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Home / Book Publishing / Amazon Verified Reviews for Books: Everything You Need to Know

Amazon Verified Reviews for Books: Everything You Need to Know

Verified purchase reviews are the lifeblood of a high conversion rate. With a lot of reviews, people are more likely to buy your book. No reviews, and the opposite is likely to happen.

Amazon verified purchase reviews are especially important, because they prove that your book was purchased and reviewed by real people, not just potentially biased reviewers on your ARC team.

But how do you get a lot of verified book reviews? That is the question we are asking in this article.

What verified reviews are
Why they are important
How to increase your verified reviews by yourself
A service that can potentially help

What Are Verified Reviews?
Why Are Verified Reviews Important?
1. Encouraging Reviewers Yourself
2. Pay a Company to Encourage Verified Reviews
Verified Review Service: Bookvertiser
Final Thoughts

Disclaimer: some of the links in this article are affiliate links, but the cost you nothing extra, and every little bit goes to the Kindlepreneur coffee fund.

The short answer: an Amazon verified review is any review left by someone who actually purchased your book on Amazon.

It is a little bit more complicated than that, though.

Firstly, the review must come from someone who has spent at least $50 on Amazon products within a year. This is to weed out spambots and people who clearly aren't regularly active on Amazon.

Secondly, Amazon specifies that the reviewer can't have bought the book at a “big discount”. However, Amazon does not specify what this means. To be safe, we recommend keeping your book priced at $2.99 or higher. While I have seen verified reviews with $0.99 books, is not a guarantee. And free books are unlikely to lead to verified reviews.

Amazon then lists verified views with a “Verified Purchase” badge within the review.

As online shoppers got more tech savvy, they began to be wary of fake Amazon reviews. Amazon has done a lot to crack down on fake reviews, but it isn't always enough.

For example, Amazon allows authors to give out free copies of their books in exchange for a review. Naturally, this group is going to be slightly biased, because they got a free book.

Don't get me wrong, we absolutely encourage you to have ARC reviewers to get those first initial reviews. But understand that those reviews will not be verified.

By including the Verified Purchase badge, it becomes much more likely that that review is genuine. This leads to increased trust from the customer. The more verified reviews, the greater the likelihood that the reviews are accurate.

And the more a reader trusts that a high volume of reviews are genuine, the more likely they are to convert (aka buy your book).

How to Get Verified Amazon Reviews for Your Books

Since verified reviews require that the Amazon reviewer purchase your book, you cannot simply send your book out for free to an ARC team.

Instead, these reviews have to come from people who have genuinely bought your book.

There is a fine line to walk here, because you cannot pay someone to buy your book and leave a review.

In other words, you can't encourage a friend to buy your book, then refund them.

So what can you do?

Well, you have two options.

Encourage reviewers yourself
Pay a company to do it for you

The first option is to encourage people to review your book. This is something you should do even if you pay a company to help you.

Warning: remember you cannot pay or refund someone to leave a verified purchase review. Doing so is against Amazon's terms of services and could get you banned.

Ultimately, the best way to get more reviews is to make more sales, because the higher the volume of sales, the more people you have that could leave a verified review.

However, there are ways that you can increase the percentage of buyers who leave a review, including:

Include a review request in your book: make sure that every book has a request for a review at the back of your book, with a link (if it's an ebook) that goes directly to your review page. This should be one of the first things that a reader sees after finishing your book.
Reach out to your email list: every once in a while, you should reach out to your email list and request that they leave a review. Do this frequently, so your list is used to hearing about it, especially when launching a book.
Schedule book promotions: book promotions are still one of the best ways to get readers to buy your book. The more readers buy your book, the more likely you are to have reviews.
Create a quality product: it goes without saying, but the better your book is, the more likely it is to be purchased and reviewed.

Additionally, you should use a tool like ReaderScout to track when reviews are left. This is especially important when requesting reviews from your email list, because you can then track the number of reviews that are left.

ReaderScout is a free Chrome plugin that will notify you every time you have a new review, and it tracks a few other things as well. Plus, it's free!

If you have already done all this, and you still want to get a few extra verified reviews, read on.

Your second option is to pay a company to get you verified reviews.

Important: these companies cannot pay or refund readers to leave verified reviews either. That is why you are not paying them to guarantee reviews. You are paying them to encourage readers to buy your book and leave a review.

It is difficult to find a good company that will stay within the boundaries Amazon has set and still get you quality verified reviews.

When looking for a company like this, we recommend you focus on two criteria:

Companies that have lasted a while
Companies with a public face (i.e. real people and not a faceless corporation)

One of the companies that we recommend is Bookvertiser.

Bookvertiser has an audience of highly engaged readers/reviewers in a variety of different genres.

What Bookvertiser does is reach out to this list to encourage them to buy your book and leave a verified review. They will continue to do this until you have reached the threshold of reviews that you select when you purchase.

Note that the costs are not always cheap. It takes a lot of work to guarantee a certain number of reviews, especially when you cannot pay a reviewer or refund them for leaving the review.

They also can't guarantee that every review will be a positive review. While my experience tells me these reviewers are often kind, you might still get a negative review.

But using a service like Bookvertiser is one of the best ways to rapidly gain verified reviews without putting in a lot of the hard work yourself.

If you use this link and input the code KP5 , you’ll get 5% off your purchase order.

Reviews can be an uphill battle, but they are absolutely worth it.

If you can convince as many people in your audience to buy your book, then review it, you are well on your way to being easily discovered on Amazon.

Get enough sales, and a high enough conversion rate, and Amazon will begin marketing your book for you.

Jason Hamilton

When I’m not sipping tea with princesses or lightsaber dueling with little Jedi, I’m a book marketing nut. Having consulted multiple publishing companies and NYT best-selling authors, I created Kindlepreneur to help authors sell more books. I’ve even been called “The Kindlepreneur” by Amazon publicly, and I’m here to help you with your author journey.

How to choose a pen name in 2024 (+ a pen name generator), what is an isbn 11 facts for self-publishing authors, amazon book keyword rules explained (2024 update), sell more books on amazon, amazon kindle rankings e-book.

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Amazon Book Reviews: How to Get Book Reviews on Amazon for Free

When it comes to Amazon book reviews, they are necessary to proactively market your book.

There’s almost nothing as important as Amazon book reviews when it comes to generating consistent book sales month after month and creating an effective book marketing strategy.

It’s not enough to publish your book and hope reviewers will find you. They almost certainly won’t. You need to work hard to find them and convince them to review your book.

But even that isn’t enough!

If you go about getting Amazon book reviews the wrong way, you risk incurring the wrath of Amazon. Your book will sink before it ever stood a chance of succeeding.

Related: Amazon Self-Publishing

So how can you get the Amazon book reviews you need in an ethical and effective way?

We’ve gathered together everything you need to know.

This guide to Amazon book reviews covers:

Why are amazon book reviews important, how many book reviews do i need on amazon.

How to get your book reviewed on Amazon

Can I review my own book on Amazon?

Book review services , can i contact the top reviewers on amazon.

Does Amazon support editorial reviews

Guidelines for Amazon reviews

Why does amazon remove book reviews.

If you’re new to the world of self-publishing , it might be unclear why there is so much importance placed on getting Amazon book reviews.

After all, if you create a good book, produce an attractive cover, and write a catchy description, shouldn’t that be enough?

As much as we might see our book as special, Amazon won’t.

At least, not at first. And neither will the vast majority of book browsers.

While the benefits of self-publishing are well-known, there are also some challenges you need to overcome in order to experience success.

One such challenge is the abundance of books released on Amazon.

The vast majority of books are lost amidst the noise. New titles are added to Amazon every few minutes, and there are endless titles already available.

What does this mean for you?

If you want to see your book reach the right readers, you need to do everything in your power to get it in front of them.

One of the most powerful ways to do that is by ensuring your book has reviews.

A lack of Amazon book reviews harms your book’s prospects in two ways.

First, a book without reviews is unlikely to even get noticed by the vast majority of book browsers.

Second, even if people do somehow stumble across your book, they are unlikely to borrow or buy it without a credible number of Amazon book reviews.

Here are the benefits to make your reviews worth it:

Trust. Book reviews are especially important when you’re just starting out as an author on Amazon . Put yourself in the shoes of a customer. Why should they trust your book? They almost certainly haven’t heard of you. Reviews overcome this problem. When people see that others have been helped or entertained by a book, it gives them the confidence they will experience the same result.
Algorithm. Amazon is famous for having one of the most powerful and effective algorithms out there. The company explores and experiments with every possible way to get customers to spend more. Reviews are a huge signal to Amazon that your book is worth promoting. Without a respectable number of Amazon book reviews close to the time of launch, your book will miss out on the immense power of Amazon’s promotional machinery.
External promotion. There are plenty of promotional services out there willing to help introduce your book to readers who are likely to benefit from it. However, most of them require you to have a certain number of positive reviews before they will even consider your book. You can also promote this on your author platform .
Feedback. Reviews are also a valuable source of feedback on your work. Yes, even the negative ones! You can get a sense of what readers did and did not like about your book and take this feedback on board for your future releases.

When it comes to success on Amazon, it’s almost impossible to overstate just how important reviews are.

Now that you know the benefits of reviews for your book, let’s take a closer look at exactly how to get them.

Getting people to take the time to review your book isn’t always easy, especially when you’re new to the self-publishing scene.

Given the difficulty of getting reviews, it’s natural to wonder just how many you need.

No matter what people might say, there is no magic number that you need. It varies from book to book.

However, there are some proven principles and guidelines you can use to inform the number of reviews you aim to get.

Check competing books. Take the time to check out other books that your ideal reader might be interested in. For example, which books rank for your keywords? Which books are selling well in your intended categories ? Try and look for books of similar stature to your own. How many reviews do they have? How many would you need to seem respectable in the eyes of a buyer choosing between your book and a competing title?
Aim for 10 minimum. 10 reviews seems to be the number that starts to move the needle for a lot of authors. When you’re putting together your initial strategy, make 10 book reviews the minimum number you aim for.
20 is ideal. If you’re capable of proactively getting 10 people to leave an Amazon review of your book, you’re more than capable of getting 20! Just double down on what you’re doing. We’ll explore exactly how shortly.
Don’t go overboard. After a certain number of Amazon book reviews, you’re unlikely to experience much extra benefit. The effort needed to seek out reviews is not commensurate to the benefits you will experience. Also, after getting a large number of reviews, buyers are likely to review your book of their own accord. You won’t need to seek them out. 30-50 reviews is a good guideline here, but a lower number may suffice depending on the books you are competing against.
Your promo strategy. Many authors make book promotion sites or services an integral part of their Amazon book marketing strategy. If you have a particular promotional site you want to be featured on, you’re probably going to need a certain number of Amazon book reviews to be eligible.

Even though there isn’t a particular number of Amazon book reviews that’s right for every book, there’s definitely a number that’s right for yours.

Use the above ideas to find it and make this a target you strive to hit.

Sadly, no. Some authors might think it’s a good idea to review their own book to get some initial momentum going for their Amazon book reviews, but that’s against the rules specified in Amazon’s Guidelines .

How to get Amazon book reviews

So how should you go about getting the reviews you need for your book to succeed?

Seeking out Amazon book reviews in the right way isn’t just a matter of doing what’s likely to get results.

It’s also a matter of respecting Amazon’s rules and regulations. If you fail to do so, you run the risk of having your reviews removed.

If you’re unsure of how to get the reviews your book needs, here are some effective techniques.

Set up a review plan prior to launch. A lot of authors learn the hard way that you can’t leave Amazon book reviews to chance. You need to have a clear plan in place way ahead of your book launch . This should involve a clear approach to hit your review target number as close to the time of your book going live as possible.
Reach out to existing readers. Do you have an email list of readers? Have you written anything in the past? Even if you don’t have books out, do you have a blog with readers? Could you leverage your author network to promote your book to another writer’s fans? Existing readers, either your own or another author’s, are a great potential source of Amazon book reviews.
Use social media. While social media is a valuable source of potential reviewers of your work, you should approach it with caution. If Amazon’s algorithm deems you to have a close connection with people on social media, their reviews of your book may be removed. In spite of that, it’s still worth utilizing options such as Facebook reading groups, relevant hashtags on Twitter or Instagram, visual platforms like Pinterest , and even Tik Tok if you have a younger audience, to seek out people who might be interested in your book.
Consider offline readers. Most authors will focus their review approach on the online world. By seeking out book clubs, library groups, and other interested communities offline, you open the door to a rich source of potential reviewers that many other authors aren’t aware of.
Create a launch team . One of the easiest ways to get reviews at launch is to have a big launch group on your side before your book ever drops on Amazon KDP. I recommend having a team of around 100 people who will reach an advanced reader copy in exchange for their authentic review. That way, when your book launches, you can have tons of Amazon book reviews straight away. If you aren’t sure how to build a launch group, there are companies that will help you put one together. At selfpublishing.com, our Elite Package guarantees your first 100 authentic Amazon book reviews.
CTA in your book. There’s no harm of asking for Amazon book reviews within your book itself. You can also include a link in the ebook version to make it as straightforward as possible.

Be aware that by asking for Amazon book reviews in any of the ways mentioned, you are seeking something of value from them. To make them want to take the time to help you, you need to frame your request in the right way.

Related: Amazon Book Description HTML: Making Words Look Better

Instead of coming across as self-serving or even desperate, why not base your review request around:

Feedback. If people respect your work they are likely to want to help you out as an author. If you make them feel like their feedback is valued, you are more likely to get a review.
Helping other readers. Another angle to take is appealing to a sense of community among readers. Rather than making your request for Amazon book reviews about yourself, make it about informing fellow readers about a book that might benefit or entertain them.
A promotional price point. It’s human nature to love a good deal. By emphasizing your book being offered at a low price point for a limited time, you tap into the psychological appeal of both value and scarcity, making it more likely that people will see it as worthwhile to review your book.

Combining the right sources of potential Amazon book reviews with the right type of request is the best way to get your book the review score it needs.

As well as seeking out relevant readers by yourself, a range of professional book review services exist.

While this can form a valuable part of your overall approach to Amazon book reviews, you need to be careful.

Amazon is known for being incredibly strict about people selling reviews. Many people on Fiverr have experienced this firsthand!

The Amazon review guidelines are elaborated on a little later in this guide, but as a general principle, always avoid paying for a review directly. That includes offering a gift of some type.

