Book reviews offer gold to authors, representing one of the best ways to market a book. Even ten reviews on Amazon will add significant credibility to your book and place it above poorly formatted and badly edited books. Readers also find reviews on Goodreads valuable, and many look for their next book on this site. Goodreads costs nothing to join and leave reviews. In comparison, Amazon expects you to spend $$$ on its site before you can review (currently, this means AUD $50 in the last 12 months). Other helpful places to leave reviews include blogs and book retail sites.
Sadly, obtaining reviews proves surprisingly difficult. Giving away advanced reader copies doesn’t guarantee that readers will actually write a review for your book – a disappointing reality.
As Australian Christian authors, we have an advantage over the thousands of US Christian authors. We can leverage our smallness to get to know each other and support our fellow Christian authors. Commendably, many Christian authors buy their friends’ books. I’ve seen writers leave the Omega Conference bookstore with an armload of books. However, if they never read or review the books they buy, they only offer their friend a token financial gift, roughly the cost of a cup of coffee. Imagine if ten people supported them by writing a review, and each review encouraged just two people to buy the book, suddenly they would have sold twenty copies.
The Instruction of Jesus
Jesus said, “Do to others as you would have them do to you” (Luke 6:31). If we want other Christian authors to support us, we need to support them. One of the most effective ways to achieve this is by reading and reviewing books. This doesn’t function as a “tit for tat” system where I’ll write a review for you if you write one for me. Jesus said this as a general way of treating others, not a pay-back system when someone treats us well.
Book
reviews don’t require long or complicated formats. A simple four-sentence book
review looks like this (many other simple templates exist online):
The Four-Sentence Book Review
1. Introduction
Include the
title, subtitle, name of author, genre, and setting (or location of author for
non-fiction).
2. Overview
What
happens? Mention the overall theme.
3. Evaluation
What did
you like or dislike about it? Identify strengths and possible weaknesses.
4. Audience
Recommend
the type of audience who would like the book.
A Fiction Example
Australian
author Barbara Hannay sets her romance story, Second Chance Family, in
Townsville and the Atherton Tablelands in northern Queensland. The story
explores the developing romance between Carrie Madden, a widow with two teenage
girls and an eight-year-old son, and Ben Galbraith, a bachelor from Scotland
with a banking background. The major strengths of the story include its
descriptions of the Tablelands and its exploration of how past unwise decisions
influence the present, which make for an intriguing read. While I found the
romance a little drawn out, it will appeal to romance readers.
A Non-Fiction Example
American Pastor Levi Lusko's latest spiritual growth book has the rather long title, Blessed Are the Spiraling: How the Chaotic Search for Significance Can Lead to Joy Through Life’s Shifting Seasons. Through the book, Lusko tells the story of his own midlife crisis, which led him to confront many issues from his past, including his parents’ divorce, a pornography addiction, and an excessive desire for success and recognition. I appreciated Lusko's honesty and the many lessons he shares about learning to trust God more deeply. Though the book aims to reach men in their late 30s to early 50s, I did gain some insights for myself.
If you
stick rigidly to this structure, your review may sound stilted. Also, if you
write a lot of reviews, they will start to sound the same. So use your creativity
and editing skills to add your personal touch.
A Common Concern
What if I
don’t like the book or find lots of errors? If you have received the book as an
advanced reader copy, let the author know and gently tell them why you feel
unable to write a review. I have read books I dislike, but have reflected on whether
others would enjoy them and/or may not notice the errors. In the four-sentence
book review, only one sentence focuses on your opinion, so consider
highlighting one positive aspect while remaining true to your values. Including
a small criticism doesn’t reduce the value of a review. For example, in my fiction
review above, I mentioned that I found the romance a bit drawn out.
As Australian Christian authors, we all benefit from visibility, credibility, and word-of-mouth recommendations. Yet, writing book reviews remains one of the most powerful and effective ways we can support one another.
[Featured Photo from AAGraphics on Pixabay]
Author Bio
Find out
more about Susan at:
My Website | Facebook Author Page
| Amazon
| Books2Read | Goodreads
You are talking about supporting Australian Christian authors and reviewing their books. Can you provide examples of reviews you’ve written for books by Australian Christian authors?
ReplyDeleteI think I can answer this one, as I know that Susan has reviewed over 400 books on Goodreads, many of them Christian books. You can find some of her reviews at the following link: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/17111557
DeleteFirstly if you got an ARC you need to have a line saying something about receiving this book from xxx and the thoughts are my own.
