I noticed that the majority of my readers who read all of my books will leave reviews on just one or two of them, and I really wish that wasn't the case. I wish they'd leave reviews for all of the books they've read, whether they're mine or someone else's. I risk sounding ungrateful in this post, which is NOT what I want because I appreciate each and every review, and I think my readers know that. I'm just going to ask for your patience as I explain.
Amazon is a tricky beast. She's like a dragon: powerful, mystical in her awesomeness, sometimes cranky, and always unpredictable. Just when you think you have her figured out, she changes her mood and you're left in the dark again. With a single beat of her mighty wings, she will leave you standing there alone on a windy cliff. All you can do is watch as she sails away and disappears into the clouds.
Okay, enough with the corny metaphors. My point is, Amazon's a bitch. There are algorithms always working behind the scenes over there that tally all the data on a book, including its reviews, and decide whether to highlight the book for other readers or to let it fall into obscurity. Amazon's goal is undeniable and admirable: put books that readers will like on their radar. That's it.
If you think my books should be on other readers' Kindles (or in their hands), then you can make that happen. It's as simple as leaving a review. The more high-star reviews a book has, the more Amazon's algorithms pay attention to it. There's a category called “Highest Rated” over there that my books qualify for if my average rating is higher than books in the same genre. Sometimes, Amazon will take a book that others love and offer it on special promotion, sending out emails to readers or putting it on Amazon's front page. You only qualify for these highly-coveted positions if you have the reader support to put you there.
This is why it's especially important that you leave a review if you loved a book. It seems like people who didn't love a book will take the time to leave a review sharing that opinion, but they won't do it if they loved it. How do I know this? Well, you can go see for yourself. I have a few low-star reviewers who mention they loved my other books but didn't love the one they reviewed. And you can see in their review history that they didn't bother reviewing the books of mine that they did like. I guess some people just feel like warning people away is more important that encouraging people forward. Regardless, it doesn't give readers who might like my work the opportunity to learn about it because of those dang algorithms. The algos don't care if this person read all my books. It only cares that he left me a 1-star review.
So, here I am on bended knee, asking you to please review all the books you've read. If you loved them, say so. Share your opinion with the mighty Amazon dragon so that she might deign to sprinkle a little magic on my books and make them appear before the readers who might be tempted to read them. And use different reviews for every book; don't cut and paste. The algos recognize a cut and paste and then deny any weight to them. Review all the books you liked, for all the authors out there hoping to find new readers. It's really a self-serving thing when you think about it. The more you support your favorite authors, the more you motivate them to write. And then you can feed your inner dragon more of the good reads you so crave.
I realized that I haven’t reviewed all of your books. In my case, it is probably because I jumped immediately from one to the next without pause! LOL I will eventually get them all reviewed, since now I’m buying one of your books in print a week. Maybe that’s what I’ll do… order one, review it. When the next print book shows up at my door, review that one, etc. I do know with your work and how prolific you write, readers like me get so caught up in needing to know what comes after that cliffhanger, that we completely forget to review until we’re finished the series and are having a hard time letting go! 🙂
Yeah, I get that. But it never hurts to remind people how important they are!!! I can’t wait to read your reviews. They’re always awesome. xoxo Elle
And those dragon algos won’t allow me to review your books [huge sigh] but I love every one of them!!
Yes, well, that’s okay. I can claim that all my reviews are unbiased now! Plus you send your reviews to me personally, so I still get to bask in the reader-momma love. xoxo Elle
I don’t review other authors, but if I did, I’d write you a hug, a bouquet of roses, and a medal.
Awwwww! You’re too kind, Fred. xoxo
My bad! You’ve prompted me to post my 5-star reviews on Wrecked and Reckless, and hopefully I’ll get my Fae Wars reviews up later this week. Or maybe next week, since I just picked up Aces High. But it does raise a question for me. I’ve also read My Vampire Summer and Clash of the Otherworlds, but they only reached 3-stars for me. Would you prefer no review to an average review? And if the unthinkable should happen and I feel the need to rate something 1 or 2 stars, would you prefer no review or a negative review?
Thank you for taking the time to do that! Of course I want everyone to love my books. And I’d be lying if I said lower rating don’t totally break my heart. But it wouldn’t exactly be fair of me to only ask for good reviews, now would it? And it would also make my existing reviews seem bogus if it was clear that all I ever asked for were the good ones. xoxo Elle
I will add this to my previous comment: The less painful low-star reviews for me, and the most helpful at the same time, are those that specifically mention why the book didn’t rate a 5-star. Was it the plot that didn’t turn you on? Poor character development? Inconsistencies? Too many cusswords? Too short? Those kind of comments do one of two things for me: (1) they help me improve my next book, or (2) they tell me the reader didn’t get what I was doing (or maybe didn’t read the product description before buying). Either way, it’s a win for me and a win for readers. It helps them decide if they’re like you and should avoid the book or if they’re not like you and might give it a chance anyway.
I always make it a point to review each and every book I read within 1 day. The more I like a book the faster I do it. I like to review them while they’re still fresh on my mind. Although I get how people can get so caught up in books, especially War of the Fae and it’s sequel. There were times I started reading the next one then got a bit confused in my review (did this happen in this book or the one I’m now reading?) But generally I try hard to leave reviews, especially for independent authors. Reviews can help a book get noticed, influence others to try it and get it noticed. I hate seeing a book with 1 or 3 reviews and actually buy them sometimes just so I can give them an honest review. I feel bad that in the past I’ve left a few bad reviews (without any constructive reasoning and I try to be very specific in why I might not like a book now. Writing “This book sucked” helps nobody. Tell them what you like, why you liked it or what didn’t work for you, even on a bad review let them know if there were parts you did enjoy and what they were and why, along with what parts you did not like and why. I also generally try to be honest nowadays especially if I’m reading a particular style that I’m not big into (for instance reading a romance book which I don’t normally read over a fantasy book which is my favorite genre) If the story is great and the writing good then it’s not really fair to give a bad review because it’s not your “style”. I’ve always wondered how many books someone actually sells because you cannot tell by reviews. I’m willing bet that only about 1 in every 20+ people who bought a book even leave a review and it’s probably much worst than that. It only takes a second and it’s fun. If a book means a lot to you and you’ve enjoyed it then let that author know, your words can not only inspire but they can help authors by giving them new ideas or different ideas on what different people may like and helps them to make their books better.
I want to + 20 this post!!
I am not sure how I missed this post. I will definitely get onto it – I am guilty of reading the whole series and then only leaving a review on the last book – my bad.
Thank you, Rosemary!! I love your reviews, too. 🙂