Have you ever needed to transfer a book to your Kindle from an email message?

I had to remember how to do that recently when I was e-mailed a couple of e-books to review. The process has changed just a bit since the last time I did it, but it was still easy.

You might want to know how to do this so you can transfer review copies from email to your device.

But you’ll also want to explain the steps when you email your own book to reviewers who prefer this over a PDF version. (So bookmark this link to share with others later.)

Here’s how to do it.

1. Find your Kindle e-mail address.

To do that, login to your Amazon account. Select “Accounts & Lists” in the upper right.

On the next screen, scroll down to “Digital Content and Devices” and select “Devices.”

Select “Preferences” on the top tool bar.

Scroll down the page to “Personal Document Settings” on the bottom. Click on it.

Scroll down to “Send-to-Kindle E-Mail Settings,” where you’ll see your Kindle email address. Copy and save it.

2. Add the e-mail address you’ll use to send the e-book to your Kindle email address.

To do that, stay on the “Preferences” page and scroll down past your “Send-to-Kindle E-Mail Settings” to “Approved Personal Document E-mail List.” 

Click on “Add a new approved e-mail address,” then add the address in the space provided and select “Add Address” in the lower right corner.

3. Send your file as an attachment to your “Send to Kindle” email address.

Now shift from your Amazon account to your email program.

More often than not, the publicist or author emails the book to me as an attachment. I just forward that message with the file attached to my Kindle address.

The alternative is to download the file to your computer, then send it to your Kindle address by attaching it to a new message.

You don’t need to include a subject line.

4. Wait a few minutes, then turn on your Kindle.

Give the message time to get where it’s going. Then, turn on your Kindle.

The book you sent will be waiting for you on the main screen. (If it isn’t, sync your Kindle.)

Not too hard, eh?

The sender can email the book directly to your Kindle address, but…

…two things have to happen first:

• You must give them your Kindle email address.
• You must add their email address to your “Approved Personal Document E-mail List.”

In my experience, most authors and publicists are unaware of this option.

Still, it will save you a step if you’re willing to request this method.

Use this method to send review copies

There are a number of ways to send review copies to readers. Services that include NetGalley, Bookfunnel, and Book Sprout (among others) will do it for you, too.

When you know exactly who you want to send it to, though, this approach is cost-efficient. The challenge is getting the recipient to take the time to follow these steps to find their Kindle email address and add your address to their approved sender list. But it’s an easy thing to do when you know how!

Sometimes the issue is less about how to get a review copy into a reader’s hands, and more about how to find those readers who will read and review it.

If you need help with that, download my free cheat sheet, “9 places to look for readers who write reviews.” You’re certain to find a few options that work for you and your book.

Download my free cheat sheet, “9 places to look for readers who write reviews.”

How do you send review copies to readers? Please tell us in a comment.

(Editor’s note: This article was first published in April 2015. It has been updated and expanded.)

Authors are asking for and receiving advice from other authors about how to get reader reviews on Amazon.

Much of the advice is excellent. Some of the most helpful information comes from the “Here’s how I did it” stories that many are willing to share.

There’s a downside to this authors-talking-to-authors back-and-forth, though. Some of the advice is wrong.

That’s understandable, because it seems like the “facts” do change regularly. Still, repeating information without verifying it first sometimes adds to the confusion. (“I heard in another group . . .” isn’t enough.)

The “rules” are easy to verify. What’s harder to confirm is what could be considered the unwritten rules surrounding Amazon reader reviews.

The mystery of the disappearing review

For example, there’s a lot of discussion around reader reviews being removed or blocked.

People speculate that it happens when Amazon identifies social media connections between a reviewer and the book’s author. I haven’t seen this verified, but I did find this statement in the Community Guidelines: “If we find unusual reviewing behavior, we might limit the ability to submit reviews. If we reject or remove someone’s review because it violates our promotional content guidelines, we won’t accept any more reviews from them for the same product.”

It makes sense, though. Amazon’s rules surrounding reviews for books and other products are designed to ensure honesty and integrity. Shoppers need to be able to trust reader/user reviews because they help them make purchasing decisions.

If reviews are biased, they’re useless.

If reviews are biased, they're useless.Click to tweet

Reader review myths and facts

Other specifics can be confirmed or refuted, though. Here are three Amazon reader review myths and what you need to know about them.

Reader Review Myth 1: You can’t give a reader a complimentary copy of your book in exchange for an honest reader review.

In October 2016, Amazon announced it would no longer allow product sellers to give free products in exchange for reviews. Books are exempt from that rule.

