The best way to get reviews

Daffyjkl

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Hi AW Members,
What is the best way to get reviews? I have had at least 30 people say they would download my book and write a review, but so far I've had about 20 downloads and just 2 reviews. I know Amazon rejects family and friend reviews, but surely most early reviews will come from those people. I don't want to be known as one of those people that bugs you for a review every time I see you. I rewrote my book 8 times, paid for an assessment from a recognised assessment service (from the Writers and Artists Yearbook - Excellent review by the way). I'm working on new titles, but what do I do to get those crucial 10+ reviews I need to stand out? I always think that people are unlikely to take a chance on a £2.99 book with 2 reviews when there is another with 10+ reviews. Any tips would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Jason
 

Whibs123

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Honestly, Daffyjkl, that is the million dollar question. For over two years I hunted and solicited reviewers to take a shot on my books, all the while building up, very slowly, a mailing list of people who read and enjoy my stuff. It wasn't until this year that I had sufficent numbers on my list that I was able to email about an update and casually mention that if they'd read the books I'd appreciate an honest review. I made it clear there was no obligation and that honesty was key. I was inspired by the results. I know some writers have thousands and thousands of subscribers and when they launch a new book they have hundreds of reviews within days.

So my advice is try to get those initial 10 reviews so you qualify for some of the promotional opportunities (e.g. Bookbub) and then just slow-burn with more titles and get a mailing list and treat that list like gold.

Good luck!
 

Dhewco

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It took me almost nine months to get those 2 reviews..so, I'm not sure I feel for you, lol. Still, best of luck.
 

Daffyjkl

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Thanks Whibs123 & Dhewco for the honest replies. What do you think is the minimum number of reviews to become considered legitimate? I mainly read paperbacks and I always check Amazon reviews. I look for 4+ stars. If the book has 100+ reviews I buy it. If it has a handful of reviews I'll delve into the reviewer details. If I see that the reviewer has only 1 review I know it's from friends or family. If they have reviewed dozens of similar books I know it's legit. Is the number of legitimate reviews a key to making sales?
Thanks again,
Jason
 

Old Hack

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You're legitimate already. You've written a book, you've made it the best you can, and you've self published it. That's far more than most people ever manage, and if that doesn't make you legitimate then I don't know what will. So try not to be so hard on yourself, please!

As for reviews, well. They are difficult to get. People like to read, but are reluctant to make the effort to review. It's best to avoid the trap of paid-for reviews, as they're notoriously bad value for money: often they'll have little to do with your book, will be poorly written, and will probably be deleted by Amazon et al.

I assume you've seen this thread in our Promotions room:

[h=3]How to promote your book like an intelligent human being and not an SEO Dweeb[/h]
It might well give you some help. And while we're on the subject of our Promotions room I'm going to move this thread there, as it is a better fit, I think.
 

Dhewco

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I'll be honest about that, too. I don't read reviews for books unless it has a reputation that I've heard of for being bad. Reviews of notoriously bad stuff is funny to read. To find new stuff, I peruse book store shelves or use the Amazon search engine for subjects I'm interested in. I read the blurb in the store and either buy it or go home to look for the e-book version. If I'm using search engine, I use the description and 'look inside' feature to make my decision.

David
 

Whibs123

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Thanks Whibs123 & Dhewco for the honest replies. What do you think is the minimum number of reviews to become considered legitimate? I mainly read paperbacks and I always check Amazon reviews. I look for 4+ stars. If the book has 100+ reviews I buy it. If it has a handful of reviews I'll delve into the reviewer details. If I see that the reviewer has only 1 review I know it's from friends or family. If they have reviewed dozens of similar books I know it's legit. Is the number of legitimate reviews a key to making sales?
Thanks again,
Jason

I don't look at reviews as being the benchmark for legitimacy. Instead, look at reviews as your way to reach more readers b/c the bigger promotion sites like Bookbub require x# of reviews before they'll consider offering your book on their sites. That is the real reason to get those first few reviews. After that, it's all gravy really. 100+ reviews to be legit? No way. There are so many books I LOVE that have only a few reviews. Especially if you go deeper into a series. Book 1 might have a lot, but book 3, 4, 5, etc tend to have fewer and fewer.
 

Daffyjkl

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Thanks all. Great feedback. I've looked at the link from Old Hack and I have a lot to do. Fortunately, I have the week before Christmas off so I'll look at websites and social media.
I must say it's good to get such quick responses to posts. It seems kind like a great online community. Thanks again.
 

