best book reviews on amazon

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June 14, 2023

Written by Morgan Jerkins

The 20 best books of 2023 so far, according to Amazon's book editors

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Hello Beautiful

by Ann Napolitano

"With gusto and compassion, Ann Napolitano crafts a tear-jerker of a story that centers on the Padavano sisters, who are thick as thieves—until they aren’t. Hello Beautiful offers big emotion, and that’s exactly what makes it so powerful and so page-turning, which is why we named it the Best Book of 2023 So Far." —Al Woodworth

by S.A. Cosby

"This Southern Gothic serial killer mystery comes out of the gate dark, and S.A. Cosby rarely takes his foot off the gas, but his storytelling—lean but vivid, and emotionally intelligent—nails every beat. I couldn’t read it fast enough." —Vannessa Cronin

by Jean M. Twenge, Ph.D.

"Mind-changing revelations, fascinating facts—Jean M. Twenge's compulsively readable book will transform the way you see yourself and everyone you know, and finally put all those tired tropes about baby boomers, millennials, and more to rest. You’ll quote it every day." —Lindsay Powers

by Emilia Hart

"Though divided by centuries, three women, who share a unique connection to the natural world and to one another, tell their fascinating stories of persecution, danger, and resilience in a beautifully written novel that is a fierce and dazzling read." —Seira Wilson

by Paul Kix

"This is the best kind of narrative nonfiction: Your heart will pound, your blood will boil, you’ll feel the rush of adrenaline as Paul Kix tells the history—complete with the unsung heroes, villains, and funders—of how Martin Luther King Jr., his team, and thousands of children in Birmingham, Alabama, changed America." —Al Woodworth

by Helen Elaine Lee

"Sorry/not sorry for the simile: This empathy-expanding novel, a sly paeon to the power of great fiction and its ability to be a Trojan horse delivering the truth, is like a pomegranate—open it and you’ll find a treasure trove inside." —Erin Kodicek

by Deepti Kapoor

"Power, pleasure, drugs, and violence collide in this page turner with Crazy Rich Asians , Narcos , and The Godfather vibes. From extreme wealth to extreme poverty, and narrated by a cast of characters on both sides of the spectrum, Deepti Kapoor’s juicy novel centers on a sprawling Indian family that controls—or attempts to control—all that’s around them, at any cost." —Al Woodworth

by David Grann

"Batten down the hatches, this true story of mayhem and murder, adventure, and reckless ambition on the high seas is a thrill to read. You can almost feel the salt spray on your skin as the HMS Wager and its hurly-burly crew fight the elements and each other in pursuit of fame and fortune. David Grann, once again, has made history come alive." —Al Woodworth

by Abraham Verghese

"We didn’t want this book to end—told over the course of three generations, Abraham Verghese weaves a magnetic story of how cultural, social, and racial politics play out in the lives of wives, doctors, and artists who strive to find a home and purpose in a shifting and dangerous world. Filled with characters who love deeply and dream big, this novel will sweep you off your feet." —Al Woodworth

by Emily Henry

"Emily Henry's latest has all the feels! More than your standard second-chance romance, Happy Place is about the beauty, pain, and joy that come with biological families, chosen families, growing up and apart, and how—as adults—we deal with this thing called life." —Kami Tei

by Jonathan Eig

"Eig’s definitive and engrossing portrait of Martin Luther King Jr. is a remarkable feat of writing and research, revealing the gutting hardships and heroics of a man who changed the world. This is biography at its absolute finest." —Al Woodworth

by Lisa See

"I will not soon forget Lady Tan. A historical fiction grounded in women, medicine, and tradition, Lady Tan’s Circle of Women is immersive and relatable, and I found myself underlining throughout this absorbing read." —Kami Tei

by Dennis Lehane

" Small Mercies comes in quiet, as a missing-daughter story set in Boston’s Southie neighborhood, but as it picks up steam and readers ride shotgun with Mary Pat Fennessy, a "tough Irish broad," as she hunts for her girl, an explosive story of racism, revenge, and reckoning ignites and leaves readers slack-jawed to the very last page." —Vannessa Cronin

by Jeannette Walls

"A feisty tomboy, bootleggers, wheelin’ and dealin’ family members, quickie marriages, and a shootout juice the pages of Jeannette Walls’ beguiling new novel. Set in Virginia during prohibition, Hang the Moon charts the life of Sallie Kincaid, a young woman with grit and gumption, who wrestles with the legacy of her family—however good, bad, and ugly it may be." —Al Woodworth

by Brendan Slocumb

"Engrossing and heart pounding, this one had me on the edge of my seat from the beginning to the end. A cautionary tale about how some secrets can grow and create havoc for generations. A must read!" —Kami Tei

by Angeline Boulley

"Boulley brilliantly weaves together a suspenseful heist thriller about the theft of Indigenous peoples’ ancestral objects and human remains with an eye-opening look at repatriation, injustice, and the lengths one young Native American woman will go to right terrible wrongs." —Seira Wilson

by Rachel Heng

“Coming-of-age story, love story, historical fiction—Heng manages to do it all. You’ll ache for these characters, and the ending will leave you feeling equally satisfied and bereft. The Great Reclamation begs to be a classic” —Sarah Gelman

by Matthew Desmond

“In 200 searing pages, Matthew Desmond lays out a clear explanation of inequality that will make you rage, sob, capitulate, and feel shame. This book may not be the easiest read, but it's one of the most important ones.” —Lindsay Powers

by R.F. Kuang

"Satire at its finest! Yellowface puts a spotlight on the pressure some authors face trying to quickly and consistently produce the next great novel. Challenges around public opinion and cultural appropriation, specifically within the Asian community, are consistent themes throughout. Smart, cheeky, immersive, and thought-provoking." —Kami Tei

by Curtis Sittenfeld

“Sittenfeld shape-shifts her talent yet again in this fun and thought-provoking romantic comedy. A fun summer read that is begging to be made into a movie, Romantic Comedy also proves, once more, that Sittenfeld is a writer who can’t be put in a box.” —Sarah Gelman

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The 10 best books of 2021, according to Amazon's book editors

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• Amazon's book editors have released their 10 favorite books of the year .
• Titles range from debut authors to works by two-time Pulitzer Prize winners. 
• For more book recommendations, check out the best new books of 2021 so far, according to Goodreads .

Amazon's book editors have just issued their list of the best 10 books of 2021 , which can make finding gifts for book lovers (or a new read for yourself) that much easier.

You can find all 10 titles below. Some you may never have heard of; others, like Kristin Hannah's " The Four Winds " or Kazuo Ishiguro's " Klara and the Sun ," have won awards or shown up on many "best books of 2021" lists . The books selected range from a debut memoir by Michelle Zauner (of indie rock band Japanese Breakfast fame) to a historical fiction novel from the two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner Colson Whitehead.

"We all had our personal favorites this year," Sarah Gelman, Editorial Director of Amazon Books, said in the official press release, "but the one book the team unanimously agreed on was Amor Towles' ' The Lincoln Highway ' — we just couldn't stop talking about it."

If you're still looking for your next read, Goodreads , Audible , and Book of the Month have also released their favorite books of the year. Or, check out all the books longlisted for the National Book Award and the Booker Prize in 2021 for more book ideas. 

The 20 best books of 2021, according to Amazon's book editors:

Descriptions are provided by editors and edited lightly for clarity.

