Create If Writing

How to Get Reviews for Your Book

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This post deals with something super important: how to get book reviews for your book. I don’t have a magic formula or some ninja trick for this. It’s a long game, over time. Are you ready? Let’s dive in.  

Getting book reviews sometimes seems like a ninja trick. It’s a struggle in the beginning and feels like a chicken and egg problem. Reviews help you sell books (and secure some of the paid promos), but you can’t get reviews without selling books.

If you’re frustrated, you aren’t alone! But you CAN do this.

Learn how to get more reviews for your books!

Listen to Episode 158 – How to Get Book Reviews

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app!

HOW TO GET BOOK REVIEWS

Write a good book.

No duh, right? Here’s the thing: we all think that we’ve written a good book. But what you really need to know is if your book is well-written and suits the reader expectations for the genre. If you are not writing in a specific genre according to that genre’s conventions and you’re just choosing to write what you want, getting reviews will be harder. Unless you write a unicorn book. (Not an actual book about unicorns, but a book that just HAPPENS to find success.)

To help make sure you’ve got a good book, get some other eyes on it. Find some beta readers or ask other authors in your genre. Make sure you’ve read the successful books in your genre. Above all, make sure your books meets reader expectations. The cover, blurb, and the contents in the book should all line up together and should all be what the reader expects.

This is the basic foundation for getting reviews. Don’t miss this! If you aren’t sure about how to write to a particular genre, check out my post on niching down.

Grow your audience. 

It’s hard to grow an audience as you start. This is slow work, but it’s work that you should be continually doing. Growing an audience is something you’ll do for your whole author career. You may be using social media, but your main focus should be your email list.

Do newsletter swaps with authors who are in the same genre. Run ads targeted to the right people. You need eyes on you book to get reviews. As I launched my Emma St. Clair pen name last year, my reviews grew as I continued to write books. My earlier books had less reviews in the first thirty days than the books I write now.

Build a review team. 

While growing your audience, also grow your review team. I’ve talked about the difference between ARC readers and a launch team–you might have one or the other or both. But as you grow your overall audience, continue to build this team of people who see your book first and will review for you.

Different people handle this different ways. Some ask for proof of reviews form the members and remove people from the team. This seems like a lot of work for me, and technically Amazon could take you to task. You are not allowed to incentivize reviews or require them in exchange for your free book. (More from Amazon on this.)

Something realistic to realize: it is a SMALL percentage who leave reviews. As far as I can tell (without doing more work than I want to), about half of my current team leave reviews. When you’re looking OUTSIDE your review team, it will be less. As an example, I’ve sold and given away over 6k copies of my most-reviewed book and it has had 1.5 million pages read. It’s just shy of 100 reviews.

Ask for reviews.

To get more reviews, you DO have to ask. This is a place where authors sometimes get uncomfortable and then awkward. Let’s avoid that. You don’t need to feel bad asking for reviews and you also don’t want to make READERS feel bad if they don’t.

Somewhere in the back matter of your book, ask for reviews in a simple, clear way that isn’t emotionally manipulative or apologetic. I normally don’t review because an author asks, but because I like them book and then am reminded to review when I finish a book on the app and Amazon asks for a review. It may not be the author asking, but the fact that I AM asked gets me taking action. Calls to action work. Don’t miss this simple step.

As for the wording, keep the tone light. You can explain why reviews matter, but don’t go on too long about it. Ask for an honest review if they liked the book. Don’t make people feel bad or like they HAVE to leave a review. Try not to come across as needy or whiny or demanding. Don’t beg. Check to see how some of your favorite authors do this and then find a way to ask in your own words.

Remind people.

