Then I got a book contract and discovered the strange, but undeniable, fact that even a slew of flaming-make-your-eyes-water-one-star reviews are BETTER than no reviews at all.
Here's a few reasons why:
Amazon doesn't show a book to customers until it has at least 25 reviews. Who hasn't scrolled through their "recommended for you" list and added books that caught their eye to their wishlist or bought a few outright? I know that I certainly have. On sites like Amazon where there are literally millions of titles, discoverability by your target audience is the difference between a book doing well and sinking without a trace.
People often buy a book based on the one or two star reviews. A lot of customers a wary of the glowing five-star reviews, especially in the early days of a book's release. They assume those reviews come from doting parents and friends. I once bought a book that lambasted a book for its "bad language, lust and drinking". Having read a lot of books by that traditional Christian publisher and knowing there was no chance they'd suddenly descended into dropping the f word, explicit sex scenes, and drunken debauchery I bought it just to see what had so enraged that particular reader. As a result I discovered a new favourite author (and found myself terribly confused as to what all the fuss was about. It was two years later that someone finally enlightened me that in some parts of America the phrase "grow some balls" is considered cussing).
People don't buy books with hardly any reviews. What are you more likely to buy? A book that has three extensive reviews or a book that has thirty mixed reviews? Often reviews tell you more about the person writing them than the book itself but they always tell you something.
So, on behalf of authors everywhere, if you ever see a book you enjoyed languishing on a site with hardly any reviews please please take the time to pen a few words :)
What about you? Do you read reviews? Write reviews? How do they impact what you buy or read (or not)?
Great post, Kara. I didn't know most of this. I never write reviews. My thought has always been: "Who cares what I think about a book?" Now I see the big picture/value. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi Patricia. Thanks for dropping by :) That was always my thought too! And it still is when I see a book with 1000+ reviews but I am making more of an effort to post reviews for books that need a review boost!
ReplyDeleteKara, excellent post. I think you'll also find the number of reviews increase a books ranking. I'm a reviewer and also a "helpful voter". The voting is such a simple way of encouraging a reviewer and an author.
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to reviewing Close to you when it comes out in a few short months. Yay. You must be getting excited.
Bless,
Thanks, Ian. The "helpful" vote button is also a great thing to use! I am getting excited. It's definitely feeling like it's taking on a life of it's own at the moment :)
Delete"even a slew of flaming-make-your-eyes-water-one-star reviews are BETTER than no reviews at all."
ReplyDeleteI wish all authors would realise this. I've had occasion to give 5* reviews to books with nothing lower than 5*, and almost wish I could give lower because that would make all the reviews look more authentic.
Besides, fiction is about making readers feel. 1* or 5*, the author made that reader feel something, good or bad. The review of death is the blah 3* where the reader didn't feel anything.
So true, Iola! Not only did it make them feel something but so much so they made the effort to write a review. In my book that's a win no matter what end of the spectrum it's on.
ReplyDeleteNot sure about this bit: "Amazon doesn't show a book to customers until it has at least 25 reviews."
ReplyDeleteI have a book with 2 reviews and another with none that friends have told me showed up in their recommendations. I think the only way to get reviews is to connect with bloggers in your niche and go ask them. It's the same as when mainstream publishers used to connect with reporters who would review books in their newspaper. People are too slow to go and do the work that's involved. I haven't done it with my books, personally, because they are in different niches and a couple are in pen names. When I get my fiction show on the road I will be hunting down bloggers and getting targeted traffic.
Hi Dave. Thanks for dropping by! My understanding is that Amazon will sometimes recommend a book to people if they can see a pre-established relationship (e.g. they're put your book on their wishlist, they've bought another of your titles etc.) but won't promote it to the world at large until it's tipped over that threshold. Having said that, there are far greater minds than mine who have tried to work out how all of Amazon's algorithms work and failed so I'm sure there are exceptions to the "rule"!
DeleteI know how important those reviews are, Kara, but asking people for them is sooooo difficult! Thank you for the post.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it just, Hope!
DeleteVery helpful post, Kara. Thanks for the insights.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Janice :)
DeleteInteresting about the one and two star reviews, Kara. But then, readers are so different. Often books that have had perceptive and what look like genuine four or five star reviews, can also end up with the one star review. I write lots of reviews,and read reviews, but I don't often buy books on the strength of reviews. I tend to buy authors I know and love. Finances are good enough to buy all the books I read.On the strength of reviews, I may borrow them from the library though. And that often provides books I would not have otherwise read.
ReplyDeleteHi Dale. I think you've hit the nail on the head - reading is an entirely subjective experience. I recently finished a book that many, many, of my friends had raved about and I've seen on a number of "Best Reads of 2015" lists. I really couldn't get into it and it took me three months to read. The only reason I stuck with it was because of all the rave reviews. It wasn't that it wasn't a good book - it just didn't click with me for some reason.
DeleteKara, great post! I totally agree that a range of reviews make a book look like it's reaching a wider audience than the author's friends. I've also bought and read books after reading 1 and 2 star reviews. The elements of the story that the reviewer disliked happened to be appealing to me as a reader.
ReplyDeleteI'm exactly the same, Narelle. I have to admit I often read the one and two star reviews first to see what stuck in peoples' craw :)
Delete"Amazon doesn't show a book to customers until it has at least 25 reviews." Wow! This shook me. It doesn't apply to me, but it did shake home the need to get reviews. I write book reviews for several of the main publishers, and I enjoy doing them - most of the time. It is terrible when you really can't give a good rating. It has only happened to me twice, and each time I gave them the option of whether they wanted the truth which would hurt or if they'd rather I didn't post the review. One said to go ahead. The other blasted me for my lack of understanding!
ReplyDeleteOh dear, Shirley! I'm sorry you experienced that. Reading is such a subjective exercise. I read a book recently that a lot of people I know raved about and I really struggled with understanding some of the dialogue. I had to re-read sections to try and work out what on earth the characters were saying!
Delete"Amazon doesn't show a book to customers until it has at least 25 reviews." Wow! This shook me. It doesn't apply to me, but it did shake home the need to get reviews. I write book reviews for several of the main publishers, and I enjoy doing them - most of the time. It is terrible when you really can't give a good rating. It has only happened to me twice, and each time I gave them the option of whether they wanted the truth which would hurt or if they'd rather I didn't post the review. One said to go ahead. The other blasted me for my lack of understanding!
ReplyDelete