"The Lincoln Highway" by Amor Towles

" The Lincoln Highway" by Amor Towles, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $18.99

Towles (" A Gentleman in Moscow ") might just have written one of the best novels of this decade, delivering one of the greatest gifts of fiction: Hope. Filled with 1950s nostalgia and the gentle naïveté and hijinks of those who are young, optimistic, and on a mission, "The Lincoln Highway" follows four kids whose paths collide as they search for their mother and a stashed wad of cash. —Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor

"Crying in H Mart: A Memoir" by Michelle Zauner

" Crying in H Mart: A Memoir" by Michelle Zauner, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $16.16

You will laugh, you will cry, your stomach will rumble with hunger, and you'll tap your toe to the beat of this powerful mother-daughter and Korean American story that shows just how important it is to accept someone fully for who they are — and love them just the same. —Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor

"The Plot" by Jean Hanff Korelitz

" The Plot" by Jean Hanff Korelitz, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $13.37

A story within a story that is a Rubik's Cube of twists, "The Plot" follows an uninspired author fading into obscurity until his new book rockets him to fame. Only the plot isn't his, and someone knows it. Korelitz keeps us guessing — even when all seems clear — right up to the knockout ending. —Seira Wilson, Amazon Editor

"How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America" by Clint Smith

" How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America" by Clint Smith, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $17.49

Smith's tour of places and landmarks linked to slavery is the type of book that can change your perspective, even if you have known of the places (or thought you did) your entire life. –Chris Schluep, Amazon Books Editor

"The Four Winds" by Kristin Hannah

" The Four Winds" by Kristin Hannah, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $14

Set during the Great Depression and featuring an unlikely heroine who will lodge herself in your heart, "The Four Winds" is a reminder, when we so urgently need it, of the resiliency not only of the human spirit, but of this country as well. Hannah's latest story reads like a classic. —Erin Kodicek, Amazon Editor

"Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty" by Patrick Radden Keefe

" Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty" by Patrick Radden Keefe, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $19.50

From the author of " Say Nothing " comes an addictive account of the Sackler family — the founders and masterminds behind OxyContin. From their rise by marketing pharmaceuticals, to the backdoor dealings of FDA approvals, to the front door dealings of museum philanthropy, this is an impossible-to-put-down true story of ambition, power, deception, and greed. —Vannessa Cronin, Amazon Editor

"Harlem Shuffle" by Colson Whitehead

" Harlem Shuffle" by Colson Whitehead, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $17.75

The two-time Pulitzer Prize winner of " The Nickel Boys " and " The Underground Railroad " tells a blisteringly entertaining tale of schemers and dreamers, mobsters and crooks, elaborate heists and furniture fronts, and the thrilling mischief of those who are up to no good and others who are just trying to make a living. —Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor

"Great Circle" by Maggie Shipstead

" Great Circle" by Maggie Shipstead, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $18

Shipstead has accomplished the impossible — an epic novel that is ambitious, literary, and utterly accessible. "Great Circle" follows two women who yearn for adventure and freedom — aviator Marian Graves and starlet Hadley Baxter — and like flying, it's the thrill of the century. —Sarah Gelman, Amazon Editor

"Project Hail Mary" by Andy Weir

" Project Hail Mary" by Andy Weir, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $14.49

As in " The Martian ," Weir makes science and problem solving not only cool but absolutely essential to survival. In "Project Hail Mary," Weir delivers an electrifying space adventure sure to wrench your gut and pull at your heartstrings. —Adrian Liang, Amazon Editor

"Klara and the Sun" by Kazuo Ishiguro

" Klara and the Sun" by Kazuo Ishiguro, available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $16.09

Ishiguro's quiet, emotional, and moving novel about a robot girl with artificial intelligence, who is designed as a playmate for real children, is a story that will captivate and haunt readers. –Chris Schluep, Amazon Books Editor

The other best books of 2021 from Amazon's editors:

• Main content

How to Write Book Reviews on Amazon That People Will Read

With so many titles available on Amazon, it can help to leave book reviews. Here's how to write ones that people will actually read.

Amazon has almost a quarter of a billion titles in popular demand. A good review can help spread the word about great titles and best-selling books.

Writing book reviews on Amazon can help readers find the perfect matches for their book lists. It's also one of the best ways to show readers that you're an experienced and knowledgeable person who can provide valuable insights into a book.

Here, we share some tactics you can use to write book reviews on Amazon that people will want to read.

1. Carry Out Thorough Research

If you're going to write a book review, it's important to know what you're talking about. Consider doing some research on the book itself, and the author's overall body of work.

There are plenty of books out there, so you'll need to convince readers what they're missing out on by not reading them. The more familiar you are with the content of the book and its author’s other work, the more credible your opinions will be.

Read up on the author's background and reputation to get a sense of their writing style. Doing so will help you understand the author's perspective, and you'll be able to make an informed decision on whether to recommend the book.

2. Use Correct Keywords and Active Voice for Your Target Audience

The next step is to identify who your audience is and what they want from your review. Do they want advice on how to improve their business? Do they want information on how to use technology in their daily lives? Or do they just want an entertaining read that makes them laugh?

Once you know who your audience is, it's time to start thinking about how exactly you'll address their expectations from a book. We recommend writing in an engaging tone and using real-life examples from the story so that everyone can relate easily with what you're saying.

3. Stay Up-to-Date With Amazon's Community Guidelines

You should make it a point to adhere to Amazon's Community guidelines while posting book reviews on the site. To be eligible for reviewing a book or product, you would have to spend at least $50 on Amazon.

Make sure your views are informative and constructive. These must be genuine and reflect your honest opinion of the book you've read. That said, they should not contain spoilers or excessive promotion for other products or services that are unrelated to the original content.

4. Use Appropriate Headlines

A key aspect of a book review on Amazon, or any other platform for that matter, is to craft an appealing headline. This should be short, sweet, and catchy.

You'll also need to make sure that you have a strong introduction before diving into the main body of your review. It's tempting to just touch upon the points in the blurb from the back cover, but that's not going to work.

A compelling introduction should grab the reader's attention with a powerful hook or an interesting fact about the book. Take a moment to think about what makes this book unique. What makes it worth reading?

For instance, you can try and highlight in a sentence how their life will change if they read this book, or by explaining why they need to read it in order to accomplish something important in their life today or tomorrow (like improving their career).

5. Apply Proper Formatting and Include Images or Videos

Book reviews go a long way in helping potential readers decide whether they want to buy a book or not.

Make sure your review is informative, not promotional. Readers should have all the information they need to decide whether that book is for them. You can include at least one quote or fact from the book, if you need to, but don't overdo it.

Use bullet points and bolded letters or italics to highlight key points in the text. You can also try doing a video review if that is something you're comfortable with. Use appropriate images or videos that may be helpful.

Given the huge sea of content on the Internet, you should exercise caution when it comes to reading others' reviews or doing your own research. We recommend checking tips to spot fake reviews online .

6. Give an Insightful and Unbiased Opinion

Follow up your introduction with your unbiased opinion or analysis. Talk about the best parts of the book and explain why you feel so.

You can also mention any issues that may come up while reading the book. You can talk about them in terms of how they affect your understanding of the story, or how they impact your ability to connect with characters (in fiction) in some way or another.

Your reviews might vary with genres, such as fiction or non-fiction. When reviewing nonfiction titles, your review should consider the author's writing style, accuracy and clarity, structure, and logic.

In the case of fiction books, it all comes down to a compelling plot, characters who are memorable, and an ending that leaves readers wanting more. Your review should look at the characters, setting, and plot. It should also consider whether there were any significant flaws in these areas.

For example, if you're reviewing a fantasy novel, you might discuss how well its characters were developed and how convincingly they interacted with each other. You might also comment on whether there were any plot holes or inconsistencies in the narrative.

You should include what you liked or disliked about the book. You may mention whether you agree with the author's point of view. Reedsy recommends using an appropriate tone and style for note-worthy bestseller reviews.

7. Assign Star Ratings Wisely

Reviews are a great way for you to share your opinions on what you read, but star ratings are the first touchpoint where readers often decide whether to go for a purchase, so you should assign your star rating wisely.

The ratings you give your reviews carry distinct persuasive weight and can either make or break a book. Reviewers who write three-star and four-star reviews with honest, constructive criticisms are more likely to be read than reviewers who write very brief one-star reviews, which are often unconstructive rants.

8. Use a Book Review Template

You can always start off with a book review template to help you get started. You can find them for free on sites like Sample Templates, which will give you a basic outline of everything that needs to go into each book review.

Use them to submit a well-structured and readable review. It will help you focus on the most important aspects of the book.

Download: Sample Templates (Free)

9. Feel Free to Provide a Recommendation

You can leave a recommendation if you found a book extremely engaging and helpful. Consider if the book is something that would interest your target audience. While this is by no means necessary, reviews which include recommendations are more likely to be read by others.

If you're a new or experienced author, here's a list of tips on how to get positive reviews for your book .

Make Your Reviews Stand Out

Writing book reviews can be rewarding and fun, but it's also very hard to write them well. In order to get people to read your reviews, you have to ensure they're good.

And that means maintaining both a consistent level of authority and clarity in your reviews—no easy feat! With some practice, however, you should be able to take your reviews from average to outstanding by playing off the elements mentioned above. And there are other platforms for you to take your love of reading to as well.

How to Get Book Reviews on Amazon the Quickest and Easiest Way

Book reviews and sushi restaurants have a lot more in common than you might think. Discover the secrets to getting book reviews on Amazon!

Would you risk getting sushi from a restaurant with a 1-star average and a dozen bad reviews talking about getting food poisoning? Didn't think so. 