Instead of paying for a review on Fiverr, consider using one of these services:

Goodreads book giveaways
Rainbow Book Reviews

If you’re considering paying for a review service, make sure to check both of these two things before investing your money:

Compliance. Ensure any review service you’re considering is compliant with Amazon’s rules and regulations. Otherwise, you risk losing your money, having the review removed, and possibly even worse consequences if Amazon feels you’re being particularly underhanded.
Results. Check out what kind of results a review service promises, and what kind of success they’ve had in the past. Have they produced good results for books similar to yours? What kind of ROI can you expect?

Book review services can be a valuable way to help your book get the momentum it needs. Just make sure you’re dealing with a reputable and effective service provider.

No, the top Amazon reviewers are no longer available.

In the past, a popular way of seeking Amazon book reviews involved trying to find and contact the top reviewers on Amazon.

This may have worked well back in the day, but it’s not really something to pursue in the here and now.

The top Amazon reviewers no longer have emails available to reach out to. Even when they did, the odds of having a top reviewer take the time to check out your work was pretty slim.

Does Amazon support editorial reviews?

What exactly is an editorial review, and why does it matter for your book?

So far, we’ve talked about customer Amazon book reviews, which are exactly what they sound like. A customer reads your book and leaves their opinion. If they purchased it from Amazon, this would count as a verified review.

The other type of review to utilize is the editorial review. This involves a trusted source such as a magazine or publication giving their take on your book.

While editorial reviews aren’t included in your book’s review score and don’t show up with the customer reviews, this is actually a good thing.

Some of the main benefits of editorial reviews are:

They won’t get lost in the middle of the (hopefully) large number of customer reviews your book has
You can add them to your Amazon Author Central page
You are allowed to leverage your connections as Amazon can’t remove these in the way that they can remove customer reviews
A reputable publication or individual may carry more weight in the mind of a potential book buyer than an unknown customer reviewer

There’s no denying the value of editorial reviews, but think of them as icing on the cake.

Make customer reviews your priority, at least initially, as they will move the needle in terms of the Amazon algorithm.

Spend some time around the indie author community and you’ll come across some fairly angry writers.

A common source of frustration is the seemingly ever-changing Amazon review rules.

In reality, the Amazon review guidelines aren’t as bad as you might have heard.

You can check out the full picture here , but some basic principles include:

You can’t pay for Amazon book reviews. It’s absolutely prohibited to exchange money for a review of your book.]
You can’t ask for conditional reviews. Although it’s completely fine to ask for someone to review your book, you cannot request they review it in a certain way. Asking for an honest review is the best approach.
You can’t review a rival book. If Amazon feels someone is negatively reviewing a rival product of any type, they will remove that review.
You can’t rely on friends and family. Amazon states that reviews from close personal connections are not allowed. This can involve being friends with people and interacting on social media.
You can’t offer gifts. It’s not permissible to over an Amazon gift card or anything else whatsoever in exchange for a review. You can offer an ARC of your book but that’s all.

While it’s definitely worth respecting the Amazon review guidelines, try not to worry too much. As long as you’re operating from a place of good faith, the worst that will happen in the majority of cases is Amazon will remove some of your reviews.

Amazon Book Reviews: Tactics For The Amazon Algorithm Infographics

Amazon can remove reviews for violations of any of the guidelines mentioned above.

However, some of the most common reasons for a review to be removed are:

You have reviewed your own book
Someone with the same address as you has reviewed your book
A reviewer has attempted to leave multiple reviews of your work
The review is obscene, defamatory, or otherwise unacceptable
The reviewer is a customer who has spent less than $50 on Amazon
The reviewer appears to be a spammer who leaves too many reviews in a short space of time
You have reported the review to [email protected] and Amazon agrees it is unacceptable

Having some Amazon book reviews removed is a fact of life for most authors. Although it might seem frustrating, try and see the system as being in place to preserve the integrity of the entire process.

We hope you’ve found this guide to the dos and don’ts of Amazon book reviews useful.

If you have any tips on getting Amazon book reviews ethically, or warnings about Amazon’s rules and regulations, feel free to leave a comment and help your fellow authors out.

How to Get Book Reviews on Amazon the Quickest and Easiest Way

Book reviews and sushi restaurants have a lot more in common than you might think. Discover the secrets to getting book reviews on Amazon!

Would you risk getting sushi from a restaurant with a 1-star average and a dozen bad reviews talking about getting food poisoning? Didn't think so.

The thing is, Amazon reviews function the same way. They warn readers about books that might not be worth their hard-earned money or precious time. So, how do you convince someone you've never met that your book is worth taking the chance?

In this blog post, we'll walk you through a ton of budget-friendly and compliant ways for how to get book reviews on Amazon, and skyrocket your sales (and royalties).

Are you tapping into all of Amazon's potential? Check out our free webinar that shows you exactly how one publishing method has already generated a collective $50 million in revenue for thousands of students of all ages all over the world with no publishing or tech experience required.

Why Do Amazon Book Reviews Matter?

A dozen 5-star reviews can usually offset a single bad review, but a single 5-star review won't always offset a dozen negative reviews. It's just the nature of the game and human psychology. We tend to gravitate toward what's safe and comfortable.

Here are some more reasons that a book's review matters:

Credibility and Social Proof

Let's knock the obvious one out of the way. When potential readers are browsing Amazon for a new book to read, they are more likely to choose a book that already has previous other readers. Positive reviews act as social proof and give credibility to your book. They show that others have enjoyed your book and that it’s worth reading.

Sales and Ranking

Amazon book reviews can also impact your book's sales and ranking. Books with a higher number of positive reviews tend to sell more copies. Additionally, Amazon's search algorithm takes into account the number and quality of reviews when ranking books in search results.

Momentum and Feedback

Positive reviews just feel good. They're a good boost to your confidence and can motivate you to keep publishing. Even a negative review can help you improve your work by providing constructive feedback to implement in your future work.

A Breakdown of Amazon's Review Policy and Algorithm

Amazon's review policy is designed to ensure that reviews are genuine and unbiased.

That means they prohibit the following:

Reviews that are fake
Reviews that are incentivized or come from a bribe
Reviews that are written by the author or publisher of a book or their family and friends
Reviews that include profanity, hate speech, and personal information

Note: Violating these policies can result in the removal of reviews and even account suspension.

Amazon's algorithm uses various factors to determine the authenticity and relevance of book reviews. The algorithm considers the number of reviews, the rating, and the recency of reviews as well as the location that the reviews came from. They can typically tell when friends and family are leaving reviews by checking whether you've ever sent each other gifts through Amazon or shared an address.

Most people can get away with one or two close friends leaving a positive or leaving a review too, but is it worth it? For one, it’s unethical. And secondly, it throws off the algorithm. If you wrote a book about bulldogs and none of your friends even have dogs, then they wouldn't be your target audience anyway. Their data would then affect the types of readers Amazon suggests your book to, and this can skew your marketing plans. Just something to keep in mind!

How Many Reviews Is Enough?

When it comes to the number of reviews you need on Amazon, there's no magic number that will instantly turn your book into a bestseller. Good reviews can essentially sell the book for you, so the more positive reviews you have, the better.

A good goal to aim for (and what we teach our Publishing.com students ) is at least 50 reviews for every new book that you publish. This may seem like a lot, but we've found this to be the sweet spot for gaining traction, and this blog post is full of ideas to help you get started.

Another pro tip? The timing of your reviews can have an impact on your book's success. Ideally, you want to have as many reviews as possible around the time of your book's initial launch to help it get more visibility.

Identifying Your Ideal Readers

There's no use reaching out to people who won't get any value out of reading your book. Sure, they may leave you an honest review, but it might not be a good one. Here's what to consider when trying to connect with the readers who are most likely to leave you a positive review:

What genre does your book fall into? You can use Amazon's categories and subcategories to help you identify your genre. Maybe you want to target fans of romance or hobby books, or you want to tap into the children’s book market. These categories will help you when you're looking for various social media groups to connect with reviewers (more on that later).

Keywords are the words or phrases that readers use to search for books on Amazon. By including relevant keywords in your book's title, subtitle, and description, you can make it easier for potential readers to find your book. You can use tools like Google Keyword Planner or Amazon's keyword tool to find relevant keywords.

Demographics

Think about who your book is intended for. Is it for young adults or older readers? Is it for men or women? Is it for people who enjoy a certain type of hobby or interest? If you're publishing children's books, you'll need to remember that the parents are the ones who will be purchasing your book and deciding whether to leave reviews.

How to Ask a Reader to Leave an Honest Review on Amazon

There are plenty of ways to get free book reviews, which we'll talk about here. The best strategy to find reviewers usually comes from a combination of these tactics. So, don't be afraid to experiment and see what method works best for you!

Let's dive right in:

Leverage Your Mailing List

One of the quickest and easiest ways to get reviews is by leveraging your mailing list. That is...if you already have one. Many authors and publishers take the time to create their own websites and collect readers' emails to keep them up to date with their latest book launches.

If you don't have a mailing list yet, you can start building one by offering a free sample chapter or some kind of bonus content in exchange for someone's email address. You can then follow up with emails that have the link to purchase and review your book.

Pro Tip: The more steps something takes, the less likely people are to follow through, so you want to make it as easy as possible for them. Always include direct links so they don’t have to go searching for them!

Email Template to Ask for a Book Review

Need some book marketing inspo? We've got you covered.

Here's a handy email template you can tweak to your style and voice for launch day!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Email Subject Line: 🌟 It’s Finally Here! Want to Help Other Readers? 📖

Hey [Reader's Name],

Big news: “[Book Title]” is out today! 🎉 I’m super excited (and a bit nervous) to share this story with you. It’s been quite the adventure bringing it to life.

If you enjoy the read, I’d be over the moon if you could take some time to drop a quick review on Amazon. Your honest thoughts really help—both me and other book lovers.

Here’s how:

Pop over to [Insert Link].
Scroll to "Customer Reviews" and hit "Write a Customer Review."
Share what you think about the book—there's no right or wrong answer!

That’s it! Short and sweet does the trick. 🌟

Thanks a million for your support. It means the world to me, and I can’t wait to hear what you think of “[Book Title].”

Happy reading and happy reviewing!

Cheers, [Your Name]

Connect with Book Bloggers and Top Reviewers

Book bloggers and full-time reviewers can help you get the word out about your book by engaging their audiences.

Here are some tips on how to connect with them:

1. Do Your Research

Not all bloggers and reviewers are the same. You want to target those who are interested in your genre and have a following. Look for bloggers and reviewers who have already reviewed books similar to yours.

2. Personalize Your Pitch

When reaching out to bloggers and reviewers, make sure to personalize your pitch. Address them by name and mention why you think they would be interested in your book.

3. Follow Up

After you've sent your pitch, follow up with the blogger or reviewer. Politely ask if they've had a chance to read your book yet and if they have any feedback. Following up shows that you're interested in their opinion and can help build a relationship for future reviews.

Just be careful not to cross into begging territory. If someone doesn't want to read your book, there are millions of other potential readers out there who might!

4. Be Genuine

When engaging with bloggers and reviewers, be genuine. Focus on their experience rather than the review itself. Be open to their feedback, even if it's not what you were expecting. It can help you grow and connect with future readers.

Pro Tip: The only real failure in the publishing world is giving up!

Create a Call-to-Action Inside Your Book

A Call-to-Action (CTA) is simply a marketing term that means giving your intended audience a very specific action to take. You've probably seen a ton without realizing it, like "click here," "sign up now," or "order now!"

Another simple way to increase reviews for your book on Amazon is to create a call-to-action (CTA) inside your book. This is a message that encourages readers to leave a review immediately on Amazon. By doing this, you're taking advantage of the fact that readers are more likely to leave a review while the experience is still fresh in their minds.

Here are some common locations for CTAs:

Your author bio
In the middle of your book, at a natural stopping point between two chapters
The end of your book

Many authors and publishers include a QR code that takes the readers to a website. This website can be a simple landing page that thanks the reader for their support and encourages them to leave a review on Amazon. Make sure to emphasize the importance of honest reviews and how they help other readers make informed decisions about whether or not to buy your book.

Other CTA tips:

Be clear and concise
Focus on only ONE action you want the readers to take
Use strong action verbs
Offer up your gratitude even if they choose not to take the next step but still took the time to read your work

Create an ARC Team

An ARC Team stands for an Advance Reader Copies Team or Advance Review Copies Team. The idea is simple: You build a dedicated team of people who are ready to give all your new books an honest customer review.

To build an effective Advance Reader Team, start by reaching out to your email list, social media followers, and other fans of your work. Let them know you are looking for readers who are willing to read and review your book before your book is live. Be clear about what you expect from them, including the timeline for reading and reviewing the book.

Once you have built your Advance Reader Team, provide them with a full copy of the book of your book in a format that is easy for them to read, such as a PDF or Kindle file. Follow up with them to make sure they have received the book and are on track to finish reading it by the agreed-upon deadline.

Note: Participating in ARC review methods isn't against Amazon KDP's terms; however, posting your full manuscript online would be if you were planning on making your book available through Kindle Unlimited.

Take Advantage of Social Media

One effective way to use social media is to create a Facebook page for your book. This page can be used to share updates about your book, interact with readers, run ads, and, most importantly, request book reviews. You can also join Facebook groups that are specifically designed for authors and reviewers.

Goodreads is another social media platform that can be used to request book reviews. Goodreads has a large community of readers and reviewers, making it an ideal platform to promote your book and request reviews.

Pro Tip: No one likes spam, so stick to the golden rule. Treat readers how you would want to be treated.

Leverage Free or Low-Cost Book Review Sites

Some popular free or low-cost book review sites include Goodreads, Pubby, and Online Book Club. These sites have large communities of readers who are eager to discover new books and provide feedback.

When submitting your book for review on these sites, be sure to follow the submission guidelines carefully. Some sites may have specific requirements for the format of your book or the information you need to include in your submission.

Remember : Amazon doesn't allow incentivized reviews.

Here's how these platforms tackle compliance:

Pubby operates on a book review exchange model. Authors who join Pubby agree to review other authors' books in exchange for reviews of their own books. This peer-to-peer system is designed to increase the number of reviews without direct financial incentives or specific demands for positive reviews.

This differs from review swaps, where both parties leave a "5-star" review regardless of their true opinions about the work.

Goodreads is a community platform for book lovers. It allows users to leave reviews, rate books, and engage in discussions about books. Reviews on Goodreads are user-generated and are not part of a paid or incentivized system.

Although Goodreads is owned by Amazon, the review system on Goodreads operates independently of Amazon’s review system. Reviews on Goodreads are generally not subject to the same strict guidelines as Amazon's product reviews, but there are still ways to go about asking for reviews ethically and unethically.

