It is a catch-22. You need to sell books to gain reviews. You need reviews to sell books. So, what is the answer? It is a challenge which all authors face and to be perfectly honest, there is no ultimate solution to this problem, but there are certainly some best practices for you to follow. I have collated some tips, which I hope assist you in gaining some reviews.
Don't be afraid to ask your readers to review your books. I see many authors shying away from doing this, but done correctly, it can be a valuable way to boost your reviews. Personally, I have a small passage at the end of my book, thanking the reader for reading my book. I then politely ask them to leave an honest review on their chosen platform. Furthermore, if a reader personally messages me about my work, again, I take that opportunity to ask them to leave a review.
Provide links to leave a review. If you are emailing a PDF version of your book to readers for free, the least they can do is leave you a review. Within the email, and within any digital versions of your book, provide a direct link to the review page for your book. Readers won't spend time searching for a page to review your book, so o the leg work for them!
Have your book visible on as many platforms as you can. This will mean there are a multitude of ways someone can review your book. You biggest fans may even be willing to leave reviews across several platforms. Examples include Amazon, Goodreads, or even a dedicated Facebook page for your book.
Utilise your mailing list and ask. Going back to point 1, you shouldn't be afraid to do this. What you must avoid, however, in bombarding your mailing list with requests to review your book. They will soon grow tired of this and unsubscribe. The same goes for any promotional work - target your marketing correctly. A perfect example is emailing people, asking them to leave a review, when they already have done so.
Utilise your reviews to boost your sales. Once your positive reviews start to appear, use these as promotional material. Use screenshots on your social media posts, quote them within your book's blurb, and most of all, be proud of what you have achieved.
Discover readers who enjoy reviewing. There are many forums, social media groups and website which have people who want to actively review books. This can be for a variety of reasons; they may be looking to enhance their own writing presence online, or reading and reviewing is simply a hobby for them. But be careful, many will ask for payment - don't do it!
There are also some important things to remember not what to do, regarding your reviews.
Don't argue with the reviewer. Bad reviews can be frustrating, especially when you're given one start and no actual review to put their rating into context. But if someone writes a 'bad' review, don't take it personally, just move on. You will never please every reader, no matter how hard you try.
Take any feedback on board. If you have received several reviews which are similar in nature, for example, "I enjoyed the story, but the spelling mistakes are far too frequent", it's time for you to go through your book in its entirety and ensure all spelling errors are corrected.
Don't risk having your account taken down. Many retailers, most notably, Amazon, have many terms and conditions relating to book reviews. Breaching these will result in your book being removed, the reviews being removed, and most worryingly, your author account being shut down. Examples include paying for paid reviews online, taking part in review exchanges, offering incentives for reviews, for example, "Leave me a review and I will email you a free novella", and creating false accounts to leave your own reviews. It is simply too risky - don't throw away all your hard work when you have come so far.
If you have any more tips and tricks, feel free to comment below.
I hope this has helped some of you along your author's journey.
Good luck.
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