If authors don’t like asking for reviews, they DEFINITELY don’t love reminding readers. This feels like nagging. But nothing is wrong with reminding your email list or your Facebook page to leave a review. You don’t have to ask overtly, but that’s fine too. One way I’ve found to remind people is to post a screenshot or quote of a review and share how thankful you are for it. That gets people thinking, “Oh yeah– I mean to leave a review!” It also shows that you appreciate your reviewers. Here’s an example:


With your review team, you can do more overt reminding. You should email them at least twice, maybe more, about reviews. After all, they signed up for this. You aren’t annoying them, but reminding them that they signed up to do this.

WHAT OTHER OPTIONS DO YOU HAVE?

If you’ve gotten this far, obviously these are slow, long-term strategies. They aren’t quick wins or fast ways to get hundreds of reviews. There ARE some other ways to get reviews if you want to try other things. I just don’t recommend them as much. BUT if you’re just starting out, some of these might help you with that.

Paid Review Services

There are services where you can pay them to connect you with readers and reviewers. This is NOT buying reviews, but giving away your book through a paid service to their audience with the hopes of getting reviews. I have never used these (other than Shifted Sheets, which worked well and grew my email list by 50 or so), but have seen other authors recommend them.

Some authors have used Net Galley, but this seems to be a more expensive option with very harsh reviewers. I’ve not seen any authors recommending this.

Emailing Reviewers

I’ve seen the advice (and even courses) about manually going in (or using a data scraping tool like Import.io) to get email addresses from Amazon reviewers, then emailing them offering a free book for a review. I’m not a fan of this for a few reasons, though I think it CAN be done well. Some Amazon reviewers WANT free books to review. They do this all day long. Amazon did remove the ability to SEE the email addresses when you click on a reviewer, so now it takes more work to click on a webiste or blog and find their email address.

I did try this once. It took hours. I should have been writing more books instead. 🙂

WHAT IF I GET BAD REVIEWS?

Some people suggest that you shouldn’t read your bad reviews. That’s not bad advice. Sometimes it’s healthy to just step away. But you also might find something really helpful to you as an author in those bad reviews. I say read them. Learn from them if you can. Don’t let them negatively impact you. Then move on.

There isn’t magic in getting more reviews on your book. If someone tells you there is a quick way to get lots of reviews, they are probably selling something or violating Amazon’s terms somehow. Write good books. Grow your audience. Ask for reviews. And then repeat.

Questions? Tips or other resources for getting reviews?

Creating a Launch Team for Your Book

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In the last post/podcast episode, I talked about beta and ARC readers, but didn’t touch on the launch team. There are slight differences in the ARC team and the launch team, so I wanted to fully address what a launch team is and why authors might (or might not) want one. 

LISTEN TO EPISODE 157 – CREATING A LAUNCH TEAM OR SCREAM TEAM


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REWIND: WHAT ARE BETA AND ARC READERS?

To refresh, I want to go over terms. When I talk about beta readers, these are a handful of readers who see the book in its finished, but not yet proofread form. They help catch errors, but also let me know if anything about the pacing or story needs work.

ARC or advance readers get the book after the betas and my proofreader have been through the book. They get a fully-edited and formatted copy of the book and are encouraged (but not required, per Amazon terms of service) to leave a review.

Learn how and why to create a launch team for your book.

WHAT IS A LAUNCH OR SCREAM TEAM?

A launch team is a little different. The fact that authors have started calling these Scream Teams gives you an idea what they do. They don’t just review books, but go out and tell the world. As in, word-of-mouth marketing. Typically authors use a group like Facebook or Slack to communicate with the group, rather than just email (which is how I communicate with beta and ARC readers). This helps you build excitement because your readers can talk to each other.

WHAT DOES A LAUNCH TEAM DO?

Launch teams are often made up ARC readers, but the expectation is for more than an advance read and a review. Usually launch teams work to get the word out, whether through blog posts, emails to friends and family, social media posts, or even in-person events. The goal is word-of-mouth marketing, like a grassroots campaign.

HOW CAN AUTHORS MAKE AN EFFECTIVE LAUNCH TEAM?

