Want to lend a helping hand? Then write a review!
Updated: Sep 23, 2021
One of the things I've discovered on my publishing journey is the importance of reviews. I must admit that I never thought much about writing reviews before, largely because I couldn't fully appreciate their importance. Trying to promote a book, though, I have found that reviews are vital to improving sales. When potential readers see that a book has a good rating and positive reviews, they are more likely to read it themselves. It's logical, of course, as the reviews are (hopefully) endorsements of the product, but there's more to it than that. For books being sold on Amazon, for example, the more reviews a book has, the more likely it is to show up in searches of similar books, too. This naturally increases exposure and the likelihood of the book being picked up by more readers.
Unfortunately, it's not such a simple matter to actually get those reviews, as most people just don't write them. And then there are readers who do want to write a review but can't because they don't qualify according to Amazon's review policies, for example, because they haven't spent the minimum amount of money required. Another challenge is that reviews are not necessarily shared across all Amazon sites, so in my case, I have different reviews and ratings on Amazon.com, .co.uk and .de, making it even more difficult to get a large number of reviews on any one platform.
But here's what you can do to help me and other authors you may know:
If you've read a book and enjoyed it, post a review on Amazon, goodreads or other bookish sites (to readers buying from non-English Amazon sites, post the review in English if possible, to increase sharing to other platforms).
If you don't qualify to write a review or haven't read the book yourself because it's just not your cup of tea (and that's ok!), you can still tell your friends about it or give it as a gift to someone who would find it interesting.
Hit the share button when you come across a snippet promoting the book on Facebook or retweet a post on Twitter.
Doing a few of these little things can help writers reach more potential readers, and ultimately sell more books. But, of course, this kind of promotion isn't limited to authors. There are lots of creative people in the world, trying to get their work noticed, as well as small businesses, wanting to carve out a niche for themselves in a crowded market. Reviews and social media sharing are indispensable for these individuals and businesses, who depend on ratings and word of mouth to grow.
So, if you see something you love, bought a great product or received fantastic service, share it with the people you know. It doesn't cost you a thing.
by Juliane Weber (@Writer_JW) 24 March 2021 [subscribe on the main blog page]
About Juliane Weber
Juliane is a scientist, turned medical writer, turned novelist. Her debut historical novel, Under the Emerald Sky, is the first book in The Irish Fortune Series, which is set in 19th century Ireland around the time of the Great Famine.
Buy the book here, or visit Juliane’s website to find out more.
He's come to Ireland to escape his past. She's trying to run from her future.