Book Reviews
WWW # 98 Book Reviews
Wednesday Writing Weekly #98: Book Reviews and Common Practices
Book reviews are an amazing way to share with your community and the online world what you think about a book. Whether negative or positive, it’s fun to catalog what you read in this way, and it can be helpful to the author too!
After discussing “Readers, Authors, and Book Review Ratings” a couple of weeks ago, I wanted to look back and return to the basics of reviews. Do you know where you can write and share your reviews or what some of the gray areas of this pastime is? Let’s learn more about book reviews and their place in the book community.
Why Book Reviews Help Authors
Book reviews are a way for readers to express and catalog what they think about a book. After reading so many books all year, it is fun to look back and see what you read. It is also a great way to share what you think about a book! Was it a good read? Did you think it needed some work? What was your favorite quote? Book reviews can take on many different purposes.
For authors, reviews help get the word out about their book. Reviews spread the word, recommend your book, and can introduce it to new audiences. Reviews also help boost author’s exposure and reach on sites such as Goodreads and Amazon.
Obviously, good reviews can help an author, and bad reviews may hurt their sales but it’s important to remember this is not a space to bully works or authors you do not like! Review and provide your honest opinions of what you read but keep it polite. If you leave a nasty review that sounds like you didn’t even bother to give the work a chance… that makes you sound bad, not the author you are directing your hate at.
Where to Post
Book reviews can be posted anywhere! Book worms may plaster them across their social media accounts and blogs, but more official places that directly benefit the author’s rating can be at the following websites:
Barnes & Noble
Amazon
Goodreads
When leaving your review, you will be asked to give the book a star rating. Star ratings can vary differently between readers. For some, a three-star review might be bad while some rank that as a “good read.” Decide how you want to spread your opinion across the five-ranking stars and pick what you think works best!
Can You Pay for Book Reviews?
No. Features, exposure, and advertisements for your own book can be purchased but when it comes to reviews specifically, this is a messy gray area.
(Note: I am talking about social media and casual book reviewers posting on book listings. I am not touching on book review companies or professional critics for advertising… that’s a whole other topic!)
Book reviews are honored for being honest, unbiased reviews. Readers are sharing their real opinions but if someone is hired to do so, they might not be giving an unbiased review. Websites such as Amazon can remove or demote a book listing if the author has been buying reviews as this is direct misuse and manipulation of their system. Because of this, it is a big NO, NO, and NO! You can risk hurting your sales and audience if you try to do this as an author. Let the reviews do their own work. This is not the author’s space to manipulate.
Another problem with paying for book reviews is that it puts pressure on your readers. You want your audience to organically enjoy your work. That’ll create a reader who will eagerly await your next book. Buying reviews may be a one-time transaction that doesn’t really benefit you in the moment regardless.
Conclusion
As both a reader and a writer, I personally love reviews. But reviews can be a tricky thing. As an author, it can hurt if someone doesn’t like your work but again, those reviews are the readers’ space. If you are worried about them hurting your feelings, don’t read them. Everyone is going to get bad reviews; that’s just how it works so it is better to navigate it and move on, rather than lashing out or trying to bury them under fake or bought reviews.
As an author, you also should not expect your readers to give reviews or demand that they must after reading your work. Your reader has picked up your book, possibly purchased it, and has enjoyed your work. They did not owe you that and beyond that, they do not owe you anything! Badgering anyone to read your work and demanding a review is not the way to go.