All it takes is a few clicks
to be exposed to an onslaught of products in this day and age. So how do you get your product - the book you’ve worked
tirelessly to get out into the world - noticed? Undoubtedly one of the best
ways is through book reviews.
If you’re an avid reader, you’ve probably used
reviews to decide which books actually deserve your time. Perhaps you liked a
book so much, you’ve even written a review yourself. And if you’re an author,
you’ve undoubtedly heard people talking about the importance of book reviews.
There are several reasons for this. As it
happens, book reviews are more than just the icing on your book marketing cake;
they’re a crucial part of the batter. So before you start cooking up-selling
strategies, let’s talk about why book reviews are an integral part of every
author’s marketing process, and why it’s so important to prioritize them.
1. Reviews Drive Sales through Customer Trust
There’s just no getting the fact that people trust
word-of-mouth recommendations more than even the best advertising. I know I do:
why would I believe glowingly positive ads that an author-created? Of course, the author thinks their book is great - they wrote it!
But if someone else
says that the author's book is great? Someone with no skin in the game? Someone
who’s just happened across it, read it, and cared enough to post a review about
it? I’m automatically going to trust their opinion more, and so will other
readers. Indeed, studies have become a huge reputational shortcut that signals
quality - a recent
survey
even showed that online reviews had an impact on 93% of consumers’ purchasing decisions! That’s a
percentage that cannot be ignored, especially for authors hoping to gain new
readers.
2.
Reviews Build Social Proof
Social proof
is a fancy way of saying that people will instinctively "follow the crowd" and congregate around what's popular. From there, the equation is simple: if your book has lots of reviews, it appears to be popular,
hence boosting its social proof.
The power of social proof in publishing cannot be
ignored. It’s similar to the author ad conundrum, but to an even greater
extent: if you scream from the rooftops that your book is worth reading, but
your readers remain silent, their peers will take note.
This is also a good time to point out that even
some bad reviews can be helpful! For instance, if someone trashes your book for
having “too much romance,” that might attract readers who didn’t anticipate romance but are nonetheless intrigued by it.
Basically, whenever someone makes an effort to
note something about your book in a review — even if it wasn’t to their taste —
that still serves as social proof that your book is noteworthy. All press is good press, as they say, and this same
attitude can be applied to book reviews.
3.
Reviews determine SEO and Amazon Algorithms
Now let’s talk about the technical reasons to chase
book reviews. It might not be the most encouraging thought, but because so many
of our everyday decisions are determined by search engines, discoverability is
crucial to your book’s success. No one is going to buy your book if they can’t find it — and the more reviews your book
has, the higher it ranks when readers search for books on both Google and
Amazon.
Even outside of Amazon, the number of reviews a
book has will affect things like landing a spot in BookBub’s advertising emails
— which, as seasoned authors will know, can make or break the success of a
price promotion. Reviews also affect recommendation features on many sites
(“Customers who bought this item also bought…”) and factor into all of Amazon’s
obscure algorithms. But perhaps the most significant advantage of book reviews is the
last one on this list.
4.
Reviews Boost Overall Visibility
It’s simple: the more you see something, the more
you are going to think about it. Therefore you want your book to be seen by as
many readers as possible, and reviews are inevitably a huge catalyst
for visibility.
If you’re publishing traditionally, you may not
have to worry about this; your publisher will have a marketing plan in place
that increases awareness for your book through various methods, including
reviews. However, if you’re
self-publishing, you have both greater responsibility and greater freedom. Your manuscript will immediately be seen by the world, who will also be able to
review it immediately… hence why it helps to get the ball rolling with a little
initial, positive visibility through early reviews.
"Keep in mind that visibility is about more than
just sales for one book. It also helps you establish your canon's place as
an author and builds authority for future releases. In other words, the more
reviews you hustle for now, the less
you’ll have to worry about them later.
Finally, reviews can raise up marginalized authors
and prove the “buying value” of their stories. This leads to more diverse books
being written and sold and more voices being heard. So visibility for your
book can also any faction of readers or authors aiming for something a
little different from what’s in the mainstream.
As you embark on your authorial journey, remember
this and all the other reasons I’ve outlined why reviews are important. I
hope this post has given you the confidence to ensure your book receives the
attention it deserves - perhaps even on a review blog like this one!"
Nice points 👌
ReplyDeleteThank you, Aastha :)
DeleteI hope you won't be too busy to have my book reviewed.
ReplyDeletePlease drop a mail including your book details.
DeleteGood points, well made.
ReplyDeleteThanks Shalu :)
Delete