Episode 37: Book Review Basics for Author-Entrepreneurs
Today on the show Jodi breaks down three basics about book reviews for author-entrepreneurs:
Remember that book reviews are not just for your book launch. Author-entrepreneurs should continue to urge and encourage readers to leave a book review long after the actual launch has passed. When you can freshen up book reviews and and get an influx of new reviews, you can use them just like you do during a launch: in email sequences to newsletter subscribers and social media posts, for example. Don’t think that once the book is launched, you can stop asking for book reviews. Just like every other aspect of book marketing, book reviews are a long game.
Understand the two different types of book reviews. There are, of course, customer reviews on Amazon. That’s the first type. There are also professional book reviews, more commonly known as editorial book reviews, which are written by book critics. Sometimes these are paid (by the author-entrepreneur); sometimes they're not. These reviews are written by experienced reviewers in your genre, whatever that may be. The reason author-entrepreneurs might pursue this second type of reviews is because booksellers and librarians love them. These reviews are good for book marketing materials, just as customer reviews are, but for booksellers and librarians offer a little more credibility than the average Joe or Jane who purchased your book on Amazon, loved it, and left a review.
Jodi does not suggest running out and soliciting/paying for a professional review without a plan to do something with it.
Remember that book reviews help your get book get seen. While the Amazon algorithm is unknown, lots of reviews do seem to help books get seen. So if for no other reason than to have your book appear more often in Amazon searches and help it get found by a cold audience, gathering more book reviews is a good goal for any author-entrepreneur.
Listen here or on your favorite podcast player, and let me know what you think! Screenshot this episode and tag me on Instagram.
Have a book idea for your business but aren’t sure where to start? Check out my Jump-Start Guide here.
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