Reviews. Authors need them, companies want to sell writers more of them. And readers? Well they just don’t normally want to bother. A lot hinges on that review count (and usually positive aggregate). If you are a gamer you might compare them to achievements – get the right ones, and you might unlock something special. Well that ‘something’ includes access to quality promotion websites, consideration from bloggers and the media, and in many cases direct sales. We will talk a little bit about it all today.
For some reason I have a keen desire to ask you to smash that like button or subscribe after that opening. That sort of brings to mind one of the key things about reviews: the exposure they offer.
We’re not talking about your garden variety; I will pay you with exposure bucks. Reviews almost directly correlate to more sales. Whether the aggregate is good or bad, readers will give a book with 300 some odd ratings a chance before one with only 30. Why is this? It has to do with a little bit of psychology, but more so to meddling from sellers, specifically we are talking about Amazon. It’s been reported that higher reviewed books pop on their algorithms more often. I.E. if you don’t have a certain amount by a window upon release, you can be relegated to the doldrums. More on the insanity that is Amazon in another post.
Add to this that many promotion services won’t even consider you if have under a certain amount, or do not meet their rating aggregate threshold.
Robin Reads featured, Book Barbarian, are among those that state it plainly. Ereader News Daily, Bookbub, and many others may not always expressly mention among their requirements, but people have found there is a floor to getting in (especially if you are an indie). Good luck finding a book on Bookbub US list that doesn’t have at least 50 reviews.
Organic readers usually only review a book they either really liked or hated. So, how do we writers get more reviews? Some of us beg. You’ve probably seen it in an author newsletter, that little line about how important reviews are. Some come up with creative ways to encourage it. This may take the form of giveaways, select advanced reader groups, and newsletter swaps, an Author takeover, etc. Others pay a service to find you readers, guaranteeing a review per download. This ties in with the very last topic.
There are more companies preying on the hopes of starry-eyed novelists than there are legitimate services. Dreams are a big business, and there are an incalculable number of companies out there hoping to cash in. They often charge outrageous amounts of money for little in return. Some don’t even make an effort. This is such an extensive topic I plan to write a post about this. Just based on the nonsense I find in my email box; this sort of thing could be a complete series. And you know what? I think I might make it so.
I hope this post has been informative. As always with these writer’s drawer posts, I tried to create something more explanatory, as opposed to a “how to do it the right way.” Heaven knows I am not the one for that post.
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