In my opinion, the real difference is between having NO reviews, and having at least a FEW.
If you have, say, 10 reviews, it will reassure a nervous buyer.
The quantity of reviews may depend on the market you're in. For example, a 99c romance can chalk up a great many more sales than an expensive or niche academic work?
There are a few outliers - ones with huge numbers of reviews. But most books don't achieve that.
One of my books keeps getting sales and reviews while other books of mine don't. You never can tell. Publishers have always known that 10% of their output would sell extraordinarily well, 50% would do OK, and 40% would sell almost nothing.
Much has been written about how authors can get reviews. I've never been able to generate a launch crew.
And while readers have good intentions, few will actually get around to leaving a review. In my world of non-fiction:
- asking for a review at 20% into the book may work. Similarly, you can put a request for a review at the end of the book.
- giving readers a lead magnet that gets them on to your list can work.
- asking for a review when replying to a reader is likely to be successful.
I do agree. The difference between 0 reviews and 10 is MAMMOTH. And getting people to review is an uphill battle. At Legacy Launch Pad, we have an email sequence we send out to people who have agreed to review (will DM it to you as a thank you for commenting). It WORKs but you risk bugging people. (I'd rather bug people and get more reviews.) In my experience, sending out this email sequence is a million times more effective than asking for a review in the book or providing a lead magnet. Asking for a review when people email you about the book is also great; I find if you write and ask them what they liked about the book, then you can respond to that with how much it would mean if they'd copy and paste what they wrote as an Amazon review, that works really well. Anyway, thank you for the fabulous comment!
Hey hey, party people!! Please review Jonathan's book and take him up on the free chapter offer! also, Jonathan, DMing you the email sequence you can email your contacts! Thank you for commenting!
It would be amazing if you could add reviews for my book! https://www.amazon.com/dp/1739094379 It is newly released in the last three months and so far has 29 reviews. I'd love to get more!
Great post and reminder, Anna. I find myself falling prey to this / being complacent all the time. I've got 32 reviews for my second book, but the number hasn't changed in a long time, and the book is really just _sitting there_. Definitely not a great look!
Love this comment and YO, OTHER AUTHORS READING THIS - here's your chance to trade reviews. Brian, just DM'd you copy that can help you double your reviews!
In my opinion, the real difference is between having NO reviews, and having at least a FEW.
If you have, say, 10 reviews, it will reassure a nervous buyer.
The quantity of reviews may depend on the market you're in. For example, a 99c romance can chalk up a great many more sales than an expensive or niche academic work?
There are a few outliers - ones with huge numbers of reviews. But most books don't achieve that.
One of my books keeps getting sales and reviews while other books of mine don't. You never can tell. Publishers have always known that 10% of their output would sell extraordinarily well, 50% would do OK, and 40% would sell almost nothing.
Much has been written about how authors can get reviews. I've never been able to generate a launch crew.
And while readers have good intentions, few will actually get around to leaving a review. In my world of non-fiction:
- asking for a review at 20% into the book may work. Similarly, you can put a request for a review at the end of the book.
- giving readers a lead magnet that gets them on to your list can work.
- asking for a review when replying to a reader is likely to be successful.
I do agree. The difference between 0 reviews and 10 is MAMMOTH. And getting people to review is an uphill battle. At Legacy Launch Pad, we have an email sequence we send out to people who have agreed to review (will DM it to you as a thank you for commenting). It WORKs but you risk bugging people. (I'd rather bug people and get more reviews.) In my experience, sending out this email sequence is a million times more effective than asking for a review in the book or providing a lead magnet. Asking for a review when people email you about the book is also great; I find if you write and ask them what they liked about the book, then you can respond to that with how much it would mean if they'd copy and paste what they wrote as an Amazon review, that works really well. Anyway, thank you for the fabulous comment!
Thank Anna and Team,
I've been a fan for years. Here’s my book’s link: https://a.co/d/gZ1KNpi
I will be very grateful if you were to write a review, for those that do, I am happy to reciprocate.
Just sent you a DM that shows you how to get reviews. Thank you for commenting and y'all who are commenting, please review each other's books!!!
Grateful for you to host this party because I feel all of this. Even though I had 20+ people on launch team and beta readers, still sitting at 12…
Here’s my book’s link: https://a.co/d/ix1RD7Y
But I’m also willing to send a free chapter to anyone who messages me.
Hey hey, party people!! Please review Jonathan's book and take him up on the free chapter offer! also, Jonathan, DMing you the email sequence you can email your contacts! Thank you for commenting!
It would be amazing if you could add reviews for my book! https://www.amazon.com/dp/1739094379 It is newly released in the last three months and so far has 29 reviews. I'd love to get more!
Brian and Alexandra, meet and review each other's books! Alexandra, I'm DMing you copy that can get you a bunch of new reviews if you use it!
Great post and reminder, Anna. I find myself falling prey to this / being complacent all the time. I've got 32 reviews for my second book, but the number hasn't changed in a long time, and the book is really just _sitting there_. Definitely not a great look!
Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09KQ4FLBW
Love this comment and YO, OTHER AUTHORS READING THIS - here's your chance to trade reviews. Brian, just DM'd you copy that can help you double your reviews!