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3 Amazon reader review myths: What you need to know

Sandra Beckwith — Wed, 14 Jun 2023 12:00:42 +0000

What Amazon reader review myths do you hear most often? We de-bunk three of the most common. You might be surprised by what you learn.

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:

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:

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.)

3 Amazon reader review myths: What you need to know

Sandra Beckwith — Wed, 14 Oct 2020 12:00:42 +0000

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.

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.”

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.)

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.)