The thing is, Amazon reviews function the same way. They warn readers about books that might not be worth their hard-earned money or precious time. So, how do you convince someone you've never met that your book is worth taking the chance?

In this blog post, we'll walk you through a ton of budget-friendly and compliant ways for how to get book reviews on Amazon, and skyrocket your sales (and royalties).

Are you tapping into all of Amazon's potential? Check out our free webinar that shows you exactly how one publishing method has already generated a collective $50 million in revenue for thousands of students of all ages all over the world with no publishing or tech experience required.

Why Do Amazon Book Reviews Matter?

A dozen 5-star reviews can usually offset a single bad review, but a single 5-star review won't always offset a dozen negative reviews. It's just the nature of the game and human psychology. We tend to gravitate toward what's safe and comfortable.

Here are some more reasons that a book's review matters:

Credibility and Social Proof

Let's knock the obvious one out of the way. When potential readers are browsing Amazon for a new book to read, they are more likely to choose a book that already has previous other readers. Positive reviews act as social proof and give credibility to your book. They show that others have enjoyed your book and that it’s worth reading.

Sales and Ranking

Amazon book reviews can also impact your book's sales and ranking. Books with a higher number of positive reviews tend to sell more copies. Additionally, Amazon's search algorithm takes into account the number and quality of reviews when ranking books in search results.

Momentum and Feedback

Positive reviews just feel good. They're a good boost to your confidence and can motivate you to keep publishing. Even a negative review can help you improve your work by providing constructive feedback to implement in your future work. 

A Breakdown of Amazon's Review Policy and Algorithm

Amazon's review policy is designed to ensure that reviews are genuine and unbiased.

That means they prohibit the following:

• Reviews that are fake
• Reviews that are incentivized or come from a bribe
• Reviews that are written by the author or publisher of a book or their family and friends
• Reviews that include profanity, hate speech, and personal information

Note: Violating these policies can result in the removal of reviews and even account suspension.

Amazon's algorithm uses various factors to determine the authenticity and relevance of book reviews. The algorithm considers the number of reviews, the rating, and the recency of reviews as well as the location that the reviews came from. They can typically tell when friends and family are leaving reviews by checking whether you've ever sent each other gifts through Amazon or shared an address.

Most people can get away with one or two close friends leaving a positive or leaving a review too, but is it worth it? For one, it’s unethical. And secondly, it throws off the algorithm. If you wrote a book about bulldogs and none of your friends even have dogs, then they wouldn't be your target audience anyway. Their data would then affect the types of readers Amazon suggests your book to, and this can skew your marketing plans. Just something to keep in mind!

How Many Reviews Is Enough?

When it comes to the number of reviews you need on Amazon, there's no magic number that will instantly turn your book into a bestseller. Good reviews can essentially sell the book for you, so the more positive reviews you have, the better.

A good goal to aim for (and what we teach our Publishing.com students ) is at least 50 reviews for every new book that you publish. This may seem like a lot, but we've found this to be the sweet spot for gaining traction, and this blog post is full of ideas to help you get started.

Another pro tip? The timing of your reviews can have an impact on your book's success. Ideally, you want to have as many reviews as possible around the time of your book's initial launch to help it get more visibility.

Identifying Your Ideal Readers

There's no use reaching out to people who won't get any value out of reading your book. Sure, they may leave you an honest review, but it might not be a good one. Here's what to consider when trying to connect with the readers who are most likely to leave you a positive review:

What genre does your book fall into? You can use Amazon's categories and subcategories to help you identify your genre. Maybe you want to target fans of romance or hobby books, or you want to tap into the children’s book market. These categories will help you when you're looking for various social media groups to connect with reviewers (more on that later).

Keywords are the words or phrases that readers use to search for books on Amazon. By including relevant keywords in your book's title, subtitle, and description, you can make it easier for potential readers to find your book. You can use tools like Google Keyword Planner or Amazon's keyword tool to find relevant keywords.

Demographics

Think about who your book is intended for. Is it for young adults or older readers? Is it for men or women? Is it for people who enjoy a certain type of hobby or interest? If you're publishing children's books, you'll need to remember that the parents are the ones who will be purchasing your book and deciding whether to leave reviews. 

How to Ask a Reader to Leave an Honest Review on Amazon

There are plenty of ways to get free book reviews, which we'll talk about here. The best strategy to find reviewers usually comes from a combination of these tactics. So, don't be afraid to experiment and see what method works best for you!

Let's dive right in:

Leverage Your Mailing List

One of the quickest and easiest ways to get reviews is by leveraging your mailing list. That is...if you already have one. Many authors and publishers take the time to create their own websites and collect readers' emails to keep them up to date with their latest book launches.

If you don't have a mailing list yet, you can start building one by offering a free sample chapter or some kind of bonus content in exchange for someone's email address. You can then follow up with emails that have the link to purchase and review your book. 

Pro Tip: The more steps something takes, the less likely people are to follow through, so you want to make it as easy as possible for them. Always include direct links so they don’t have to go searching for them!

Email Template to Ask for a Book Review

Need some book marketing inspo? We've got you covered.

Here's a handy email template you can tweak to your style and voice for launch day!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Email Subject Line: 🌟 It’s Finally Here! Want to Help Other Readers? 📖

Hey [Reader's Name],

Big news: “[Book Title]” is out today! 🎉 I’m super excited (and a bit nervous) to share this story with you. It’s been quite the adventure bringing it to life.

If you enjoy the read, I’d be over the moon if you could take some time to drop a quick review on Amazon. Your honest thoughts really help—both me and other book lovers.

Here’s how:

• Pop over to [Insert Link].
• Scroll to "Customer Reviews" and hit "Write a Customer Review."
• Share what you think about the book—there's no right or wrong answer!

That’s it! Short and sweet does the trick. 🌟

Thanks a million for your support. It means the world to me, and I can’t wait to hear what you think of “[Book Title].”

Happy reading and happy reviewing!

Cheers, [Your Name]

Connect with Book Bloggers and Top Reviewers

Book bloggers and full-time reviewers can help you get the word out about your book by engaging their audiences. 

Here are some tips on how to connect with them:

1. Do Your Research

Not all bloggers and reviewers are the same. You want to target those who are interested in your genre and have a following. Look for bloggers and reviewers who have already reviewed books similar to yours.

2. Personalize Your Pitch

When reaching out to bloggers and reviewers, make sure to personalize your pitch. Address them by name and mention why you think they would be interested in your book.

3. Follow Up

After you've sent your pitch, follow up with the blogger or reviewer. Politely ask if they've had a chance to read your book yet and if they have any feedback. Following up shows that you're interested in their opinion and can help build a relationship for future reviews. 

Just be careful not to cross into begging territory. If someone doesn't want to read your book, there are millions of other potential readers out there who might!

4. Be Genuine

When engaging with bloggers and reviewers, be genuine. Focus on their experience rather than the review itself. Be open to their feedback, even if it's not what you were expecting. It can help you grow and connect with future readers.

Pro Tip: The only real failure in the publishing world is giving up!

Create a Call-to-Action Inside Your Book

A Call-to-Action (CTA) is simply a marketing term that means giving your intended audience a very specific action to take. You've probably seen a ton without realizing it, like "click here," "sign up now," or "order now!"

Another simple way to increase reviews for your book on Amazon is to create a call-to-action (CTA) inside your book. This is a message that encourages readers to leave a review immediately on Amazon. By doing this, you're taking advantage of the fact that readers are more likely to leave a review while the experience is still fresh in their minds.

Here are some common locations for CTAs:

• Your author bio
• In the middle of your book, at a natural stopping point between two chapters
• The end of your book

Many authors and publishers include a QR code that takes the readers to a website. This website can be a simple landing page that thanks the reader for their support and encourages them to leave a review on Amazon. Make sure to emphasize the importance of honest reviews and how they help other readers make informed decisions about whether or not to buy your book.

Other CTA tips:

• Be clear and concise
• Focus on only ONE action you want the readers to take
• Use strong action verbs
• Offer up your gratitude even if they choose not to take the next step but still took the time to read your work

Create an ARC Team

An ARC Team stands for an Advance Reader Copies Team or Advance Review Copies Team. The idea is simple: You build a dedicated team of people who are ready to give all your new books an honest customer review.

To build an effective Advance Reader Team, start by reaching out to your email list, social media followers, and other fans of your work. Let them know you are looking for readers who are willing to read and review your book before your book is live. Be clear about what you expect from them, including the timeline for reading and reviewing the book.