Because I’ve seen so many different authors handle these differently, I think the most important thing is to be clear on expectations. Most of the time, there is an application of sorts. Sometimes authors require that the launch team actually BUY the book and sometimes it’s given as an ARC. There might be requirements for the launch team members to post a certain number of times about the book. However you want to run your team, make that very clear from the start.

The main thing you should remember is that a launch is exciting. This should be like a party, not like an obligation of some kind. When you treat your launch like a party that all your launch team members are invited to, then you are going to have a contagious excitement–that’s the goal!

If YOU are excited about your book, that feeds your LAUNCH TEAM’S excitement about the book, which feeds the excitement of their FRIENDS AND FAMILY that they share with.

Ideas for launch teams: 

  • Exclusive content for launch team members
  • Giveaways (NOT in exchange for reviews, per Amazon’s terms of service)
  • Live video
  • Swag
  • In-person events (check out my post on how to have a launch party!)

The sky is the limit for how you handle your launch team. Let your personality shine through. Find things that are fun for YOU and will be fun for your readers.

WHEN YOU DON’T WANT TO HAVE A LAUNCH TEAM

I’ve mentioned before that I’m publishing a book a month right now. Running a launch team EVERY MONTH would be exhausting. For me and all the members. It would burn them out. I do have some whale readers and superfans, so this might be something I consider as I grow my audience and as I stop publishing as frequently, but for now, it doesn’t make sense. If you are publishing monthly, a scream team or launch team will be hard.

If you really can’t stand being personal, this is not the thing for you. The launch team works best when the author is involved, not a publishing company or personal assistant. I think these work best with an author who is all-hands-on-deck.

FINAL THOUGHTS ON LAUNCH TEAMS OR SCREAM TEAMS

If this doesn’t sound like your jam, DON’T DO IT. it also seems to work better when you’ve built up an audience of superfans, so this may take some time. Word-of-mouth marketing is amazing, so if you can take the time to build up a team of superfans who have your back and want to tell the world about your books, then you will have a great team of people backing you up!

Other links and resources: 

Guide to creating a launch team

Using an ARC Team to launch your book

A Simple Book Launch Framework

 

How to Find Beta and ARC Readers for Your Books

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I’m continuing on a fluid series on book launching and publishing with this post on how to find bet and ARC readers for your book. To read more of the series, click HERE.

One of the important parts of a book launch is sending out your book to beta and ARC readers. Not sure what those terms mean? You aren’t alone! Let’s break that down.

Note: Different people may use these terms interchangeably and in different ways. The definitions I’m sharing are the ones that I use and what I think are most commonly used by authors.

LISTEN TO EPISODE 156 – HOW TO FIND BETA AND ARC READERS


Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app!

WHAT ARE BETA READERS?

Who are they?

My beta readers are superfans who love the genre I write in and get a chance to look at my manuscript before it’s even been to the proofreader. I send it to them as soon as I’m done editing.

How many do you have? 

I have less than ten beta readers.

What you send them?

I send them a Word doc or, by request, another type of file. They will either email a list of corrections or notes (if they aren’t using Word) or will use the feature to make comments and track changes in Word.

What they do for you?

My beta readers look for things like plot holes, typos and other errors, or anything in the story that might trip them up, not make sense, or that slows down the overarching story. They help me get secure in the story and often they pick up things the paid proofreader misses.

When do I send them a book? 

I send the book as soon as it’s done with my final edits. I am on a super-tight schedule. I send them the book usually less than two weeks before publication. This is VERY SHORT and most people recommend longer. But for me and the readers I have, it works.

WHAT ARE ARC READERS?

Who are they?

My ARC readers get my books in the final form–after the betas and after the proofreaders and after I’ve made my corrections. The book is fully formatted and should be as close to perfect as possible.

What you send them?

I send a .mobi or .epub file through Bookfunnel.

What they do for you?

They read in advance and write the first set of reviews. If they happen to find any typos or have suggestions, I always welcome them, but I do let them know these are my final edits and I’m not looking for story suggestions.