ReplyDeleteI also find it interesting the examples are for General Market book not Christian Fiction or books by Christian authors. I was always taught you only review the first 3 - 5 chapters of the book so as not to give anything away.
I have to say your example of the fiction book tells me nothing I wouldn't read in the Blurb. The it would appeal to romance readers is very vague.
Goodreads are now asking how you received an ARC if you want to rate and review a book prior to the release date. Sadly, ARC readers are losing the ability to review at Amazon and having their reviews removed. There is a minimum spend per year at Amazon that’s required to leave reviews there.
DeleteHi Susan - Thanks for the timely reminder about the importance of reviewing books. The 'Do Unto Others' principle certainly does apply, and you're so right that this is not a tit-for-tat. We need to write honest reviews. There have been times when I've bought a book from a Christian author I know and I've every intention of reviewing it. But it's a dilemma for me if I don't enjoy it. I've made a personal decision that I won't review a book of someone I know if I don't feel I can honestly give it at least four stars. But on the other hand, it can help readers if we say what didn't grab us. If all the reviews say how fabulous a book was, I start to wonder if they're all being truthful. As you mention, it's also good to make a distinction between books that just aren't our cup of tea verses those that aren't well-written or have other problems that should be flagged. Thanks for the reminder of the importance of writing reviews.
ReplyDeleteHi Nola, I will unapologetically only leave 5 star reviews for a number of reasons.
DeleteAfter having a major falling out with a podcast guest (back in my StoryChats days) when, during a guest author episode, a cohost made a comment about a character that I thought was benign. But … that benign comment mortally offended the author who, a few hours later, posted about the podcast situation in a reader group. When I contacted the author and asked if she was talking about our recording session earlier that day, the author lied to me and said no. Subsequent things happened that made it clear that the author held a grudge over the podcast comment.
All that to say there are some authors who have super-thin skins and can’t cope with any feedback on their books with even a hint of negativity. If you prefer to avoid conflict etc. it’s risky to share honest feedback in a public review when you personally know the author.
I usually DNF books that aren’t going to be 5 star reads. If I do finish the book and it wasn’t a favourite, I don’t review and move on. It’s not worth the hurt feelings and drama.
The other reason I only share positive reviews is that books without reviews are effectively invisible and ignored by readers. My time is precious and I’d prefer to spend my time reading and reviewing the books I’ve enjoyed reading. Personal tastes always come into play, as well as whether or not we’re in the mood to read the book etc. A book that wasn’t my favourite might be a top pick for another reader and I don’t want to discourage the right readers from finding the book I didn’t like.
Also, I always review with my reading hat on and put aside author/ publishing industry considerations. If I’m hooked into the story, I don’t see grammar errors and typos. I’m glad that I can switch off my internal editor and purely read for pleasure because I know authors who struggle to do this.
I encourage everyone to rate the books they read on Kindle (Amazon has strict reviewing rules) and post written reviews at Goodreads, Koorong, and the other retailers.
When you request an ARC (advance reader copy) at NetGalley, they’re now tracking if you’re posting reviews because they are so important.
Readers (who aren’t authors) have the freedom to review (or not review). I’m thankful when readers pay to buy my books (or read in KU) and the ratings/ reviews are very appreciated. :)
Thanks Narelle - I think you and I are similar in our personal policies regarding authors we know, only I've made my cutoff at 4 rather than 5. So far I haven't had any bad reactions from Christian authors I've rated as 4 stars, though maybe they wouldn't say. To me, 4 is still a good rating. Though I did have a negative comment from a non-Christian picture book author when I mentioned in my review that I didn't like the evolutionary perspective that was pushed in the book. (It really hit readers over the head with a hammer, which I didn't say.) So I let his comment go through to the keeper. Which is probably another issue -- authors should never argue with reviewers.
DeleteWhen I'm thinking about reading a 'new to me author', I will often look at the negative reviews as well as the positive ones. If it's just not their cup of tea, I can ignore that comment if there are other reasons I think I'd like it. But it really depends on why they didn't like it. For example, one mention of animal cruelty will tell me the book is not for me.
