How many reviews does a book need to seem enticing?

[K.P.]

I don't buy a lot of books for pleasure (i hit up the library when i can) so reading reviews don't faze me much. i don't really care if a book has a lot of 5 star reviews or a bunch of 1 star. as long as i find it interesting, i start with the blurb, then the first chapter. if i can't get to the second chappy, then it's not worth the trouble. the cover art isn't my thing, as i don't necessarily notice it (i'm colourblind, so i can't really appreciate awesome art, if it should be awesome).

[Tiger]

I don't care how many reviews there are. I do care when it's an indie or self published book and it only has four and five star reviews. I find that suspicious.

[Tiger]

Courtney wrote: "I figure more is merrier, especially on Amazon. I'm almost cool with the idea of having some "bad" reviews - like not five stars - because some people are easy, open-minded readers who are generou..."

Hell yeah I'll read your arc

[Tiger]

Courtney wrote: "Okay - because I'm a sociology major and love stats - people post me some figures on their opinion of a decent/enticing amount of reviews.

Nothing against philosophy of what makes you ultimately ..."

zero. If the blurb sounds good I'll read it.

[Brian]

Lauren (the Pink Avenger) wrote: "Objectively, as a reader I never really feel like trying anything with less than 100 reviews. 100+ with an average greater than/equal to 3 stars is my general comfort zone. Then I feel like, "OK! I..."

Wow Lauren. 100+. That's a lot. Is that a steadfast rule of yours? Just curious.

[Lily]

I feel if both readers and writers alike go by reviews alone, it's like damned if you do, damned if you don't.

I understand, from a reader's perspective, how awful it can feel when you read a book, get to the end, and feel ripped off, cheated, disappointed. I feel the same as a reader. The number of high rating reviews can help a reader weed through, but no real guarantees. But if you go by just the number of reviews while ignoring rating... still no real guarantee.

From a writer's perpective, if you happen to publish a book where everyone gives it 4 or 5 stars no matter how often you beg for negative reviews (like I have), then it's like pulling teeth trying to get reviews because everyone finds it suspicious. Damned if you do, damned if you don't...

It can be disheartening. Makes you feel like, well, damn, next time I'll publish a crappy book and get crappy reviews so that no one gets all suspious of me :P

[Yolanda]

I read the synopsis, and if I like it I read the reviews. I'm not interested in how many reviews a book has, but am suspicious if there are only five star reviews. I like to read 3 and 4 star reviews, it gives you the good and the bad. The bad not necessarily meaning the whole book is bad, just things that the reader didn't like.

[Jennifer]

I agree. I have bought books based on 1 star reviews. The reader would hate it because of gratuitous violence or sex, and I thought "this sounds like my kind of book."

[Lily]

I gave Take On With You by Oak Anderson a five star review. It's the best thriller I've read in years. I think it would be tragic to give any less than a 5 star review.

[Stuart]

I don't think I've ever bought a book based on the reviews. True, it can look a little suss if they have nothing but glowing reviews but sometimes books are good enough to earn them. The review system is a bit unreliable anyway (all it takes is one person to hate the book and then its all downhill) so I go in blind and read them for myself.

[Heather]

Lily wrote: "Mark wrote: "To be honest, at this point I'm thrilled with any review I get, even if it is just stars. But to go a little further, It's basically the same thing, rating something four or five star..."

Very astute response, Lily. :)

[Lily]

Stuart wrote: "I don't think I've ever bought a book based on the reviews. True, it can look a little suss if they have nothing but glowing reviews but sometimes books are good enough to earn them. The review sys..."

Yes, that's exactly it. The more people post reviews and ratings based on what they want other people to think, as opposed to posting reviews and ratings based on what the reviewer thinks, the more the whole system will be lost... if it's not already lost.

Anyway, I don't mind this thread continuing, though it has gotten a bit out of hand lol The original question is, how many ARCs should be given out? Therefore, how many reviews are an acceptable number to start?

There's no way any author could hand out 100 ARCs to start lol

I offered the answer of five reviews. In my experience, that's a healthy start. If you get more, then great!

[Lily]

Heather wrote: "Lily wrote: "Mark wrote: "To be honest, at this point I'm thrilled with any review I get, even if it is just stars. But to go a little further, It's basically the same thing, rating something four..."

I have no idea what my answer was, it didn't show up lol

[Heather]

If a bad review is up front and center, I might slow down and look a little closer, to see if there is a reoccurring theme in the reviews on something that would make a book less desirable for me, and it might make me pull a sample first, to see what I think.

But I am far more pulled in by the blurb and what I read in the 'Look Inside' feature. Whether the book has 100 reviews or no reviews at all, the writing is what pulls me in. Covers not so much, unless they are really appalling or over the top.

[Tiger]

@Lily Well, I think the only real answer is, as many as the author can afford. EBooks are a bit easier to just give away, but print copies are often precious and should be given sparingly. My company has a relationship with a printer who does our books at a very competitive rate, but they're still quite expensive when you're ordering 200 at a time.

[Lily]

Tiger wrote: "@Lily Well, I think the only real answer is, as many as the author can afford. EBooks are a bit easier to just give away, but print copies are often precious and should be given sparingly. My compa..."

Fair point. Print and digital, two different things. For a print ARC, it will be 100% dependent on the publisher. Well, I stand by my answer. Five seems fair all around.

[Tiger]

I agree with five, though personally I think I'd hand out more like twenty plus ebooks, five print. Though I think I've actually given away about ten print copies now :P

[Lily]

Hehe, I've lost count of how many PDFs I've handed out.

[Justin]

Hmm..I would first say it depends on whether or not a reader uses reviews as a way to determine if they want to read the book. If they do then I would say maybe 7-10 and anymore after that of course would be a yes.

[Courtney]

I sometimes approach a book with the mindset that it needs a little love - like "poor you with 6 reviews. You sound like a nice book, let me help".