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I went through NetGalley. It was $300 for the book to be available to a million book reviewers and in that month, I got over 20 reviews on amazon, blogs, and goodreads. My sales increased to over 1000. So, I guess it all depends if you think the money is worth it. To me, it was, but I had the extra money to invest in marketing.
 

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I went through NetGalley. It was $300 for the book to be available to a million book reviewers and in that month, I got over 20 reviews on amazon, blogs, and goodreads. My sales increased to over 1000. So, I guess it all depends if you think the money is worth it. To me, it was, but I had the extra money to invest in marketing.

Noteworthy, thanks.
 

James W

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One approach that a lot of people advocate is building an advanced list of people who agree to post an honest review of your book around launch time. You have to be careful with not offering free copies in exchange for reviews, but if you did a free launch day, and had everyone download and review it then, I think you'd be fine.

If you had 20 downloads resulting in 2 reviews, scale that up. Shoot for over 100+ downloads to get those 10 reviews, % wise.

Also, what are you doing to build a long term platform? Off Amazon, advertising on Facebook is a great way to drive traffic to your books, therefore increasing the likelihood of reviews. On Amazon itself, building an Author Central Page is a really effective way to build an engaged fan base who are more likely to review your books in the future.
 

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One approach that a lot of people advocate is building an advanced list of people who agree to post an honest review of your book around launch time. You have to be careful with not offering free copies in exchange for reviews, but if you did a free launch day, and had everyone download and review it then, I think you'd be fine.

Trade publishers commonly send out many ARCs to reviewers, bloggers, and people influential in the book world such as booksellers, colleagues of the writer, experts in the field, etc. These ARCs are not paid for. It's not good protocol to offer free books in exchange for a positive review, but you can offer them in exchange for an honest one.
 

Twick

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Hi AW Members,
What is the best way to get reviews? I have had at least 30 people say they would download my book and write a review, but so far I've had about 20 downloads and just 2 reviews. I know Amazon rejects family and friend reviews, but surely most early reviews will come from those people. I don't want to be known as one of those people that bugs you for a review every time I see you. I rewrote my book 8 times, paid for an assessment from a recognised assessment service (from the Writers and Artists Yearbook - Excellent review by the way). I'm working on new titles, but what do I do to get those crucial 10+ reviews I need to stand out? I always think that people are unlikely to take a chance on a £2.99 book with 2 reviews when there is another with 10+ reviews. Any tips would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Jason

One simple thing you can do is put a link to your book in your signature. Writers are also readers, and I've purchased books I've spotted here, and reviewed them afterwards. No exchange of favours, just I tell it like it is.

The more people you can make aware of your book, the more reviews you'll get.
 

Daffyjkl

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Thanks for the replys. It's early days, but one bad review can really hurt your chances. I'll try the signature option when I have earned the right. I think I also have to consider Facebook advertising and adding more detail to the Author Profile on Amazon. I have Amazon advertising running, but I don't think the stats are very accurate. I'll keep trying and keep on writing.
 

ACAuthors

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I went through NetGalley. It was $300 for the book to be available to a million book reviewers and in that month, I got over 20 reviews on amazon, blogs, and goodreads. My sales increased to over 1000. So, I guess it all depends if you think the money is worth it. To me, it was, but I had the extra money to invest in marketing.

I heard that NetGalley was a risky investment. A lot of reviewers request the books, download them, and then never review them. Is that something that you experienced?
 

shootseven

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I heard that NetGalley was a risky investment. A lot of reviewers request the books, download them, and then never review them. Is that something that you experienced?

If you're going to use Net Galley, I'd recommend joining a co-op. It will drastically cut the cost down.

As for whether I'd recommend it; I'm too early out to say. I've only received two reviews (had many more requests) so far, but the book hasn't been out that long so others may come in. I have also heard that NetGally reviewers tend to be harsher than average (like a full start rating below what others might say). Because of this I avoiding those who were only consumer reviewers, which also might be why I haven't had a big return on reviews yet.
 

TaylorSaville

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I too have wondered how to get reviews. My book has been out over a month and I have one, very short "review". I'm thankful for it! Don't get me wrong, but I made the mistake of assuming a few people would leave a review that haven't. I'm guessing the longer you market your book, and the more books you have out in general, your work just generates more traffic. I think patience and promoting is key.
 

foxesfairytales

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You could try e-mailing book bloggers who have positively reviewed similar books and offer them a free copy to review. A side benefit is that when a blogger really likes a book they often do a lot of 'free advertising' by promoting it on social media, top ten lists and the like. You could also stick a (polite) note next to your About the Author page, just to remind readers how much you'd appreciate a review.
 