I know that when you give five-star reviews, you're giving your honest opinion, and that's great. However, I do start to wonder when all of the reviews are glowing. I remember reading a nonfiction Christian book by a 'new to me' author. He made some good points, but he also made a number of generalisations about supposed Christian principles that he didn't back up with scriptures. I had genuine questions about some of his teaching, so I thought I'd look up his reviews on Amazon to see what others were saying. They were almost universally 5 stars, with a lot of brief comments. Some of the comments made me suspicious about whether people from his church had just been encouraged to leave a review or indeed whether some people had even read the book because their comments were so vague.
Lots to chew over with regard to reviews. Thanks for commenting.
Nola, we are similar in our thinking. :) Ratings are subjective. 2 star review at Goodreads (equivalent to 3 stars at Amazon) means the reader liked the book - which is considered a positive review.
DeleteThey may have been fake reviews (or friends/family reviews) on the nonfiction book. One tactic that some authors use at Amazon is to put the ebook in KU and use the 5 free days just after it releases. That means anyone can download the ebook for free and write a verified purchase review without reading the ebook. Amazon is cracking down on review manipulation practices and somehow they can check if the ebook has been read. This may impact reviewers who read on their Kindle offline (aircraft mode or no WIFI location) where Amazon has no real time visibility on the time the reader spent actually reading in the ebook. Apple iBooks only allow verified purchase reviews and ARC readers need a code from the publisher to add a review.
Over the years I have met many authors both from this region and overseas. In fact I count many as my close friends. It saddened me when one of these overseas authors confided in me how her critic group included Aussies and how she had helped them with critics but when it came time for them to critic her work they suddenly had no time to reciprocate. I am sad to say this isn't the only instance I could relate. Yes there are more Overseas authors than Aussie/Kiwi authors but I don't agree with the advantage as in America there are so many writers' groups that meet together due to location and do effectively what you are saying. As a reader I rarely read reviews. I do write them and maybe after I read a book will read some. If I read any it will be lower stars first especially if the book mainly has 5 stars and none are verified purchases or are ARC. I have been on many ARC teams and many will say if you can't post a review let me know, and if I don't hear from you and you are not posting reviews you will be cut from future arcs. Most have the conditon of being on a launch team or arc team of posting a review so if they don't and don't give a reason then they should be cut.
ReplyDeleteThanks for that, Jenny. Yes, I think the 'do unto others' principle definitely applies. If someone has gone to the trouble of reviewing our books, we should be willing to do reviews for them. Though as I mentioned in one of my other replies, it can be tricky if they've given you a good review, but you don't like their book. There have been times when I've bought someone's book with every intention of reviewing it, but didn't feel I could give it a good review, so I've chosen not to put up a review. But it's a different matter if someone just couldn't be bothered. I sometimes see authors encouraging everyone else to review their books, but they've hardly reviewed a thing.
DeleteAs I'm also an editor, I sometimes have clients asking if I can endorse their book or review it, but I tell them I don't do that as it's a conflict of interest. Even though some sites would allow that, it can put me in a difficult situation if I don't feel I can endorse the book. Though I will sometimes feature a book on my personal blog if I'd like to recommend it.
Thanks for commenting.
With the ARC I have gotten books on netgalley I didn't review but I did say I wouldn't be reviewing and why. One time an author in a writing group helped publish a book of short stories written by the group using the same event and time frame partly to help some of the group who hadn't been published. I read the book and her story was the best and a few others were good too but some were not very good at all. I wrote to her and said I can't give higher than a 3 star review explaining why and showed her what I would write and she asked me to still put the review up because it is part of the publishing process. I didn't signal out the bad stories I did however mention a couple of the top stories. But I have had others say if you can't give 5 stars don't review. This was a particular group who sent books to review. I won a book there and was told to put up a review but if it wasn't going to be 5 stars not to post it. That was enough for me to never review for them. I will give 4 stars because 5 stars means the best of the best not every book is the best of the best. This is where Netgalley is good because I don't feel I am upsetting the author. I am also learning which authors will handle a true review and which ones will publicly bash a reviewer who doesn't give 5 stars. Actually this is really helpful for a reader. Bash a reader publically and lose a reader. 4 stars is not a bad review its still above average. (I have a list of authors I would never be on a review team for again and a list I will never read a book of theirs again).
DeleteHi Jenny - Thanks for sharing your experience. It's really bad if you're told not to post a review if you can't give it five stars, and even worse if an author criticises a reviewer who doesn't give a high rating. Some reviewers can be unnecessarily negative or even nasty, but many give constructive feedback and it's their opinion anyway. Not everyone will love your book. Thanks for commenting.