The last paragraph of the Amazon announcement with this information reads:

“The above changes will apply to product categories other than books. We will continue to allow the age-old practice of providing advance review copies of books.”

Reader Review Myth 2: Anyone can review a book on Amazon.

According to the retailer’s Community Guidelines, “To do any of the following, you need to have spent at least $50 on Amazon.com, using a valid credit or debit card, in the past 12 months”. The list of actions following that statement includes, “Create reviews (including star ratings).”

Reader Review Myth 3: You can’t review a book unless you bought it on Amazon. (Another variation: You must have an “Amazon verified purchase” to write a review.)

That is so not true, yet so many insist that it is.

I asked Amazon about this while writing “The Amazon reviews brouhaha and you.”

Here’s what an Amazon representative told me:  “Anyone registered as an Amazon.com customer is entitled to write a product review. It doesn’t matter whether they bought the product from our website or not. Also, we encourage reviews on Amazon.com website, both positive and negative, verified or non verified as long as they adhere to our posted guidelines. Customer Reviews are meant to give customers unbiased product feedback from fellow shoppers, any reviews that could be viewed as advertising, promotional, or misleading will not be posted.”

Verified purchase reviews are placed above unverified reviews. That’s it. If a verified purchase reviewer gives you just one star, you’re stuck with that disappointing review at or near the top.

Reviews from readers without verified purchases — meaning, they didn’t buy the book on Amazon — appear below verified purchase reviews.

For that reason, don’t worry about how or where a reader got your book. It’s better to be grateful they took the time to review it.

Get reader reviews by following the rules

The first thing to do is read Amazon’s review guidelines so you know the rules:

• Customer Reviews
• Customer product reviews policies
• Community Guidelines
• Answers to Questions about Product Reviews
• Anti-Manipulation Policy for Customer Reviews

When you follow the rules, you’ll have fewer unpleasant surprises.

How to get reader reviews

Once you’re clear on what is and isn’t a myth and understand the rules, you can start seeking reviews.

Many happen organically — meaning, someone reads your book and writes a review on Amazon, Goodreads, BN.com, and other book retail sites. You don’t play a role in the process.

But you also need to help things along by giving away books to your target audience. You provide the book in exchange for an honest review. (Note that important word, honest.)

There are a number of other ways to find appropriate reviewers, too. You can use your email list, review blogs, review clubs, a street team, online groups, or a review service. Here are a few articles on this site that will help you with these options:

• How to get reader reviews
• 9 places to look for readers who write reviews
• Why readers aren’t reviewing your books
• 9 ways to use reader reviews in book marketing

Remember to make it easy for readers to review your book, too.

Authors describe the Build Book Buzz Reader Book Review Forms — one for fiction, one for nonfiction — as “the missing link” in the review process. Each fill-in-the-blanks form removes the mystery surrounding how to write a reader review by simplifying the process for readers. As a result, they can write something meaningful in just minutes.

Don’t lose your reviews!

Reviews are important enough that you want to make sure you don’t lose them once you get them.

The smart approach is to go straight to Amazon for the facts whenever you have a question about the retailer’s review policies.

Can you de-bunk other reader review myths? Please tell us about them in a comment.

(Editor’s note: We have updated the links and other details in this October 2020 article.)

You want to know how to get reader reviews. You need to know where to start.

And you probably want to discover the “secret sauce that will help you get those reviews.

The secret sauce

That’s simple: Give books away.

You just have to give a copy of your book to people in exchange for an honest review.

But who do you give books to? Where do you find those people? And how do you make sure they review it?

Follow these five steps to getting reviews from people who will love your book.

Step 1: Give your book to people in your target audience.

Think of those in your target audience as your ideal readers. They’re the people you wrote the book for, so they’re going to be the most interested in reading and reviewing it.

Giving them the book is the easy part. Finding readers to give it to is harder, isn’t it?

That’s why I created a list of nine places where you can find readers who write reviews. You can download it here.

Don’t expect reviews to appear organically. Create a plan to get reader reviews – when to ask, who to ask, how to ask – and work it.Click to tweet

You might be concerned that giving your book away in exchange for an honest review will cannibalize your sales. I understand that, and I can’t say that it won’t.

But I will say that you can’t count on people (especially strangers) who bought your book to review it, either. And you need reviews if you want to sell more books. So, you have no choice but to lose just a handful of sales to gain a whole lot more of them.

Step 2. Make it easy for them to review your book.

There are a few ways you can do this. One of them is to include a copy of my Build Book Buzz Reader Book Review Form with your review copy. It’s a fillable PDF file that walks them through the process. They can type their review directly into the form, then copy and paste it into a review template on Amazon, Goodreads, and elsewhere.

