who can write a book review on amazon

• Free books: okay to giveaway
• Paid reviews: okay to pay
• $50 Amazon spend eligibility requirement
• How to disclose a relationship

Amazon Book Review Policy Demystified for Authors

Book reviews are important for all books, but they're especially so for self-published books, because most of their sales are online. And when it comes to selling books online, Amazon customer reviews can make or break shopper interest in a book.

Let's begin by defining the difference between customer reviews and editorial reviews, and by debunking myths.

• Customer Reviews: Written by a reader—ideally by someone who bought the book—who also assigns a number of stars (1-5). Most authors are referring to customer reviews when they reference “Amazon reviews.”
• Editorial Reviews: An editorial review is a formal evaluation of a book, usually written by a professional reviewer or expert within a genre. These are also often called blurbs, endorsements, and testimonials.

Editorial reviews are added by the author via Author Central. See our guide: Create and Manage the Perfect Amazon US and UK Author Central Page.

Myth 1: You cannot pay someone to write a review.

False . Amazon permits payment for editorial reviews.

Myth 2: You cannot give people your book and ask them to review it.

False . You can, as long as you are clear that you welcome all feedback, both positive and negative.

Before Amazon became the dominant book retailer—in fact, before the internet—publishers would haul cartons of advance reading copies of their forthcoming books to book-industry tradeshows. These would sit in piles, free for the taking, with no requirements that someone write a review, much less provide their contact information to receive a copy.

The $50 spending requirement

Sometime in 2017 (they do not date their policy changes), Amazon inserted a new requirement into their Community Guidelines under the heading Eligibility:

To contribute to Customer features (for example, Customer Reviews, Customer Answers, Idea Lists) or to follow other contributors, you must have spent at least $50 on Amazon.com using a valid credit or debit card in the past 12 months. Promotional discounts don't qualify towards the $50 minimum.

Some have complained that this is overreach and another way for Amazon to force people to buy from them. We don't see it this way. In fact, we consider it a positive.

Many shoppers rely on customer reviews to guide our consideration of a product. How can we make an informed choice if those reviews are polluted by paid reviewers who never bought the product? And that's what was going on. Anyone could write a review; in fact, reviews were being posted by fake accounts.

Here’s a look at what’s permitted, what can get reviews removed, and how reviewers should disclose their relationship to the author.

What’s permitted

• Amazon says this: “You may provide free or discounted copies of your books to readers. However, you may not demand a review in exchange or attempt to influence the review. Offering anything other than a free or discounted copy of the book—including gift cards—will invalidate a review, and we'll have to remove it.”
• Reviewers can remove or edit a review after it is posted.
• Amazon says that just because a review is written by a friend or a social media connection doesn’t necessarily result in that review being taken down.
• A reviewer can link to another product—such as their own—if it is relevant and available on Amazon.

Friends & family

A common question we hear is whether friends and family can review a book. Amazon says this:

We don't allow individuals who share a household with the author or close friends to write Customer Reviews for that author’s book.

It used to be that Amazon encouraged authors to have their friends use the customer discussions feature to promote their book. That feature has been discontinued, and readers are being referred to Goodreads Groups  (requires login).

TIP: One way Amazon can monitor who your close friends are is by comparing the reviewer's contact information with the contact information in your account's address book. For example, if you've used Amazon for Christmas shopping, you probably don't want to bother asking any of those people to write a review.

When reviews are removed, or Amazon never posts it

• Never invite (or allow) a family member or someone you have a close personal relationship with to review your book.
• If a reader says they wrote a review, but the review was taken down or they say it was never posted, tell them to send an email to [email protected] .

When you want to get a review taken down or modified

If you feel a review violates guidelines , you can click the “Report abuse” link or email [email protected] .

Examples of guideline abuse may include use of obscenities, a privacy violation, impersonating others, and the usual libelous, defamatory, harassing, threatening, or inflammatory statements.

NOTE: If someone makes a negative comment about your book, and you fix what they are referring to, neither they nor Amazon are required to change the review to reflect your correction. You may, however, consider replying to the comment with a thanks to the commenter and a note that the issue has been fixed.

