I have been a book reviewer here at Jami’s Words for more than ten years. I’ve worked with publishing house review groups, and I’ve worked one on one with traditionally published authors and indie authors. Book reviews are an important part of an author’s world, and working well with book reviewers is important, too. Let’s look at some important aspects of working with book reviewers. How you, the author, interact with book reviewers is key. How do we work with book reviewers? Read more to learn how to find them, how to acquire them, and how to deal with issues and consumer review rules.
What is a book reviewer?
A book reviewer is someone who will read a book and write a review. That review can go anywhere: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads, the reviewer’s social media or website, and of course other book merchant sites. Books borrowed from a library or friend, purchased, or given as a gift from Grandma can be reviewed. However, some merchant sites have requirements if the book hasn’t been purchased by the one writing the review. We’ll talk about that in the Rules section below.
Can I ask friends and family to leave reviews of my book?
Paying careful attention to bias is always a good idea. If someone gives a glowing review on a book merchant’s site without evidence of ever cracking open your book, the review may look suspicious and be deleted.
Where do I find book reviewers?
Book reviewers can be found easily on social media. Here are a few places you may find reviewers:
- Best Book Review Blogs of 2020 by Reedsy
- Book Reviewers at Goodreads—type “book review” or “book reviewers” in the Group search engine
- Facebook review groups—type “book review” or “book reviewers” in the search engine
- Twitter—type a description of your book, include the genre, and add #bookreviewers needed to your description
Once you have selected your reviewers, collect emails or addresses and send out your book. You decide whether you send paper copies or ebooks. Because of the potential of sharing a paper copy, your book could end up in more than one set of hands, giving you the potential of more reviews.
Problem: What if the book reviewer doesn’t leave a review?
Here’s the hard part. Sometimes readers don’t live up to their end of the bargain. Why? Who knows—maybe the book wasn’t enjoyable and the reader was embarrassed to say so. There could be other reasons why the review didn’t happen—sickness, a death, a relocation, the book didn’t arrive, or maybe the person forgot.
Send an email.
It is ok to contact the individuals who haven’t shared a review. Make sure you give reviewers plenty of time to read and leave reviews. A month from the receipt of a book is usually a fair time to expect to see a review.
Never badger your book reviewer.
What is considered badgering? Multiple reminder messages. Comments that can be considered inflammatory aren’t a good idea either. A sentence like the following won’t be taken well.
❌ “I’ve been waiting for your review, and I still don’t see it. Others have left their reviews. Can you tell me why you’ve not?”
Please don’t write this one.
❌ “You promised a review; I don’t appreciate your silence.”
Stay calm. Don’t panic.
So, what’s appropriate? Send a reminder message a couple weeks after the reader should have had time to leave a review (i.e., six weeks after reader’s receipt of the book). Be polite and keep the message short. If there is no response, consider the person unreachable and move on. Badgering the reader will not help. Do not shame them on social media, but it is your decision whether that reader is involved in future review opportunities. Below is an example of a friendly reminder email.
✔️ “Hi {reader name}, thank you for agreeing to review my novel {title} that I sent you for review on {date}. I would love to know your thoughts. Sites accepting reviews of my novel include Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and {other merchants your novel has affiliation}. Thank you for being a part of my review team!”
Tips
Read other authors’ book reviews.
Take a look at your favorite authors’ book reviews on Goodreads or Amazon. Look what reviewers have to say about books you’ve read. You’ll notice that you will agree with some reviews and disagree with others.
Tone is key when you work with the book reviewer.
I can speak from experience that I love communicating with authors who are friendly. Authors who use my first name more than once in correspondence resonate with me. It means they care enough to remember who I am. Authors who look at my website and make mention of something I’ve written or notice something about me that they identify with lets me know that they see me as not just a name beside a few stars on an Amazon review, but they also see a PERSON. Your tone and how you communicate are very important.
Send a thank-you note.
Once your book reviewer has left a review, do send a thank-you note if possible, even if the review stings. Friendly communication means a lot to the reviewer, and they will respect your kindness.
Rules
Every author should make themselves familiar with review policies so there are no surprises waiting in the wings.
In 2016, the FTC passed a law to crack down on individuals who were preventing consumers from leaving honest reviews about products or services. The Consumer Review Fairness Act protects the honesty and integrity of the consumer.
That same year, a trend exploded on Amazon. Consumers were getting free or deeply discounted products in exchange for reviews. Not surprisingly, glowing reviews poured in quickly. Who’s not thrilled about a freebie, right? Well, Amazon wasn’t, so Amazon made changes. Read this link to familiarize yourself with Amazon’s review policy regarding authors and book reviewers; the policy isn’t complicated, but it is important to know what their guidelines require. In essence, your reviewers need to include in their reviews that they have been given a copy of the book by the author and that their opinions are honest and weren’t influenced by the author.
Don’t Overthink It
How you work with book reviewers can set the stage for how well your writing career takes off. Take the time to check out book review groups and get to know the review process.