DeleteMost authors are good but there will be some who take it too far. I know some reviews are nasty, negative and out for a fight so to speak. I have also seen some reviewers who I and others suspect are authors or part of a reviewing circle as you will see them give high praise for several indy books that are under pennames and then you will see a few 3 star reviews which don't really make sense. One made me buy the book cos it seemed strange the comment about a widower falling in love too soon. From the blub it just didn't make sense. Turned out the too soon to fall in love was 5 years. His wife had passed away 5 years previously and he still felt unsure about having feelings. So sometimes reviewers trying to hurt an author actually will sell a book.
DeleteOn the other hand I made a comment once when asked on a Facebook question what genres we like best, I said its easier to say what I don't like reading as I read wide and I mentioned Horror, not a fan of heavy suspense (thats changed to a degree) and don't really enjoy regency. I was contacted privately by an author who wanted me to remove my comment (not her post) cos saying I don't really like a particular genre was making her feel she should quit writing. At the time I felt bad and did change my comment. I wouldn't now because I was never her reader, I still don't read the genre she was writing and for one person not liking that genre to make her stop was unfair of her.
I review and read what I like to read. I don't read 1 and 2 star books because I DNF books. If a book and its not always because they are bad often its the subject or I just cant get into them. (Like after mum passed away I couldn't read a book where the person was dying it was just too soon)
Thanks Susan. Appreicate your post and offering some practical suggestions - plus your many years of reviewing of books. Reviews can be a contentious issue, apparently.
ReplyDeleteFrom my experience = Readers and Authors want or need reviews for different reasons.
Authors want reviews, even short ones ( every review counts ) as it helps give both visibility and credibility to our books (where a over 1.4 million books are added on KDP every year) & savvy authors appreciate even negative ones as it goes to authenticity - if all the reviews are 5 star, readers often assume they must be from friends and family. And a review that explains what didn't work for the reader than a bare rating. Something the things that don't work for one reader are precisely what works for another.
Some readers don't bother with reviews - but those that do readers want reviews that help them choose whether to read the book or not, or what to read next.
I think it depends on the reader what they find helpful. As a reader, I rarely look at reviews to choose my next read, but when I do, I look through several to get a general feel for the book.
Also where to review is makes a difference - Zon has draconian rules and will withdraw reviews, books and even author accounts when they deem those rules have been broken - but is vital for authors. Goodreads is less rule driven - but also is a reader's playground so are often chary about author interactions. One your own blog you have more freedom. Other platforms like Bookbub, Itunes, publisher sites, Bookshops website etc can also count.
But to readers, just getting into reviewing - or want to support a favourite author - even a single sentence is helpful. You don't have to summarise the book (please don't - and don't give away spoilers (without warning/hiding) or the ending). Tempering any negative reflections with postive is welcome - but in the end it's your reaction to the book that counts. You can write a paragraph or an essay or a short sentence - it's up to you.
Jeanette, well said. A synopsis of the book style of review, other than giving away spoilers that we all hate to accidentally see, can also sound like it’s written by AI. Amazon are flagging those types of reviews as fake reviews. A few sentences or a paragraph that’s concise and shares what the reader thinks will come across as authentic and help other readers work out if they’ll like the book. As an author, I agree that we need negative reviews to prove that people who we don’t know are actually reading our books. More than once I’ve purchased a book after reading a 1 star review. Sometimes what others dislike in a book can be exactly what we want to read.
DeleteYes indeed, Narelle. Sometimes people will give a 1- or 2-star review simply because it's a Christian book, so I'll happily ignore their comment.
DeleteHi Susan,
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate this post. It is sadly true that we do learn not to expect reviews from the general public. I do understand how it can seem an unnecessary effort in their already busy lives.
I like how you expressed 'leveraging our smallness.' Believe me, back some ten to twelve years ago I took this charge seriously. But when I started seeing mostly four and five star reviews among our members always with our same names, I began to wonder if it seemed a bit dissembling and club-like. In all honesty, I didn't enjoy every single book from fellow Aussie Christian authors that came my way, but sometimes felt in an awkward spot. And I reasoned that if it seems so to me, it may have even more the appearance of back-scratching hanky-panky to others who notice our names. Losing our credibility is a high price to pay for being supportive.