Once you have built your Advance Reader Team, provide them with a full copy of the book of your book in a format that is easy for them to read, such as a PDF or Kindle file. Follow up with them to make sure they have received the book and are on track to finish reading it by the agreed-upon deadline.

Note: Participating in ARC review methods isn't against Amazon KDP's terms; however, posting your full manuscript online would be if you were planning on making your book available through Kindle Unlimited.

Take Advantage of Social Media

One effective way to use social media is to create a Facebook page for your book. This page can be used to share updates about your book, interact with readers, run ads, and, most importantly, request book reviews. You can also join Facebook groups that are specifically designed for authors and reviewers.

Goodreads is another social media platform that can be used to request book reviews. Goodreads has a large community of readers and reviewers, making it an ideal platform to promote your book and request reviews.

Pro Tip: No one likes spam, so stick to the golden rule. Treat readers how you would want to be treated.

Leverage Free or Low-Cost Book Review Sites

Some popular free or low-cost book review sites include Goodreads, Pubby, and Online Book Club. These sites have large communities of readers who are eager to discover new books and provide feedback.

When submitting your book for review on these sites, be sure to follow the submission guidelines carefully. Some sites may have specific requirements for the format of your book or the information you need to include in your submission.

Remember : Amazon doesn't allow incentivized reviews. 

Here's how these platforms tackle compliance:

Pubby operates on a book review exchange model. Authors who join Pubby agree to review other authors' books in exchange for reviews of their own books. This peer-to-peer system is designed to increase the number of reviews without direct financial incentives or specific demands for positive reviews.

This differs from review swaps, where both parties leave a "5-star" review regardless of their true opinions about the work.

Goodreads is a community platform for book lovers. It allows users to leave reviews, rate books, and engage in discussions about books. Reviews on Goodreads are user-generated and are not part of a paid or incentivized system.

Although Goodreads is owned by Amazon, the review system on Goodreads operates independently of Amazon’s review system. Reviews on Goodreads are generally not subject to the same strict guidelines as Amazon's product reviews, but there are still ways to go about asking for reviews ethically and unethically. 

Consider Ethical Paid Services to Get Reviews

While it's always best to get book reviews on Amazon organically, sometimes it's necessary to use paid services to get your book reviewed with the attention it deserves and to scale your publishing business more quickly. Ethical services offer legitimate ways to connect with reviewers and get more reviews on Amazon without violating any rules.

A quick word of caution: Some UNethical services may violate Amazon's terms of service by offering to buy reviews directly, so always be sure to do your own research!

• Authentic reviews for their services
• A proven track record with the genre you're publishing in
• Transparent pricing and policies
• Access to support (whether through email, chat, or phone) in case you ever need it

Some legitimate services offer a variety of a la carte options, such as running a review campaign or connecting authors with reviewers who are interested in reading their books. Some services may also offer to promote your book to their audience, which can help increase visibility and generate more sales.

Overall, using ethical paid services to get reviews can be a great way to boost your book's visibility on Amazon and get more readers interested in your work. Just be sure to choose a reputable service and always follow Amazon's publishing guidelines to ensure that your book stays in good standing on the platform.

What Are Editorial Reviews on Amazon?

Editorial reviews are essentially "bonus" quotes and reviews housed on your Amazon book page through your Author Central Account . They may be written by professional reviewers, such as book critics and editors, or they may simply be quotes you want to highlight about your books from others.

To get editorial reviews for your book, you can submit your book to publications and websites that review books, or you can hire a professional reviewer to write a review for you. Once you have an editorial review, you can then submit it to Amazon to be published on your book review page.

Editorial reviews can be a great way to get exposure for your book and build credibility with potential readers, but customer reviews are just as important for building out your review page.

Avoiding Fake Reviews and Ensuring Genuine Feedback

Your reviews set the stage for your reputation as a self-publisher.

Here are some tips to avoid fake reviews and ensure genuine feedback:

Seek Verified Purchase Reviews

Amazon marks reviews from customers who have purchased your book on their platform with a “Verified Purchase” label. These reviews carry more weight as they are more likely to be authentic. You can encourage your readers to leave such reviews by reminding them to buy the book directly from Amazon.

Aim for Balanced Reviews

Genuine reviews often provide a well-rounded perspective of your own book. They don’t just heap praises or pile on criticism; instead, they offer a nuanced view, discussing various aspects like plot, characters, writing style, formatting, and pacing. Be on the lookout for reviews that offer specific, balanced insights into your work.

Stay Alert to Fake Reviews

Be cautious of reviews that may not be legitimate. These can be overly effusive or excessively negative, exhibit repetitive language or phrasing, or appear in an unnaturally large number within a short span. Amazon allows you to report suspicious reviews by using the “Report Abuse” option.

Sabotage is rare, but it does happen. If you suspect that a competitor has given you a false review, flag it and keep moving forward. You can rest easy knowing that you’ve put in the work and you’re running your publishing business from a place of integrity. 

Foster Authentic Engagement

Encourage genuine feedback by interacting with your readers. Express gratitude for their reviews and engage with their comments. Addressing their thoughts and concerns not only shows your appreciation but also demonstrates your commitment to putting out quality content.

Although you cannot respond directly to Amazon comments, you can interact with your mailing list and social media following. 

Optimize Your Book Launch for Reviews

Getting book reviews on Amazon is crucial for book sales, traction, and visibility.

Here are some tips to help you get the most reviews from your book launch.

1. Set a Launch Date

Setting a specific launch date helps you plan your book launch, coordinate your promotion plan with your publishing team (if you have one), and start your PR campaign two to three months before the launch date. It also enables you to coordinate book signing events with local bookstores three to four months before the launch or publication date.

Pro Tip: Some niches are more profitable during particular times of the year. See what your competitors are doing to get a better idea of what works and what doesn't.

2. Create a Pre-Launch Checklist

Creating a pre-launch checklist helps you explore your book launch to-do's at a glance. It might even include a marketing and PR plan tailored to each social media platform.

3. Stay Up to Date with Amazon's Review Guidelines

It doesn't hurt to check Amazon's guidelines every quarter or so to make sure there aren't any updates that might impact your plans. The truth is this industry is constantly changing—especially as AI becomes more and more common!

4. Don't Be Shy Asking for Reviews

Asking for reviews can be uncomfortable at first, but this is just another one of those skills that take time and practice, like strength training and weightlifting.

5. Think Outside of the Box

You're in charge when it comes to marketing your Amazon book , and within reason, the sky is the limit. Virtual events like Q&As can help your audience get to know you, but there are thousands of other ideas out there to help your book stand out in a crowded market.

Here are just a few:

• Collaborative Storytelling Event : Host an online event where readers contribute to a live, interactive storytelling session based on your book's universe.
• Interactive Web Series : Produce a short web series or interactive videos that explore your book's characters or setting, inviting audience participation.
• Flash Fiction Contest : Organize a writing contest where participants create short stories inspired by your book, with the best entries featured on your website.
• Podcast Series : Launch a podcast discussing themes, background stories, or characters from your book, possibly including guest speakers or experts.
• Themed Cook-along or Craft Workshop : If your book involves unique cuisines or crafts, host a live cook-along or crafting session teaching these skills.
• Charity Event Partnership : Tie your launch to a charity event, where aspects of your book's theme help raise awareness or funds for a relevant cause.
• Book Playlist Release Party : Curate a playlist of songs that captures the mood of your book, hosting a listening party with discussions about how each song relates to the story.

Publishing.com's Student Reviews

Which of the following types of people have found success with publishing?

A) Grandmas and grandpas who weren't necessarily tech-savvy but wanted to find a way to supplement their retirement

B) Stay-at-home moms and dads who wanted to find a way to make money without missing out on any of their children's milestones

C) College students who wanted to find a way to stop drowning in student loan debt

D) All of the above

The Publishing.com team has earned a verified review average of 4.8 out of 5 stars on TrustPilot , and the answer is D! All of the above!

Here's what some students had to say:

If you're looking for a sign to take that first step, it's this! 

Just head over to our free beginner-friendly webinar to see the exact formula that can completely transform your schedule and income and bring you the freedom you crave!

Happy publishing!

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For Caleb Carr, Salvation Arrived on Little Cat’s Feet

As he struggled with writing and illness, the “Alienist” author found comfort in the feline companions he recalls in a new memoir, “My Beloved Monster.”

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By Alexandra Jacobs

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• Books-A-Million

When you purchase an independently reviewed book through our site, we earn an affiliate commission.

