Authors often approach me and ask how to get great book reviews. In fact getting favorable book reviews, especially early in the marketing process, is one of the most important factors for a book’s success in the long run.
That’s why I created a little presentation on how to get great book reviews on Amazon. In particular I focus on the question on how to get your first 10-25 favorable reviews for your book. Here you go:
How to get the critical 10-25 first 5-star reviews for your book?
It is an open secret that good reviews are among the most important purchase factors on Amazon and all online book stores. That’s why in order to run a successful book promotion on Amazon, it is critical to get at least 10 great reviews before officially launching a book.
Not following this advice could not only drastically reduce the success of your book project, but ruin your author and book reputation in general. Please check out the following presentation that shows you 10 proven strategies for getting your first 10-25 book reviews.
Video: How to get great reviews for your book on Amazon
In my Amazon Bestseller Course I cover the topic of how to get reviews as well. Watch the video below to get a summary of the 10 tactics and additional insights.
The ten best ways for getting your first 10-25 book reviews are:
1) Find and contact the people who will love your book
Imagine you wrote a book about cats. Find people who love cats and start with the people you know. This way, you already have two things in common and it’s likely that you will receive a favorable review.
2) Join an author circle
Are you part of an author circle or are you connected with writers that support each other? If not, it is high time that you join or found an author circle that’s built on mutual support.
3) Hunt down your first readers
Do you know someone who already read your book? If the answer is yes, ask them if they are willing to provide you with a review. You don’t always need to reach out to new people to get what you want. Use your existing resources.
In case you don’t know your early readers, you need to find a way to get in touch with them in the future (eg. create an incentive that attracts your readers to your website, where they sign up with their email address). Being able to communicate with your readers continuously is one of the most important factors for a successful writing career in the long run.
4) Find experts who are likely to support you
Contrary to popular belief, most books are relevant to people in a specific niche and not to all people in general. Think about “50 Shades,” “The Fault in Our Stars” or “Harry Potter.” Although these books became mainstream successes, when taking a closer look, you will recognize that they are most appealing to a specific kind of person.
“50 Shades” attracted women interested in erotic romance, “The Fault in Our stars” targeted teenage girls, and “Harry Potter” drew in kids and teenagers who are into reading.
Reflect on who will be most interested in your book. Don’t just target this group in general, but research experts and opinion leaders in your markets. Even if your book is the freakiest book on earth, there will be an expert out there who will like your book and give you a great review.
5) Ask your visitors at the end of your reading
Readings and book launch parties are a great opportunity to get reviews. Offer everyone who attends your reading a copy of your e-book for free or a special bonus in exchange for a nice Amazon review.
6) Show your book to your grandparents
Your grandparents not only adore you, in most cases they will also take time to write a perfect and detailed book review for you that most other people won’t.
7) Ask your coworkers
Did you know that you probably spend more time with your coworkers than with your family? Your coworkers are a critical part of your support system. Most of them will love to do you a little favor.
8) Show your book to targeted book bloggers and reviewers
Successful author Amanda Hocking sold millions of her books by having book bloggers and critics review her. There are many blogs and small review sites where you can ask to have your book reviewed. Consider approaching the following book blogs:
o Candy’s Raves [http://candysraves.com/]
o Coffee and Roses [http://coffeeforroses.com/]
o Daily Cheap Reads [http://www.dailycheapreads.com/]
o Historical Fiction Connection [http://www.hf-connection.com/]
o Indie Books Blog [http://indiebookblogger.blogspot.com/]
o Jenn’s Bookshelves [http://www.jennsbookshelves.com/]
o Kindle Obsessed [http://www.kindleobsessed.com/]
o My Reading Room [http://myreadingroom-crystal.blogspot.com/]
o Rex Robot Reviews [http://www.rexrobotreviews.com/]
o The Cajun Book Lady [http://www.thecajunbooklady.com/]
o The Indie Spotlight [http://www.theindiespotlight.com/]
o The Novel Blog [http://www.thenovelblog.com/]
o Two Ends of the Pen [http://twoendsofthepen.blogspot.com/]
9) Hire freelancers
Another great way for getting reviews is to work with freelancers. Great places for finding freelancers are Fiverr (www.fiverr.com), Upwork (www.upwork.com), Guru (www.guru.com) and Odesk (www.odesk.com).
A great list showing available candidates on Fiverr can be found here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ouHolT2VJf9f5Y8z7yqV4LyUApCAAHP0N0Sb4df_7qI/edit
10) Place an order with a review service
There are a lot of professional review services out there that can help you get reviews. Most of them distribute your book to around 100-250 bookworms who will usually provide you with fairly honest reviews. Getting these high-quality reviews can be highly valuable, but obviously includes the risk of getting bad reviews as well. Find popular review service providers on Digital Pubbing (see link below).
Find popular review service providers on Digital Pubbing: http://goo.gl/p9nrg5
Your primary goal should be to get great reviews (4-5 stars) from around 10-25 people. Quality beats quantity where reviews are concerned.
How to get book reviews on Amazon
In addition I recommend to watch a strategy shared by publishing consultant Tom Corson-Knowles from TCK Publishing, who shares how to get reviews from Amazon reviewers who already reviewed books similar to yours. By focusing on approaching highly targeted reviewers on Amazon you can save time an raise your chances for success dramatically.