It is not only us. The same thoughts cross my mind with bestsellers. I see a glowing endorsement from some celebrity on a cover, then there is bound to be high praise of the endorser's own work somewhere within the book itself. This is human nature, but tends to rub off the shine and appear more like the reciprocity part of the writing business. In many cases, every word of praise may be entirely honest and sincere. But I guess it's human nature to wonder about that too.
I still haven't figured out exactly how to deal with all this, so I will keep my eye on these comments with interest.
As for Amazon, after several faithful years of reviewing, they kicked me out for unwittingly breaking some rule. I tried to get back in by following links and apologising for whatever it was, to no avail. The shuffling from pillar to post was incredible! It was like being in a Dickens novel. The only humans I addressed said, 'We apologise for the run-around and thanks for being a good customer, but try this department.' And I kid you not, they lobbed me back and forth between each other. In the end I gave up. But by the sound of the $$$ requirement, I might have soon had to go anyway.
Hi Paula, the amount you need to spend is $50 over a rolling year. In July I will probably be no longer able to review at Amazon US. But will still at AU because I am a prime member. That instantly is over $50 a year. But I buy things there through out the year so I stay above the $50 (most is not on books although I do buy ebooks there)
DeleteThey also have rules about authors reviewing books in the same genre an author writes in which can catch some people our. I have the odd review rejected around one a year if that. last year it was US that rejected a review this year it was AU. Thankfully doesn't happen often.
Hi Paula - Your response really resonates with me. When you talk about the 'club-like' nature of reviewing and how some may see it as 'backscratching hanky-panky', I think that's why sites like Amazon have cracked down on it. But some good reviewers and authors are also caught up in it when they have been completely honest and really did enjoy the book, so it's a dilemma.
DeleteI also agree with your comment that 'losing our credibility is a high price to pay for being supportive'. That's one reason why I don't agree to go on launch teams ahead of time. If I'm endorsing a book and encouraging others to buy it, then it should be something I really like myself. You can never guarantee what others will like, but they'll lose their trust in you if you keep giving good reviews of mediocre books. I think that's one reason why I've chosen not to review a book of someone I know unless I can honestly give it at least 4 stars, but it can be a dilemma, especially if that author has been supportive of you. Thanks for commenting.
Reviewing circles are a problem and they breach Amazon’s TOS. I’m guilty of seeing a review by someone I know for a book I’ve DNF’d and questioning the integrity of their 4 or 5 star rating. If we’re using reviews to ‘love bomb’ author friends and putting them in a situation where they feel like they must reciprocate, that’s a manipulation tactic and a big problem.
DeleteThat said, if we’re never reviewing any books or spreading the word about the books we’ve loved reading…it’s selfish to expect everyone else to buy and review our book. Our motivations really matter. God sees our motivations, irrespective of how well we try to justify our position.
Sometimes I’ll buy a book to encourage and support an author and I’ll gift it to a friend or family member who I know will enjoy the book. I tend to read widely but I also know what I like/dislike and I’m picky about what I read because my reading time is valuable.
At the end of the day, all authors need to look at how they can connect with their target audience of readers — who usually aren’t their author friends. That’s the biggest challenge of all.
Thanks to all those who left comments. It’s great to have some discussion around this important aspect of marketing. I appreciate there are difficulties in writing reviews, and many of you have run into problems. However, I don’t think this means we should give up. Writing reviews is such a valuable way of supporting our fellow authors. Instead, we need to continue thinking, praying, and talking through the issues. I would be interested to know if anyone posts reviews on Koorong? I’ve tried, but have run into problems with their website.
ReplyDeleteI’ve posted 719 book reviews on my blog (over a 20-year period). On my blog, I don’t give the book a rating, but it’s usually pretty clear whether I liked the book or not. 451 of these reviews are on Goodreads. I honestly can’t remember ever having a serious problem.
I don’t give a lot of 5-star reviews, only 45 times, and I have given 2-star reviews to 31 books – though probably not to authors I know personally. Goodreads calculates my average rating as 3.59. I remember once deciding not to write a review for a Christian I knew, as it would have been a 2-star review, but since they didn’t know I had bought their book, it wasn’t a problem.
As I said, writing book reviews remains one of the most powerful and effective ways we can support one another, so let’s persist and encourage one another to write reviews.
Koorongs new website makes reviewing super easy. before it was sort of hidden behind an arrow but now its super easy and yes I do review there although a lot of books I read are not available there because they are indy published. and they also have stopped stocking Love Inspired books.
Delete