MY BELOVED MONSTER: Masha, the Half-Wild Rescue Cat Who Rescued Me, by Caleb Carr

J. Alfred Prufrock measured his life out in coffee spoons . Caleb Carr has done so in cats.

Carr is best known for his 1994 best-selling novel “ The Alienist ,” about the search for a serial killer of boy prostitutes, and his work as a military historian. You have to prod the old brain folds a little more to remember that he is the middle son of Lucien Carr , the Beat Generation figure convicted of manslaughter as a 19-year-old Columbia student after stabbing his infatuated former Boy Scout leader and rolling the body into the Hudson.

This crime is only fleetingly alluded to in “My Beloved Monster,” which tracks Carr’s intimate relationship with a blond Siberian feline he names Masha — but his father haunts the book, as fathers will, more sinisterly than most.

After a short prison term, Lucien went on to become a respectable longtime editor for United Press International. He was a drunk — no surprise there, with famous dissolute-author pals like Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg hanging around the house. But that he regularly beat Caleb and threw him down flights of stairs, causing not just psychological but physical injuries that persist into adult life, adds further dark shadings to this particular chapter of literary history.

In a boyhood marred by abuse, neglect and the upheaval of his parents’ divorce, cats were there to comfort and commune with Caleb. Indeed, he long believed he was one in a previous life, “ imperfectly or incompletely reincarnated ” as human, he writes.

Before you summon Shirley MacLaine to convene 2024’s weirdest author panel, consider the new ground “My Beloved Monster” breaks just by existing. Even leaving aside the countless novels about them, dogs have long been thought valid subjects for book-length treatment, from Virginia Woolf’s “ Flush ,” about Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s cocker spaniel, to John Grogan’s “ Marley and Me .” Meow-moirs are thinner on the ground.

It’s taken a younger generation of feminists, and probably the boredom and anxiety of quarantine, to destigmatize (and in some cases monetize ) being owned by a cat. Male cat fanciers, however, have long been stereotyped as epicene or eccentric, though their number has included such national pillars of machismo as Ernest Hemingway and Marlon Brando . When one male lawyer accidentally showed up to a civil forfeiture hearing behind a kitten filter on Zoom in 2021, America went wild with the incongruity.

Carr, though he’s a big one for research, doesn’t waste much time, as I just have, throat-clearing about cats’ perch in the culture. He’s suffered from one painful illness after another — neuropathy, pancreatitis, peritonitis, Covid or something Covid-like, cancer; and endured multiple treatments and surgeries, some “botched” — and his writing has the forthrightness and gravity of someone who wants to maximize his remaining time on Earth.

He capitalizes not only Earth, but the Sun, the Moon and the roles played by various important anonymous humans in his life, which gives his story a sometimes ponderous mythic tone: there’s the Mentor, the Lady Vet (a homage to Preston Sturges’ “The Lady Eve”; Carr is a classic movie buff), the Spinal Guru and so forth.

Names are reserved for a succession of cats, who have seemingly been as important to Carr as lovers or human friends, if not more so. (At least one ex felt shortchanged by comparison.) Masha is his spirit animal, a feminine counterpart better than any you could find in the old New York Review of Books personals . She eats, he notes admiringly, “like a barbarian queen”; she enjoys the music of Mahler, Sibelius, Rachmaninoff and Wagner (“nothing — and I’ll include catnip in this statement,” he writes, “made her as visibly overjoyed as the Prelude from ‘Das Rheingold’”); she has a really great set of whiskers.

Before Masha there was Suki, blond as well, but a bewitching emerald-eyed shorthair who chomped delicately around rodents’ organs and disappeared one night. Suki was preceded by Echo, a part-Abyssinian with an adorable-sounding penchant for sticking his head in Carr’s shirtfront pocket. Echo was preceded by Chimene, a tabby-splotched white tomcat the adolescent Caleb nurses miraculously through distemper. Chimene was preceded by Ching-ling, whose third litter of kittens suffer a deeply upsetting fate. And before Ching-ling there was Zorro, a white-socked “superlative mouser” who once stole an entire roast chicken from the top of the Carr family’s refrigerator.

To put it mildly, “My Beloved Monster” is no Fancy Feast commercial. All of the cats in it, city and country — Carr has lived in both, though the action is centered at his house on a foothill of Misery Mountain in Rensselaer County, N.Y— are semi-feral creatures themselves at constant risk of gruesome predation. Masha, rescued from a shelter, had also been likely abused, at the very least abandoned in a locked apartment, and Carr is immediately, keenly attuned to her need for wandering free.

This, of course, will put her at risk. The tension between keeping her safe and allowing her to roam, out there with bears, coyotes and fearsome-sounding creatures called fisher weasels, is the central vein of “My Beloved Monster,” and the foreboding is as thick as her triple-layered fur coat. More so when you learn Carr keeps a hunting rifle by one of his easy chairs.

But the book is also about Carr’s devotion to a line of work he likens to “professional gambling.” Despite his best sellers, Hollywood commissions and conscious decision not to have children to stop the “cycle of abuse,” Carr has faced money troubles. The I.R.S. comes to tape a placard to his door and he’s forced to sell vintage guitars to afford Masha’s medications, for she has begun in eerie parallel to develop ailments of her own.

“My Beloved Monster’ is a loving and lovely, lay-it-all-on-the-line explication of one man’s fierce attachment. If you love cats and feel slightly sheepish about it, it’s a sturdy defense weapon. If you hate them, well, there’s no hope for you.

MY BELOVED MONSTER : Masha, the Half-Wild Rescue Cat Who Rescued Me | By Caleb Carr | Little, Brown | 352 pp. | $32

Alexandra Jacobs is a Times book critic and occasional features writer. She joined The Times in 2010. More about Alexandra Jacobs

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Amazon Book Reviews: How to Get Book Reviews on Amazon for Free

POSTED ON Apr 8, 2024

Written by P.J McNulty

When it comes to Amazon book reviews, they are necessary to proactively market your book.

There’s almost nothing as important as Amazon book reviews when it comes to generating consistent book sales month after month and creating an effective book marketing strategy.

It’s not enough to publish your book and hope reviewers will find you. They almost certainly won’t. You need to work hard to find them and convince them to review your book.

But even that isn’t enough!

If you go about getting Amazon book reviews the wrong way, you risk incurring the wrath of Amazon. Your book will sink before it ever stood a chance of succeeding.

Related: Amazon Self-Publishing

So how can you get the Amazon book reviews you need in an ethical and effective way?

We’ve gathered together everything you need to know.

This guide to Amazon book reviews covers:

Why are amazon book reviews important, how many book reviews do i need on amazon.

• How to get your book reviewed on Amazon

Can I review my own book on Amazon?

Book review services , can i contact the top reviewers on amazon.

• Does Amazon support editorial reviews

Guidelines for Amazon reviews

Why does amazon remove book reviews.

If you’re new to the world of self-publishing , it might be unclear why there is so much importance placed on getting Amazon book reviews.

After all, if you create a good book, produce an attractive cover, and write a catchy description, shouldn’t that be enough?

As much as we might see our book as special, Amazon won’t.

At least, not at first. And neither will the vast majority of book browsers.

While the benefits of self-publishing are well-known, there are also some challenges you need to overcome in order to experience success.

One such challenge is the abundance of books released on Amazon.

The vast majority of books are lost amidst the noise. New titles are added to Amazon every few minutes, and there are endless titles already available. 

What does this mean for you?

If you want to see your book reach the right readers, you need to do everything in your power to get it in front of them. 

One of the most powerful ways to do that is by ensuring your book has reviews.

A lack of Amazon book reviews harms your book’s prospects in two ways. 

First, a book without reviews is unlikely to even get noticed by the vast majority of book browsers.

Second, even if people do somehow stumble across your book, they are unlikely to borrow or buy it without a credible number of Amazon book reviews.

Here are the benefits to make your reviews worth it:

• Trust. Book reviews are especially important when you’re just starting out as an author on Amazon . Put yourself in the shoes of a customer. Why should they trust your book? They almost certainly haven’t heard of you. Reviews overcome this problem. When people see that others have been helped or entertained by a book, it gives them the confidence they will experience the same result.
• Algorithm. Amazon is famous for having one of the most powerful and effective algorithms out there. The company explores and experiments with every possible way to get customers to spend more. Reviews are a huge signal to Amazon that your book is worth promoting. Without a respectable number of Amazon book reviews close to the time of launch, your book will miss out on the immense power of Amazon’s promotional machinery.
• External promotion. There are plenty of promotional services out there willing to help introduce your book to readers who are likely to benefit from it. However, most of them require you to have a certain number of positive reviews before they will even consider your book. You can also promote this on your author platform .
• Feedback. Reviews are also a valuable source of feedback on your work. Yes, even the negative ones! You can get a sense of what readers did and did not like about your book and take this feedback on board for your future releases. 

