How to Get More Reviews for Your Book on Amazon

This post was featured on my site The Self Publisher some months ago and I want to share it with you here.

Imagine seeing an advertising popular upwards on Facebook advertising your recently published book—an ad you didn't pay for.

Imagine seeing your book appearing showtime in a line of recommended books on the production pages of similar books, and you didn't pay for a sponsored advertizing.

Imagine hearing from readers that they learned most your book from an Amazon email blast that encouraged them to purchase it.

Wouldn't information technology exist smashing to become all that costless promotion?

Yous tin can—when you lot get enough authentic, approved reviews on Amazon.

Yes, Amazon Will Promote Your Book!

While Amazon'south algorithms are somewhat of a mystery, it's a known truth that when your volume accrues a certain number of reviews, or a lot of reviews in a short amount of (unspecified) time, Amazon kicks into gear multiple promotions for your book. Gratis promotion that would probably price a fortune if y'all had to foot the beak.

The magic number to starting time the ball rolling in this complimentary promotion is fifty. 50 reviews claim cross promotion and ranking your book higher than others in the aforementioned categories based on search terms. With 75 reviews, Amazon is triggered to send email blasts to customers who've bought similar books. Amazon utilizes customer information to provide relevant recommendations.

I get tickled when I'grand reading a web log and suddenly ane of my books pops up on the side—an Amazon-sponsored ad—suggesting I buy that book. No thanks, already accept information technology. But it brings a smile to my face. Did I mention I love free promotion? I am sure you volition likewise.

Every time your book is reviewed, the algorithms are updated, and your book'south internal ranking increases.

While Amazon isn't the simply site where writers demand reviews, information technology's where almost customers shop for books. Reviews you get on Amazon can often be used on other platforms, but no other marketplace engages in costless author promotion equally extensively and generously as Amazon.

Getting numerous, honest reviews on Amazon should exist at the top of your market strategy list. Having the best keywords might help your book turn upwards in search results, but if you lot don't take a slew of reviews, your book will exist overlooked or dismissed by a big number of potential readers. High numbers of reviews adds cred to your brand and your talent every bit a writer.

Amazon also allows authors to requite abroad their volume for free for 5 days over a 90-day period (when enrolled in KDP Select). Why is this helpful in getting book reviews? Considering it gives yous groovy exposure to potential readers who might pick up your book considering it's costless.

This too increases your chances of ranking high in the Summit 100 Costless Books list, exposing your championship to many more potential readers (readers who might very well write a review for it—simply scout for my warning further down).

Amazon's Rules on Reviews

Due to bug with dishonorable people, Amazon has developed tight rules regarding reviews. While these might seem annoying to authors, they serve to protect unscrupulous people from publishing gobs of fake or paid reviews to skew rankings and algorithms.

Here are some of the things Amazon forbids and flags (and may cause your book to be removed): paid reviews, reviews garnered through bribery (you offer something free in exchange for the review), and swapped reviews (arranging with other authors via social media sites to review each other's books, which usually does not include really reading said books).

Verified vs. Unverified

While it can't be quantified, it'due south likely that some potential customers wait at how many reviews are "verified" purchases as opposed to unverified. A "verified" purchase means the reviewer bought your book on Amazon, whereas anyone who acquired your book via some other means (purchased elsewhere, given every bit a souvenir, a free ARC) will take their review marked "unverified."

As a potential customer, I don't pay attention to that. I'one thousand more interested in what the reviewer says virtually the book. I know that many authors—myself included—ship out files of their books to people for an honest review, pre- and post-publishing. And then some of those reviews are going to be unverified. Simply information technology stands to reason, having predominately verified reviews could positively influence some potential readers. I wouldn't stress about this.

Quantity and Quality

Getting book reviews takes work and fourth dimension, and the last thing we writers want to exercise is waste time, spinning our wheels and getting no useful results.

However, it should go without saying that nosotros don't just want a lot of reviews; we want good reviews. Ones that are thoughtful, detailed, and personal. And that can take fourth dimension to accumulate.

It stands to reason that having a lot of positive reviews for your volume is social proof that you've written something worth reading.

If you want to get a lot of reviews fast, and you're willing to pay, promo sites like Bookbub (there are many!) can assistance. I've gotten upward to 50,000 free downloads in one week via a Bookbub advertizement offer one of my ebooks for free. And that led to a truckload of reviews (not to mention future sales of my book and other installments in my series as a bonus). However, it can also be hard to land such ads, as the contest for slots can be tearing. It'south worth repeated submission, though, for the book review payoff.