When do I send them a book? 

I send them the book after I’ve made the final corrections after the betas and proofreaders have looked at it. Because I’m publishing on a super tight schedule, they usually get the book a week or a few days in advance of publication.

Learn how to connect with beta and ARC readers- what they are, how to use them, and where to find them!

HOW TO FIND BETAS & ARC READERS

Friends and family

This can be good or bad and you may not know until you try it. Friends and family might not be great readers because they want to encourage you. OR they might feel so close to you that they will say whatever they think.

I’ve had bad experiences with friends and family reading books and telling me how much they hated things. It’s really hard to come back from that. You may not want to.

Friends and family may not be the ideal readers for your genre. If you find someone who is a good reader, reads your genre, and you think would give you an honest (but kind) response, go for it!

Paid Services

I have not personally used paid services to find beta and ARC readers. I’m a little hesitant to recommend this, though I’d love for someone to weigh in who has had a good experience.

First of all, I think that an organic approach may yield better results. I’ve heard some horror stories about the paid services, but again– it’s not firsthand. The more I wrote and grew my audience, the more I had people requesting to be a part of my ARC teams. Paying for betas and ARCs might be your only option in the beginning, but I would work to organically build readers as early as you can.

Asking Other Authors’ Readers

I’ve seen authors teaming up to grow their ARC and beta reader. This would look like one author offering to give their own readers the signup form for another author. I think this can be great and I’ve personally done this for authors, but you don’t want to do this too frequently, unless you want your readers stretched really thin.

I write a book a month, so I want readers who can keep up. If you’re publishing less often, you might be more able to do this often. This is a great way to get in front of the right readers and another reason you want to be building relationships with other authors.

Asking Other Authors

I haven’t had great luck with this, mostly because I think all the other authors are busy being authors. But I know many authors do use other authors in their genre as beta readers or as ARC readers for their books. If you are just starting out and have no direction, but do have author friends, this is another thing you could do–read for them and they read for you.

TIPS FOR BETA AND ARC READERS

Be clear in your expectations. I’ve had people do way more than I wanted or asked.

Don’t let everyone on your beta team. You don’t want a lot of beta readers. I have almost ten and they are epic. But some people only have a few other people look.

Find a timeline that works. My publication schedule is very fast. I have found people to work fast with me. That may not work for your genre or readers. You’ll need to plan out the time you NEED for this to work for you.

BE THANKFUL. I’ve been a beta reader for some authors before, given great feedback, and gotten nothing in return. Not even a thanks. I will never beta for someone again who does that. If you find someone willing to read your book or write a review or share with friends, you better show them how much you appreciate them.

How to Deal with Your Doubts

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All writers struggle with insecurities. I heard from a few writers this week feeling like failures. These were writers who are at various stages of their writing and publishing careers all with the same struggle.

We have all been there! I hope this post can be an encouragement to you if and when you’re feeling insecure about your writing or creative work.

LISTEN TO EPISODE 155 – HOW TO DEAL WITH YOUR DOUBTS


Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app!

Learn how to demolish doubt that you encounter in your creative life!

HOW TO DEAL WITH YOUR DOUBTS

Identify the trigger

Can you find out what is causing those feelings of doubt? I’ve struggled with and still struggle with depression. When I’m having a low day, I put it on the calendar. It helps me identify if something happened to trigger it. There isn’t always something, but for you maybe it’s reviews or a particular Facebook group that makes you feel unhealthy. Try to find the cause.

Remove or adjust

If you are able to avoid or remove that thing from your life, even temporarily, do it! If not, see if you can find a way to adjust. I’ve left groups that made me doubt myself, disconnected from Facebook friends who weren’t positive, and I’ve taken breaks from writing altogether as needed.

Find support

We all need other creatives and to know that they are right there with us. Look for a group that makes you feel your worth. I don’t mean a group of people who tell you what you want to hear. But find a group that will speak the truth to you kindly and that will share in your struggles.