You can also offer a few review ideas when you send the free copy. Share information about what you’ve heard from endorsers or other earlier reviewers as subtle prompts for their own reviews.

Be sure to include a link to your Amazon review page in the back of your book, too. I show how to do that in this video.

Step 3. Follow up to get reader reviews.

Follow up with the people you’ve sent review copies to. Remind them that their review will help other readers decide what to read. And, give them a link to the review section of your Amazon and Goodreads book pages (here’s how to do that again).

via GIPHY

Email follow up isn’t always possible because you might not have email addresses for everyone who’s downloaded a review copy. But when you do, check in with them.

People are busy. They forget. We all need and appreciate reminders.

Step 4. Follow up again.

Just one more gentle nudge.

Step 5. Start the process over again.

Unfortunately, most aren’t going to write that review, even though they accepted your book fully intending to do so. You know why that is – you have the same problems when you have a “want to do” versus a “must do” on your to-do list and can’t do both.

It’s a numbers game, so you have to continue to get those review copies into the right hands until you get at least 10 to 20 positive reviews posted. To do that, you need to continue to work on this until you’ve got enough.

It’s a numbers game, so you have to continue to get those review copies into the right hands until you get at least 10 to 20 positive reviews posted.Click to tweet

Don’t expect reviews to appear organically. Create a plan to get reader reviews – when to ask, who to ask, how to ask – and work it.

Then work it again.

Your book deserves the support offered by reader reviews. Please do your best to make that happen.

How do you get reader reviews? Please give us your best tip in a comment!

When those expectations aren’t met, writers often feel like failures.

It’s not a good feeling. But it’s one that can be avoided.

How?

Plan a soft book launch.

Soft book launch defined

In the marketing world, a soft launch happens when you release a new product to a limited audience before doing a full-blown introduction later.

Companies use this approach for a number of reasons, including gathering feedback they can use to improve the product or fine-tune their marketing language for the full launch.

For most products and services, it’s a great way to answer the question, “Have we got this right?”

3 reasons to plan a soft book launch

There are three primary reasons a soft launch is a smart strategy for authors and books, too.

1. Reader reviews

A soft book launch gives you time to secure those all-important reader reviews before introducing your book to the world.

Reader reviews tell book buyers that your book is reader-tested and approved. This is important “social proof” you’ll want in place before announcing your book outside your network.

People who don’t know you or your product quality need this reassurance.

These early reviews also give you fodder for marketing pieces that include quote graphics (quote cards).

2. Quality assurance

The people you trust to support you during your soft launch can identify any random typos, format glitches, or other issues that seem to inevitably creep into books.

You can also ask for feedback on your book description on the back cover (if you have one) and online sales pages. Is it accurate? Does it resonate with them?

3. Marketing language

Many times, you’ll spot patterns in your early reader feedback. Several on your soft book launch team might express the same thought – “I wasn’t expecting that twist at the end!” or “I will look at this issue differently now that I’ve read your book.”

When you identify these gems in their feedback, consider how you can use them to improve the book’s description and marketing materials.

Create a soft book launch team

Many authors use “street teams” for book launches. They’re people you recruit from your network to read and review pre-publication copies of your book and talk it up on social media during the launch period. (Be sure to read “How to create a street team for your book” by author and popular podcaster Meagan Francis.)

Use a similar approach for your soft launch, but leave out the social media component. With a soft launch, your focus is on securing feedback and honest reviews on Amazon, BN.com, Goodreads, and any other platform that’s important to your book.

You don’t want supporters promoting it yet.

Managing the launch

With your team recruited, take care to:

• Communicate precisely what you need team members to do and when.
• Give them enough time to read and review the free copy of your book that you provide.
• Ping them occasionally with reminders – we’re all busy and can lose track of time.
• Provide exact page links they can use to share their reviews.
• Make it easy for them to write a meaningful review in minutes by providing them with a copy of the Build Book Buzz Reader Book Review Form.
• Explain that reviews need to be honest and that reviewers must include a disclaimer sayinig they received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Presuming everything unfolds smoothly, you’ll be ready for that official launch to a far wider audience in just a few weeks. By taking this extra step, you’ll not only increase your confidence, you’ll improve your chances for success, too.

What has been your most successful book launch strategy? Please tell us in a comment.

That label means that Amazon has “verified that the person writing the review purchased the product at Amazon and didn’t receive the product at a deep discount.”

Some authors believe that if you didn’t purchase the book on Amazon so that it’s “verified,” you can’t review it.

Others think that reviews that aren’t verified have no value and aren’t worth securing.

