Why are reviews so important? For a number of reasons but mainly because, the more reviews a book receives, the more Amazon promotes it - for free. "Free" being an essential element for small press and self-published authors because we don't have the financial resources the big name authors do.
But writing and posting a review, a process that takes very little time and effort, seems to be something that intimidates a lot of readers. Please keep in mind that writing a review is NOT like writing a book report when you were in school. All you have to do is compose a couple of sentences, telling what you most enjoyed about the book. Was it the characters? The plot? The setting?
I prefer to post my reviews as soon as I finish a book, while the story is still fresh in my mind and before I start reading another book. I also like to keep my reviews short and simple. But that's just how I do it. If you choose to write a longer review or to wait to review the book you've read, that's fine too. But please do NOT reveal the ending!
In the spirit of short and simple, here are 5 steps to posting a book review:
1. Go to www.amazon.com. Sign in or create an account if you don't already have one.
2. Type the title of the book you want to review in the "Search" bar and click the book's link.
3. Scroll down to "Customer Reviews" and click on the button "Write a Review."
4. Rate the book from 1 to 5 stars (5 is the highest rating) and type your review in the space provided.
5. Give your review a title, double-check what you've written and click "Submit."
We're all busy. I get that. But, if you're a reader, you "make" time to read. Why not take a few extra minutes to write a review? I hope you'll jot down or print out these tips to use as a reference the next time you read a good book.
Happy Reading - and reviewing!
