Short on time? Here is the quick answer: Book reviews build visibility for authors. They may unlock Amazon algorithm boosts once a book hits certain thresholds, help books unofficially qualify for promotional sites like BookBub, and guide readers toward books they’ll actually love. Longer detailed answer below, as well as some review etiquette tips.
Hello Fated Darling, have you left a review of your recent reads?
Whether you have or haven’t yet, I’m going to share with you why it matters, so you know why the authors you follow online spend so much time asking for reviews.
You can directly influence a book’s success. Let’s celebrate that by talking about how it works.
How Reviews on Amazon Help Authors
Did you know that reviews help unlock new features for books on Amazon? When a book gets to 50 reviews it is more likely to be prioritized in algorithms on big retailers like Amazon. Amazon won’t say this fact out loud, but it is a noticeable effect many authors report.
The content of reviews can also help drive Amazon SEO. So if you say in your review that a book has the “one bed trope,” for example, when someone searches for that trope they may find the book you recommend.
Q: “Where should I leave a review, Amazon or Goodreads?”
Goodreads and Amazon have the most impact on book rankings and sales, so if you are able to review in two places, those two are often preferred because of their reach. But both help! Now Goodreads review star ratings can also show on Amazon pages, which gives all readers more data.
How Reviews Help Book Promotions
Many book promotion websites and advertisements are on an application-only process. They may read the reviews before considering a book, or only accept books that have a certain number of positive reviews.
When you leave a review, you are helping give social proof to advertisers, so your favorite books have more options to reach new readers.
One of my favorite sites for sharing my book sales is BookBub, and books where I have more reviews seem more likely to be accepted then otherwise.
How Reviews Influence Sales
In a sea of books (millions and millions of them), it can be hard to stand out. When considering similar books in a genre, readers may look at reviews to be their determining factor. It’s similar to videos on TikTok or Instagram Reels, reviews help share what stands out about a book and then the reader will know if it’s a book they would enjoy too.
Every review helps the stories you love succeed, even if you have some critiques to share, the things that bother you in a book may actually be what another reader loves to read.
I’ve personally read negative reviews, where a user talked about how much they didn’t like an aspect of the book, which then influenced me to buy the book becasue I loved what that reader hated.
Both positive and negative reviews can help, as long as they are not mean-spirited or attack an author directly.
In the case of indie authors who have already published but are considering querying an agent (or already being considered by a traditional publisher), reviews can enter that equation as one of those social proof points.
Q: “Can a negative review still help an author?”
Yes! I’ve read reviews that said a book was bad because of an a specific reason, which for me would be a reason that I would love a book. Every reader is different. As long as you are not mean in the review, any review can help an author overall, it is just up to the author if they want to read that review either way.
Review Etiquette
As an author, it is not my place to tell you how to review books or what you should say, but there are some common guidelines most agree on. If you don’t want to follow them, that is up to you. Reviews are reader spaces, even if they impact books written by authors.
- Honest feedback, always. You are not allowed to be paid to write a favorable book review. It goes against the terms of service for most sites and can get you baned.
- Be considerate in your critiques. For example, you can say there are typos in a book if you want to, but don’t say “this author is an idiot for missing so many simple spelling errors.”
- Be mindful of trigger warnings and content warnings. Many books have them now (you can read my content guide too). They are there to help you know if a book is right or wrong for your reader needs. Don’t read a warning, realize there is a topic you don’t like or feel comfortable with, and then continue to read and review the book negatively for the content that you were warned would be there. Simply DNF (do not finish) or skip books that aren’t for you. Respect your needs and the warning the author provided.
- Do not tag an author in a negative review on social media. Honestly, most authors don’t want to be tagged at all in reviews, positive or negative! The author you are reviewing may have this written somewhere if you check. Related, if someone else has posted about a book and tagged the author and it’s positive, don’t comment on that post saying you didn’t enjoy it. This includes three star reviews. Feel free to engage in that conversation with the poster separately in a DM or another post. This directly puts negativity in the author’s line of sight because they are tagged and it’s up to the author to determine if and when they want to read their reviews. While reviews are helpful, not every author wants to read them. It’s a personal choice and boundary we should all help maintain.
- Don’t judge other readers. Reading is subjective, what is a masterpiece for one reader may be trash for someone else. One person’s favorite trope could be a triggering one to others or just not interesting. Be kind when sharing your opinion and in conversations with other readers. We are all here to enjoy reading, let your peers have fun in a safe space without judgment.
Review Bonus Tips
- If you want your review on Amazon to stand out and get more “thumbs up” than others, include a photo with your review. Reviews with photos have more of a chance of showing up first on a book page.
- Share comparable books in your headline to quickly give an opinion. For example, “Fans of X will like Y.”
- Always cross-post reviews to help your favorite books get more exposure. Some of the most helpful places to leave reviews are Amazon, Bookbub, Barnes and Noble, and Goodreads. Even when a book is available on multiple platforms, most books are still purchased on Amazon, so that should be the first place you go, however, there are many readers that only use Apple Books–for example. Reach readers where they are.
And, you guessed it, I’m now going to ask you to review my books!
If you have read The Courting of Kingdoms, can you take a moment to leave a review? You can click from there to Amazon or other sites you want to review the book. It means a lot!
Were there any review insights here that you didn’t know? Anything surprising? Share the post with a friend who may be interested and let me know your thoughts!
Psst, a version of this post is also living over on my paranormal romance penname blog.
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