Authors know book reviews are important. Self-published authors, especially, find themselves reminding people to review their books, if they’ve read them. As a reader, though, it could be hard to write them, especially if you’re anything like me.
I tell people all the time, “I’m a WHY person.” I love knowing the big picture, and how my actions fit into it. So, below, please find some reasons why reviews are important for authors, and why they love them so much.
Reviews increase Visibility
If you are a blogger, you know how important comments are to your website. It shows people that your page is popular and tells the internet gods that your page is good enough to share with multiple people. Reviews, for authors, do the same thing. Amazon has special algorithms that tells it when a book is doing well. One of those algorithms counts reviews.
Once books receive 50 reviews or ratings, Amazon figures enough people have read it that they feel they can share with even more. So, Amazon starts adding these books to the “if you liked this book” categories, and “related reading.”
Authors love when this happens, because it means more people will see their books, and more potential readers. It’s a wonderful cycle that makes authors feel successful.
And we ALL want to feel successful, right?
Reviews Tell Other Readers a Book is Good or Bad
When readers leave a review, it lets others know what is good in a book, or what is bad. If books are problematic for some readers, such as racism or homophobia, they need to know in advance, so they can either avoid the book, or read it with caveats.
Most readers I know will avoid books that are problematic for various populations, so it’s nice to know ahead of time.
Most self-publishers I know will put trigger warnings in their blurbs, so we have an idea what to expect, but getting reactions from other readers is a huge help in deciding which books to support, and which to leave alone.
Reviews give Authors fodder for marketing
When authors are marketing their books, many times they will screenshot or quote various reviews they have gotten, as a way to let potential readers know what others thought. It gives people in their network a way to cheer them on, as well, especially when the review is particularly good.
Note: Some authors will screenshot a bad review and share it, especially if they find it funny. One I saw in particular was about a romance book that received a 1-star rating, and a review complaining about the cliffhanger ending.
The author found it hilarious, because she had no idea the book ended on a cliffhanger.
Pro-tip: If you don’t want the author sharing your bad review, keep it diplomatic. Going extreme in one way or another pretty much guarantees a share.
Reviews can give Authors constructive criticism
Many authors don’t read their reviews. For most, it’s a way to stay away from negativity. Reviews are for other readers, right?
Yes, for the most part. I do know of several authors who read their reviews looking for that all important constructive criticism. Most writers, self-published especially, are always looking for ways to make their writing better and more exciting.
How else to know if they’ve succeeded, but by checking out what readers thought of their latest attempt?
Constructive Criticism is GOLD to Authors.
Finding those little nuggets of information that authors can use to make their writing better, for some, is more valuable than gold. Authors want people to read their books, but more importantly, they want readers to ENJOY their books.
It can be heartbreaking to find that a reader didn’t enjoy something that the authors poured their blood, sweat and many many tears into, but at the same time, they often will look for those ways to make their writing better. Reviews can help them do that.
What did you think? Do you agree with my reasons about why book reviews are important to authors? Do you have any reasons you’d like to share, that aren’t on the list? Let me know in the comments! While you’re here, head over to my discussion forum and introduce yourself!
If you are interested in writing book reviews, either for your own blog or a social media channel, check out this list of Questions to Ask Yourself for a Comprehensive Book Review. Simply subscribe to my newsletter below (I never spam) and you’ll get the checklist in your inbox.
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Until next time, friends!
I love reading and leaving book reviews. It’s interesting to see other people’s thoughts and see who liked what I liked or disliked what I disliked.
absolute same! I will likely not read reviews until after I’ve read a book, because my brain will subconsciously apply those opinions to my reading experience, but I love reading them after I’ve finished to see if my opinion matches the majority.