Global Mysteries

Have you ever wanted to write a review of a book you really enjoyed but weren’t certain where and how to do it?  Amazon provides you an opportunity to do this even if you didn’t purchase the book from them. Reviews can have a big impact on book sales. Authors deeply appreciate the time and effort their readers put into writing reviews. Here are some points to consider when writing book reviews.

Do Amazon reviews actually affect a book’s sales?

Yes they do according to publishers and other authors. Here’s how:

• After about ten reviews, Amazon starts including the book in “also bought” and “you might like” lists. This increases the chances of someone finding the title.

• After several more reviews Amazon looks at the book for spotlight positions and the newsletter. This provides a HUGE hike in sales.

• The number of reviews may affect Amazon sales ranking.

• Some websites will not consider or promote a book unless it has a number of reviews on the Amazon page.

• Readers may read through reviews and decide to purchase or not purchase the book based on what they read.

How do you write a review?

The beautiful thing about Amazon reviews is that you don’t have to be a professional reviewer. You can click a star rating and then write a couple of sentences about the book. Reviews can be as simple as “This book was really good. I recommend it for a great summer read.” They can be as elaborate as you want.

Here are some ideas you might find useful:

•Say something you liked about the book. Things that you could focus on could include the plot, a particular scene, characters, how things changed during the course of the story, etc.

Here are some examples:

-I loved the scene where Grace meets Detective Ross in Marita’s apartment.

-Captain George is the kind of guy you love to hate.

-The ending was a complete surprise to me.

•If there was a moment or character that personally impacted you in some way, say so. Put yourself in the review. Authors love to know they made a personal connection with what they wrote.

Here are some examples:

– Mrs. Groat reminded me of my own grandmother.

-Maynard Christie is the kind of man I’d expect to see on an Australian sheep station.

-I learned a lot about Australia or life on a sheep station or Uluru.

•Words that describe the book.

It was good, it was fast-moving, it was full of twists and turns, lots of red herrings, kept me guessing.

•Talk about what you wanted to see more of or what needs improvement. Do you wish a character was in the book more? Were there a couple of sections that ran a bit slow? Say so.

Tips to remember:

•Don’t be afraid to be honest. Do remember to be helpful.

•Don’t give away the ending of the book. You can say “the ending surprised me”, but don’t reveal specific plot details.

The more personal and less technical your review, the better. Write a review as long or short as you want. Think of it as what you might tell people you know about this book.

More Marketing tips:

How to write a Book Review