Amazon Verified Purchase reviews myth busting

They believe this even though Amazon states, “Reviews that are not marked ‘Amazon Verified Purchase’ are valuable as well, but we either can’t confirm that the product was purchased at Amazon or the customer did not pay a price available to most Amazon shoppers.”

Here are the facts about verified and unverified reader reviews on Amazon.

1. You don’t have buy the book on Amazon to review it.

Amazon states on the site that readers “can review any product on Amazon, regardless of where they purchased that product” as long as they “have spent at least $50 on Amazon.com using a valid credit or debit card in the past 12 months.”

This means you can review a book you’ve borrowed, bought elsewhere, or received as a gift as long as you meet the spending requirement.

That’s important to understand because some authors insist that if reviews aren’t verified, Amazon won’t post them. That simply isn’t true.

2. Verified Purchase reviews carry more weight than those that aren’t verified.

To verify this anecdotally, I looked at the reviews of several books, including my own. In every case, the first reviews presented have the Amazon Verified Purchase label.

“Anecdotally” isn’t enough, though, so I contacted Amazon.

Here’s what a representative told me via email:

“We continue to evolve the ranking order in which reviews are displayed, seeking to show the most useful & trustworthy reviews to help shoppers make decisions. We use machine learned models and factors such as age of a review, whether it was a verified purchase, customer feedback on helpfulness, and other factors to constantly improve our ability to help shoppers make the best decisions, even if that decision is not to buy.”

How can you use this information?

There are three things you can do with this information immediately.

1. Stop obsessing about how a reader acquired your book.

Continue to solicit reviews because all reviews, not just Amazon Verified Purchase reviews, are important. (And if you don’t have the Build Book Buzz Reader Book Review Form that simplifies and facilitates this process for readers , get it here.)

2. Encourage people to click “helpful” on any reviews that help them make a purchase decision. 

Amazon relies on its customers to tell it what information is helpful, so support that process with action.

I’m not talking about manipulating reviews on your books — far from it. This is about helping Amazon assess which reviews are and aren’t useful to readers and other product purchasers.

In addition to encouraging readers to take this extra step, set an example by doing this with customer feedback on all types of products you’re considering. Don’t limit review feedback to books.

3. Study Amazon’s rules for reader reviews.

This should be standard operating procedure for authors, but isn’t. And what you don’t know can get you and your books kicked off this important sales platform.

Here are links to nearly everything you need to know about reader reviews on Amazon:

• Customer product reviews policies
• Answers to Questions about Product Reviews
• Community Guidelines

Bookmark or save these links so that you can return to them each time you plan a review campaign. Rules can change, and Amazon will update these pages as needed.

What’s your best tip for securing honest reader reviews? Please tell us in a comment.

Much of the advice is excellent. Some of the most helpful information comes from the “Here’s how I did it” stories that many are willing to share.

There’s a downside to this authors-talking-to-authors back-and-forth, though. Some of the advice is wrong.

That’s understandable, because it seems like the “facts” do change regularly. Still, repeating information without verifying it first sometimes adds to the confusion. (“I heard in another group . . .” isn’t enough.)

The “rules” are easy to verify. What’s harder to confirm is what could be considered the unwritten rules surrounding Amazon reader reviews.

The mystery of the disappearing review

For example, there’s a lot of discussion around reader reviews being removed or blocked.

People speculate that it happens when Amazon identifies social media connections between a reviewer and the book’s author. I haven’t seen this verified, although there is this statement in the Community Guidelines: “If we find unusual reviewing behavior, we might limit the ability to submit reviews. If we reject or remove someone’s review because it violates our promotional content guidelines, we won’t accept any more reviews from them for the same product.”

It makes sense, though. Amazon’s rules surrounding reviews for books and other products are all centered on honesty and integrity. Shoppers need to be able to trust reader/user reviews because they help them make purchasing decisions. If reviews are biased, they’re useless.

Reader review myths and facts

Other specifics can be confirmed or refuted, though. Here are three Amazon reader review myths and what you need to know about them.

Myth 1: You can’t give a reader a complimentary copy of your book in exchange for an honest reader review.

In October 2016, Amazon announced it would no longer allow product sellers to give free products in exchange for reviews. Books are exempt from that rule.

The last paragraph of the Amazon announcement with this information reads:

“The above changes will apply to product categories other than books. We will continue to allow the age-old practice of providing advance review copies of books.”

Myth 2: Anyone can review a book on Amazon.

According to the retailer’s Community Guidelines, “To contribute to Customer features (for example, Customer Reviews, Customer Answers, Idea Lists) or to follow other contributors, you must have spent at least $50 on Amazon.com using a valid credit or debit card in the past 12 months.”