While it can take some time, researching summit Amazon (Vine) reviewers tin can garner you some weighty reviews. You lot can peruse the list of these ane,000 reviewers and find ones who review books similar yours (and if they leave a lot of negative reviews, beware). Fifty-fifty if you only get a handful of Vine reviewers to read and review your book, that can exist super helpful and influential.

You can Google "free volume review sites" and look for ones that promote honest, legal reviews, like OnlineBookClub. Reedsy has a list of 200+ book blogs, updated for 2020, that you can utilize to notice reviewers of your type of book.

Develop Relationships

One suggestion that I never see mentioned just is one that has served me very well is to attend writers' conferences. Non but I but many writers I know have gotten endorsement blurbs from some of the near successful blockbuster authors by attending conferences and creating 18-carat relationships.

Let me emphasize those final three words. If you go around conferences strong-arming famous authors [read: ingratiating yourself], begging them to spend precious hours of their life reading your book and write a glowing review, you are going to exist labeled a pesky pariah.

Conferences provide opportunities to rub elbows with these authors, and engaging in sincere and considerate chat could open the door to a generous and willing heart happy to help out. You lot may notice only one, but that's a great start!

This is too good communication for any endeavour to garner reviews—be information technology from friends, writing associates, or your coworkers at your task. Don't be pushy or whiny. People who sense your humility and genuineness will exist drawn to take you upward on your request to read and review. Give information technology a endeavour!

It'south Never Besides Early to Commencement Edifice Your Mailing Listing

The best way to get quality reviews is to reach out to those on your mailing list, your social media contacts, and those y'all've sent advance copies to. Ask them in a friendly, non-pressuring manner to go out a review, expressing gratitude for their taking the time to read and review your book.

Even if you lot haven't finished writing your book, y'all should become a mailing list started and piece of work on building it. These folks are going to exist your almost faithful fans and reviewers. Some authors set up street teams (a group of super fans) and become them enthusiastically involved in sharing news about their new release, and one time the book is published, they're usually asked to mail their honest reviews right away. With a mailing list, you tin can share excerpts of your new release and offer an ARC to whatever who want to read and review. I do this often with my new releases.

Go along these tips in mind:

• Don't bribe, coerce, or cajole.

• When you ship a copy of your book to a potential reader, thank them and tell them: "Be certain that when yous exit a review on Amazon for me, you state that you were given a free re-create in exchange for writing an honest review."

• Practise inquire them to give you an honest review. DON'T threaten them. You'll make more friends this way, stay out of trouble, and have a articulate conscience (reread above section on developing relationships).

• Be professional. Remember: there is nothing disgraceful near request for reviews or blurbs of endorsement for your book.

• Provide a choice of epub, PDF, and mobi (Kindle) files. Yous tin can save a Give-and-take doc as a PDF, and there are free sites online that tin convert from one file type to another. I similar to put my cover on the first page, and information technology's wise to test the file (transport the mobi to your Kindle and download a program that can open an epub file (I use Adobe Digital Editions)

Reviews over Time

In order to stay ranking loftier and proceed Amazon's algorithm attending, you'll need to get a steady stream of reviews over time. That'south why it'due south not a dandy idea to tell all your fans or mailing list recipients to mail service their review on one specific 24-hour interval. It's improve if they flow in as a stream and not a tsunami.

Don't run that gratis KDP promotion during launch week. Offer your book for free one or ii days a month, and that will describe in new readers whose reviews will come in over time.

Consider using a complimentary, reputable book review site—possibly one each month—to concenter new readers. I recently did a NetGalley promotion (yes, I did pay for that), and netted a lot of readers who downloaded (for free) my book file. NetGalley reviewers are bloggers, librarians, booksellers, educators, journalists, and members of the media. Reviewers give your book a rating and offer feedback. My side by side step is to contact the reviewers who haven't nevertheless left a review and politely ask if they would post ane on Amazon.

Keep in heed that any reviews you become, you tin manually enter them through your Author Central account on Amazon so the reviews volition show up on your product page. So no worries nearly pressuring readers to head over to Amazon to mail service it themselves. However, these reviews appear on your page's Editorial Reviews section, non in the usual Amazon review pages (so won't be ranked by 1-5 stars or counted as office of your number of reviews).

