Imagine you’ve read a book you really liked, it drew you in, kept you reading and when done, you had a certain satisfied feeling. Maybe you’d like to read more from this writer, you want this author to keep writing so you can indulge again in a new story. How could you encourage this? What role could you personally play? Read on…

Written reviews are an enormous influence, with far reaching effects. Basically, a good review on a fiction novel is your opinion on a book you’ve just read.  So why is a review important or even relevant?

You may ask, what good is writing how I felt about this book going to help anyone? Surely people will all have their own opinions so why offer mine?

WHAT IS A REVIEW?

The answers to those questions are simple.

1. Writing a review is free. All it takes is a few minutes but can mean so much.
2. Reviews help other people decide on whether they should commit to buying a copy for themselves.
3. Social verification by readers helps other readers like family, friends and acquaintances want to read it for themselves.
4. This in turn helps authors sell more books. And the more they sell the more they can validate writing other books to entertain you. An author needs support to help them substantiate their time in writing, proofreading, editing, layout, formatting, cover design and marketing.
5. The more reviews on a book, the more popular it becomes.
6. The more popular a book becomes the ratings for an author increases
7. The more increase in ratings the higher the likelihood of a book becoming a Best Seller.
8. Review enough books and you become a 5-star book reviewer in your own right, where people will offer you books to read and review for them. Theoretically, you could even begin charging for the privilege.

What if a hate the book and can’t even finish it? Even a bad review, although less well received can be beneficial to the author in some instances. It’s not a great idea to slam the book by being nasty or downright rude about it though, stay honest, upfront and explain why you hated it. Even the biggest names in the industry get bad reviews. Some authors believe that bad reviews are damaging, but some learn from their reviews to work harder at creating a better read or rewriting the book to improve the quality. Constructive criticism can be helpful.

Okay, so when do I write a review? The best time is straight after you’ve finished reading it. That way the book is still fresh on your mind. Plus you are less likely to forget to do one.

Where do I submit a review? If an eBook go to the page you bought it from, if on Amazon, for instance, scroll down until you see the ‘Review the Book Here’ icon. Click, type and submit. Easy. Amazon thanks all their reviewers. And believe me so does an author (although silently) There are also places like Bookbub, Aerio, Pinterest, Snapchat, the authors webpage or their facebook book page. Then there’s Goodreads, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, and the list goes on. Take your pick. Heck! Go put it in your local paper if you like.

If you bought a paperback it depends on where you bought it from. If directly from the author a review on their web page, via email, the Authors facebook page or even your own or other social media platform is still very viable to the author, as is word of mouth. You could perhaps, use a photo of you reading or holding up the novel on your own social media page, saying something like “Look what I’m reading!” Another nice idea is to Follow the Author pages and perhaps sign up to their email list. If bought online via Amazon Barnes & noble, Aerio or other retailer simply go back to that site and write your review there. If you’re an Amazon customer you can write a review about any product anytime. Simply Click, write and submit. Done.

Fine. So how do I even write a review! I’ve never written a review about a book in my life!  The best way to start is think about the first impression you had when you finally closed the book. What you would like others to know about your emotions.

A first opinion / impression of the book you’ve just finished reading. Examples;

1. Loved it, want more
2. A good read
3. Boy that was intense
4. An exciting escape
5. Wow, what’s next

Was it?

1. Worth reading
2. Entertaining
3. Well written
4. Exciting
5. Easy to read

What did you like about this book?

1. The believable characters – Any in particular?
2. The Setting
3. The plot
4. The pace (fast or slow enough to keep you reading)
5. The cover design

A final word you might have.

1. Looking forward to reading more from this author
2. Very entertaining
3. Great escape
4. Couldn’t put it down
5. An awesome read. Definitely recommend this book!

The above are only guides. Use your own honest words. Do your best to never give away the plot or outcome. These are known as spoilers. Who likes it when you’re about to see a movie and someone in your crowd says, “Yeah It was great, the serial killer turns out to be the lead cop.” Groan.

You can use three words in your review or a hundred. Sometimes, short and sweet hits the spot. Some reviewers like to describe the actual story, but most authors feel the blurb, if done properly will describe the contents so perhaps they don’t need to see your version re-written.

I hope this article has been helpful and guides you towards the positive and steers you away from any fears in writing a review about a book you’ve genuinely liked.

Liked any of mine? Below are my books with the Amazon link to test my article and know I have helped you overcome any fears of writing your first review. I’m looking forward to reading a few more. Honestly, some of my books don’t have any! Just click on the book to be taken to the review page. Press the back button to return to this page.

KEEP REVIEWING ALL THE BOOKS FROM ALL THE AUTHORS YOU’VE LIKED OR LOVED!