That’s not $50 the day you want to write a review. It’s $50 in the past 12 months. (By the way, it used to be $50 over the lifetime of your Amazon account.)

Myth 3: You can’t review a book unless you bought it on Amazon. (Another variation: You must have an “Amazon verified purchase” to write a review.)

That is so not true, yet so many insist that it is.

I asked Amazon about this while writing “The Amazon reviews brouhaha and you.”

Here’s what an Amazon representative told me:  “Anyone registered as an Amazon.com customer is entitled to write a product review. It doesn’t matter whether they bought the product from our website or not. Also, we encourage reviews on Amazon.com website, both positive and negative, verified or non verified as long as they adhere to our posted guidelines. Customer Reviews are meant to give customers unbiased product feedback from fellow shoppers, any reviews that could be viewed as advertising, promotional, or misleading will not be posted.”

As for verified purchase reviews, they are placed above unverified reviews. That’s it. If a verified purchase reviewer gives you just one star, you’re stuck with that disappointing review at or near the top.

Reviews from readers without verified purchases — meaning, they didn’t buy the book on Amazon — appear below verified purchase reviews.

For that reason, don’t worry about how or where a reader got your book. It’s better to be grateful they took the time to review it.

Get reader reviews by following the rules

The first thing to do is read Amazon’s review guidelines so you know the rules:

• Customer Reviews Guidelines Frequently Asked Questions from Authors
• Customer product reviews policies
• Community Guidelines (scroll down to “Additional Guidelines for Customer Reviews”)
• Answers to Questions about Product Reviews
• Anti-Manipulation Policy for Customer Reviews

When you follow the rules, you’ll have fewer unpleasant surprises.

How to get reader reviews

Once you’re clear on what is and isn’t a myth and understand the rules, you can start seeking reviews.

Many happen organically — meaning, someone reads your book and writes a review on Amazon, Goodreads, BN.com, and other book retail sites. You don’t play a role in the process.

But you also need to help things along by giving away books to your target audience. You provide the book in exchange for an honest review. (Note that important word, honest.)

There are a number of other ways to find appropriate reviewers, too. You can use your email list, review blogs, review clubs, a street team, online groups, or a review service. Here are a few articles on this site that will help you with these options:

• 9 places to look for readers who write reviews
• Why readers aren’t reviewing your books
• Get reader reviews fast
• 9 ways to use reader reviews in book marketing

Remember to make it easy for readers to review your book, too. Authors describe the Build Book Buzz Reader Book Review Forms — one for fiction, one for nonfiction — as “the missing link” in the review process. Each fill-in-the-blanks form removes the mystery surrounding how to write a reader review by simplifying the process for readers. As a result, they can write something meaningful in just minutes.

Don’t lose your reviews!

Reviews are important enough that you want to make sure you don’t lose them once you get them.

The smart approach is to go straight to Amazon for the facts whenever you have a question about the retailer’s review policies.

Can you de-bunk other reader review myths? Please tell us about them in a comment.

(Editor’s note: This article was first published in March 2017. It has been updated and expanded.)

You need readers sharing their opinions for many reasons, including:

• They provide others with evidence that they won’t be wasting their time or money on your book. Marketers call this “social proof.”
• Your advertising dollars will be wasted without them.
• You can often use reader feedback to tweak your description or correct mistakes.

It’s one thing to know this and another to know how to make it happen. Often, the big question is: “Where can I find readers to review my book?”

Where are the readers?

Here are nine places you can look to find the right readers to review your book. To save this article as a PDF so it’s always handy, click on the blue bar below.

Please note that in all cases, you’re offering a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review posted on Amazon or Goodreads.

Why those two sites? Amazon sells the most books online; Goodreads is where readers gather to discuss books. You want your readers to review your book on either or both.

1. Social media

Offer a free copy in exchange for an honest review on the network or platform where you have the highest quality connections – the right types of readers.

If you don’t have a strong online following, ask a friend who does to make the offer for you.

2. Your email list

People who add themselves to your email list are interested in what you write about it. Take advantage of that and use your list to find reviewers.

Ask for more volunteers than you need, because a significant percentage won’t follow through.

3. Online reader groups

Online groups can be an excellent resource for reviews.

For novels, use genre-specific or reader review groups on Facebook. Search there for your genre — for example, “romance book reviews” — or “Kindle reviews” — and select “Groups” in the top menu.

You’ll have to ask to join a private group before you can see the group’s content and its rules for soliciting reviews. (You’ll know that it’s private when you click on the group name and get a “Sorry, this content isn’t available right now” message.) The Kindle/Ebook/Book Promo & Reviews group is public, though.

