I’ve been talking about this for a while on social media and in my newsletters, but I don’t feel I’ve had enough space to really explain why the importance of book reviews to indie authors. With Introductions: Volume One having been out for a couple of months and Reality Check less than a week away, I feel like it’s a good time to go into more detail about it.
So, why are book reviews important to indie authors?
Reviews affect rankings
The first, and most important reason (to me) to get reviews is that it directly affects how books are ranked on a platform like Amazon, Kobo etc.
Each platform is different, and there are other factors, but once a book hits around 20 reviews, they start to influence these rankings. When a customer is browsing for their next book, every place gained helps.
Book sales in a period, promotional activities, reviews, keywords, blurbs – they all matter. Book sales and reviews are two things I can’t control. I can influence (ask and beg, basically) but that’s it.
That’s why I’ll keep asking, because every single review helps, but there are other reasons book reviews are important to indie authors, too.
Reviews help writers improve
Reviews tend to be honest. Brutally so at times. I welcome that honesty.
I don’t want to hear “everything was great,” but nor do I want to hear “it sucked.” I want to know what you enjoyed specifically. Did you like a character, or certain interactions between characters? Did you enjoy the world building and descriptions?
Could I have worked on the pacing? Was it a bit slow to start? These are lessons to learn, and while I get some people are protective and defensive over anything they feel is unfair, I can promise you I’m not.
I might not agree, but if more and more people say the same thing, I have to take note and reflect on it further.
Friends and family are great, but there’s bias and reviews often don’t have that issue. Often, I said.
Reviews help people know if the book is for them
People read reviews.
Before buying a product, staying at a hotel, going to a restaurant or any other number of activities, reviews play a part. It’s not even about good ones but weighing up the negative ones to see whether it’s something to avoid.
This is where being honest comes in to play. It’s okay to say you didn’t like something – that’s normal. Saying something is crap with no explanation is less helpful.
The good reviews play a part, too. They give potential readers a change to know if the book is for them. Again, it’s fine if it’s not, as I want people to enjoy my books, and I’d rather they knew in advance and not leave the above exampled review, but for those looking, it might be what swings their decision to buy.
What you can do to help
Quite simply, leave reviews!
They don’t have to always be four or five stars, although we all want them. More than that, I want honest reviews. I want people to know why you liked or didn’t like my book. I want to know where I can improve, and I want to know what you enjoyed.
Don’t worry, my ego isn’t that fragile (yet), so I can take the truth. We’re all different, and our opinions are valid and important, so use reviews to let us know what you think.
With all that said, you now know the importance of book reviews to indie authors. If you have a few minutes, here are links to the pages where you can leave reviews for Introductions: Volume One:
While it’s not out yet, you might be reading this after the release of Reality Check, so here’s where you can review that book, too:
As always here’s a form where you can sign up to my newsletter. You’ll get this content to your inbox every month (and a free ebook of Introductions: Volume One), but if nothing arrives after signing up, please check your spam folder.