Tuesday 20 November 2018

How to write a review for Amazon

First of all, may I make 2 apologies.

First, the link for the free copy of The Wolf Pack did not work. It is now working. Don’t forget the offer finishes on 22nd, so don’t miss out. You can get it by clicking here.

Second, might I apologise for posting late this week.I was away last week and did not have the chance to write a post. anyway, here it is now.

Book reviews are important to authors. Once upon a time, before Amazon and the Internet, (Yes, there was such a time!) the only way authors got their books known about was, in the first instance, by professional reviews in the press, and by word of mouth. People told their friends they’d just read this great book, and their friends should buy it and read it, too.

Then came Amazon. Amazon allows readers to comment on the books they read, and all the world has the ability to see those reviews. (Well, almost. I had a review in India that can’t be seen here in the UK, and I have to post reviews separately in the UK and USA.)

Readers read those reviews and they help them to decide if they want to read a book. that’s great. Unfortunately, those people who write reviews are few and far between. Amazon also only adds books to the ‘People who bought this also bought,’ at the bottom of the page, if a book has 25 reviews.

I think the problem is that people think writing a book review is arduous. They remember having to write them at school and think it’s the same.

Well, it isn’t.

Writing a book review can be simple and a matter of minutes. I want to help people to get to grips with it so we, as authors, can get more reviews. It’s the main way our books our found. No one can read a book, no matter how good, if they don’t know it’s there.

Here are a few tips to get you started.
  • First,go to the book’s page and click ‘write a review’ (or ‘be the first to review this book)
  • Add the number of stars you want to award.
  • You need a title. Simply something like ‘An excellent read’, or ‘A dreadful book’. Something simple that sums up what you think.
  • In the main body of the review, you do not need to be complicated. Here are a few questions you might consider when reviewing
  • Did I like the book?
  • Was it well-written?
  • Were the characters believable?
  • Did I care about them?
  • Was the plot believable?
  • How easy did I find it to read?
  • Did I become engrossed in the book?
You do not need to answer all of the questions, just three of four would be enough, I think.
I hope this encourages you to write reviews on the books you read, positive and negative.

Thank you for reading this.

Leave a comment in the comments box, or feel free to share this post with your friends and followers. I love hearing from you, and what you think.

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