Consider Ethical Paid Services to Get Reviews

While it's always best to get book reviews on Amazon organically, sometimes it's necessary to use paid services to get your book reviewed with the attention it deserves and to scale your publishing business more quickly. Ethical services offer legitimate ways to connect with reviewers and get more reviews on Amazon without violating any rules.

A quick word of caution: Some UNethical services may violate Amazon's terms of service by offering to buy reviews directly, so always be sure to do your own research!

Authentic reviews for their services
A proven track record with the genre you're publishing in
Transparent pricing and policies
Access to support (whether through email, chat, or phone) in case you ever need it

Some legitimate services offer a variety of a la carte options, such as running a review campaign or connecting authors with reviewers who are interested in reading their books. Some services may also offer to promote your book to their audience, which can help increase visibility and generate more sales.

Overall, using ethical paid services to get reviews can be a great way to boost your book's visibility on Amazon and get more readers interested in your work. Just be sure to choose a reputable service and always follow Amazon's publishing guidelines to ensure that your book stays in good standing on the platform.

What Are Editorial Reviews on Amazon?

Editorial reviews are essentially "bonus" quotes and reviews housed on your Amazon book page through your Author Central Account . They may be written by professional reviewers, such as book critics and editors, or they may simply be quotes you want to highlight about your books from others.

To get editorial reviews for your book, you can submit your book to publications and websites that review books, or you can hire a professional reviewer to write a review for you. Once you have an editorial review, you can then submit it to Amazon to be published on your book review page.

Editorial reviews can be a great way to get exposure for your book and build credibility with potential readers, but customer reviews are just as important for building out your review page.

Avoiding Fake Reviews and Ensuring Genuine Feedback

Your reviews set the stage for your reputation as a self-publisher.

Here are some tips to avoid fake reviews and ensure genuine feedback:

Seek Verified Purchase Reviews

Amazon marks reviews from customers who have purchased your book on their platform with a “Verified Purchase” label. These reviews carry more weight as they are more likely to be authentic. You can encourage your readers to leave such reviews by reminding them to buy the book directly from Amazon.

Aim for Balanced Reviews

Genuine reviews often provide a well-rounded perspective of your own book. They don’t just heap praises or pile on criticism; instead, they offer a nuanced view, discussing various aspects like plot, characters, writing style, formatting, and pacing. Be on the lookout for reviews that offer specific, balanced insights into your work.

Stay Alert to Fake Reviews

Be cautious of reviews that may not be legitimate. These can be overly effusive or excessively negative, exhibit repetitive language or phrasing, or appear in an unnaturally large number within a short span. Amazon allows you to report suspicious reviews by using the “Report Abuse” option.

Sabotage is rare, but it does happen. If you suspect that a competitor has given you a false review, flag it and keep moving forward. You can rest easy knowing that you’ve put in the work and you’re running your publishing business from a place of integrity.

Foster Authentic Engagement

Encourage genuine feedback by interacting with your readers. Express gratitude for their reviews and engage with their comments. Addressing their thoughts and concerns not only shows your appreciation but also demonstrates your commitment to putting out quality content.

Although you cannot respond directly to Amazon comments, you can interact with your mailing list and social media following.

Optimize Your Book Launch for Reviews

Getting book reviews on Amazon is crucial for book sales, traction, and visibility.

Here are some tips to help you get the most reviews from your book launch.

1. Set a Launch Date

Setting a specific launch date helps you plan your book launch, coordinate your promotion plan with your publishing team (if you have one), and start your PR campaign two to three months before the launch date. It also enables you to coordinate book signing events with local bookstores three to four months before the launch or publication date.

Pro Tip: Some niches are more profitable during particular times of the year. See what your competitors are doing to get a better idea of what works and what doesn't.

2. Create a Pre-Launch Checklist

Creating a pre-launch checklist helps you explore your book launch to-do's at a glance. It might even include a marketing and PR plan tailored to each social media platform.

3. Stay Up to Date with Amazon's Review Guidelines

It doesn't hurt to check Amazon's guidelines every quarter or so to make sure there aren't any updates that might impact your plans. The truth is this industry is constantly changing—especially as AI becomes more and more common!

4. Don't Be Shy Asking for Reviews

Asking for reviews can be uncomfortable at first, but this is just another one of those skills that take time and practice, like strength training and weightlifting.

5. Think Outside of the Box

You're in charge when it comes to marketing your Amazon book , and within reason, the sky is the limit. Virtual events like Q&As can help your audience get to know you, but there are thousands of other ideas out there to help your book stand out in a crowded market.

Here are just a few:

Collaborative Storytelling Event : Host an online event where readers contribute to a live, interactive storytelling session based on your book's universe.
Interactive Web Series : Produce a short web series or interactive videos that explore your book's characters or setting, inviting audience participation.
Flash Fiction Contest : Organize a writing contest where participants create short stories inspired by your book, with the best entries featured on your website.
Podcast Series : Launch a podcast discussing themes, background stories, or characters from your book, possibly including guest speakers or experts.
Themed Cook-along or Craft Workshop : If your book involves unique cuisines or crafts, host a live cook-along or crafting session teaching these skills.
Charity Event Partnership : Tie your launch to a charity event, where aspects of your book's theme help raise awareness or funds for a relevant cause.
Book Playlist Release Party : Curate a playlist of songs that captures the mood of your book, hosting a listening party with discussions about how each song relates to the story.

Publishing.com's Student Reviews

Which of the following types of people have found success with publishing?

A) Grandmas and grandpas who weren't necessarily tech-savvy but wanted to find a way to supplement their retirement

B) Stay-at-home moms and dads who wanted to find a way to make money without missing out on any of their children's milestones

C) College students who wanted to find a way to stop drowning in student loan debt

D) All of the above

The Publishing.com team has earned a verified review average of 4.8 out of 5 stars on TrustPilot , and the answer is D! All of the above!

Here's what some students had to say:

If you're looking for a sign to take that first step, it's this!

Just head over to our free beginner-friendly webinar to see the exact formula that can completely transform your schedule and income and bring you the freedom you crave!

Happy publishing!

How to Create an eBook That Sells: A Step-by-Step Guide

How to Get Free and Honest Book Reviews on Amazon

By c.s. lakin.

Imagine seeing an ad pop up on Facebook advertising your recently published book—an ad you didn’t pay for. Imagine seeing your book appearing first in a line of recommended books on the product pages of similar books, and you didn’t pay for a sponsored ad.

Table of Contents

Imagine hearing from readers that they learned about your book from an Amazon email blast that encouraged them to buy it. Wouldn’t it be great to get all that free promotion? You can—when you get enough authentic, approved reviews on Amazon.

Will Amazon Promote Your Book?

While Amazon’s algorithms are somewhat of a mystery, it’s a known truth that when your book accrues a certain number of reviews, or a lot of reviews in a short amount of (unspecified) time, Amazon kicks into gear multiple promotions for your book. Free promotion that would probably cost a fortune if you had to foot the bill.

The magic number to start the ball rolling in this free promotion is 50. Fifty reviews merits cross promotion and ranking your book higher than others in the same categories based on search terms. With 75 reviews, Amazon is triggered to send email blasts to customers who’ve bought similar books. Amazon utilizes customer data to provide relevant recommendations.

I get tickled when I’m reading a blog and suddenly one of my books pops up on the side—an Amazon-sponsored ad—suggesting I buy that book. No thanks, already have it. But it brings a smile to my face. Did I mention I love free promotion? I am sure you will too.

Every time your book is reviewed, the algorithms are updated, and your book’s internal ranking increases.

While Amazon isn’t the only site where writers need reviews, it’s where most customers shop for books. Reviews you get on Amazon can often be used on other platforms, but no other marketplace engages in free author promotion as extensively and generously as Amazon.

Getting numerous, honest reviews on Amazon should be at the top of your market strategy list. Having the best keywords might help your book turn up in search results, but if you don’t have a slew of reviews, your book will be overlooked or dismissed by a large number of potential readers. High numbers of reviews adds cred to your brand and your talent as a writer .

Amazon also allows authors to give away their book for free for 5 days over a 90-day period (when enrolled in KDP Select). Why is this helpful in getting book reviews? Because it gives you great exposure to potential readers who might pick up your book because it’s free.

This also increases your chances of ranking high in the Top 100 Free Books list, exposing your title to many more potential readers (readers who might very well write a review for it—but watch for my warning further down).

Want to sell more books? Click here to get your free copy of 8 Simple Secrets to Big Book Sales on Amazon

What are amazon’s rules on reviews.

Due to problems with dishonorable people, Amazon has developed tight rules regarding reviews. While these might seem annoying to authors, they serve to protect unscrupulous people from publishing gobs of fake or paid reviews to skew rankings and algorithms.

Here are some of the things Amazon forbids and flags (and may cause your book to be removed): paid reviews, reviews garnered through bribery (you offer something free in exchange for the review), and swapped reviews (arranging with other authors via social media sites to review each other’s books, which usually does not include actually reading said books).

What Are Verified vs. Unverified Reviews

While it can’t be quantified, it’s likely that some potential customers look at how many reviews are “verified” purchases as opposed to unverified. A “verified” purchase means the reviewer bought your book on Amazon, whereas anyone who acquired your book via some other means (purchased elsewhere, given as a gift, a free ARC) will have their review marked “unverified.”

As a potential customer, I don’t pay attention to that. I’m more interested in what the reviewer says about the book. I know that many authors—myself included—send out files of their books to people for an honest review, pre- and post-publishing. So some of those reviews are going to be unverified. But it stands to reason, having predominately verified reviews could positively influence some potential readers. I wouldn’t stress about this.

How To Balance Quantity and Quality

Getting book reviews takes work and time, and the last thing we writers want to do is waste time, spinning our wheels and getting no useful results.

However, it should go without saying that we don’t just want a lot of reviews; we want good reviews. Ones that are thoughtful, detailed, and personal. And that can take time to accumulate.

It stands to reason that having a lot of positive reviews for your book is social proof that you’ve written something worth reading.

If you want to get a lot of reviews fast, and you’re willing to pay, promo sites like Bookbub (there are many!) can help. I’ve gotten up to 50,000 free downloads in one week via a Bookbub ad offering one of my ebooks for free. And that led to a truckload of reviews (not to mention future sales of my book and other installments in my series as a bonus). However, it can also be hard to land such ads, as the competition for slots can be fierce. It’s worth repeated submission, though, for the book review payoff.

Another way to garner reviews is to do some legit giveaways (but, here, you again run the risk of getting some negative or not-so-great reviews because the winner may not generally read or like your genre). Some of the sites writers use to do giveaways are Goodreads , Bookriot , BookishFirst , BookDivas , FreshFiction , and Kingsumo , to list a few.

While it can take some time, researching top Amazon ( Vine ) reviewers can net you some weighty reviews. You can peruse the list of these 1,000 reviewers and find ones who review books like yours (and if they leave a lot of negative reviews, beware). Even if you only get a handful of Vine reviewers to read and review your book, that can be super helpful and influential.

You can Google “free book review sites” and look for ones that promote honest, legal reviews, like OnlineBookClub . Reedsy has a list of 200+ book blogs, updated for 2020, that you can use to find reviewers of your type of book.

How to Get Book Reviews on Amazon: 3 Effective Strategies

You might utilize the above strategies to get a lot of book reviews quickly, but if you’re a writer hoping to build a solid, enduring, and stellar reputation, you’ll want glowing reviews to come in steadily that come across authentic and sincere.

Here are 3 aspects to focus on for the long run:

1. Develop Relationships

One suggestion that I never see mentioned but is one that has served me very well is to attend writers’ conferences. Not only I but many writers I know have gotten endorsement blurbs from some of the most successful blockbuster authors by attending conferences and creating genuine relationships.

Let me emphasize those last three words. If you go around conferences strong-arming famous authors [read: ingratiating yourself], begging them to spend precious hours of their life reading your book and write a glowing review, you are going to be labeled a pesky pariah.

Conferences provide opportunities to rub elbows with these authors, and engaging in sincere and considerate conversation could open the door to a generous and willing heart happy to help out. You may find only one, but that’s a great start!

This is also good advice for any effort to garner reviews—be it from friends, writing associates, or your coworkers at your job. Don’t be pushy or whiny. People who sense your humility and genuineness will be drawn to take you up on your request to read and review. Give it a try!

2. Build Your Mailing List

The best way to get quality reviews is to reach out to those on your mailing list, your social media contacts, and those you’ve sent advance copies to. Ask them in a friendly, non-pressuring way to leave a review, expressing gratitude for their taking the time to read and review your book.

Even if you haven’t finished writing your book, you should get a mailing list started and work on building it. These folks are going to be your most faithful fans and reviewers. Some authors set up street teams (a group of super fans) and get them enthusiastically involved in sharing news about their new release, and once the book is published , they’re usually asked to post their honest reviews right away. With a mailing list, you can share excerpts of your new release and offer an ARC to any who want to read and review. I do this often with my new releases.

Keep these tips in mind:

Don’t bribe, coerce, or cajole.
When you send a copy of your book to a potential reader, thank them and tell them: “Be sure that when you leave a review on Amazon for me, you state that you were given a free copy in exchange for writing an honest review.”
DO ask them to give you an honest review. DON’T threaten them. You’ll make more friends this way, stay out of trouble, and have a clear conscience (reread above section on developing relationships).
Be professional. Remember: there is nothing disgraceful about asking for reviews or blurbs of endorsement for your book.
Provide a choice of epub, PDF, and mobi (Kindle) files. You can save a Word doc as a PDF, and there are free sites online that can convert from one file type to another. I like to put my cover on the first page, and it’s wise to test the file (send the mobi to your Kindle and download a program that can open an epub file (I use Adobe Digital Editions )

3. Encourage Readers to Leave a Review Right after They Read

While Amazon emails customers to leave reviews some days after they purchase anything on their site, a personal encouragement at the back of your book, along with a link (if an ebook), will probably persuade readers to leave that honest review.

This is what I write: “The best way to thank an author for writing a book you enjoyed is to leave an honest review! Click here to post your review of [book title]. Thank you so much for taking the time to let other readers know what you thought of my book.” I put a hyperlink in connected to the words click here (don’t show the very long URL).

If your book isn’t published yet, you will have to wait until you’ve at least got it up for presale (one good reason to use that feature) in order to get your Amazon book page URL. Once you have that, plug in the URL to your request for a review.

Once the book is published, you can use the link that directly goes to the book review page for your book. Here’s how you do it:

Go to your product page once your book is live, click on the reviews button, then scroll down to the bottom and click on “see all __ customer reviews. Click on that link.
Now, grab the URL in the search bar at the top.
Only grab to the end of the numbers and include the forward slash. It should look something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Colorado-Hope-Historical-Western-Romance-ebook/ product-reviews /B00PIAD22K/

Notice that the URL includes “product-reviews” in there. That’s the nice, clean link to your reviews page.