When it comes to success on Amazon, it’s almost impossible to overstate just how important reviews are.

Now that you know the benefits of reviews for your book, let’s take a closer look at exactly how to get them.

Getting people to take the time to review your book isn’t always easy, especially when you’re new to the self-publishing scene.

Given the difficulty of getting reviews, it’s natural to wonder just how many you need. 

No matter what people might say, there is no magic number that you need. It varies from book to book.

However, there are some proven principles and guidelines you can use to inform the number of reviews you aim to get.

• Check competing books. Take the time to check out other books that your ideal reader might be interested in. For example, which books rank for your keywords? Which books are selling well in your intended categories ? Try and look for books of similar stature to your own. How many reviews do they have? How many would you need to seem respectable in the eyes of a buyer choosing between your book and a competing title?
• Aim for 10 minimum. 10 reviews seems to be the number that starts to move the needle for a lot of authors. When you’re putting together your initial strategy, make 10 book reviews the minimum number you aim for. 
• 20 is ideal. If you’re capable of proactively getting 10 people to leave an Amazon review of your book, you’re more than capable of getting 20! Just double down on what you’re doing. We’ll explore exactly how shortly. 
• Don’t go overboard. After a certain number of Amazon book reviews, you’re unlikely to experience much extra benefit. The effort needed to seek out reviews is not commensurate to the benefits you will experience. Also, after getting a large number of reviews, buyers are likely to review your book of their own accord. You won’t need to seek them out. 30-50 reviews is a good guideline here, but a lower number may suffice depending on the books you are competing against. 
• Your promo strategy. Many authors make book promotion sites or services an integral part of their Amazon book marketing strategy. If you have a particular promotional site you want to be featured on, you’re probably going to need a certain number of Amazon book reviews to be eligible.

Even though there isn’t a particular number of Amazon book reviews that’s right for every book, there’s definitely a number that’s right for yours.

Use the above ideas to find it and make this a target you strive to hit.

Sadly, no. Some authors might think it's a good idea to review their own book to get some initial momentum going for their Amazon book reviews, but that's against the rules specified in Amazon's Guidelines .

How to get Amazon book reviews

So how should you go about getting the reviews you need for your book to succeed?

Seeking out Amazon book reviews in the right way isn’t just a matter of doing what’s likely to get results.

It’s also a matter of respecting Amazon’s rules and regulations. If you fail to do so, you run the risk of having your reviews removed.

If you’re unsure of how to get the reviews your book needs, here are some effective techniques.

• Set up a review plan prior to launch. A lot of authors learn the hard way that you can’t leave Amazon book reviews to chance. You need to have a clear plan in place way ahead of your book launch . This should involve a clear approach to hit your review target number as close to the time of your book going live as possible.
• Reach out to existing readers. Do you have an email list of readers? Have you written anything in the past? Even if you don’t have books out, do you have a blog with readers? Could you leverage your author network to promote your book to another writer’s fans? Existing readers, either your own or another author’s, are a great potential source of Amazon book reviews.
• Use social media. While social media is a valuable source of potential reviewers of your work, you should approach it with caution. If Amazon’s algorithm deems you to have a close connection with people on social media, their reviews of your book may be removed. In spite of that, it’s still worth utilizing options such as Facebook reading groups, relevant hashtags on Twitter or Instagram, visual platforms like Pinterest , and even Tik Tok if you have a younger audience, to seek out people who might be interested in your book. 
• Consider offline readers. Most authors will focus their review approach on the online world. By seeking out book clubs, library groups, and other interested communities offline, you open the door to a rich source of potential reviewers that many other authors aren't aware of.  
• Create a launch team . One of the easiest ways to get reviews at launch is to have a big launch group on your side before your book ever drops on Amazon KDP. I recommend having a team of around 100 people who will reach an advanced reader copy in exchange for their authentic review. That way, when your book launches, you can have tons of Amazon book reviews straight away. If you aren't sure how to build a launch group, there are companies that will help you put one together. At selfpublishing.com, our Elite Package guarantees your first 100 authentic Amazon book reviews.
• CTA in your book. There’s no harm of asking for Amazon book reviews within your book itself. You can also include a link in the ebook version to make it as straightforward as possible.

Be aware that by asking for Amazon book reviews in any of the ways mentioned, you are seeking something of value from them. To make them want to take the time to help you, you need to frame your request in the right way.

Related: Amazon Book Description HTML: Making Words Look Better

Instead of coming across as self-serving or even desperate, why not base your review request around:

• Feedback. If people respect your work they are likely to want to help you out as an author. If you make them feel like their feedback is valued, you are more likely to get a review.
• Helping other readers. Another angle to take is appealing to a sense of community among readers. Rather than making your request for Amazon book reviews about yourself, make it about informing fellow readers about a book that might benefit or entertain them.
• A promotional price point. It’s human nature to love a good deal. By emphasizing your book being offered at a low price point for a limited time, you tap into the psychological appeal of both value and scarcity, making it more likely that people will see it as worthwhile to review your book.

Combining the right sources of potential Amazon book reviews with the right type of request is the best way to get your book the review score it needs.

As well as seeking out relevant readers by yourself, a range of professional book review services exist.

While this can form a valuable part of your overall approach to Amazon book reviews, you need to be careful.

Amazon is known for being incredibly strict about people selling reviews. Many people on Fiverr have experienced this firsthand!

The Amazon review guidelines are elaborated on a little later in this guide, but as a general principle, always avoid paying for a review directly. That includes offering a gift of some type.

Instead of paying for a review on Fiverr, consider using one of these services:

• Goodreads book giveaways
• Rainbow Book Reviews

If you’re considering paying for a review service, make sure to check both of these two things before investing your money:

• Compliance. Ensure any review service you’re considering is compliant with Amazon’s rules and regulations. Otherwise, you risk losing your money, having the review removed, and possibly even worse consequences if Amazon feels you’re being particularly underhanded.
• Results. Check out what kind of results a review service promises, and what kind of success they’ve had in the past. Have they produced good results for books similar to yours? What kind of ROI can you expect?

Book review services can be a valuable way to help your book get the momentum it needs. Just make sure you’re dealing with a reputable and effective service provider.

No, the top Amazon reviewers are no longer available.

In the past, a popular way of seeking Amazon book reviews involved trying to find and contact the top reviewers on Amazon.

This may have worked well back in the day, but it’s not really something to pursue in the here and now. 

The top Amazon reviewers no longer have emails available to reach out to. Even when they did, the odds of having a top reviewer take the time to check out your work was pretty slim. 

Does Amazon support editorial reviews?

What exactly is an editorial review, and why does it matter for your book?

So far, we’ve talked about customer Amazon book reviews, which are exactly what they sound like. A customer reads your book and leaves their opinion. If they purchased it from Amazon, this would count as a verified review. 

The other type of review to utilize is the editorial review. This involves a trusted source such as a magazine or publication giving their take on your book.

While editorial reviews aren't included in your book's review score and don't show up with the customer reviews, this is actually a good thing. 

Some of the main benefits of editorial reviews are:

• They won’t get lost in the middle of the (hopefully) large number of customer reviews your book has
• You can add them to your Amazon Author Central page
• You are allowed to leverage your connections as Amazon can’t remove these in the way that they can remove customer reviews
• A reputable publication or individual may carry more weight in the mind of a potential book buyer than an unknown customer reviewer

There’s no denying the value of editorial reviews, but think of them as icing on the cake. 

Make customer reviews your priority, at least initially, as they will move the needle in terms of the Amazon algorithm.

Spend some time around the indie author community and you’ll come across some fairly angry writers.

A common source of frustration is the seemingly ever-changing Amazon review rules.

In reality, the Amazon review guidelines aren’t as bad as you might have heard.

You can check out the full picture here , but some basic principles include:

• You can’t pay for Amazon book reviews. It’s absolutely prohibited to exchange money for a review of your book.]
• You can’t ask for conditional reviews. Although it’s completely fine to ask for someone to review your book, you cannot request they review it in a certain way. Asking for an honest review is the best approach.
• You can’t review a rival book. If Amazon feels someone is negatively reviewing a rival product of any type, they will remove that review.
• You can’t rely on friends and family. Amazon states that reviews from close personal connections are not allowed. This can involve being friends with people and interacting on social media.
• You can’t offer gifts. It’s not permissible to over an Amazon gift card or anything else whatsoever in exchange for a review. You can offer an ARC of your book but that’s all.

