Marketing

Book Marketing Tips: Getting More Reviews for Your Book (2022 Update)

Writing a book is not an easy task by any means (congratulations to you on achieving that huge milestone). But, it’s only half the battle. The other half is getting it in the hands of readers. And that requires having a solid marketing strategy.

There are numerous ways to promote your bookand encourage people to buy it. Getting reviews is one of them.

This statement may sound self-contradictory and confusing to those new to the book industry. Where does one get reviews when you’re trying to get your book noticed and have people read it?This is exactly what we aim to help you with through this blog. But, before we do that, let’s briefly discuss why getting a book reviewed is (and should be) an essential step in the book marketing strategyfor those who may not have a clear idea about it.

Why Are Reviews Important to Book Marketing?

Reviews are essential for books for the same reason that they are vital for any other commercial product. Positive reviews tell the potential buyers that the product they are considering buying is worth their money (and time, in the case of books). Books, or products in general, that have a good number of authentic, verified reviews tend to be more appealing to potential buyers.

Research shows that consumers trust reviews of other buyers about 12 times more than the descriptions provided by the manufacturers. While this statistic isn’t related to books or eBooks, it can safely be applied to them as well. Readers trust other readers’ opinions instead of what an author has to say about their book. And it only makes sense why.

Reviews also help make your book more discoverable, both in the digital and non-digital world. For eBooks, reviews also increase the chances of them being recommended by Amazon; they are known to factor into Amazon’s mysterious algorithm.

How to Get More Reviews for Your Book?

Ready to utilize the power of reviews to your advantage? Here are some useful tips on how to get morereviews for your book, whether you have written it yourself or used an eBook writing service.

  • Ask Away

The most straightforward method to get reviews for your bookis to ask for it.

Share your book (or even manuscript) with a few people in your circle who you trust – friends, family, colleagues – and ask them to share their reviews on your social media and/or various book publishing platforms. Moreover, you can send free copies of your book to some of your professional friends or acquaintances for reviews. No matter who you send free copies of the book to, it’s good to tell them that you want their review. You don’t want to go around distributing your book for free and not getting anything in return. Therefore, it’s better to confirm the people you’re giving the book to are willing to read and review it.

You can also ask your readers to share their thoughts on the book. Many authors do so by leaving a small note at the end of the book, requesting them to leave reviews.

  • Make it Easy for People to Share Reviews

When you ask people to leave a review for your book, make sure you make it easy for them to do it.

Tell everyone clearly where and how you want them to share their reviews and provide direct links to your book or review page on different platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, Goodreads, etc.). It’s important because no one wants to do the tedious task of finding your book on various platforms to write a few lines about it.

Remember, the fewer the clicks are between a reader and your book review page, the higher the chances you have for getting more reviews.

  • Reach Out to Book Bloggers

The world of social media is dominated by bloggers. And fortunately, there are thousands (if not hundreds of thousands) of bloggers that have dedicated their platforms to books. Some of them review books in specific genres, while others read books of all sorts. Find some bloggers with a large following, ideally in your genre, and have them review your book. With a bit of research, you will likely find many who are willing to do it for free.

Wondering how to go about finding book bloggers to review your book? Here are some platforms that can be of assistance:

  1. BookSirens
  2. Feedstop
  3. The Indie View
  • Share Your Work with Book Clubs

There are many book clubs, both online and offline. You can ask them to review your book too. However, an important point to note here is that most book clubs only read books that are available either for free or at very low costs. Make sure yours meet their criteria.

  • Exchange Reviews for Reviews

Strike a barter deal with other authors. Review their books to have them read and review yours. You can also try getting in touch with book review platforms and offer them your services as a reviewer in return for getting reviews for your own book.

  • Hire a Publicist

While there are several ways you can encourage an average reader or your professional counterparts to leave a review on your book, you may need the help of a professional publicist to have popular media outlets and authors review your work, unless you have strong personal contacts. A publicist can get in touch with big, credible media outlets, authors, and other famous people and get reviews for your book.

  • Utilize eBook Services

Many eBook writing services also provide book review writing services. These can be broadly be divided into two categories – ghostwriting services that fill up your book pages on various platforms with positive reviews and companies that actually read your book and provide honest, authentic reviews. While we recommend going for the latter, there’s no one stopping you from getting a few paid reviews from ghostwriting servicesto boost your book’s visibility (it’s a common practice).

Market Your Book More Effectively By Using Reviews to Your Advantage

Book reviews are often not given as much importance as several other marketing techniques. But, they can offer great help in spreading the word about your book, creating hype for it, making it appealing to a broader segment of your target audience, and enticing them to buy it. Reviews also make your book more visible and discoverable in the digital world and can even have Amazon recommend it.

Collect as many reviews for your book as possible and incorporate them into your marketing strategy. Publish them on your social media pages, have them posted on Amazon and other book publishing platforms, and include a few in your newsletters.

Book reviews, just like product reviews, help increase sales. Use them to your advantage.

If you have any questions, please ask below!