If yours is a business book, use the groups you belong to on LinkedIn.

When your book is related to your profession, offer a review copy in forums hosted by trade associations you belong to, also.

4. Public speaking audiences

When you’re speaking at conferences or other events, ask for volunteers from the audience. That’s what life coach and speaker Andrieka J. Austin, author of Secrets of a Socialprenista, does.

“I’ve used several of my past clients and event attendees for reviews,” she says.

Use a signup form or collect business cards.

5. Free book offer newsletters and websites

The first step is setting your sales price as free so it’s easy for readers to use their favorite online retail sites to get it.

Once it’s free, advertise in newsletters and on reader sites that tell readers about free e-book offers. (The Digital Reader has done a lot of the work for you; scroll down to “Free Book Promotion Sites.”) In addition, let your email list and social networks know that the book is free so that they may also download it.

Keep in mind, though, that many people grab a free book simply because it’s free. And, even if they intend to read it, it might not be for months. This means you won’t see instant results.

6. Services that send e-books to readers for reviews

One of the best ways to reach new-to-you readers who review books is to pay for a service that connects authors looking for reviews with readers who agree to write them.

Options include:

• Bookfunnel
• NetGalley
• The Kindle Book Review
• BookRazor
• Edelweiss
• Hidden Gems Books
• Book Boast
• Book Sprout
• Prolific Works
• Book Sirens

7. A request at the end of the book

As a reader, I love it when I see a personal request from the author at the end of the book.

Make yours heartfelt and specific. Tell readers how much it would mean to you to learn what they thought of your book.

Be certain to provide a direct link to your book’s page on Amazon and/or Goodreads. For the print version, use a URL shortener such as TinyUrl or Bit.ly so it’s easy for readers to type into a browser.

8. Bloggers

Do a Google search to find two types of bloggers: those who review books in your category or genre and those who blog about your book’s topic. (See the “Tip of the Month” below for a list of bloggers who review books.)

A topic blogger receives fewer review requests and is therefore more likely to be willing to review a free book that’s related to the blog’s subject.

9. Influencers

For fiction, people who influence your ideal readers are often popular authors in your genre. You aren’t going to get Danielle Steele or Stephenie Meyer to review your book, of course. You have a much better chance of connecting with authors who are doing well, but are still on their way up.

Nonfiction writers can approach thought leaders in their fields, as Sonia Frontera does for Solve the Divorce Dilemma: Do You Keep Your Husband or Do You Post Him on Craigslist? In her case, that’s divorce and domestic violence professionals.

To save this article as a PDF so it’s always handy, click on the blue bar below.

Make it easy for readers write reviews

Your goal whenever you’re asking anyone to do a favor for you (and writing a review is a favor) is to make it as easy as possible for them. It’s the best way to ensure that they follow through with their commitment.

That’s why when you send a free copy of your book in exchange for an honest review, you want to include a Build Book Buzz Reader Book Review Form.

This fill-in-the-blanks PDF document saves readers time by walking them through the review process. Simply by answering a few questions that helps them focus their thoughts on what other readers want to know, they can write a meaningful review in less than 10 minutes.

Buy your Reader Book Review Form once; send it to as many readers as you need to.

Learn more at www.ReaderBookReviewForm.com.

Where do you find readers to review your books? Please tell us in a comment!

Tip of the Month

I like to share a “Tip of the Month,” a free resource or tool for authors, on the last Wednesday of the month.

Today it’s Reedsy’s “Best Book Review Blogs of 2019,” a sortable list that offers a short blog description, the blog URL, and the blogger’s name. You’ll need to visit each blog to get contact information.

The list is primarily for fiction writers, but does include a couple of nonfiction categories. Use the category drop-down menu to select your book’s category — children’s, horror, young adult, and so on.

You can also sort the list according to domain authority, average visits, and when the blog was added to this database. The first two will help you gauge which of the blogs are more popular.

The Reedsy blog is an excellent source of helpful information in general, so while you’re using the bloggers list, be sure to see what else is there.

Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means if you click on them and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission (at no extra charge to you). 

When you’re shopping online at a retail site that lets users review products, do you check those reviews before making a purchase decision?

If you’re like most, you do.

According to the Spiegel Research Center, nearly 95 percent of online shoppers read user reviews before making a purchase.

After making a purchasing mistake that would have been prevented if I had paid attention to the user comments, I’m now doing this religiously.

If only I had read the reviews . . . .

When I couldn’t find the type of coat I wanted at local stores last winter, I had to shop online. The site with the super-warm coat I was looking for offered user reviews, but I ignored them. After all, I knew what I wanted. Reviews wouldn’t influence that.

