browse based on a combination of factors such as story synopsis, quality book cover design, author reputation, price, etc. However, it has been shown that consumers, whether consciously or subconsciously put heavy weight on book reviews. This is especially true in online marketplaces like Amazon of which they have admitted, does affect the ranking algorithm. Getting good reviews for your book is not as difficult as it may seem but will take some legwork.
Utilize beta readers. You’ve likely already found some at this point and have worked closely with them on structural issues. Go ahead and ask them for a review regarding the overall quality of the story. They’ve obviously already read the book so why not get a review?
Ask your blog readers for reviews. They’re probably already fans so the odds of a good review increase. You can offer incentives like a free copy of your next book in exchange for a review of the current book. Just make it clear on every platform where your fans might engage with you that you would very much appreciate a review.
Seek out reviews from book bloggers. Many of them are already swamped but if you engage them on their blog and on social media for a while prior, they may be willing to move you to the front of the line. Bloggers that are not as popular will likely have more time though, and because part of your goal is not just quality but quantity, try to get as many as you can.
Ask for reviews on the last page of your book. Just like video games back in the day had a “Thank You for Playing” message, give your book a “Thank You for Reading” message and follow with a request for an honest review.
Run giveaway promotions. These can be in the form of an announcement that you will be giving away a limited number of free review copies or a contest with multiple winners. Run these promotions for one day to one week on social media and your own website. Be sure to advertise these free copies ahead of time. Include a stipulation that you expect a review in exchange for the free copy. Not all will leave one but most will. Kindle Direct Publishing has a one week free book promotional program with the purpose of getting your eBook in front of more eyes. This will allow you to get more reviews for your eBook. You could also give away free copies on popular reader communities such as Goodreads.com and Librarything.com.
Pay for reviews on professional review sites. The more scrupulous among these websites will only give your book an honest review so paying for reviews in this manner should not be considered a shady practice. However, I have spoken with many authors who refuse to pay for reviews. This will be a personal decision. You may hear other authors complain about the poor cost to value ratio but this is not necessarily true. You can get a professional review from highly respected names at prices ranging from $150 to $400. Get four or five of these and put them on the actual book, in prominent positions on your blog and anywhere else you can. This kind of vouching can have a positive effect on sales.
Seek out reviewers directly on Amazon. This is the tried and true method used regularly by authors. Find reviewers that have reviewed books similar to yours and send them a request. If they accept, send them a free copy of your book. This will take some repetition as probably only a third of the people you contact will agree or even respond.
You may hear some talk that you need to get Amazon reviews from the top reviewers. While those would be great if you can get them, it is not a necessity. Those top Amazon reviewers are highly backlogged. Most shoppers could care less about reviews for a reviewer. They look at how many reviews your book has and what percentage of those reviews are favorable. Having a review from a top reviewer may have a minor effect on the ranking algorithm so definitely go for it, but don’t sweat it if you can’t get any.
Some key factors to remember:
Go after as many reviews as you can because not all contacts will respond or read your book.
Make sure you’re seeking reviews from the appropriate demographic. Don’t give your thriller to romance fans.
Keep everything organized in a spreadsheet. You’re going to have a lot of names, emails and locations of which to keep track.
Listen to the feedback. If you are getting consistent bad reviews, maybe your book is not ready for launch.
Most importantly, don’t give up. Writing is enjoyable but marketing for most people is drudgery at its finest.
***
James A. Rose is a writer for InstantPublisher.com , a full service self-publishing company that specializes in transforming author dreams into reality. We have been providing exceptional and affordable service to writers for the past 15 years. No matter what type of book you want to create, Instant Publisher will be with you every step of the way to ensure the process is efficient and painless. We’re not happy until you’re happy.
***
Thank you James for offering a comprehensive overview of how to obtain book reviews. Most writers are happy to focus on writing but reviews can help with discoverability and can get our books into the hands of more readers. I appreciate these practical tips.
***
How about you? How do you feel about book reviews? Do you think they increase sales? Do you rely on book reviews when deciding about purchasing a book? Do you have any tips to add?
We’d love to hear from you. Please leave your comments below~
This Week:
Thursday, 12/31/15:
“Make Time for Writing When Time is Writing You Off by James Rose”