So what happens when the reader clicks that link?

She gets taken right to the top of your review page where there is a nice button that says “write a review.”

Why You Should Never Stop Attracting Reviews

In order to stay ranking high and keep Amazon’s algorithm attention, you’ll need to get a steady stream of reviews over time. That’s why it’s not a great idea to tell all your fans or mailing list recipients to post their review on one specific day. It’s better if they flow in as a stream and not a tsunami.

Don’t run that free KDP promotion during launch week . Offer your book for free one or two days a month, and that will draw in new readers whose reviews will come in over time.

Consider using a free, reputable book review site—maybe one each month—to attract new readers. I recently did a NetGalley promotion (yes, I did pay for that), and netted a lot of readers who downloaded (for free) my book file. NetGalley reviewers are bloggers, librarians, booksellers, educators, journalists, and members of the media. Reviewers give your book a rating and offer feedback. My next step is to contact the reviewers who haven’t yet left a review and politely ask if they would post one on Amazon.

Keep in mind that any reviews you get, you can manually enter them through your Author Central account on Amazon so the reviews will show up on your product page. So no worries about pressuring readers to head over to Amazon to post it themselves. However, these reviews appear on your page’s Editorial Reviews section, not in the usual Amazon review pages (and so won’t be ranked by 1-5 stars or counted as part of your number of reviews).

Go back to your list of book bloggers and review sites. Consider contacting blogs on a weekly basis to accrue new contacts and get more reviews. Keep a chart of who you contact when.

How to Avoid Negative Reviews

Let’s face reality here: you will get negative reviews. But you’re in good company. The most famous, successful authors have plenty of negative reviews. Not everyone will love your book.

The few negative reviews I’ve gotten over the years have mostly been from readers who picked up my book during a free promotion. Some admit in their review “I never read this genre” or “this isn’t my type of book.” Meaning, they wouldn’t have bought my book (which makes me groan and mutter, “So why did you bother reading my book?”).

This is part of the tradeoff with doing free promotions. You will probably get reviews from those who don’t like or understand your genre, and, sadly, you can’t block or forbid them from leaving a review or remove said review. Good news is they probably won’t download your next book during a freebie period.

Here are some ways to fend off negative reviews:

Have your book professionally edited and proofread.
Better yet, have a professional critique of your book before editing to ensure it’s well structured.
Make sure your formatting looks good, for both ebook and paperback. It’s not hard to learn how to format an ebook. Get Mark Coker’s free style book (Smashwords founder). I download Amazon’s templates for paperback and paste all my content in. Or you can hire a designer to help you. But do it right.
Write description copy that accurately describes the genre and story—don’t mislead potential readers. Also, if your book contains “heat” (venturing into erotica) or descriptive violence, warn your reader. It’s the responsible thing to do. And, honestly, you want your target readers to be enjoying your book.
Don’t make promises you can’t keep. This applies to self-help and other types of nonfiction. You might hope your readers will get healed, rich, happy, or successful by following your five-step secret method, but if you guarantee they will get these results, you are going to have some pretty angry customers leaving scathing reviews.
Your book shouldn’t be a thinly veiled advertising platform for other books or services. It’s fine to list some of your other publications or resources at the back of your book, and it’s wise to include an excerpt of one of those other books to entice readers to buy it (and putting in a link to buy is fine). But don’t have promotions and special offers sprinkled throughout your pages. It’s spammy and off-putting.
Did I mention you must have your book professionally edited and proofread?

Getting reviews on Amazon—honest, authentic reviews—will take time and effort, but it’s worth it. As the reviews pile up, you’ll see your sales ranking rise and your book will come up higher in search results.

But don’t forget the big picture: it’s about relationships. Build a fan base of happy readers who love your books. Take the time to master your craft, write the best books you can, take pride in them, and make sure they are professionally edited, with attractive covers and description that accurately describes your content. If you focus on those things and put out the effort, you will have a lot more than just reviews. You’ll have a joyful writing career.

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Best Paid Book Review Sites for Authors

Jan 6, 2022

Reviews are the lifeblood of your book’s success. Getting them is vital throughout your author journey, starting from before until long after you launch your piece of writing. Paid services are, of course, well aware of this fact. There are so many to choose from, so if you’re wondering what the best paid book review sites are, keep reading!

Dozens and dozens of companies are happy to take your money in exchange for the promise of landing you some good reviews.

With the many book review sites out there, you might be wondering which one should you choose.

Not All Paid Book Review Sites Are The Same

You can easily find plenty of companies out there that promises reviews in exchange for dollars. But, as much as you’d want them to be, not all of them will turn out effective. In fact, you may come across some that aren’t even legit.

Rather than take you through all the options available, I’ll share the tried-and-tested ones we use to help get your search narrowed down.

Here at Book Launchers, we use:

BookSirens, and
Booksprout for our authors.

Now, you might be thinking, “ A review is a review. So why so many different sites for the same thing?”

Well, if you haven’t noticed, paid book review sites aren’t all the same. Your book category, overall strategy, goals, and who you’re targeting are essential aspects to consider before going with a review company.

Still, every review site has the same ultimate goal: increase your exposure, find new readers for your book, and bump up those review counts.

Not all sites can make sense for every author. The best course of action would be to pick those that best suit your unique needs.

Here are the four best paid book review sites you can rely on for non-fiction authors, each with its distinctive features.

#1 goodreads.

Goodreads is the most popular review site in the publishing industry today. It remains the top on-line community for book lovers and authors alike.

Amazon runs it, so it boasts some perks for authors with books in the Amazon database.

Right through the site, you can claim your profile and earn a badge that verifies your identity. You’ll also be able to access a wealth of statistical information on your books listed on KDP.

So, how do you know if Goodreads is the way to go? Well, if you want your book to go viral and gain as much exposure as possible, Goodreads could be your ticket.

Here, the strategy is to get people to add your book to their virtual bookshelves, and of course, leave some reviews on it.

This way, your book gets raised visibility. Other users can now see it in their friends’ feeds, giving it a much better chance to be added to their reading list.

Think of it as like playing a giant book-fueled game of telephone with 80 million people.

Speaking of games, did you know that we have an entire YouTube channel dedicated to guiding authors like you to create an excellent self-publishing game plan. Check it out, and if you like what you see, let’s see how fast you can smash that subscribe button.

Back to our topic, you can also run a giveaway on Goodreads, a surefire way to get book reviews. It’s something we do regularly for our clients.

All active giveaways are listed on the giveaway section of the website. Your fans can link to it and encourage their friends to enter the giveaway.

Here’s a video dedicated entirely to helping you get all the goods you can get on Goodreads.

#2 NetGalley

Next up on the paid book review site list is NetGalley. NetGalley is a service that delivers digital Advanced Reader Copies, better known as ARCs.

This service provides ARCs of your book to professional readers. We’re talking about reviewers, media, journalists, bloggers, librarians, booksellers, podcast hosts, and many others.

These professional readers use NetGalley to access digital copies of your book, making it an effective marketing tool not just for your book but for your entire brand as an author.

It allows your work to be made available to people who want to read it in their professional capacity.

A NetGalley promotion offers your ARC three months to be highlighted in their database’s recently added and read now sections. The promo also lets you showcase your book to the sections specific to your title’s categories.

By opting for this promo, all users will see your book listed on the NetGalley website.

There’s a lot more to NetGalley when it comes to figuring out if it’s the right one for you.

To help you out, we have a video that goes into all the details of this review site. We also dive deep into costs because it can be pretty expensive and may not be worth it for all books. Stick to the end of this video to make sure if this review site is for you.

The following two on this list are similar to NetGalley. These two book review sites also deliver your ARC copy to both readers and reviewers. But, they focus more on getting your ARC securely to reviewers, bloggers, and your book army.

#3 BookSirens

BookSirens boasts over 10,000 readers across various genres with an average review rate of 75%, making it an attractive site to get book reviews.

The high average review rate is because their users are vetted and accepted as serious book reviewers. Before users can get approval to join BookSirens, they must have posted at least 20 starred ratings on Goodreads.

How this works is that you first need to send your book to the BookSirens team for evaluation. They will then confirm if it is a quality book – something that they want to offer to their users. Once approved, they will add your book to its appropriate category where users can discover it, download the ARC, and start reading.

A remarkable feature of BookSirens, which leads to their 75% success rate, is that readers can only download one ARC at a time. They can’t download a new ARC until they finish reading and reviewing their active one.

This feature is pretty cool for authors because your advanced reader is much less likely to ghost you without leaving a review. And they’re entirely focused on one book at a time.

BookSirens will also give you a direct link that you can send to your book army. So, those folks can hop on over there and securely download their ARC for free.

You also have the option of choosing whether your reviews are posted on Goodreads, Amazon, or both. Now if you’re wondering about getting book reviews from your book army (And how to keep them from being removed) – check out this article .

#4 Booksprout

Booksprout is another option to consider if your main priority is a prelaunch review push.

Similar to BookSirens, Booksprout is a review site that automates the delivery of your ARC to over 40,000 users.

Their average review rate is around 79%. Even your book army will find it challenging to beat that.

Before you get all excited, we’ve been testing this one for some time, and we’re getting mixed results.

Self-Publish and Succeed , well after launch, got four reviews from a single Booksprout listing. Yet, the other books we tested did not bring any results.

Right now, we’re playing with it to figure out whether it’s a timing issue, a topic, or something else.

We’ve experienced the same thing with BookSirens. My book wasn’t even accepted by them for their reviewers. So, I only used BookSirens for ARCs, but some authors from our client base have gotten good reviews.

BookSirens Vs. Booksprout

So what’s the difference between the two paid review sites? Which one is better for you? Let’s discuss the main differences between BookSirens and Booksprout:

Booksprout focuses on getting reviews by a specific date, while BookSirens focuses on getting a particular number of reviews.
On BookSirens, you can post your book and have the reviews roll in for as long as your little heart desires. But on Booksprout, your reviewers have a time limit to read and write their review.
Booksprout also limits the number of reviewer downloads depending on your subscription level. The more money you spend on their service, the more downloads you can do.
BookSirens is a fee-per-book service, letting you choose the number of downloads from as little as 5 to as many as 250.

On the plus side, you can request Booksprout reviews posted on up to eight different sites rather than just Goodreads or Amazon. They include options like Kobo, Apple Books, Google Books, and even BookBub.

Whether you go with BookSirens, Booksprout, or both, these two book review sites are easy to use. They’re effective if you need a little help building up your audience.

If this is your first book or your book army looks a little sparse on the prelaunch battlefield, one of these two review sites, or maybe both, could be your answer.

Now that you know some of the best sites that can help you get book reviews in bulk, maybe it’s time to get in touch with us. See what we can do to help you take off even further, even months post-launch.

Here at Book Launchers we help authors like you in every stage of the self-publishing process. Whether you write the book yourself or with our help, we’re with you every step of the way.

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That being said, if you have no reviews, or are staring at two reviews with a 3.5 Amazon rating, you likely don’t believe me. Only the ice-water of harsh experience convinced me otherwise.

But although they’re hardly the skeleton key to success, reviews are still important for a few reasons we’ll discuss below. Thus, I’ve assembled a comprehensive mini guide outlining the four primary methods that you can use to get legitimate, unbiased Amazon reviews (no black hat stuff here):

Review services which distribute review copies of your book to their readers
Asking your newsletter subscribers
Creating your own ARC (advance review copy) team
Setting your book to free and putting a review request with a direct link to the review form in your book’s back matter.

But before we get into the how-to, we first need to answer an oft-overlooked question.

Why the hell should we bother to get Amazon reviews at all?

Note: this guide was last updated in August 2020.

Why You SHOULD Bother

Let me be clear: Reviews don’t impact sales nearly as much as many authors think .

Reviews do not:

Directly generate sales . Reviews are largely a product of a book selling well; not the other way around. It’s easy to get this causality reversed, which leads to some trying to hoard reviews like Gollum hoards the precious. This obsession is not productive.
Trigger Amazon’s famed algorithms . While the official documentation for Amazon’s A9 algorithm suggests that verified reviews might be a factor, in reality, this impact is minor or nonexistent. There’s also an old myth still making the rounds that Amazon will only promote books with 50+ reviews. This is 100% false. Your book does not need to cross a minimum review threshold for Amazon to start recommending it via also boughts, emails, and other automated mechanisms. A book with 10 reviews (or zero) can easily outsell one with 70, or even 700.
Have any other career-making mythical effect you may have heard about.

Why bother getting reviews at all, then?

Two marketing reasons:

Qualifying for promo sites . This is the main reason—many advertisers require either 5 – 10 reviews (with a 3.5 – 4-star average).
Social proof is important . All other elements being equal—blurb, cover, writing quality—a book with 15 reviews will be purchased over a title with none. Despite this tendency, reviews are far less important for books than, say, socks or a new television. That’s because fiction quality is subjective and all other elements are never equal. A book with twenty reviews and a genre-relevant cover will likely trounce one with a terrible, off-genre cover and a hundred glowing reviews.

I want to be clear: There aren’t many good reasons to acquire reviews besides the those outlined above. A la Facebook likes, Amazon reviews quickly become a vanity metric. After you get past 50 for a given title, there are diminishing returns. That being said, is having 250 or 500 reviews better than 50? Of course — but remember, when a book has hundreds of reviews, it’s almost always a byproduct of it selling well. Spending hundreds of hours or thousands of dollars accumulating this many reviews is a poor use of resources.

50 is an arbitrary threshold, but chosen for the following reasons:

Criticisms tend to repeat themselves at this point. You’re generally not learning new things about your craft from review #156 that you didn’t learn at #45.
You qualify for all promo sites . Yes, that includes the mighty BookBub (which contrary to myth, does not have a minimum review requirement).

And about that criticism: a good critical review can improve your craft.

This point is important enough to warrant its own section.

Qualitative Feedback: Using Reviews to Improve Your Craft

Feedback is at a premium when you’re a writer. Most of your day is spent alone, at a keyboard, typing into what is essentially a void. It is not until someone else reads your work that you receive feedback — often weeks or months after a passage has been written.

This can make it difficult to improve, since feedback is key to building skill in any discipline.

Reviews can be a critical source of quality feedback.