Remind yourself of truths

Focus on what you KNOW to be true, not how you FEEL. In January I had my best month ever. Then in February…I didn’t. I was really low. When I talked to my husband about my income that month, he reminded me that though my income was lower than January, it was still my third-highest-grossing month. I got caught up in feelings, not facts.

Take an action to move you forward

I’ve learned that I hit a low point at the time I finish a book. I am filled with self-doubt and even self-loathing. I think my book is the worst thing I’ve ever written. I want to quit. Once I identified that as a trigger, I learned to take an action: I start a new book. As soon as the finished book is with my proofreader, I open the next Word doc and start typing.

You are not alone in your doubt! 

Every so often I’ve heard someone try to say that if you have doubts that it’s just imposter syndrome or a sign of immaturity in your career. Just say NO to that nonsense.

At some point, you DO have to get out of your head and take action. You can’t allow these doubts and hardships to hold you back. But having them is NOT a sign that you don’t know what you’re doing or that you have a lot to learn.

I’ve experienced doubt every single month for the last year, even though on paper I’ve gone from making under $100 a month to a healthy four-figure income.

You’re in good company!

You might also like: 

Joanna Penn on Self-Doubt and Imposter Syndrome

How to Judge the Success of Your Book Promotions

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One big piece of launching that I don’t see a lot of people talking about is how to judge the success of your book promotions, specifically your paid promotions. This is part of a series on how I moved from making under $100/month self-publishing on Amazon to consistently over four-figures a month within a year. 

One of the investments I made as I launched my pen name last year was paid book promotions. I dabbled in Facebook ads and AMS ads, but the main bulk of my spending was in email promotions. These sites have built up email lists full of readers and send emails out to those readers with your book in them.

Email sells books and I’ve seen a good return from this! However, it’s not that simple. I’m going to share tips on how to tell if your book promotions are actually successful.

Before I get there, it’s important to note that many of the sites have requirements. You may need a certain number of reviews and your book may need to be discounted to a certain degree.

Listen to Episode 154 – How to Judge the Success of Your Book Promotions

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app!

Stop wasting your money and learn how to track and judge the success of your book promotions.

How to Judge the Success of Your Book Promotions

Before you even START to think about paying for promotions, think about these things:

  • If your book cover doesn’t look professional and/or fit the genre, you won’t make sales.
  • If you only have ONE book, you won’t have a backlist to help you make more sales from the promotion.
  • If your book is not part of a series, you won’t make as many other sales from the promotion.
  • If your book is part of a series that has to be read in order and is NOT the first book, you won’t have as much success.

Choose Wisely

All of these sites are not the same! Just because a site costs a lot doesn’t mean that it will have the best results.

  • Look for genre-specific lists
  • Sign up for the email lists– does it truncate the email?
  • Ask other authors in your genre
  • Realize that established isn’t always better
  • They should have responsive customer service

Test and Track

If you don’t note how the sales work, you may not realize which sites to use again and which ones to avoid.

  • Try doing one per day
  • Make note if you also have a newsletter swap that day
  • When you start out, it’s best not to run FB or other ads at the same time
  • Track it over time and by book title (ex: billionaire vs other books)

Know How to Read Results

It’s often not a dollar for dollar thing. If I spend $25 on a promotion, I would love to make $25 back, but sometimes it’s more complex.

  • Other book sales that week
  • Sales over a few days’ time
  • Pagereads over that week (if you’re in KU)
  • Ranking on Amazon, which gets you more visibility & organic sales
  • Email list sign-ups that week
  • One sale might turn into a READER, not just a sale

When it comes to paid promotions, these email list promotions have been very successful for me, but I’ve seen them fluctuate over time per book. I’m not going to stop tracking the sales, because I don’t want to waste my money!

I hope that this helps you not waste your time and your MONEY on paid promotions. If you aren’t sure where to find these sites, you can check out these lists:

RELATED LINKS

 

 

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