How to disclose your relationship

If you give your book away for the purpose of getting a review, you must instruct your prospective reviewer to disclose how they received your book.

There are many ways for the reviewer to do this; it just must be conspicuous. They can put it at the end of the review (most common), the beginning, or in the subject line.

Here are some sample phrases you can suggest if asking others to write a review for your book.

• In the subject line: I received an ARC for an objective review.
• I received a copy of this book via [name of source, i.e., NetGalley, Edelweiss, the publisher, author] and I’m reviewing it voluntarily.
• I wrote this review based on an advance reading copy that the publisher sent me.
• This review was based on a complimentary pre-release copy.

Knowing that someone reading an “author-encouraged review” might discount its value, some people will add an additional comment (if true), such as one of these:

• I've since bought two more copies; one Kindle for myself and a paperback for [my mom/dad/friend]
• That said, I liked it so much that I bought . . .

Amazon resources for more details or help

NOTE: You might need to be logged in or have an account to see some of these pages.

• Community guidelines . There are several pages with this title, but with different URLs. From what we see, it’s the same content: find the guidelines here .
• KDP has a good resource in their help section. Login to KDP, in the top menu click Help . On the left, click Promote Your Book , then click Customer Reviews . There you will find several FAQs and answers.
• Amazon has guides devoted to Promotional Content and its relationship to reviews; find them here .
• Most of us sell books on Amazon using one of their book-specific selling tools: KDP, Advantage, or a third-party such as an IngramSpark. You can also sell books via Amazon Seller Central’s Marketplace, which has its own policies. Turns out, these policies are the same for books. Create and Manage the Perfect Amazon US and UK Author Central Page. .
• Email Amazon to report problems or issues with reviews: [email protected] .

About The Author

David Wogahn

30 thoughts on “amazon book review policy demystified for authors”.

Thanks for sharing this quick primer on Amazon’s book review policies.

Allow me to show my ignorance. How do you set up an advanced review copy? How do you send it to potential reviewers? Do you pay for each ebook sent? Do you offer some code in a newsletter or during a conference presentation? (So far, I have the best method of getting book reviews is giving away exam copies to fellow English teachers at teacher conferences or professional development workshops.) Giving away free ebooks sounds far less expensive. Or can you set up ARC for hard copies too? How do get the attention of potential book reviewers? Is there a service you recommend? Why?

Another question: can you use or set up an ARC for a book published last year? Or is that verboten?

I do offer free sample chapters on my website, and I encourage readers to share their positive experiences with the book online. So I do some things to generate reviews. Thanks!

Very helpful info, David. Unfortunately, Amazon is often totally unresponsive to questions about why they removed reviews. I’ve posted reviews since 2009, more than 100 of them, and about three months ago Amazon deleted EVERY SINGLE ONE of them. They will not tell me why, except to refer me to the guidelines. Yeah, many of the reviews I posted were for advance reader copies authors gave me to review, but many were verified Kindle purchases. All of the reviews were honest, very few of them 5-stars, and I always included a sentence saying I received a copy of the book without obligation to post a review. Now, Amazon will not let me post any new reviews. Go figure.

This article is FANTASTIC–thank you so much for researching and writing it!

I did note, on the Prohibited Seller Activities page (the “find them in a different place” link in #4 above), about 40% down the page, it read, “Additionally, you may not provide compensation (including free or discounted products) for a review.” Hopefully, this admonition is rendered null and void for books, based on your Amazon quote early in the article, “[These] changes will apply to product categories other than books. We will continue to allow the age-old practice of providing advance review copies of books.”

Eric, you can learn more about the how question by reading my post here: https://www.authorimprints.com/advance-reader-copy-arc-books-ingramspark/ . As to some of your other points, I have a short email course about pre-release marketing here (it’s free): https://www.davidwogahn.com/book-pre-launch-course/

The A in ARC stands for advance, so it wouldn’t be an ARC after the book is published. Nevertheless, you should always be looking for people to review the book and many won’t review ebooks. The Book Reviewer Yellow Pages is the best place to start to get connected to potential reviewers. https://bookrevieweryellowpages.com/

Sounds like you got caught up in a “dragnet.” So no books whatsoever? Not even a “NY Times Best Seller”?