You’ll no doubt get lots of unhelpful, vague reviews (“terrible” or “deleted it from my kindle”) if you pursue writing as a full-time career. But don’t ignore genuinely helpful feedback because of this. I’ve learned a number of things (both positive and negative) from a small handful of reviews—points like my overuse of expletives, poor endings, confusing tendency to mash-up disparate genres/tones, and (on the plus side) that readers found my work funny . This unbiased feedback is invaluable, as it is what paying customers (re: not your mom, writing group or dog) genuinely think about your work. I wasn’t aware of these problems (or positives) until I read my Amazon reviews.

Some authors never read their reviews and advocate ignoring them. I believe this is a borderline career killing mistake. As already mentioned, unbiased feedback is the rarest of commodities for a writer; editors, proofreaders, beta readers, and so forth are inclined to say positive things about your work since they have a financial or personal relationship with you. This is human nature.

Paying readers — who are the arbiter of your success in this game — have no such biases, and will give you the straight truth. Sometimes that’s brutal; sometimes it’s unhelpful; on rare occasions, however, it’s gold. If you feel like downing a bottle of bourbon after browsing Amazon, however, then don’t read the reviews . Personally, I would work on building a thicker skin, because criticism is inescapable in this business . But that decision is up to you.

Quantitative Feedback

I’ve already touched on how reviews can qualitatively be used to improve your work.

But they can also be used in a more quantitative fashion. Most people look at the review score to assess whether readers liked their book. This seems like a good idea; in practice, however, not all 4 star ratings are equal. That’s because the true measure of a book’s quality is whether the reader got to the end — and, after that, whether they go on to purchase the next book.

Nothing else really matters when you’re trying to make a living.

Enter expected reviews versus actual reviews.

Using these two numbers, we can compare our expected review numbers (using a rule of thumb) to the actual number of reviews our book has.

On average, you can expect 1 Amazon review for every 1,000 free downloads and 1 review for every 100 sales. This is just a very general rule of thumb; the review rate will fluctuate from book to book. However, if lots of people are picking up your book, but no one is reviewing it, this indicates they’re not reaching the end. This is a problem, since your career is built on sellthrough (that is, people finishing a book and then purchasing another one of your books).

Thus, if your review rate is dramatically below the rules of thumb stated above, there may be a craft problem lurking in the pages.

Take these numbers from actual titles:

More people are reviewing Books A and B than expected; by contrast, Book C has fewer reviews than expected. Again, this is a very rough estimate; making any decisions based on this exercise alone would be ill-advised. But a low review rate is cause for further examination.

When I looked at the sellthrough numbers (the % of people who go on to purchase Book 2): Book B’s sellthrough is the highest, while Book C’s is anemic. This suggests readers aren’t resonating with Book C.

In conjunction with the actual qualitative content of the reviews, you can use your review rate to troubleshoot craft problems. If it’s much lower than expected, dive into what people are saying to find out why.

But enough about feedback and improving craft. Let’s jump into getting reviews.

Common Practices to Avoid

We only want legitimate reviews. To that end, you should avoid anything that might get you into hot water with Amazon. In recent years, Amazon has cracked down on many review gathering techniques—from the obvious black hat ones to grayer areas. To keep on the right side of their TOS, it’s vital to abide by a few rules:

Do not ask friends, family and other acquaintances for reviews. This is not allowed under the TOS. Some of these folks will leave reviews anyway, without asking. Don’t be concerned about this (Amazon won’t punish you)—just know that these reviews can disappear.
Do not offer to exchange reviews with other authors (known as a review swap) — e.g. you review their book and they review yours in return.
You can’t compensate reviewers in any way, beyond the actual product (the book, in this case). This means entering contests, paying them, swapping reviews and other tactics aren’t allowed.

On a semi-related note, if you interact with someone on social media, Amazon’s bots might pick this up and remove reviews of your work by this person. This is largely unavoidable and not something to be worried about; if the review count on a book suddenly drops by one or two, however, this might be the culprit.

Method #1: Use a Review Service

In theory, if funds were unlimited, you could book all of the sites below. Getting loads of reviews, however, is not the best use of marketing funds. Instead, focus on getting 10 reviews , as this is the threshold where most paid promo sites allow you to advertise. Then invest the leftover money into paid advertising.

If you’ve been struggling with reviews for a long time, rest assured that you can use all of these services & options for any book, old or new. I’ve used them for brand new releases (e.g. during launch week) and for books over a year and a half old. Anecdotally, I haven’t seen any difference in reader demand for new titles as opposed to old titles; even pre-order books (e.g. where the reader is receiving a true advance review copy) don’t seem to generate more interest. Demand is mostly dictated by your genre, cover, and blurb.

Important: You aren’t purchasing reviews via these services. Instead, these sites play matchmaker between authors and prospective reviewers—matching your book with interested, unbiased reviewers who request a review copy of your title based on its cover, blurb, and genre. These reviewers are not compensated, beyond the free copy of the book. If a site claims to compensate reviewers—either via monetary payment, contest entries or other incentives—run the other way immediately . Due diligence is a must .

I’ve used the sites below without issue, but the song does not remain the same—so look into their current policies and make sure they’re on the up and up.

The Best Option

# expected reviews: 20+ (50+ in some genres)
Setup time: 5 minutes
About: The most effective review service in the business by a large margin (think of them as the Bookbub of review services). Not only do they generate a ton of quality reviews — the reviewers clearly have read the books, and often post multiple paragraph reviews — they even send you a follow-up email with selected additional comments from their ARC list. The only knock against Hidden Gems is the booking time, which extends out half a year or longer for most genres.

Personally Untested, But Good For Others

I don’t generally include things that I haven’t personally used, especially not this high. But in this case, I’ve worked with a client who has used BookSprout to generate a considerable number of reviews, which gels with the general overall author consensus.

BookSprout (free trial, $10 – $20/mo)
About: BookSprout is a subscription service that offers a combination of ARC list management and discovery features that connect you with potential reviewers.

I’ve used Story Origin before for cross promos, but not specifically for reviews. I found that part of the service useful, and have seen some promising results from the review section. So this is worth testing, especially since it’s totally free.

StoryOrigin (free)

Unfortunately, much like with promo sites, where Bookbub reigns king, there’s a precipitous drop off in results from Hidden Gems to the rest of the pack. If you can’t snag a Hidden Gems spot, I’d start with these.

# expected reviews: 1 – 2
Setup time: 2 – 3 hours (have to send winners files yourself)
About: Library Thing allows you to run free eBook giveaways that help you get reviews. Set the giveaway to 100 eBooks (make sure you do eBooks and not paper copies) and you’ll usually get 30 – 50 people claiming it.

If you’re in a pinch, and need some reviews, you can look to these services. Their prices and results make them less appealing, however.

# expected reviews: 3 – 5
Setup time: 1 – 2 hours
About: this is different than the other services, in that you provide a link to your ARC (advance review copy) mailing list sign-up. Then they send out an email blast telling their list that they can join your ARC team and get a free review book. You’ll want to set up a separate form/segment for these ARC reviewers. Don’t mix them in immediately with your regular ARC reviewers, as some of them won’t review or won’t like your work.
Setup time: don’t remember
About: There are a number of co-ops that allow you to book a Net Galley slot for your title. I’ve linked to the one from Xpresso Book Tours; to be 100% clear, I’ve never used their services, but they’ve been around for a long time (the co-op I used is no longer offered). You can search for alternatives on Google or ask around in author groups. You can also book directly from Net Galley, but that’s far more expensive. Reviews from Net Galley are fair, but tend to be harsher and with lower overall scores.
About: this was good when I tried it in January 2016 (got 10 reviews), but less effective when I tried it in January 2017 (got 2 reviews). They provide you with updates via email on how many reviews your book has received from the program.
About: Process took about 7 – 10 days from submission to when it was sent out to readers. They distribute all the book files. Setup is super painless and the easiest of all the options. Book Review 22 sends an update about two months after you order with links to the reviews procured by their service. I received two Goodreads reviews and an Amazon review for an urban fantasy book when the price was $60. It has since increased to $250.
# expected reviews: 0
About: for years, Goodreads allowed you to give away paperbacks for free (although the shipping and printing costs associated with actually delivering said paperbacks were fairly pricey). This was useless, but cheap; I never traced a single direct review back to such a giveaway. The new Goodreads Giveaways, alas, are still useless but have the added bonus of being expensive. You can use them for both eBooks and paperbacks, now, although I would simply skip this option and use them for neither. I ran one, gave away 20 copies, got zero directly attributable reviews, and called it a day.

Additional Options I Haven’t Personally Tested

Blog tours (cost depends): haven’t tried a blog tour; from the research I’ve done, tours used to be much better for generating buzz and reviews (e.g. in 2012/2013) than they are now.
Contacting bloggers (free): I sent out one email to one blogger, never heard a response, and decided screw that . Other authors have gotten reviews, but I’m skeptical of the required time investment required to get said reviews. This was a popular strategy four or five years ago, before bloggers got bombed with review requests as a result.

You may see these recommended by other posts or guides; they’re mentioned here so you don’t wonder what happened to them.

Story Cartel
Contacting Amazon reviewers (free): Amazon used to publicly display the email addresses of reviewers who ticked a box to show their email on their profile. You could then email this person to offer them an ARC copy for review. Amazon no longer displays any reviewer emails publicly, so this method is no longer viable.
Book Razor : a number of review services sprung up that gathered the emails from Amazon profiles and sold them to authors. These were all shut down by the aforementioned change; Book Razor was the best known of these services.

Method #2: Ask Your List

If you have a mailing list (which you do have, right?), all that you need to do is send out a regular broadcast email to your subscribers asking for reviews. Explain the importance and include the direct link to the review form. Don’t incentivize people in any way; this is against the Amazon TOS. Just ask nicely.

Maybe you don’t want to send out a newsletter that solely ask for reviews. You could include the request as a “PS” at the bottom of one of your emails instead.

I like (and have used) the subject line “Can You Do Me a Favor?”

You can even automate this process by adding such a request to your autoresponder. The same principles apply: ask nicely and include a direct link to the review form.

Method 3: Cross Promo to Autoresponder

You can use sites like BookFunnel and StoryOrigin , or giveaways to build your list of newsletter subscribers rapidly. The idea is simple with cross promotions: you join forces with multiple other authors, share the cross promo to your list, and essentially share your subscribers with one another. You need a book that you can offer as bait for people to sign up, which is usually a free novella, story, or novel.

While this is a good way to start building your list, what you’ll often find is that the volume of subscribers is high…but engagement (and buy rates) are low. That does not, however, mean that these subscribers are necessarily useless, or that they’re not interested in reading your stuff.

Instead, these people might be interested in becoming ARC Readers (method outlined below) or to review your book.

How to set this up:

Join a cross promo on BookFunnel or StoryOrigin. Or join an author giveaway.
Make sure these subscribers are on a separate list or have a specific tag so you can clearly identify their source.
Set up an autoresponder that all new subscribers from these sources receive. An autoresponder (also referred to as an “automation sequence” or “drip sequence”) automatically sends emails to these new subscribers on a set schedule. You write the emails in advance, set things up, and then it runs in the background forever (or until you turn it off).
Within this autoresponder, have an email that requests a review for one of your books. It can be the one you gave away for free when they joined the list (especially if that’s a novel available for sale on Amazon) or it can be the book related to what they got free for joining the list (i.e., the full-length novel related to the free prequel novella). Link them directly to the Amazon review form.
Or, you can ask if they want to join your ARC Team, which we’ll outline below.

By the way, this autoresponder process works with your organic subscribers (those coming from the front/back matter of your book) as well. The reason I highlight cross promotions and giveaways specifically? If you’re struggling to get reviews, your current organic list is likely small. This is a quick way to dramatically increase the number of people you can either add to your ARC team or ask for reviews from.

Method #4: Create Your Own ARC Team

Why keep paying for review services with each book — essentially shotgunning your book out to readers who may or may not like it — when you can instead build a team of mega fans who will review your latest release on launch day? Like the previous two methods, this technique requires a mailing list — but after you finish setting up your mailing list, one of the next steps should be to start building your ARC (advance review copy) team.

Luckily, building an ARC team is super-easy. And it works with organic and non-organic subscribers.

Way #1 : create an automated email inviting subscribers to join your ARC team as part of your autoresponder.

Aside from a welcome email that delivers your reader magnet (the free novella, story, or novel mentioned in the previous section) and says what’s up to your new peeps, you can also have an email—further down the line—that invites subscribers to join your ARC team. A simple message—like hey, if you want free review copies of my books before they come out, reply and I’ll add you to the list —is really all you need.

Way #2 : if you don’t know a drip sequence from a dripping faucet—or haven’t set up your autoresponder—then simply sending a regular message to your existing list works fine. Same format as above: hey, I have cool pre-release copies of my latest book—you want in? Reply if you do.

That’s it. You can do this for a specific release (e.g. respond if you want an ARC copy of my new book Magic, Vamps & Potions), or just as a general invitation to receive all future books. Add the people who respond to your ARC list (or segment/tag them, depending on how fancy you wanna get).

It is extremely important to follow up with your ARC reviewers. Here’s a basic schedule:

10 – 14 DAYS BEFORE LAUNCH : Send out the ARC copies. Deliver these via BookFunnel to increase the # of people who actually download the ARC. If you do the special trick outlined in the section below, you can include the review link to the paperback.
LAUNCH DAY : Send out a link to the Amazon review form on launch day reminding people to review. Including the link is important — it makes things easier for reviewers, and will increase the number of reviews.
7 – 10 DAYS AFTER LAUNCH : Send a final message thanking all those who have left a review while reminding anyone who didn’t to review the book. Explain that reviews are critical to the book’s success. Most people are happy to do you a favor, particularly when you’ve already done them one by giving ’em a free ARC copy.

On a closing note, never request positive reviews; I always emphasize that reviewers should leave honest reviews. If someone signed up to your ARC team, they are almost always a big fan of your work, which makes them extremely unlikely to leave a review lower than four stars, anyway. On a related note, I do not remove non-reviewers or people who leave me low ratings; this demands a lot of time that can be better spent elsewhere. And finally, always remind ARC team members to disclose that they received a free book with language a la “I received a free review copy of this book from the author.”

Method #5: Ask in the Back Matter and Then Set Your Book to Free

I don’t do this any more, but I’ll explain the technique first, then explain my reasoning for no longer employing it.

In the back matter, right after “THE END” or “END OF BOOK 1,” on the same page , I used to have three things: a link to my mailing list; a link to book #2 with a brief, one-sentence description; and a request that goes a little something like this: If you enjoyed this book, please leave a brief review on Amazon by tapping here. Thanks.

This will increase the number of reviews you’ll receive. Make sure “please leave a brief review on Amazon by tapping here” links directly to the book’s review form. This increases the number of reviews you’ll receive.