While it’s definitely worth respecting the Amazon review guidelines, try not to worry too much. As long as you’re operating from a place of good faith, the worst that will happen in the majority of cases is Amazon will remove some of your reviews.

Amazon can remove reviews for violations of any of the guidelines mentioned above. 

However, some of the most common reasons for a review to be removed are:

• You have reviewed your own book
• Someone with the same address as you has reviewed your book
• A reviewer has attempted to leave multiple reviews of your work
• The review is obscene, defamatory, or otherwise unacceptable
• The reviewer is a customer who has spent less than $50 on Amazon
• The reviewer appears to be a spammer who leaves too many reviews in a short space of time
• You have reported the review to [email protected] and Amazon agrees it is unacceptable

Having some Amazon book reviews removed is a fact of life for most authors. Although it might seem frustrating, try and see the system as being in place to preserve the integrity of the entire process. 

We hope you’ve found this guide to the dos and don'ts of Amazon book reviews useful. 

If you have any tips on getting Amazon book reviews ethically, or warnings about Amazon’s rules and regulations, feel free to leave a comment and help your fellow authors out. 

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I wrote a best-selling book – so where’s my money?

M y name is Ian and I am a broke author. What’s more, I don’t quite understand why. Propelled by positive reviews and strong word of mouth, my book, Bodies: Life & Death In Music , a memoir about how the rock business drives people mad, has topped the Amazon Music Business chart on five separate occasions. Last month, it went to number one on its Spanish equivalent. One kind critic called it “a shrewd, funny, psychologically perceptive, frank, well-written, jaw-dropping book”. Clearly, Hilary Mantel has nothing on me. 

This bounty of good news, however, is undermined by the financial realities of long-form writing. According to a report by the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS), when adjusted for inflation, the median yearly pay for book writers has fallen by 60 per cent since 2006. Today, the precise figure is just £7.000. Of the 19 per cent of authors who make their living from books, the bestselling 10 per cent account for almost half of all earnings. Given that publishers trouser about 90 per cent of the wholesale price of printed titles – or 75 per cent of audiobooks and Kindle editions – the sums will likely be less than you might imagine even at the higher end of the market. 

When trying to write about this dire situation, like Wile E Coyote I ran straight into a brick wall. In response to my request for an interview, the Society of Authors told me via email that they were too “over-stretched” to speak with me. An approach on X to chairperson Joanne Harris , an active presence on social media, bore no fruit, either. Which got me thinking: if the SoA, the trade union for people who write books, and its advocates won’t place themselves on the record on behalf of struggling writers, who will? 

They did send me hard information in the form of the ALCS report, mind, the summation of which included a statement from Chief Executive Nicola Solomon. Describing its findings as “disappointing but not surprising,” Ms Solomon went on to say that “in a year that publishers have boasted record profits [in 2022, British publishing made £6.9 billion], the figure of median earnings… does not even come close to a living wage… [which] means that almost all of the people whose creativity and passion make the industry’s existence possible can only realistically be part of it with other jobs, or when they are supported by others, or through personal wealth. This paints a picture of a writing profession that is inaccessible and unsustainable for too many.”

I suppose I should count myself lucky that Faber & Faber, the publisher of Bodies, commissioned my book for an advance of £17,000 (15 per cent of which went to my literary agent). Yet despite its quiet but ongoing success - my book has sold about 20,000 copies worldwide - a slow and obtuse payment system means I’ve yet to receive a penny in royalties. Publishing houses have lots of authors, whereas authors have only one title that is current at any given time. Sometimes, the feeling of being disposable is so enveloping I wonder if I shouldn’t pitch my next project to Pampers. 

“You’ve got to have a reason to write a book,” Dorian Lynskey , a fellow author, tells me. “You’ve got to think it’s really worthwhile. And I know people who have written books, good books that were well received, and they’ve just decided, at the end of it, not to do another one. They’ve gone, ‘Do you know what? It’s just not worth it.’ It’s an achievement to have done a book – it makes you an author, right? That’s a big deal… [But] there are a lot of good books on my shelf that I look at and think, ‘Oh, I wonder why they never did another book?’ And I think it’s probably that.”

This week sees the publication of Lynskey’s latest book, Everything Must Go: The Stories We Tell About The End Of The World. A major piece of work, this heavyweight yet fleet-of-foot look at humankind’s fixation on the end of days, told through the prism of history, religion, literature, popular art, science and more, is as compelling as it is authoritative. In good conscience, I can pay it the highest compliment I know – at the end of each working day, or late in the evening, I looked forward to reading it. 

Lynskey itemises the extent of the research undertaken in the name of this grand project. In the two-year journey from farm to table, he read 800 books – some in part, many in whole – viewed dozens of films both mainstream and obscure, watched warmly remembered and long forgotten TV shows, consulted reams of articles, checked his sources and quotes twice over, and, of course, wrote (about 140,000 words, I’d say). The final three months saw him head to the British Library . 

“Of course, what you can’t do is try and work out your hourly rate financially,” he tells me. “That would just be mad because that’s not why I’m doing it. It’s up to you how many hours you spend. You can write a worse version of any book much quicker, right? So if you’re thinking about your hourly rate, the better the book is then the lower [that amount] will be. So it doesn’t really make sense… As long as I can get along, can live, I try not to think too much about the financial side of it. Because I’m aware that it’s not very highly paid.”

Writing Bodies, my own process went like this. Notwithstanding the odd piece of freelance work, for 18 months, five days a week, I wrote from 10am until six pm, followed by a nightshift of between four and six hours after my partner had gone to bed. Each Saturday – sobbing gently, banging my head against the desk – I would review my week’s work. Sundays were a day of rest. Like a fool, of course, I did work out my rate of pay. I wrote my book for £2.50 an hour. 

Being an author, though, is worth the candle in all but a financial sense. The gig comes with a singular freedom to say what you want to say, in precisely the way you want to say it. Its exhilarating highs and plummeting lows are the equivalent, I imagine, to those experienced by committed gamblers (another activity from which you might lose your home). Until the printing presses roll, your work-in-progress is both a demon that never sleeps and a companion that will bring out the best of you. When the writing is at last done, and done well, the feeling of satisfaction is immense. 

Beyond the luxurious creativity, however, the world outside is getting colder. One author with a significant catalogue featuring a number of bona fide bestsellers tells me that things have become “much more difficult” since the publication of her first novel almost 25 years ago. “I never expected I would be a veteran author and still be periodically broke,” she tells me. “When I started out… you could, and I did, get a six-figure book deal based on a few chapters and a synopsis. So you could actually use the advance for what it’s meant for, which is living until you’ve finished your book.”

Not any more. Today, overwhelmingly, the eye-catching description “six-figure book deal” has been reduced by one, and in many cases two, zeroes. Your job-lot of cash won’t be delivered in a wheelbarrow, either. Traditionally, publishing advances are paid in three equal instalments: the first after signing a contract, the second upon the book’s completion, and the third on or around publication day. Getting in the game requires a written proposal featuring a sample chapter, a breakdown of the book’s contents, and a summation of the overall idea. The format runs to about 10,000 words of unpaid labour. 

On an individual level, a commission is a gamble for both writers and publishers alike. Ninety percent of titles sell fewer than 2,000 copies, while much less than one percent are bought by more than 100,000 readers. The numbers are stacked against the author in another way, too. For us, a book is a singular obsession – a baby, even – whereas for the industry in general, it’s merely a small part of a mass production line. British publishing’s recent record-breaking revenues were achieved by stacking ’em high. On the day the mass market edition of Bodies went on sale – featuring an 8,000-word bonus chapter that I wrote for free – Faber & Faber issued eight other books. 

In an industry that would not exist without us, the reality of profitable authors living on the bones of their backsides is surely unsustainable. These circumstances have created a kind of classless society in which talented people from a variety of backgrounds are facing exactly the same headaches. As the novelist Rupert Thomson recently put it in an interview with the Telegraph: “The creative classes are part of the precariat now. We’re paid the absolute minimum.”

I’m not suggesting the problem is easily solved – despite the arduous straits in which most titles were created, the sight of groaning shelves in good bookshops is a wonder to behold – or that even the most obscure writers are owed a living. But in a blossoming market, somehow we’ve swallowed a pay cut. And it wasn’t as if the pay was all that great in the first place. 

