Support your favorite authors by leaving reviews! At Indie Love ATL this past June, I was a panelist along with other wonderful Indie Authors. The book signing event was one of the best I've attended.
One of the questions us authors were asked was: What can readers to assist/support readers?
My answer: Leave Book Reviews!
I wasn't surprised when every author on the panel had the same suggestion. Why? Because while authors know the value of reviews, readers do not. They're happy to be supporting us by purchasing the book (and we greatly appreciate that as well) but in many ways, reviews are equally important.
I Googled the topic of book reviews and why they're so important, especially in the world of Amazon. Here's what I found:
- It takes about 60/70 REVIEWS for Amazon to include a book in their recommendation emails. This is huge! I'm sure you've seen those emails from Amazon recommending books to you based on books you've already read. Well, books with low reviews do not get that same love. They get overlooked and the author suffers as a result.
- It takes about 25 REVIEWS for Amazon to notice your book and include your book in their 'other customers have bought' lists. I'm sure you've seen this on Amazon's website as well. This type of visibility can be a great benefit to the author.
So, what does this mean?
While it's lovely to email an author to say how much you enjoyed a book, the other millions of potential readers on Amazon can't view an email. They don't know what you know about that book. And while it's a joy to receive comments on posts and such about how good a book was, potential readers on Amazon don't see those comments either. The bottom line is, if you're not leaving a review for a book you just read, you're doing your favorite authors a great disservice.
I don't know how true this is, but I also read that readers will not leave a review unless they really LOVED a book or really HATED a book. What's been your experience?
Recently, I had a reader leave a review about how they've been a fan of mine for a long time and read every book I've ever written, but the ONLY book they left a review on was the book they didn't like.
Personally, I've noticed that the number of reviews I receive on my books are severely lower than the actual sales on the book. Like really low. I'm talkin' drop in the bucket low. Readers are buying my books, but no one takes the time to write a review - a review that can be something as simple as, "Great book" or "Enjoyed it."
I'm a writer. I want to write. I rarely have time for marketing, but what's the point of writing a book no one will read because they don't know it exists?
So, readers, do us a favor and please write reviews to help indie authors continue doing what they love - writing.
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