A note: if you’re wide, use “please leave a brief review on your online bookseller of choice” and omit the direct link. Other retailers take umbrage to directly linking to competitors. It’s not worth generating a different EPUB for each retailer, in my opinion, hence the more general language. If you’re Amazon exclusive, just say Amazon (or Amazon/Goodreads, since Goodreads is owned by ‘zon).

Finally, an important note: the more cluttered your back matter, the less likely a buyer will take any action at all. If you have a million requests back there—follow me on Twitter! Here’s this thing I’m doing on Wattpadd! Oh yeah, I do dope Kabuki theater with this awesome troupe!—readers will take no action at all .

This is the reason I no longer include a review request in my back matter. While such a request increases the number of reviews you get, it decreases sellthrough. Instead of purchasing the next book in the series, readers leave a review. This gives them additional time to be distracted by a different book, and purchase it instead. Additionally, an automatic pop-up now appears at the end of books read on Kindle devices asking you to leave a review. This makes the review request semi-redundant. Here are the comparative stats for the back matter (back matter with the review ask on the left):

Ultimately, the goal is to sell more books and make more money — not collect dozens of reviews.

These days, I limit the number of CTAs (call-to-action) to one or two: a brief teaser with a link to the next book, and – depending on the series – a link to join my mailing list. Each additional link or request you add decreases the chance of the reader taking the desired action. That will almost always be purchasing the next book, so we want to make that link/teaser the focus.

However, if you are struggling to get reviews, you can use the review CTA + a free run on your book to generate some. I’d only do this if you have less than ten reviews. Otherwise, as outlined above, the review request will cut into your sellthrough too much to be worthwhile.

The technique: Give your book away free for 5 days and have a review request in the back matter . Book some paid promo so that you generate at least 3,000 – 5,000 downloads during your run. As mentioned earlier, you can generally expect one review for every 1,000 books you give away. For paid copies, you can expect around one review for every 100 books sold. However, those numbers can be much higher if your book has high sellthrough (e.g. people are finishing the book).

Understand that review averages for free books generally skew anywhere from a half-star to a full star lower than reviews for paid books. People tend to judge free products harshly. You’ll also get people trying your book who don’t like the genre and wouldn’t normally pick it up. This is normal.

Special Trick: Get Pre-Release Reviews

Unlike trad-pub authors, indie authors can’t receive reviews for their pre-order titles. There’s a clever way around this, though: setting up your KDP Print paperback ahead of time and “releasing it,” then directing your reviewers to the review link for the print copy listing.

Here’s how:

Make sure your eBook is available for pre-order and that you have the final draft of your manuscript available . This is critical because by publishing the paperback you will be making the actual book available for sale (at least for a couple hours), and thus you don’t want readers accidentally purchasing a placeholder full of blank pages.
Publish your paperback via KDP Print.
Once it’s live, request for KDP support to link the paperback and pre-order eBook editions together, if they aren’t already.
Send your reviewers the review link from the paperback edition’s Amazon page.
Once the two editions are linked, unpublish the paperback (if you want – or just leave it as is). If you do this, the review link will remain, but the paperback will no longer be available for purchase. You can “re-release” the print edition on the actual launch day by simply going into KDP Print and making it available again.

Wrapping Up

Using this guide, you should be able to get ten Amazon reviews over the next month without much trouble.

The ultimate goal, however, should be building your own team of ARC reviewers . This is a slow process, but one worth starting now. That way, you don’t have to pay for any services or hope that readers will leave reviews. Better still, fans of your work tend to write in-depth, quality reviews (and, as a bonus, their ratings skew higher, too). And if you get something egregiously wrong in your latest release, they’ll likely email you in private instead of publicly eviscerating your book—possibly in time for you to fix your error, as well.

That’s it. Go and get some reviews. And remember, always be building your author career; not just a shiny stable of gold stars on a platform (Amazon) that you don’t own.

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How to Get Book Reviews on Amazon For Free

Most authors think that writing a book is the hard part.

As an independent author, getting reviews for your book is probably one of the hardest things you'll ever have to do.

Where do you start? Who do you ask? How does it even work?

This is a complete step by step systematic process to give you a near unlimited amount of reviews for your book.

They're right — it's a herculean task to get a book out of your head, onto the page, and in a format that other people can use.

But it's not the hard est part of being an author. In today's world, where self publishing is so accessible to authors at any level and in any genre, the real problem is getting attention for your book.

After all, the best-written, most valuable book on Earth isn't worth anything if nobody cracks it open and starts to read it.

While there are a number of strategies out there to get attention for your book, one of the best is to leverage the way that Amazon works when you launch a book on their platform.

Amazon determines where your book ranks in its category on a few key factors. Honest, in-depth reviews of your book are one of those key factors (alongside book sales).

If you're a first-time author, or an experienced writer without a large platform, this might discourage you . It can feel like a chicken and egg situation. No one will see your book if you can't get reviews, but you can't get book reviews because people aren't seeing your book.

How do you break the cycle?

In this article, we'll go over simple, practical, and (most importantly) ethical ways on how to get reviews for your book on Amazon.

Be warned : this will take effort. But if you put in the work and follow the steps, you will get genuine reviews for your book, catapulting up the rankings and in front of the readers you want to reach.

Don't have the time? Check out our service tailored for independent authors. This is ALL we do!

If you value your time at more than $4.00/hour, then using BookRazor is proven to be the more efficient choice

potential reviewers

(we need ~3,500 total book reviews to research)

reviewer name
book reviewed
email address
reviewer profile
email template
6-9 days to complete

(we need ~8,000 total book reviews to research)

The Many Ways to Get Reviews

Later in this article, we'll cover a step-by-step process to get free book reviews. But first, let's cover the many ways that authors try to get reviews for their books.

1. Friends, Family, and Acquaintances

Almost all authors start out here, and for good reason. Without much of a platform to market their work, they go to their trusted circle of family, friends, and acquaintances.

This is effective, because these people have a personal connection to you and are willing to help you out even if they may not be one of your target readers.

Note: It is frowned upon to ask your close connections to review your book if they haven't read it. Just because they're likely to leave a review no matter what doesn't mean that you should allow it.

2. Book Blogging Communities

Over the past 5-7 years, the number of people who make a living writing books and selling them on Amazon has risen drastically. Naturally, so has a support network aimed at helping these authors scale their success. Book blogging communities can take many forms, from outright self-promotion bordering on shady tactics, to large, reputable book mailing lists like BookBub . As a general rule, these should be approached with caution unless you have a proven book that you know will work well with a specific site or book marketing list.

3. Amazon Top Reviewers

Most articles teaching you how to get a book reviewed will recommend Amazon Top Reviewers as a core part of the strategy. It's not a bad idea, but it becomes less and less effective the more people use it. Think about it — there are a finite number of top reviewers, and an ever-increasing list of authors who want reviews for their books. At some point this model breaks. Your pitches offering free books in exchange for an honest review will start falling on deaf ears because there are simply too many other authors looking for the same thing. However, an intelligent approach to Top Reviewers should still be considered.

4. Book Review Services

Book review services take two forms:

Services that offer positive reviews for a fee
Services that expedite the review-getting process for a fee

Hopefully we don't have to explain why purchasing #1 is a bad idea. Not only does it go directly against Amazon's promotional content and customer review policies, it's not very effective. You're buying reviews from people who have never read the book, so it's likely to be a very generic and obviously fake review. Amazon's good enough to detect those, even on an IP-level for some of the more popular services. Just don't use them.

However, services that offer to speed up the review process can be worth their weight in gold, like BookRazor (shameless plug). The tactics we'll get into in the next section are very time consuming, so anything that can speed up the process without sacrificing quality is a good use of money. These can take the form of services that find reviewers for you, provide templates for emailing, etc — they're quite diverse.

Dispelling A Few Myths

Having worked with many authors on book launches and obtaining reviews, there are a few common misconceptions and beliefs that prevent authors from getting the most they can out of their books. Give these a quick read and see if you have any of them within you:

You're Allowed to Ask People to Help You

This is a common struggle for many creative types. Often, they feel it's unethical or sleazy to ask their friends, family, or acquaintances for help with their project. They have so much trouble with even those groups that the thought of asking "random strangers" for help is completely out of the question. If this is something you struggle with, remember that other people ask you for help all of the time. It's in our nature to respond favorably to requests for help, especially when you're offering something in return.

Your Book Sales Won't Take a Hit

The most common objection we get when sharing our book review techniques is, "Won't this hurt my book sales? I want to sell as many copies as possible!" While the logic isn't false , it is a bit twisted. When an author is starting out, eyeballs and visibility are often far more important than raw book sales. Would you rather get 100% of book sales to an audience of 100 people, or 50% of an audience of 2,000?

How to Get Book Reviews: A Step-By-Step Framework

Phew! Now that we've gotten all of the introductory information out of the way, let's get to work, shall we? This framework will work for any authors that puts in the time and effort required to make it a success. Before we get into each step, here is a rough outline:

Start this entire process at least two months before you launch your book
Compile a list of people you want to review your book
Email them and offer them a copy of your book
Compile a list of people who you sent a copy of your book
Email them three times:
7 days before your book launches
Day your book launches
Personalized email 2-3 days after book launches

Looks simple? It is. But the little details in each step are what separates a successful review campaign from a failure. Let's get into it.

1. When Should I Start My Book Promotions?

Because we're dealing with a complex ask (reading and reviewing a book), it makes sense to give people as much as possible to get this task done. A good rule of thumb is to start the review process at least two months beforehand. This gives you enough time to get your list of people together, make your pitches, and follow up 2-3 times. Then you need to allow time for them to read and digest your book. Only then can they review it. If you try to rush the process, your results will be drastically worse.

2. Have You Already Launched Your Book?

While this guide is written for authors who have yet to launch their book, the principles work equally well if your book is already out and you're looking for more reviews. Just follow steps 2-5 and modify your email templates to the following:

Introduction and initial pitch
Check-in email three weeks after email #1
Final check-in and link to review page one week after email #2

3. Come Up With Your List of Reviewers

The goal here is to start with as big a list of people as you can come up with. Not everyone will respond to your first pitch, not everyone will want a copy of your book, and there will even be some people who don't review your book after receiving a copy. This is unavoidable, but by coming up with a large list of initial people you can mitigate these problems a bit.

There are a few sources you should look to to build this list:

3.1 Family, Friends, and Acquaintances

The people on this list are your "tier one" reviewers. It's highly likely that they will not only respond to your pitch, but will enthusiastically help you by reviewing your book and sharing it with their networks as well. Add as many people to this list as you can think of, but be sure not to head over to Gmail and add all of your contacts while thinking, "If I've emailed them, they must be 'acquaintances', right?" Wrong!

3.2 Reviewers of Similar Books in Your Genre

Where this system really shines is in this step right here. Go to Amazon and browse through your book categories for popular books that are similar to your own. Here's what you're looking for:

Related books with a high number of related reviews
Positive reviews
Reviews that have been voted "Most Helpful"

These criteria ensure that the reviewers you find are relevant and interested , making them exceptional candidates to review your book. When you find these reviewers, look for:

Their email address (usually found on their profile page)
Reviewers that have written a review in the last few months, to ensure they're still active on the platform

After you've exhausted the reviews on one book, move to another book until you run out of similar books that have reviews. This is by far the most time consuming part of the process, but doing good work here will pay dividends for the rest of the process.

4. Email Your List and Offer a Copy of Your Book

Once you've completed the arduous process of compiling a review pitch list, it's time to communicate with them! Your first email will introduce yourself, your book, and offer a copy of the book. It will NOT talk about how much you love your book, how badly you need reviews, or anything else that you want from them . It's designed to offer value to your list — that's it.

IMPORTANT: The below email templates are merely suggestions. I strongly encourage you to compose your own. The below may have been copied and re-used to death.

Think of the credibility and authenticity you lose when a potential reviewer has already received the same email outreach from hundreds of different authors.

Subject: My New Book Hi [First Name] , Hope you're well! [Add a personal intro sentence here] . Over the past [time period] , I've been working on a book called [title of book] , about [one sentence description of book topic] . It's going to launch in [number of weeks] on Amazon. The way publishing a book works these days, one of the most valuable things I can do is launch the book with reader reviews on Amazon. That's why I'm writing you. Would you like to receive a free copy of my book? I would be happy to send you either a digital copy or a physical copy — whichever you prefer. If so, I'd also sincerely appreciate it if you considered leaving an honest review once it launches on [Date] . It's by no means necessary, but would be much appreciated. If you want a physical copy, just reply with your address and I'll ship it out to you ASAP. If you'd prefer a digital copy, just reply and let me know and I'll send it right out to you. Thanks so much for your time! [your name]

The key to this email is the suggestion that they be receptive to leaving a review for your book once they're done reading it. While it's frowned upon to outright agree to trade a book for a review (even if it's unbiased), it's completely fine to suggest that a review would be appreciated.

Don't send this as a mass email. It reeks of non-personalization and your success rate will go way down. The opening line in this email should be as personal as possible. That's easy to accomplish if you're writing to family or friends, but gets more time consuming when you are emailing reviewers you found on Amazon. It helps to do a little Googling and figure out what these people are about. Is there a commonality that you share? Something they enjoy? That little bit of personalization is a signal that you didn't email the same script to 500 people, and drastically increases your response rate.

Keep your list in a spreadsheet and track the following:

First email send date
1 week before send date
Launch send date
Review secured?

5 . Send Them a Copy

Prepare to get a lot of responses. People are usually receptive to a custom email pitch like the one above. Once people start saying "Yes," make sure you send them the book as soon as possible.

If you're sending digitally, send them a zipped file of the three popular digital formats (.pdf, .epub, and .mobi) so you don't have to go back and forth with them over file types. It would be helpful to include quick instructions on how to use each filetype, just in case they don't know.

Remember — you're asking them to read your book and leave a review . These are NOT small asks. Do everything in your power to make the process as painless as possible for them.

6. Create a List of Reviewers

The first round of emails was all personal outreach. One on one. Now that you have a subsection of that original list that has accepted a book in exchange for an honest review, it's safe to add them to an email list and mail them all at once.

A free and easy to manage option is MailChimp. Just copy and paste all of the names and emails that accepted your offer into your Mailchimp list and name it "[Book title] Reviewer List."

7. Remind Your Reviewers a Week Before Launch

Like everyone else, your reviewers are busy people. If you ship out a copy and hope they'll remember to leave a review the day your book launches, your results will be poor. It's best to send a few gentle reminders, prodding them to fulfill their end of the bargain — leaving a review of your book once it launches.