Bad move.

Had I read the user reviews, I would have discovered that the garment runs small. Customers recommended buying a larger size.

Because I didn’t see that feedback (because I didn’t look for it), I bought my usual size…it was too small…and I had to return and exchange it. I could have been facing the bitter wind and snow in a perfect-fitting coat much sooner if only I had read the reviews.

via GIPHY

Lesson learned – for clothing. I was already checking reader reviews for books before buying.

I scan for phrases that tell me the book has attributes that I won’t like, but I’m also looking for information that reassures me that it’s my kind of read.

When advertising on Amazon doesn’t make sense

What does this mean for you?

People rely on reviews when making online purchasing decisions, so don’t run Amazon ads until you have several good reviews.

When readers who discover your book through an ad click through and see that there are no reader reviews, they hit the “back” arrow.

Nobody – nobody – wants to be the first to buy your book.

People need that “social proof” that the book has been reader-tested. And maybe it has been. But, if there’s no proof of that on your sales page when your ad runs, the proof doesn’t exist as far as your reader is concerned.

In addition, early reviews might offer reader feedback to improve your book’s description. Anything you can do to fine-tune and “optimize” your sales page will help you get the most from your advertising budget.

Start with at least 10 reviews

There’s no magic number of reviews you must have before advertising. There are no extra, secret Amazon perks linked to a specific number of reviews on an advertised product.

Some authors recommend a minimum of three reviews. I agree with that as a minimum, but as a reader who looks at reviews, I’d encourage you to get more than that before advertising on Amazon. Derek Doepker, creator of my favorite Amazon ads training program, recommends having at least 10.

Why get reviews before advertising on Amazon? People need that “social proof” that the book has been reader-tested.Click to tweet

2 must-dos for reader reviews

How do you get those valuable reader reviews?

You do two things:

1. Give books to people in your target audience and ask them to write honest reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, or anywhere else. (Download your free copy of “9 places to look for
   readers who write reviews” here.)
2. Make it easy for readers to write those reviews.

You can find your target readers in your email list or your blog’s followers, in Facebook groups dedicated to your genre, and on the social networks you use regularly.

You can also pay services that match advance review copies with readers who know they are expected to review the book they receive at no charge.

Help your readers write those honest reviews quickly and easily with the Build Book Buzz Reader Book Review Form. It’s the only tool that makes it easy for readers to write honest reviews in just minutes.

Readers answer a series of questions about the book in a fill-in-the-blanks form, then combine their answers into a review that they copy and paste into the Amazon review template. Get the details and hear from readers who have used it at http://www.readerbookreviewform.com

Reviews first, advertising on Amazon second

Please don’t throw your money away on ads until your book has been reader-tested and has the honest, favorable reviews to prove it.

Don’t throw your money away on ads until your book has been reader-tested and has the honest, favorable reviews to prove it.Click to tweet

You’ll be happier with the outcome, and so will your checking account.

What’s your best tip for getting reader reviews? What works for you?

They’re the social proof you need to convince people to buy your books.

But did you know you can make glowing reviews work harder for you?

Give your five-star reviews new life by incorporating them into your book marketing and promotion campaigns and material. Here are nine ways to use reader reviews in book marketing. You can get started using them immediately.

EDITED TO ADD: Helpful commenters below remind us that the reviewer owns the copyright on the review, so ask for permission before using it.

1. Add them to social media headers.

Use one (or two!) in your Facebook page cover image, Twitter and LinkedIn headers, and Instagram profile.

Here’s how Jamie Jo Hoang showcases a starred Kirkus review of Blue Sun, Yellow Sky in her Twitter header.

2. Showcase them on your website.

Where you place them on your site depends on your site design and purpose, but many authors can find a home for a good review next to a book cover image on the home page.

Do you have a page on your site for each of your books? Add the positive reviews there, too, in a large font.

3. Create quote cards with them.

I’m a big fan of using quote cards (also known as “image quotes“) to share good news on social media. They’re perfect for every social network you use.

I created several from the positive reviews of the new Build Book Buzz Reader Book Review Forms. Here are two of them.

Here’s one for The Wife Between Us. (Scroll down the page at that link, too, to see more of them that the publisher created.)

Create them using Canva.com or with a smartphone app that combines images and text. I like using WordSwag.

4. Print them on bookmarks.

Bookmarks are probably the most commonly used book marketing materials. They’re easy to create today, thanks to online services that include Moo.com (affiliate link).

A pithy reader review quote is one of my top five elements for a bookmark. The others are the book title, cover image, your name, and your website URL.

