get book reviews

by | May 28, 2020 | get book reviews

One of my favorite book marketing quotes is, “Reviews are the lifeblood of books in the digital age.” Actually, how to get reviews is normally the #1 task that I discuss with my clients during my consulting sessions.

A study by the Spiegel Research Center[1] in 2017 showed that 95% of buyers read online reviews before making a purchase. 95% – a very high number, but I am not surprised by that.

Not only based on my personal experience (I always check reviews before purchasing a product), but also based on my experience with client books (books with bad average reviews are extremely difficult to market).

“Reviews are the lifeblood of books in the digital age.”

“Reviews are the lifeblood of books in the digital age.” They not only have critical economic importance but also provide much needed feedback to learn and to improve books.

So my advice is to not only focus on having lots of positive reviews, but also to analyze the content carefully, in order to grow your sales and to make you a better writer, author, and publisher.

Take a look at the following presentation that I created in 2020, that shares latest advice and concrete action steps for getting book reviews:

Secret #6 Checkbox

Core Insights:
  • Reviews are the lifeblood of books in the digital age
  • 95% of online shoppers read online reviews before purchasing products online [according to 2017 study]
  • Providing value is the most critical satisfaction factor mentioned for non-fiction reviews, whereas storytelling is in fiction
  • Remember the basic rules for book reviews [ No reviews = No sales, The more reviews -> The more sales
  • The more positive reviews -> The higher the conversion rates, and the other way around

 

Exercises

  1. What is your strategy for getting reviews right now?
  2. Do you already use a tactic similar to the “surprise gift strategy”?
  3. What can you learn from the qualitative message of the reviews you already have?
Book Marketing Secrets

Book Marketing Secrets : The 10 fundamental secrets for selling more books and creating a successful self-publishing career

"This article is based on insights from the book "Book Marketing Secrets". Get your copy on Amazon and find the insights for selling more books and creating a successful author career."
Albert Griesmayr

Albert Griesmayr

Founder & CEO of the book publishing startup Scribando & Novelify.

Previously Albert was Head of Digital at Dorotheum and consults companies and authors in digital strategy, digital marketing and book promotion.