Subject: [First name], [Book Title] Launches in a Week! Hey [First name] , I wanted to say thanks for agreeing to read [Book Title] . I can't tell you how much it means to me to get this book out in the world on [Date] . I'm writing you to see if you had any questions or feedback before the book launches. If you are open to leaving a review but are not sure what to say about the book or in a review in general, it's totally fine to just leave your general thoughts. One last thing : if you decide to leave a review, it's important to mention that you received a review copy of the book. Take care, [Your name]

There are two main points to hit in this email:

It's a gentle nudge to anyone on your list that hasn't read the book yet.
It primes them for launch day and reminds them that they agreed to read and potentially review your book.

You'd be surprised how forgetful people can be, even when it comes to things that they really want to do. Giving them a gentle reminder helps prime them to take action.

8. Announce the Book on Launch Day

The day your book launches, you want to email your list and let them know one final time that your book is out and they have committed to leaving a review. It's best to schedule this the night before for 6 or 7am EST so your email is staring them in the face first thing in the morning. This way they can leave their review and be on with their day.

Subject: It's Launch Day For [Book Title] Hey [First name] , Morning! I wanted to send a quick and easy reminder that [Book Title] has launched and is available on Amazon! Thank you again for giving it a look before launch. It means a lot. If you'd like to leave your thoughts on the book in a review, you can do so here (it would be greatly appreciated): Click here to leave a review for [Book Title] . Again, I can't tell you how much it means that you've taken the time to help out with the book launch. If there's anything that I can do for you, please don't hesitate to ask. Thank you, [Your name]

This email should be short and to the point. All you want them to do is read it, give them a gentle nudge to review your book, have them click the link, and review your book. Simple.

9. Follow Up With Each Reviewer After Your Launch

If you've done your job, reviews should start coming in over the course of the next day or two. It's time to thank your list. At this point, it's best to go back to a personal email instead of a mass-email. This way you can connect more with your reviewers, who by now may be genuine fans of your work.

If you want to take it even further, you can send everyone on your list an email, even if they didn't end up reviewing your book. This personal touch often spurs another segment of the list to leave a review. Even though it might be late, it still helps your book rank higher in your Amazon category.

A Note on Effort

As you can see, this isn't a quick and easy process. But that's what makes it valuable. Simply put, most authors launching books on Amazon don't go through even half of this effort to get their book out there, and consequently end up with a lackluster book launch. They get discouraged and may stop writing altogether, or decide that it's just "impossible" to be an author these days.

With self-publishing bringing the barriers to entry to book publishing way down, there are many more authors these days than there ever were in the past. You can choose to see that as a problem, lamenting how hard it is to get noticed these days, or you can do the work that other authors won't — and reap all of the rewards.

If you want to streamline this process a bit without sacrificing the essence of what makes it work, you can use a service like ours which does the reviewer sourcing for you. You'll still have to do the rest of the pitching yourself, but we've become experts at finding Amazon reviewers that are interested in your book category and topic, and have a history of leaving honest reviews for new authors.

Once again, if you don't have the time, we specialize in providing a cheap, done for you version of this.

If you value your time at more than $4.00/hour, then our service is the better bang for the buck.

Table of Contents

Why Do Book Reviews Matter?

How many reviews do i need, editorial reviews, how to get amazon book reviews, how to get reviews for your book on amazon.

What good is writing a great book if no one knows that it’s worth reading?

That’s where book reviews come in.

Reviews matter. They’re a key influencer of buying behavior and provide important social proof even to non-buyers.

Just think about it: how many times have you bought a book without looking at the reviews? I can’t speak for you, but I always read at least a few reviews of every book I buy.

So how do you get more? Most important, more good reviews?

Lots of people are trying to make money off Authors’ confusion in this area, and giving out terrible, deceitful advice about getting reviews (and a few straight up scams).

That’s why I wrote this blog post.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know about getting reviews effectively and ethically, especially on Amazon .

If you’ve put in the effort to write a good book, then it’s worth taking the time to get honest feedback from your readers.

Quick note: I said “a good book.” All of my advice assumes you wrote a good book. I’m going to teach you how to get honest reviews, so if your book is not good, my suggestions will backfire. You’ll get reviews, but they won’t be ones you like.

1. Credibility & Social Proof

Imagine that you’re going out for a nice dinner, and you have a choice between two restaurants. One of them has two Michelin Stars, received glowing reviews on Yelp, and even has reviews on Google Maps.

The other restaurant looks nice from the outside, but it doesn’t have a website, and you don’t know anyone who’s been. You know nothing about the chef, and your only guideline for the food comes from the very basic menu posted outside the door.

Which restaurant are you going to choose?

Books work the same way.

If you had to choose, would you buy the book with 50 5-star reviews, or would you buy the one without any reviews at all?

People want to read books other people have read. If a book has a solid number of reviews, a strong blurb, and plenty of customer feedback, it’s going to do better.

Reviews are social proof. Proof that you have something to say, that you have the chops to say it, and that you can be engaging while you say it.

A book without reviews isn’t necessarily a bad book, but it also won’t have the same appeal as a book that consistently gets rave comments.

2. Influence search algorithms

You know what the third biggest search engine is?

Google is first, YouTube is second, and Amazon is third.

When people use Amazon, what they see first is determined by Amazon’s search algorithm…and reviews are a very important part of that algorithm.

Most of our authors write books not just to sell copies, but to use as a tool to market themselves . If this is the case for you, then people searching for your book topic are very important.

The better your ranking , the more likely it is that people will find your book. And the more likely it is that people find your book, the more likely you are to sell it.

3. Drive sales

Reviews won’t automatically make you a New York Times bestseller , but it will make your book more visible to potential readers.

Every review boosts your rankings, emphasizes your credibility, or entices potential readers.

And good reviews drive sales. Think about it–when you go to buy a book, what is the first thing you do?

Read the reviews.

The more reviews you can get—assuming they are good—the better. Lots of reviews are strong social proof a book is popular, and popular books sell.

For a minimum, you should try to get 20 reviews within the first two months after your book release date. That shows your book has traction with real readers.

At around 50 reviews, you are probably good to go. Around that point, you have solidified the book as reputable and should continue to generate reviews.

A Note Before We Start: Don’t Try to Cheat Amazon

Amazon is savvy. Their algorithm is no joke, and if you try to cheat them, you will get caught. They actively look to find and remove any review that is not a real review written by a real person–and they’re very good at it.

Amazon also has a zero-tolerance policy for any review that is designed to mislead or manipulate customers. They’re not shy about removing reviews that violate that policy.

Here’s a list of things to avoid:

You can’t pay for reviews. This includes cash or giving reviewers a free or discounted product.
You can’t offer reviewers gifts in exchange for reviews.
You can’t exchange positive book reviews with other Authors, so don’t head to Facebook or Twitter to find review swaps.

This may seem pretty restrictive. After all, don’t most of us rely on business associates, friends, and other members of our networks to sell books? And what about giving away free review copies? Does that violate the promotional terms?

Well, there are a few caveats .

You can give away free or discounted books to potential reviewers, but you can’t tell them what to write. If they hate it, they have to be able to rant and rave to their heart’s content.

That’s why I said earlier that you have to write a high-quality book. Any free copy you give away has to be given with no strings attached.

Most of this information applies to customer reviews, but they aren’t the only kind of reviews on Amazon.

Editorial reviews are either written by Amazon editors or they come from established publications like Publisher’s Weekly or Kirkus Reviews. Official book endorsements also fall under the category of editorial reviews.

Let’s say that you are a physical therapist, and you have a colleague who is very well known in the field. If she likes your work, it would probably be better to ask her for an editorial review. That way, when people look at the Amazon listing, her review will be front and center. It won’t be buried in the middle of 45 other reviews.

Editorial reviews aren’t subject to the same kinds of restrictions as customer reviews. It’s still not ethical to pay someone to give you a review, but you can and should make the most of your connections to get these.

Step 1: Set-up For Success: Ask for Reviews In Your Book

The easiest way to get book reviews is to ask for them. What better place to do that than in the book itself?

Usually, it’s best to include a short, direct review request towards the back of the book, since good reviewers tend to read all the way to the end.

Few people realize how important book reviews are to Authors. There are probably many people who enjoyed your book and would be willing to write about it if you give them a little nudge.

There are unethical ways to ask, and you should avoid them.

For starters, don’t say, “If you really loved my book, please leave a review.” I know that Authors say this all the time, but it’s presumptuous. It’s like telling someone that their opinion doesn’t matter unless it’s glowing.

People leave reviews because they want to express their feelings. Those feelings might be more complicated than, “I adored the book.” Of course you want positive reviews, but you also have to leave space for readers who enjoyed the book but are reluctant to call it the best thing they’ve ever read.

It’s better to ask readers, “I’d love to hear your honest opinion.”

Here’s another thing to avoid: Don’t ask readers, “Can you take a minute to review my book so I can sell more copies?” This comes across as desperate.

Other people typically don’t care how many books you sell. They need a better reason to take the time to write. Try framing your request around the impact that the book had on them and the impact it could have for others.

Here’s an example: “Did this book help you in some way? If so, I’d love to hear about it. Honest reviews help readers find the right book for their needs.”

Step 2: Ask Your Network for Reviews

One of the most effective ways to get reviews is to set up a launch team .

To do this, put together a list of people who would immediately do a favor for you. You want to aim for 30-50 people.

One month before the book release, send this team a copy of your book so they can read it in advance. It’s easiest to email the book as a PDF, along with a short call to action. Here’s a sample:

Hello there!

I’m excited to let you know that my new book, [Title], launches on [date]. It’s been an amazing journey to get it completed, and I’m excited to finally share it with the world.

If you’re receiving this email, it’s because you’re someone I trust enough to (a) send a free copy of the book to in advance and (b) ask that you leave an honest review when it goes live.

Early reviews are the single most important factor in determining if a book succeeds, so I’m incredibly thankful for people like you who I can rely on to leave one.

No action needed yet. Attached is your free PDF of the book, and I’ll follow up when the book launches with a reminder to leave a review.

Thanks so much for your support. I deeply appreciate it.

Just before the book launches, use KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) to discount the e-reader version to 99 cents for the week of the book launch.

Then, follow up with your team, asking them to leave a review. You can highlight certain things that you would like reviewers to mention, but again, it’s good to emphasize that you want their honest opinion.

Also mention that your book is 99 cents, so if they’re feeling generous, they can buy a copy so their review will be verified. A verified review means that the writer purchased the product through Amazon, and they didn’t receive it at a deep discount. These matter more for your Amazon ranking.

Here’s a sample email: Hey [Name],

The day is here! My book, [Title + GENI.US link], is finally live on Amazon.

I have one simple ask:

If you were able to look at the book and enjoyed it, can you leave a short review?

Reviews should only be 1-2 sentences and should take about 30 seconds to leave (and would make a huge difference for me). If you can’t come up with one, here are some examples:

[Insert example review]

Finally, I wanted to give you a heads up that Amazon can sometimes block or remove reviews if they deem our digital relationship too close, or if your account is too new. This is few and far between so I’m sorry if you run into this and thank you all the more for your support!

Thanks so much for your help! I can’t thank you enough.

Best, [Author]

As you can see, this email alludes to Amazon’s “family and friends” rule. Most book reviews and sales come from word of mouth, and you will of course be asking your network for support. The key here is that you aren’t forcing or bribing people to give you good feedback.

Step 3: Set Up Your Assets to Remind Your Network

Social media is a great way to remind your network that your book is ready to be reviewed.

Use Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, or whatever social media assets you have to keep your book present in people’s minds.

For example:

Pin a tweet requesting reviews at the top of your Twitter feed
Add the book to your email signature
Put your book in the header of your Facebook and Twitter profiles

Step 4: Reach Out to Authority Reviewers & Top Reviewers

Amazon has a list of top reviewers who are enthusiastic and authoritative about certain areas. If you notice that someone consistently reviews books in your field, they might be a good person to reach out to.

Be cautious about contacting too many top reviewers, especially if your book isn’t in their realm of interest. No one likes spam, so only reach out with good reason.

You have to know your audience , so look at book bloggers who might have some knowledge in your area or podcasters who might be interested in your book’s topic.

Alternately, you could use a site like BookRazor to find people interested in your book. If you send them a free copy, they agree to follow up with a review.

Be aware though: cold calls have a high failure rate. We haven’t found this method as effective as tapping personal networks.

Step 5: Don’t Ignore Negative Reviews

It’s highly likely that, at some point, you will get a negative review . This is just a fact of life.

One thing to keep in mind before you get upset is that bad reviews aren’t always a bad thing. Books that only have 5-star reviews often don’t seem credible. Bad reviews can actually convince people that your other reviews are real.

There are many ways to deal with negative reviews:

Ignore it. There’s no upside to responding to toxic people.
Answer it…but be careful. Responding can be a double-edged sword. Respond in a way that addresses the issue without coming off as defensive.
Admit it hurts to receive a bad review, then move on.
Keep things in perspective. Don’t give negative reviews more weight than positive ones.
Consider if the negative comments have any lessons for you.
Try to get Amazon to take down the review if it doesn’t comply with their guidelines. They probably won’t remove it unless the person has been fraudulent or crude.

BONUS Step: Use Paid Services

Okay, I know I said that you shouldn’t use paid services. But what I meant was, “Don’t use paid services to directly buy reviews.” That’s cheating the system, and scamming Amazon isn’t a good idea if you’re trying to be a legitimate Author.

But there are paid opportunities that you can use to get the book into potential reviewers’ hands in an ethical way.

Goodreads is a social media site for book lovers. Their book giveaways are a good way to increase exposure and create hype. Goodreads requires participants to add the book to their wish list, and they also remind winners to leave reviews. They offer several packages at different price points, depending on how many promotional options you want.

BookBub features discounted books in their daily newsletters, which have more than 10 million subscribers. You can pay to have your book featured, or you can buy ad space in the newsletters. The pricing depends on how deep the book’s discount is.

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Whenever I’d had a question or concern, I could rely on Debby and her crew to get back within 24 hours, gently explaining how I’ve managed to screw things up yet again. If you still believe in human contact, this is the place for you.

Brian T. Marshall

One of the best book review sites to go to when seeking to review or be reviewed.

I was quite hesitant about review “services” — in the past, one simply sat at home and waited for the newspapers. “Get books reviewed” is different from other websites of this kind because it is a community of people who care about the writer’s art and who take reviewing seriously.

I’ve enjoyed being introduced to dozens of books, many of which I might not ordinarily have noticed, and I always try to say something meaningful and useful about each one.

I’ve experimented with various sites and compared with others, this community tends to give really thoughtful, lengthy reviews and it is clear they read and consider the book carefully. In other sites, reviews can be perfunctory, but this is a real booklovers’ community.

