As an author, one of my biggest surprises and disappointments is how difficult it is to acquire book reviews from readers, even those who loved the book. Reviews are invaluable for helping other readers decide to buy the book or not. Even if I’m familiar with an author, I don’t decide to buy their latest title until after checking the reviews.
I’ve come to learn that many readers aren’t aware that they can post a review, or are intimated by the process, or believe they aren’t skilled enough to write a review. Permit me to debunk each point. Then, later in the article I’ll show you the simple steps for posting a review.
Book retailers want you, the reader, to rate and review a book. They aren’t necessarily looking for “professional” book reviews.
Every book retail platform I’m aware of has an easy process for posting a review online, including Amazon where my books are featured.
Yes, anyone can do this. You’re not required to write an essay. You won’t be graded like you were in school when the teacher assigned “book reports.” Just write what you liked or didn’t like about the experience of reading the book. Easy-peazy.
Here are the steps to write a book review on Amazon.
(Note, this only works if you have an Amazon account and have purchased at least $50 of stuff, anything, from Amazon in the previous 12 months. You are permitted to post a review even if you acquired the book somewhere else, like directly from me).
- Log in to your account
- Navigate to the specific product page for the book you read.
- Click one of the three boxes corresponding to the version that you read (paperback, audiobook, Kindle)
- Click the ratings link that appears next to the rating stars. The reviews page will open.
- For inspiration you can read the other reviews, or look for the “Write a customer review” button beneath the Customer Reviews graph. This opens a page for you to enter your review.
- Click the number of stars you want to award the book. Write a short headline. Add a few or many sentences summarizing what you liked and perhaps didn’t like about the book.
- Click “Submit” button.
Just seven quick steps. That’s it! After Amazon checks the review they’ll post it. This usually takes a day or so. Try it.