5. Add them to postcards.

No, printed postcards are not passé. Because more and more (and more and more) marketers have shifted away from postal mail to email marketing, printed marketing materials get noticed in a traditional mailbox.

Yours will make the best impression possible when you include a glowing reader review. You can order them online with VistaPrint (search online for a coupon code to use with your order) and Moo.com (affiliate link).

6. Add them to the back pages of subsequent books.

Each time you write a book, add reviews of earlier books to the back. This will help readers discover your “backlist” — your older books.

If you are stopping at one book, but will publish an updated edition, add those reviews to the front of the newest version. They will add the social proof you need for someone flipping through your book in a physical store or online.

7. Use them to improve your book’s description.

Did a reviewer describe your novel’s character in a positive, memorable way?

Did a reader add an observation about your credibility and expertise to a nonfiction book review?

When it makes sense, update your online description with this new information. For example, if a reader describes your twenty-something amateur sleuth protagonist as “a millennial Nancy Drew,” use it in the book’s description.

In the mid-1990s, when a journalist described me as “the Ermba Bombeck of the ’90s,” the publisher added that phrase to my first book’s back cover description.

8. Incorporate them into your next book’s marketing campaign.

Readers considering your new book are influenced by what others have said about your previous works.

Use that to your advantage by adding positive reviews on earlier books to:

• The inside pages of your newest book
• Printed marketing materials such as bookmarks and postcards
• Website
• Facebook page

Introduce those reviews with this simple sentence: “Here’s what readers have said about (AUTHOR NAME)’s previous books.”

9. Let them guide what you write in your next book.

Reader feedback can provide important insights into what your fans want from you.

For example, if readers adore one of your secondary characters, you can capitalize on that by giving her a bigger role in your next book.

Perhaps fans of your instant pot cookbook rave about your vegetarian recipes more than anything else. Give them a vegetarian instant pot cookbook, too.

Need help getting those reviews? You’ll love the Build Book Buzz Reader Book Review Forms. There’s one for fiction, another for nonfiction.

Each is a simple, easy-to-use fill-in-the-blanks form that you give to readers to help them write more reviews. Buy one form; share it with as many readers as you want. Learn more on the Reader Book Review Form information page.

How do you use your favorite reader reviews? Please tell us in a comment. 

How do you decide what to read next?

If you’re like most of us, you might hear about a good book from a friend or see people talking about it on Facebook.

But what makes you decide to hit the “buy” button online or look for the book in a store or library?

There’s a good chance it’s the reader reviews online.

In fact, according to one study, 84 percent of people trust online reviews as much as they trust personal recommendations.

That gives readers like you a lot of clout, and it’s why it’s so important that those reader reviews are honest and factual.

Book lovers appreciate your short, honest reviews

But it also underscores why it’s so important that you write short, honest reviews of the books you read. Other readers count on you to help them decide if they should spend their time and money on specific books.

They don’t need, want, or expect you to write the kind of book review you wrote in high school or college (ugh!). But readers love it when other readers tell them what they liked about a book or why they’re glad they read it.

They want just a couple of sentences that reassure them that the novel tells a fascinating story or the nonfiction book was useful, helpful, or inspirational. (Or not!)

Please review the books you read

That’s why I’m asking you today to review the books you read on Amazon and Goodreads.

When you write reviews, you’re also helping your favorite authors.

If nobody likes an author’s most recent book, that writer might not get a chance to write another one. That’s not good news for you if you love that author’s books.

Reviews are a sign of popularity; authors with popular books can continue to write and publish more good books.

So please: Review the books you read.

Together, we can keep those books coming.

Thank you!

Sandra Beckwith, BuildBookBuzz.com owner

NOTE TO AUTHORS: You can help your fans review your books with the new Build Book Buzz Reader Book Review Form. There’s one for fiction and another for nonfiction. Each will help readers review any book in minutes by following the prompts on the form.

Make it easy for your fans to support your books with reviews. This is the missing piece you’ve been waiting for.

Tip of the Month

I like to share a “Tip of the Month,” a free resource or tool for authors, on the last Wednesday of the month.

This month it’s “Libby,” the smartphone and tablet app that lets you download audio and e-books from your local library system.

I’m not exaggerating when I say that my new best friend Libby has changed my life. Thanks to this resource, I’ve significantly increased the number of books I’ve read. I listen to them while exercising, driving, and cooking.

Anything that makes it easier to read more books (even if it’s through your ears) is a good thing for all of us. As authors, reading helps us become better writers when we pay attention to details like format, flow, and dialogue.

Naturally, if your book is available in libraries, it helps you reach far more readers, too.

Libby is free to download at your favorite app store, but you need a library account to use it.