If you liked it, leave a review
Firstly, all creative people love getting reviews. They mean social credence. If we see a useful review, we are more likely to buy a product. Books are no different.
People outside the publishing world aren’t aware of the importance of leaving a review for a book which you enjoyed. Most, simply turn the last page over and switch off the light.
So, I thought I’d write a short post explaining how much you can help your favourite author if you enjoyed one of their books. Your review will be greatly appreciated as the author welcomes you to be one of their tribe.
Reviews don’t help with the sales rankings or directly add money to the author’s wine or whisky fund, But, in the ever-expanding self-publishing world, reviews are the catalyst for future success for an author and their future writing.
How does it help by leaving a review?
Simply put, it shows social acceptance or social gravitas for the book. As humans, we love referrals because they mean that someone else has taken the risk and liked (or disliked) a product. It shows the book, product or service can be trusted.
Ask yourself this. How often do you ask your friends and family for recommendations? You ask them whether they could recommend a plumber, babysitter, photographer, reliable bank, suitable airline, speedy delivery service or trustworthy mechanic. We base so many of our decisions on recommendations, both positive or negative.
Reviewing a book is no different. You are giving your opinion (it need only be 2 or 3 sentences) and your social approval to something you’ve read, thus endorsing the book as worth reading.
Cross-posting is also really appreciated by authors. What I mean by that is, reviewing the book across various reading platforms or social sites where the book is found, i.e. Amazon, iTunes, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, Goodreads. Copying and pasting the same review across as many as these as you belong to will help an author tremendously. Many online book sites will only promote your book if it has a certain amount of reviews from readers already.
The review is not just about the author. It is about what you, the reader, thought of the book. If you liked or disliked it, leave some reasons why so that others can gauge whether it is for them or not. Disliking a book is not the same as saying it is a bad book any more than liking a book, means it is good. It is the reader’s viewpoint
Here are some of the ways you can contribute:
- A like, or retweet, or share
- A star rating
- A comment or a two-sentence review
- All of the above, across multiple sites
- Email the author if you disliked it and let them know why
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