So yes, I would say it is one of the best book review sites to go to when seeking to review or be reviewed. Sometimes you have to wait a long time to be picked up, but good or bad, the review you get tends to be well-considered and eloquent.

S.P. Somtow

I Give “Get Book Reviews for Amazon” 5 STARS :

I love it! Not only is it very helpful for getting reviews to my indie books, it’s also great fun for reading and reviewing an eclectic mix of books by other authors. By itself, it’s a great reading club. But in return, I get to post my own books for honest reviews by other, knowledgeable fellow authors! Support for any of my own questions was quick and very helpful. What a great service!

“Get Books Reviewed” provides a legitimate way to collectively get reviews from fellow expert writers. Excellent! The price? To be an ongoing member costs a small fraction of what you’d otherwise pay in promotion and advertising to get the same number of nonauthor, regular reviews.

Yes, it’s asking a lot of a person to take the time to thoughtfully read then write an honest review. At best only about a tenth of those who purchase our books leave a review. To find those readers in the first place either costs a lot of promotional dollars and/or having to give your book away for free. For a modest fee, I get to be a part of a writer’s club here where knowledgeable fellow indie authors are wanting to review my book in order to earn points to post their own book for review. This mechanism is an important qualitative addition to my ongoing promotional and advertising campaigns. It gives me a big bang for just a few bucks. Super!

Daniel B. Lyle, Ph.D.

We only allow DD credits to be used once in a 5-day period. After the 5 day period has lapsed you’ll see the button to daily double one of your books.

A daily double credit allows you to promote one book for double the normal amount of tokens . When you use a Daily Double credit, it will double the token rewards for reviewers. Only the standard token value is deducted from your account each time the book is published and re-published in the library.

Promoting your book is as easy as 1-2-3:

Purchase five Daily Double credits for $50 .
List your book(s) as you normally do by using your tokens to publish the book to the library at the standard token value.
Apply up to one daily double credit to any of your published books every 5 days.

Now the reviewer will get double the standard token value!

Get your Daily Double credit today by ordering at least five credits below.

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How to Write Book Reviews on Amazon That People Will Read

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Amazon has almost a quarter of a billion titles in popular demand. A good review can help spread the word about great titles and best-selling books.

Writing book reviews on Amazon can help readers find the perfect matches for their book lists. It's also one of the best ways to show readers that you're an experienced and knowledgeable person who can provide valuable insights into a book.

Here, we share some tactics you can use to write book reviews on Amazon that people will want to read.

1. Carry Out Thorough Research

If you're going to write a book review, it's important to know what you're talking about. Consider doing some research on the book itself, and the author's overall body of work.

There are plenty of books out there, so you'll need to convince readers what they're missing out on by not reading them. The more familiar you are with the content of the book and its author’s other work, the more credible your opinions will be.

Read up on the author's background and reputation to get a sense of their writing style. Doing so will help you understand the author's perspective, and you'll be able to make an informed decision on whether to recommend the book.

2. Use Correct Keywords and Active Voice for Your Target Audience

Image of keywords related to career and job search ideas

The next step is to identify who your audience is and what they want from your review. Do they want advice on how to improve their business? Do they want information on how to use technology in their daily lives? Or do they just want an entertaining read that makes them laugh?

Once you know who your audience is, it's time to start thinking about how exactly you'll address their expectations from a book. We recommend writing in an engaging tone and using real-life examples from the story so that everyone can relate easily with what you're saying.

3. Stay Up-to-Date With Amazon's Community Guidelines

You should make it a point to adhere to Amazon's Community guidelines while posting book reviews on the site. To be eligible for reviewing a book or product, you would have to spend at least $50 on Amazon.

Make sure your views are informative and constructive. These must be genuine and reflect your honest opinion of the book you've read. That said, they should not contain spoilers or excessive promotion for other products or services that are unrelated to the original content.

4. Use Appropriate Headlines

A key aspect of a book review on Amazon, or any other platform for that matter, is to craft an appealing headline. This should be short, sweet, and catchy.

You'll also need to make sure that you have a strong introduction before diving into the main body of your review. It's tempting to just touch upon the points in the blurb from the back cover, but that's not going to work.

A compelling introduction should grab the reader's attention with a powerful hook or an interesting fact about the book. Take a moment to think about what makes this book unique. What makes it worth reading?

For instance, you can try and highlight in a sentence how their life will change if they read this book, or by explaining why they need to read it in order to accomplish something important in their life today or tomorrow (like improving their career).

5. Apply Proper Formatting and Include Images or Videos

Book reviews go a long way in helping potential readers decide whether they want to buy a book or not.

Make sure your review is informative, not promotional. Readers should have all the information they need to decide whether that book is for them. You can include at least one quote or fact from the book, if you need to, but don't overdo it.

Use bullet points and bolded letters or italics to highlight key points in the text. You can also try doing a video review if that is something you're comfortable with. Use appropriate images or videos that may be helpful.

Given the huge sea of content on the Internet, you should exercise caution when it comes to reading others' reviews or doing your own research. We recommend checking tips to spot fake reviews online .

6. Give an Insightful and Unbiased Opinion

Person holding a newspaper cover with book reviews

Follow up your introduction with your unbiased opinion or analysis. Talk about the best parts of the book and explain why you feel so.

You can also mention any issues that may come up while reading the book. You can talk about them in terms of how they affect your understanding of the story, or how they impact your ability to connect with characters (in fiction) in some way or another.

Your reviews might vary with genres, such as fiction or non-fiction. When reviewing nonfiction titles, your review should consider the author's writing style, accuracy and clarity, structure, and logic.

In the case of fiction books, it all comes down to a compelling plot, characters who are memorable, and an ending that leaves readers wanting more. Your review should look at the characters, setting, and plot. It should also consider whether there were any significant flaws in these areas.

For example, if you're reviewing a fantasy novel, you might discuss how well its characters were developed and how convincingly they interacted with each other. You might also comment on whether there were any plot holes or inconsistencies in the narrative.

You should include what you liked or disliked about the book. You may mention whether you agree with the author's point of view. Reedsy recommends using an appropriate tone and style for note-worthy bestseller reviews.

7. Assign Star Ratings Wisely

Reviews are a great way for you to share your opinions on what you read, but star ratings are the first touchpoint where readers often decide whether to go for a purchase, so you should assign your star rating wisely.

The ratings you give your reviews carry distinct persuasive weight and can either make or break a book. Reviewers who write three-star and four-star reviews with honest, constructive criticisms are more likely to be read than reviewers who write very brief one-star reviews, which are often unconstructive rants.

8. Use a Book Review Template

You can always start off with a book review template to help you get started. You can find them for free on sites like Sample Templates, which will give you a basic outline of everything that needs to go into each book review.

Book review template in Sample Templates

Use them to submit a well-structured and readable review. It will help you focus on the most important aspects of the book.

Download: Sample Templates (Free)

9. Feel Free to Provide a Recommendation

You can leave a recommendation if you found a book extremely engaging and helpful. Consider if the book is something that would interest your target audience. While this is by no means necessary, reviews which include recommendations are more likely to be read by others.

If you're a new or experienced author, here's a list of tips on how to get positive reviews for your book .

Make Your Reviews Stand Out

Writing book reviews can be rewarding and fun, but it's also very hard to write them well. In order to get people to read your reviews, you have to ensure they're good.

And that means maintaining both a consistent level of authority and clarity in your reviews—no easy feat! With some practice, however, you should be able to take your reviews from average to outstanding by playing off the elements mentioned above. And there are other platforms for you to take your love of reading to as well.

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I have used The Amazon Books Publisher, publishing services for a number of my publishing projects. They have always been proactive with great attention to detail. The project managers and writers go the extra mile to identify and rectify any mistakes that me or my editors might have missed. I will continue using their services.

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I placed an order for book publishing with Amazon Kindle Direct Firm 4 weeks ago. I received my manuscript back last friday. I am still amazed and impressed by the quality of service. It met all my expectations and beyond. I will definitely use you for any future publishing needs. Thank You!

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With Amazon Kindle Direct Firm, authors find a partner that understands the nuances of book promotion in the digital age. They are extremely experienced and devise a plan according to your needs. They catered to my specific demands, and here I am with a successful book launch in my kitty.

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KIM’S LOST WORDS: A journey for justice, from the other side…

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KIM’S LOST WORDS: A journey for justice, from the other side… Paperback – September 6, 2024

Print length 59 pages
Language English
Publication date September 6, 2024
Dimensions 6 x 0.14 x 9 inches
ISBN-13 979-8334173682
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Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0DGCNKPQW
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Independently published (September 6, 2024)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 59 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8334173682
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 5.3 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.14 x 9 inches
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Customer Review: Somebody just getting money off reprints and putting it together out of order is absolute mess.

About the author

Jamal t. millwood.

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Customer reviews

5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 5 star 34% 5% 6% 5% 51% 34%
5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 4 star 34% 5% 6% 5% 51% 5%
5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 3 star 34% 5% 6% 5% 51% 6%
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5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 1 star 34% 5% 6% 5% 51% 51%

Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.

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Customers find the book thought-provoking, interesting, and inspiring. However, some readers feel the book is not authentic, inaccurate, and poorly written.

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Customers find the book compelling, interesting, and mind-blowing. They say it stirs up a lot of emotions.

"But it was an interesting take … too many inaccuracies when you really know the players...." Read more

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For TV, we may schedule a technician visit to your location and resolution will be provided based on the technician's evaluation report.

10 days Replacement only

This item is eligible for free replacement, within 10 days of delivery, in an unlikely event of damaged, defective or different/wrong item delivered to you. .

Please keep the item in its original condition, original packaging, with user manual, warranty cards, and original accessories in manufacturer packaging for a successful return pick-up.

If you report an issue with your Furniture,we may schedule a technician visit to your location. On the basis of the technician's evaluation report, we will provide resolution.

Large Appliances - Air Coolers, Air Conditioner, Refrigerator, Washing Machine, Dishwasher, Microwave

In certain cases, if you report an issue with your Air Conditioner, Refrigerator, Washing Machine or Microwave, we may schedule a technician visit to your location. On the basis of the technician's evaluation report, we'll provide a resolution.

Home and Kitchen

Grocery and gourmet, pet food, pet shampoos and conditioners, pest control and pet grooming aids, non-returnable, pet habitats and supplies, apparel and leashes, training and behavior aids, toys, aquarium supplies such as pumps, filters and lights, 7 days returnable.

All the toys item other than Vehicle and Outdoor Category are eligible for free replacement/refund, within 7 days of delivery, in an unlikely event of damaged, defective or different/wrong item delivered to you.

Vehicle and Outdoor category toys are eligible for free replacement, within 7 days of delivery, in an unlikely event of damaged, defective or different/wrong item delivered to you

Note: Please keep the item in its original condition, with outer box or case, user manual, warranty cards, and other accompaniments in manufacturer packaging for a successful return pick-up. We may contact you to ascertain the damage or defect in the product prior to issuing refund/replacement.

Sports, Fitness and Outdoors

Occupational health & safety products, personal care appliances, 7 days replacement only, health and personal care, clothing and accessories, 30 days returnable.

Lingerie, innerwear and apparel labeled as non-returnable on their product detail pages can't be returned.

Return the clothing in the original condition with the MRP and brand tag attached to the clothing to avoid pickup cancellation. We will not process a replacement or refund if the pickup is cancelled owing to missing MRP tag.

Precious Jewellery

Precious jewellery items need to be returned in the tamper free packaging that is provided in the delivery parcel. Returns in any other packaging will not be accepted.

Fashion or Imitation Jewellery, Eyewear and Watches

Return the watch in the original condition in brand box to avoid pickup cancellation. We will not process a replacement if the pickup is cancelled owing to missing/damaged contents.

Gold Coins / Gold Vedhanis / Gold Chips / Gold Bars

30 days; replacement/refund, 30 days, returnable, luggage and handbags.

Any luggage items with locks must be returned unlocked.

Car Parts and Accessories, Bike Parts and Accessories, Helmets and other Protective Gear, Vehicle Electronics

Items marked as non-returnable on detail page are not eligible for return.

Items that you no longer need must be returned in new and unopened condition with all the original packing, tags, inbox literature, warranty/ guarantee card, freebies and accessories including keys, straps and locks intact.

Fasteners, Food service equipment and supplies, Industrial Electrical, Lab and Scientific Products, Material Handling Products, Occupational Health and Safety Products, Packaging and Shipping Supplies, Professional Medical Supplies, Tapes, Adhesives and Sealants Test, Measure and Inspect items, Industrial Hardware, Industrial Power and Hand Tools.

Tyres (except car tyres), rims and oversized items (automobiles).

Car tyres are non-returnable and hence, not eligible for return.

Return pickup facility is not available for these items. You can self return these products using any courier/ postal service of your choice. Learn more about shipping cost refunds .

The return timelines for seller-fulfilled items sold on Amazon.in are equivalent to the return timelines mentioned above for items fulfilled by Amazon.

If you’ve received a seller-fulfilled product in a condition that is damaged, defective or different from its description on the product detail page on Amazon.in, returns are subject to the seller's approval of the return.

If you do not receive a response from the seller for your return request within two business days, you can submit an A-to-Z Guarantee claim. Learn more about returning seller fulfilled items.

Note : For seller fulfilled items from Books, Movies & TV Shows categories, the sellers need to be informed of the damage/ defect within 14 days of delivery.

For seller-fulfilled items from Fine Art category, the sellers need to be informed of the damage / defect within 10 days of delivery. These items are not eligible for self-return. The seller will arrange the return pick up for these items.

For seller-fulfilled items from Sports collectibles and Entertainment collectibles categories, the sellers need to be informed of the damage / defect within 10 days of delivery.

The General Return Policy is applicable for all Amazon Global Store Products (“Product”). If the Product is eligible for a refund on return, you can choose to return the Product either through courier Pickup or Self-Return**

Note: - Once the package is received at Amazon Export Sales LLC fulfillment center in the US, it takes 2 (two) business days for the refund to be processed and 2- 4 business days for the refund amount to reflect in your account. - If your return is due to an Amazon error you'll receive a full refund, else the shipping charges (onward & return) along with import fees will be deducted from your refund amount.

**For products worth more than INR 25000, we only offer Self-Return option.

2 Days, Refund

Refunds are applicable only if determined that the item was not damaged while in your possession, or is not different from what was shipped to you.

ISBN-10 9334103310
ISBN-13 978-9334103311
Edition Special Edition
Publisher Sone Publication
Publication date 15 September 2024
Dimensions 28 x 21 x 1 cm
Print length 231 pages
See all details

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