Out on the campaign trail, authors can at least earn a few quid from personal appearances. I was once paid £150 for a booking at a festival in Devon, five hours from my home in London, at which I was interviewed in front of eight people, two of whom bought my book. (Prior to Philip Pullman kicking off on behalf of fellow authors, such happenings paid nothing at all.) Fourteen spectators caught my act in Glasgow, six in Manchester. The joy of speaking to 200 people in North Yorkshire was soured considerably when I learnt that a mix up with a local supplier meant that the book tent didn’t have Bodies in stock. 

Despite describing the current climate as “brutal”, the bestselling author doesn’t hesitate to answer my question of whether she would have chosen this path had she known at the start what she’s since learned. “Yes,” she says, “but I might have gotten some kind of qualification so I could do [another] job as a back-up. But there’s nothing I want to do other than write novels, no matter how shit it can be. But because we would all do it anyway, that’s how the industry gets away with operating as it does.”

“You don’t expect it to be financially transformative,” Dorian Lynskey tells me. “You just want to be able to write another one. You need either the reviews or the sales, preferably both, and that is of course where the pre-release anxiety comes in. You’re thinking, ‘Will enough people care so that this book doesn’t disappear?’ Because a huge number of books, maybe most books, essentially do just disappear. They don’t get reviewed, they don’t get many sales, they don’t get talked about.” 

Then again, you just never know. Authors understand that the prospect of catching a wave no one saw coming is distant but real. Who could have predicted that books such as Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach To Punctuation, by Lynne Truss, or Naomi Klein’s alter-globalisation manifesto No Logo would become international bestsellers? Conversely, in spare rooms up and across the country, wannabe literary sensations are busy hacking out knockoffs of Richard Osman’s blockbusting The Thursday Murder Club. It pleases me to report that these people are wasting their time. Believing readers will tire of vague approximations of this formula, publishing houses have already turned their attentions elsewhere. 

“If you’re an author who is writing just to sell books, then it might work,” Lynskey says. “But you might also feel a bit cheap. And if it doesn’t work, well, what was the point of that?”

This, I think, is the bulls-eye. If one is determined to embark on such a maddeningly joyful enterprise, the least you can do is write a book of which you can be truly proud. Don’t waste your energy second-guessing a readership that might not care anyway. And don’t expect to be paid very much. 

Nestled quietly among Everything Must Go’s many shards of piercing wisdom is a moment of truth I might just remember for the rest of my life. It concerns a dystopian novel in which the last living human being on earth sits down in Rome to begin the long and taxing process of composing a story he believes worth telling. “Even the last man must assume a reader somewhere, someday,” writes Dorian Lynskey. 

Everything Must Go: The Stories We Tell About The End Of The World, by Dorian Lynskey, is published by Picador

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Kindle review: The entry-level model is the best compact option for on-the-go book lovers

Why we love Amazon’s smallest ebook reader

Amazon Kindle: Battery life

Amazon kindle vs kindle paperwhite, amazon kindle verdict, how long does a kindle last, will amazon release a new basic kindle.

It still has a high-resolution screen, backlighting, loads of storage and USB-C charging. But what’s the big benefit of going for this one? It’s by far the lightest and smallest Kindle you can get, and the only one we feel comfortable using one-handed.

The more premium Kindles like the Paperwhite or Oasis offer waterproofing, which is the most evident feature difference. If you aren’t planning to read in the bath or by the pool though, it’s better to get the most affordable and lightest Kindle – it weighs only 158g.

Amazon Kindle (2022 release)

Key specifications

Amazon kindle: design and display.

The design of the Kindle is simple. It’s a compact device with a small 6-inch E Ink display (the same “electronic paper” tech used in many ereaders, watches and retail adverts). It doesn’t have buttons (aside from one sleep/wake button on the bottom), but you tap the screen for page turns and when you need to adjust the settings (tapping the left side goes back while tapping on the right goes forward in your title).

The Kindle is small enough and light enough to slip in a bag for the day — it’s so tiny that we sometimes forget we brought it with us! And while you can read ebooks on a smartphone, an E Ink display is glare-free, so kinder on your eyes. It’s easier to read for longer periods, too. The screen is slightly recessed rather than flush with the casing of the ereader, something that’s a difference between this and other Kindles and which makes it look slightly less premium.

In the past, entry-level Kindles didn’t have backlit displays but, since a 2019 update, this feature has been included in the smallest model too. It doesn’t get as bright as a Paperwhite, but it’s more than enough for reading after dark.

Unlike the more expensive Kindles that automatically tweak the light to complement your surroundings, this one has manual brightness settings you adjust yourself. And, its design lacks the waterproofing you get from the Paperwhite and Oasis.

The battery life is excellent on the Kindle, as it is on all of Amazon’s ereaders and all ereaders in general. These batteries are measured in weeks rather than days or hours, and a Kindle should deliver up to six weeks of battery life.

This does depend on usage, though. The six-week life is based on an estimated 30 minutes of reading each day, so a heavier user may get through the juice more quickly. If you like to read for hours and hours, you might not get the full six weeks of battery life, but it will still last for a long time.

It’s also worth remembering that certain features will get through the battery quicker, like a high screen brightness or wifi and Bluetooth connections. Keep the screen on low and turn on “Airplane Mode” to get the longest possible amount of reading time.

The Kindle and the Kindle Paperwhite are similarly capable ereaders with E Ink displays. With both, you’re getting a glare-free reading experience, crisp text, lots of storage and a light design for travel. There are some important differences to note, though:

• The Kindle has a smaller 6-inch display, while the Kindle Paperwhite is slightly larger with its 6.8-inch display. It isn’t a big difference, but in our experience, the small Kindle is much better to use one-handed.
• Another reason the Kindle is much easier to hold with one hand is its weight. It weighs 158g, while the Paperwhite weighs 205g. Both are much lighter than a bag of ground coffee, but the small Kindle is notably light. It’ll only weigh you down as much as a larger-than-average apple.
• The Kindle Paperwhite has a longer battery life of up to 10 weeks based on 30 minutes of reading per day. In comparison, the Kindle goes for up to six weeks based on the same amount of daily reading.
• Both Kindles offer backlit displays with adjustable brightness, but the Kindle Paperwhite offers customisable screen warmth and has more LEDs for a brighter screen. The Signature Edition of the Paperwhite also auto-adjusts the screen brightness to your environment, which is very clever.
• The Kindle Paperwhite is waterproof with an IPX8 rating, while the Kindle has no waterproofing.
• And there’s a price difference to note too, the Kindle starts at £84.99, while the Kindle Paperwhite starts at £159.99.

The appeal of Amazon's most basic Kindle is its value for money and compact size. It’s simple to use, it holds thousands of books, its battery lasts for weeks and it has a backlight so you can continue reading after your partner drifts off to sleep.

The design isn’t as sleek as the Kindle Paperwhite, Kindle Oasis or the big Kindle Scribe and there’s no waterproofing here, but we consider these minor flaws rather than dealbreakers.

Treat it well and a Kindle will last you for years. We recommend putting it inside a Kindle case to protect it, and because its battery lasts so long you won’t be recharging it all the time and affecting the battery health.

These devices all have longer lifespans than smartphones, tablets or similar devices. We think it’s realistic to plan on owning your Kindle for several years and have seen reports of users holding onto their ereaders for eight years or more.

We are certain Amazon will release a new compact Kindle in the future, but the company isn’t known for rushing out updates to its lineup. This isn’t the same situation as with an iPhone or Samsung smartphone where there’s a new version each year. There will only be a new basic Kindle when Amazon has enough changes and feature upgrades to bring to it.

What actual upgrades could happen? We’d hope to see increased backlighting, a screen flush with the casing and maybe even colour display tech within the same 6-inch screen size (something we’ve just seen from rival ereader manufacturer Kobo).

But we don’t know anything for certain, and because the last revision happened in 2022, we don’t anticipate a new entry-level Kindle launch until late 2024 or 2025 at the earliest.

Simon Cocks is our Technology Ecommerce Editor, overseeing tech shopping content and strategy across a range of titles including Good Housekeeping , Esquire , Digital Spy and more. 

Simon specialises in testing the latest smart gadgets, home entertainment gear, headphones, speakers, charging kit and smartphones. 

Previously, Simon was part of Good Housekeeping’s Consumer Affairs Team , conducting price comparison research, writing detailed advice guides and editing thousands of in-depth reviews for the Good Housekeeping Institute.

When not testing out the latest gizmos, you’ll find Simon either catching up with the newest releases at his local cinema or out shooting with his beloved compact camera.

You can follow Simon on Instagram at @simonrcocks and on Twitter at @simoncocks .  

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