We regularly ask our readers to review our books.
Reviews are important for a number of reasons. Not only do they increase sales, they improve the books' ranking with online bookseller sites like Amazon.
We understand that many people find writing a book review difficult, so we’re providing these tips for writing reviews that will boost your favorite authors and help other readers make good choices.
First, read the book! While you read, take some notes of things that other readers may want to know and refer to those notes when you begin writing your review.
In your review, include the pertinent information about the book: title, author, publisher, publication date, edition, pages, special features, price, ISBN. If you’re reviewing on a bookseller site such as Amazon, these details are already included on the page so including them in your review is not as critical as when you’re reviewing on another site. In that case, this information is important. If you can include a link to a site where the book can be purchased, that’s even better.
Next, write an appropriate headline. Try for something unique that will attract readers. But no bait and switch here: Your headline should be an accurate reflection of your review.
Now for the meat of your review: Begin with a sentence that will hook your readers and make them want to know more.
Discuss the book you actually read, not something you wish had been written. Share how you felt about the book and why. It’s not enough to say you loved it or hated it–tell others why. Make this personal. You’re writing your opinion, take ownership of it. Be honest.
There is no strict rule for how long a review should be. Write as much or as little as you need to in order to make your point and provide value to the reader.
Avoid spoilers. If it’s a novel, don’t give away the ending. If it’s nonfiction, don’t share so much that someone reading your review will feel like it’s not necessary to purchase the book.
End with a brief summary of your review for the reader who might not take the time to read all of your comments.
Finally, consider the rating you give the book. For example, Amazon lets you choose from one to five stars. Be fair and honest with this. I’ve seen people give a one-star rating to a book because of some minor issue or because of a mistake the reader made (like buying an old book without checking the copyright date and then slamming it for being out of date). I’ve also seen one-star ratings because a reader simply disliked the author or the premise of the book. On the other side, I’ve seen five-star ratings for books that were so riddled with errors they were almost unreadable. On Amazon, if you genuinely liked the book and want to recommend it, a four- or five-star rating is appropriate.
Disagreeing with the author doesn’t mean you should give the book a low rating if the information is written and presented well. State your disagreement and rate the book on its overall quality.
Do you have any other tips for writing effective book reviews? Share them below.
Jacquelyn's latest book is Christian Business Almanac: The Ultimate Daily Guide for Kingdom-Driven Entrepreneurs and Leaders.
She is the author of the nonfiction books Simple Facts About Self-Publishing (Second Edition), Words to Work By: 31 devotions for the workplace based on the Book of Proverbs and Finding Joy in the Morning: You can make it through the night as well as the novel Choices (A Joyful Cup Story). With her husband, she is the co-creator of several coloring books for adults and the novelty My Book About series.
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