Jo Linsdell

Showing posts with label How to write a book review. Show all posts

Book reviews are one of the things us authors love to get. They are also one of the hardest things for us to get. Whilst thousands of people have read my books only a small handful of them take the time to post a review once they're done reading them.

Posting a review only takes you a minute but can make a huge difference to the author and ultimately the success of the book. People note the books that have lots of reviews posted for them. They read the reviews when making the decision whether to buy a copy of the book or not. On a more technical level, reviews are also taken into consideration by the Amazon algorithm and they will push a book that's getting a good response in their email campaigns, etc... meaning some excellent free exposure for the book. I won't go into the details of how their algorithm works but trust me, it makes a big difference. All this makes us authors very happy people indeed.

So now you know why it's important, let's take a quick look at how to write a review. It's not as hard or time consuming as you might think.

What did you think of the book? You've just finished reading the book, what did you think about it? Was the plot amazing? Did you love the illustrations? Couldn't put it down? Kids asked to read it again as soon as you'd finished? Learnt something new? What ever genre you're reading, at the end of the book you'll have something to say about it. It doesn't have to be detailed. A sentence or two will do. Just a brief summary of what you thought/ liked about it.

You're a reader, not a professional book reviewer. What's important is to know what you thought of the book. Did you like it? Why? and would you recommend it to others?

Here's an example of a review that was left for Fairy May:

5.0 out of 5 stars enchanting story January 31, 2013

By J. campbell

Format:Paperback

Fairy May is a story that will draw in younger children with it's colorful, playful illustrations and clever writing. Younger children will favor it as a bedtime read, while older children learning to read can choose it to practice their craft. Well produced with high quality!

This is one that was left for Virtual Book Tours: Effective Online Book Promotion From the Comfort of Your Own Home:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent resource for writers September 27, 2013

By Jenny

Format:Kindle Edition

I just read Jo Linsdell's book, Virtual Book Tours, and it couldn't have come at a better time for me. I've read lots of books aimed at helping writers market their books but this one stands out from all the rest. It's easy to understand and the information is useful, not just filler for a book. It will be my guide as I plan and set up my virtual book tours and I'm sure, because of this book, they will be a huge success. I will be buying the hard copy once it is available. Thank you Jo!

(She sent me a message on Facebook the day the paperback version came out telling me she'd bought one).

As you can see, neither review was particularly long. They were just both brief summaries of what the reader thought of the book.

Have you read one or more of my books? Want to give me a fabulous Christmas present? Drop by my author page on Amazon and post a review on one or more of my books. Whilst you're there you might also want to click the like button on my author page and sign up to get an email from Amazon when my new books are released (see arrow on image below).