Book reviews help sway potential readers. Simon Whaley explores how to encourage readers to write a one.
We love it when a reader enjoys our books so much they’re compelled to leave a review. Unfortunately, not all of them do.
Reviews are powerful things. Not only are they an endorsement from previous readers, they’re a great signal to potential buyers about whether our book is for them.
They also influence algorithms. When platforms are looking to suggest titles to potential buyers, a regularly reviewed book shows customer engagement. Reviews create a buzz. Some platforms, like Apple, offer self-published authors marketing opportunities once their book has garnered fifty or more reviews.
Having reviews is important, so how can we encourage readers to take the time and effort to leave one?
Before Publication
Publication Day can feel a bit ‘chicken-and-egg’. Our book is available to buy, but because nobody has bought it yet, there are no reviews to sway potential readers into buying. If only there was a way readers could read the book before it has been published and then post a review on publication day. Step forward NetGalley.
The NetGalley service has two sets of clients: members and publishers. Reviewers, bloggers, journalists, and influencers sign up as members. If a publisher approves them, they can read pre-published books for free, in return for a review.
Publishers, including self-published authors, can pay to upload their book to NetGalley for members to read and review. NetGalley offers a subscription service for the big publishers, but recommends self-publishers opt for their pay-per-title service.
Upload a new book to NetGalley a couple of months before publication. This provides time to promote the book as being available on NetGalley and gives members time to read it. NetGalley encourages members to leave reviews, and many post the same review on platforms like Amazon, Apple, and Kobo.
When you see a book has hundreds of reviews on publication day, the chances are the publisher used NetGalley to garner them in advance.
ARC Teams
Alternatively, we can create our own Advance Review Copy Team. This is a group of readers who, for a free digital copy of the book, promise to leave a review on a book platform site on publication day.
This is easy to set up if you have an established newsletter and mailing list. Send a newsletter to your readers, asking if they want to read your latest book for free before publication for an honest review. Again, give readers time to read the book, and impress upon them the importance of leaving a review on or as soon after publication day as possible.
Not got a mailing list yet? Ask friends, particularly writer friends, if they could write a review. Even a handful of positive reviews added on publication day can help encourage other readers to buy your book.
Blog Tours
For a small fee, blog tour organisers can co-ordinate book reviewers to read and blog about your book during a specific timeframe. Many post copies of their reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, and other book platforms.
Review Request
As the saying goes, if you don’t ask, you don’t get. In your book’s back matter, ask readers to leave a review. Say something like, I hope you enjoyed reading Book Title. Please consider leaving an honest review (which can be as short or as long as you like) on the store from where you purchased it.
Give them guidance. Seek feedback on passages they enjoyed. Ask them to share how your book made them feel. This focuses them on the book’s strengths, making their reviews more detailed and genuine.
Share Review Links
Ask for reviews on social media, but be specific with your links. Add the link to your book’s Write A Review section, not your book’s sales page. (Go to your book’s sales page, scroll down to Write A Review, click the link, then copy and share that URL.) Make it as easy as possible for a reader to write that review. The more scrolling and extra clicks they have to make, the more chance there is they’ll give up.
Offering free copies of a book in return for an honest review is a time-honoured publishing practice. Paying for or offering incentives for reviews goes against the terms and conditions of many platforms and could get your account blocked.
Ideally, asking for reviews should become a habit every time we engage with readers via a newsletter, online, face-to-face, or through our books. One reader’s review could introduce a new loyal fan to our books for many years to come.
Review References
NetGalley: netgalley.co.uk
Blog Tour Organisers: rachelsrandomresources.com, lolasblogtours.net, kellylacey.com, reedsy.com/marketing/blog-tour
© Simon Whaley