Daffyjkl

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I don't want to give my book away to everyone for free. So how do I offer a free book on Amazon for selected people? Thanks in advance.
 

WriterBN

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You can't really do that on Amazon itself, without incurring some cost (see #2 below).

1) The easiest way is simply to e-mail them the .mobi file you downloaded during the "preview" stage of publishing.

2) If you have to do it from Amazon, you can set up an Amazon Giveaway, which means purchasing X number of copies (you still get your royalty on those purchases, so it's not as bad as it sounds). Choose the option to have a private URL for the giveaway, and then send that URL to your prospective readers.
 

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Giving away free copies or gifting them is one way to do it. If you read anything at www.CreativIndie.com, you'll know Derek Murphy swears by his structure of sending out your books to a few hundred (or thousand depending on your comfortability). According to him, it boosts his Amazon visibility as well as ranks him higher. His books are around 200 reviews, and none of them have been out for too long. He also keeps him book on "permafree" for at least a few months. Theoretically, he doesn't make money those first few months, but when his reviews sit at 200, it kind of makes me wonder how his model is.

I think there are pros and cons, of course; however, you need to let go and take a chance. Run a promotion, and see if you can find people on similar-genre, popular books with higher ranking reviewers willing to receive a free copy in exchange for an honest review. Experiment. If you're not already selling copies of your books, you may as well play around with these tactics now.

Just a thought.
 

Arpeggio

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Giving away free copies or gifting them is one way to do it. If you read anything at www.CreativIndie.com, you'll know Derek Murphy swears by his structure of sending out your books to a few hundred (or thousand depending on your comfortability). According to him, it boosts his Amazon visibility as well as ranks him higher. His books are around 200 reviews, and none of them have been out for too long. He also keeps him book on "permafree" for at least a few months. Theoretically, he doesn't make money those first few months, but when his reviews sit at 200, it kind of makes me wonder how his model is.

I think there are pros and cons, of course; however, you need to let go and take a chance. Run a promotion, and see if you can find people on similar-genre, popular books with higher ranking reviewers willing to receive a free copy in exchange for an honest review. Experiment. If you're not already selling copies of your books, you may as well play around with these tactics now.

Just a thought.

I did this and got 278 interested readers download which got me 27 reviews. This is definitely the way to go. I suspect it might be a numbers game, in that a book with many reviews at an average of 4 stars will sell better than a book with less reviews and an average of 4.5 to 5 stars.

By putting yourself on the line for genuine reviews you are also doing Amazon a favour, and paying for it if you use Bookbub et al. c'est la vie if the author benefits though and good books stand out as a result.

There's no incentive for Amazon, or anyone else for that matter, to spend time or money policing their own customer reviews and make sure only genuine ones occur. In other words, that is to say that there is nothing to oblige a customer to buy something from the same place they read the reviews, while a competitor with a cost advantage of not having the expense of policing customer reviews / doesn't have customer reviews, may undercut and get the sale.
 

P_Garv

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My novel was published by a boutique publisher. I am happy to be published by them and have been pleased with my early sales, which have unfortunately tapered off. They offer editing, cover design, and publishing (both electronic and print), but no marketing. There is an author loop with authors who are supportive of each other, they blog, some write reviews, and do author interviews. They use twitter and FB to post info, enter contests, attend festivals and conventions. I love the comradery. The problems is, we're all in the choir. Who's the audience? That's who we have to reach.

I participated in a promo tour with some decent results, five reviews and tons of social media posts. But, it didn't last. So, now I'm trying to come up with new ideas. I've ordered postcards to send to local high school media specialists. Just started that, so the verdict is still out. But, I'm also wondering...is it unethical for us to reach out to each other to write honest reviews?

Just signed on with another promo with another Book Tour site, a blitz and review request.

Cost so far? $50.00 first tour $53.00 for 150 postcards $20.34 post card stamps $75.00 Blitz and Review Request tour

So, I'm curious to know if anyone else has come up with something innovative, and on the affordable end. (BTW, I can't afford the earlier suggestion to purchase 200 copies of my novel to send out as a promo hoping word spreads.) But, I'm very much into networking.