Indie Authors need book reviews.
But before I launch into WHY, I want to say to each and every one of you has written and posted a book review, THANK YOU!
- (Author confession time: I’m behind on reviewing the books I’ve read. I totally get that we’re all busy–and I’ll use this as a gentle reminder to myself to get those stars posted.)
Some things to know:
- Reviews help spread the word about books to potential new readers. Word of mouth and personal recommendations are still a big deal. That 5 minutes you take to click through to where you bought that book and leave a review is worth a LOT.
- Reviews help self-published authors gain traction when they begin the process of advertising that book in order to gain new (more) readers.
- For an Indie Author like me, who entered The Business within the past couple of years, getting noticed–and remaining ‘discoverabe’–is one tough nut to crack!
- Once a book has 10 reviews, the ability to advertise gets a lot easier for us. Blame algorithms.
A lot of authors don’t/won’t read those reviews.
- We ask for them. We appreciate them. But I–like many of my peers–believe that reviews are for the readers. And that review sites are a place for readers to engage with fellow readers.
- I know not everyone loves or even likes my books and that readers who review are going to be honest about their reading experience, their reaction, how the author raised their hopes then crushed their dreams… sigh. It’s a big responsibility, being a writer. This is why we consume a lot of chocolate and basically keep the pajama industry alive.
- For some of us, reading reviews can derail our creative process. Because of that sensitivity, we’ll often have someone on our ‘team’ whose role is to scan reviews for pull-quotes for our websites and such. Those people are generally under gag orders to just go in, read, and choose.
Here’s how you can help:
- Go to Goodreads and leave stars. Add a review if you have the time.
- Purchased or gifted a paperback/hardcover? You can still leave a review at Goodreads. You could also leave a review on the bookstore’s website or Facebook, especially if it’s an Independent Bookstore (like my beloved Salt Spring Books)
- Go to where you purchased the book online. Leave some stars. Leave a review. One line will do it. One line, even one word, counts.
- Amazon now lets you leave stars (and says they no longer require you to leave a review).
- Spread the word about a book you liked via social media, and word of mouth.
A few clicks can make a big difference in the life of an Indie Author like me 🙂
Love,
Coralie
