Reviews, Reviews, Reviews!

Your life, blood, sweat and tears you have poured into your book needs to be acknowledged, right? You want people to know that you have crafted an awesome story. One filled with action, romance, adventure, suspense, or whatever the theme or genre it falls in. One word or a few words about your book is what can help sustain and help you gain momentum, an audience, or a following. Reviews can be an extension; the lifeblood of your work. Just as a food critic rates a restaurant, reviews can make or break you.

In the business world, Google heavily weighs reviews, along with other components; in its algorithm as far as user queries are concerned, and serves up its most relevant findings. As a professional Marketing agent, stressing getting reviews ranks high on my list. Most people trust what others have to say about a product or service….and your book. If you have great reviews, your book most likely has a great chance to be purchased. If you have no reviews, people may pass you up for fear of not wanting to spend their hard earned funds on an unknown author. With the deluge of self-published works, which some may view as being under par (which we cannot say this is true), or a small press author, the odds are stacked against you from the start. However, you have to start somewhere right?

So, to make it easier to gain reviews quickly, here are a few tips:

Provide QR codes on the back of or inside the covers of the book, catching the reader while they are still “into” your book.  Readers are probably more likely to leave a review right after finishing the book as opposed to writing a review days or weeks later. Catch the readers while they are hot.

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Reviews being left in multiple locations is a plus as well. Providing a few links can optimize your chances of getting a multitude of reviews at various locations, thus taking up more real estate in searches and platforms.

You can also ask the reader by including verbiage with the QR code, to refer your book to a friend. If they are willing to do a review right there on the spot (assuming they loved your book), they may also be willing to share your work with a friend via an email, word of mouth, or even send a message or post their thoughts on Facebook.

Provide links to your Goodreads profile for reviews. If you don’t already have a profile, get one. This is another valuable source for “sharing” and reviewing information about your book.

Reviews are not the end all or be all, but they are great indicators for others to follow and can pique curiosity for the roaming reader searching for their next read. Writing and publishing the book is the easiest part, marketing it is another monster. However, as an Urban Prints Production author, we lessen the stress on you and carry a lot of the marketing duties for you, leaving you to do what you do best!