Get back to your list of book bloggers and review sites. Consider contacting blogs on a weekly basis to accrue new contacts and get more reviews. Go on a nautical chart of who you contact when.

How to Avoid Negative Reviews

Let's face reality here: you will go negative reviews. Just you lot're in expert company. The most famous, successful authors have enough of negative reviews. Not everyone will dear your book.

The few negative reviews I've gotten over the years have mostly been from readers who picked up my book during a free promotion. Some admit in their review "I never read this genre" or "this isn't my type of book." Meaning, they wouldn't have bought my book (which makes me groan and mutter, "So why did you carp reading my volume?").

This is function of the tradeoff with doing gratis promotions. You volition probably become reviews from those who don't like or sympathize your genre, and, sadly, you lot can't cake or preclude them from leaving a review or remove said review. Good news is they probably won't download your next book during a freebie menses.

Here are some ways to fend off negative reviews:

• Have your book professionally edited and proofread.
• Better still, take a professional critique your volume before editing to ensure it'due south well structured.
• Brand certain your formatting looks adept, for both ebook and paperback. It'due south not hard to learn how to format an ebook. Get Mark Coker'southward free mode book (Smashwords founder). I download Amazon'due south templates for paperback and paste all my content in. Or y'all can rent a designer to help you lot. Simply practise it right.
• Write description copy that accurately describes the genre and story—don't mislead potential readers. Besides, if your book contains "heat" (venturing into erotica) or descriptive violence, warn your reader. It's the responsible matter to do. And, honestly, you want your target readers to be enjoying your book.
• Don't make promises you tin can't keep. This applies to self-help and other types of nonfiction. You might promise your readers will get healed, rich, happy, or successful by post-obit your five-footstep secret method, merely if you guarantee they volition become these results, you are going to take some pretty aroused customers leaving scathing reviews.
• Your volume shouldn't exist a thinly veiled advert platform for other books or services. It'due south fine to list some of your other publications or resource at the dorsum of your book, and it's wise to include an extract of one of those other books to entice readers to buy it (and putting in a link to buy is fine). But don't have promotions and special offers sprinkled throughout your pages. It'south spammy and off-putting.
• Did I mention yous must have your book professionally edited and proofread?

Encourage Readers to Leave a Review Correct after They Read

While Amazon emails customers to leave reviews some days after they buy anything on their site, a personal encouragement at the dorsum of your book, forth with a link (if an ebook), will probably persuade readers to leave that honest review.

This is what I write: "The best way to thank an writer for writing a book you enjoyed is to leave an honest review! Click here to post your review of [book title]. Thank you so much for taking the time to let other readers know what you thought of my book." I put a hyperlink in continued to the words click here (don't bear witness the very long URL).

If your book isn't published yet, you will accept to wait until you lot've at least got it up for presale (one good reason to use that feature) in social club to go your Amazon book page URL. Once you lot have that, plug in the URL to your request for a review.

One time the book is published, you can utilize the link that directly goes to the book review page for your book. Here's how you lot practice information technology:

• Go to your product folio in one case your book is live, click on the reviews push button, then coil down to the lesser and click on "run across all __ customer reviews. Click on that link.
• Now, grab the URL in the search bar at the top.
• Only grab to the end of the numbers and include the forward slash. It should look something like this: http://world wide web.amazon.com/Colorado-Hope-Historical-Western-Romance-ebook/production-reviews/B00PIAD22K/

Observe that the URL includes "product-reviews" in in that location. That'due south the nice, make clean link to your reviews page.

And so what happens when the reader clicks that link?

She gets taken right to the top of your review page where there is a prissy push that says "write a review."

Getting reviews on Amazon—honest, authentic reviews—will take fourth dimension and effort, only it's worth it. Every bit the reviews pile up, you'll see your sales ranking rise and your volume will come up up higher in search results.

But don't forget the big picture: it's about relationships. Build a fan base of operations of happy readers who love your books. Take the time to master your craft, write the best books you can, take pride in them, and brand sure they are professionally edited, with attractive covers and clarification that accurately describes your content. If you focus on those things and put out the effort, you will accept a lot more than just reviews. You'll have a joyful writing career.

Featured Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash.

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Source: https://www.livewritethrive.com/2022/02/21/the-best-way-to-rack-up-book-reviews-on-amazon/