That’s right, books are excluded. The crackdown last year was on all sorts of “review clubs.” Links to those sites are now dead, or have been sold for their traffic. (Yeah!)

Amazon Reviews can make or break a book. I am a veteran Indie author and tried various marketing techniques, but nothing beats a reviews. For authentic book reviews, I use: http://www.usabookreviewers.com I get a few reviews and also exposure for my book.

People bought my book through Amazon. I offered no deals. Only thing I asked was the review to be honest. Reviews were done and Amazon would not post them because they were friends of mine on my Facebook link. I got the reviews on my FB wall however– other people never saw them. So the reviews are not there. The positive nor the negative. All were positive on the actual book– the kindle version was really bad. I saw it was and took it down myself. Friends felt bad for me but it is what it is. A good book –I believe with all my heart will make it regardless of circumstances. It is being redone and it is a very good read.

I published Garage Band Theory 4 years ago, it’s a music education book has been doing OK on Amazon and elsewhere since day 1.

Currently I have 57 Amazon reviews, am trying to push to the 100 mark.

I played professionally for 30 years, met a lot of people and a big % of the people on my FaceBook friends list are musicians – most are what you’d call ‘casual acquaintances’ – played some gigs with some, met lots at a job, mine or theirs – more than a few are teachers, and I thought it was time to reach out to them, offer a free digital copy if they’d consider leaving a review, be sure to tell them to include “My remarks are based on complimentary copy of this book that I received from the author. ”

I have endorsements from a few well known ‘stars’ and a few of my good friends and family did leave comments early in the process – but none of the people I plan to contact are going to leave a positive remark unless they feel it’s deserved.

I recently had heard that Amazon was not allowing any FaceBook friends to review – I did a search, found this post, and suddenly it seems that it could be a very bad idea to go through with the plan.

Is this gonna do more harm than good if a few were to leave positive comments?

Hi Duke, good to to hear from you. This is a really tricky area with lots of variables. My advice is to try a sample size group and see how it goes. Execute your plan in stages or phases.

Thanks so much for the explanation – I think Amazon scares all of us who’ve self-published. I just found out that I can’t buy any advertising with AMS. It is only for people who published with them, on Kindle Direct, and my company, Mill City Press, will disown me if I try to go Kindle Unlimited, the only way I can buy a sponsored ad. Mill City said they’d never done an Amazon ad, which just chilled me. These are the pros in advising self-published authors?

But there is one thing you haven’t addressed, and that’s the ghetto reviews can find themselves in if they are not Verified Purchase. No one will answer this question. Apparently, no one really understands, and Amazon won’t take questions. A review may appear, or it may not. So, when you’re madly giving away expensive copies of your novel on Facebook, in the glimmer of a hope of a review, you need to be aware of this.

There are no easy answers. You just have to try and know some won’t make it through. I’ve heard some crazy stories about reviews blocked or taken down. I’ve been blocked, too. That’s very interesting about Mill City, surprising in fact.

Regarding the requirement to “have spent at least $50 on Amazon.com using a valid credit or debit card in the past 12 months.” I see this as a discriminatory policy if you bought a book at AMAZON. In my case I want to post a review and am not permitted due to I didn’t spent $50.

Unfortunately, there were businesses that specialized in writing bogus reviews of products they never bought and this policy helps to stop or limit that activity. It has as much to do with toothpaste as it does books.

I would like to “advertise” my book on Amazon but I did not have it published by Amazon. When you look up a book, at the bottom it will say, “If you like this you might also like…..” and it lists other books or it might even say “Customers who review this might also like….” or other types of advertising for books with comparable content. How do I go about getting my book in these space?

I’m new to KDP, and my question doesn’t specifically apply to reviews, but can’t seem to find an answer explicitly stated on Amazon’s policy info. I’m doing low content books, journals, coloring books, kids activity books… I wanted to get a couple for my nephew and ordered through my Prime account because paying full shipping cost for author copies was twice as much as the books! Is ordering a couple coloring books from my account an issue? I guess it adds to my sales rank, but how big a deal is something like that? I think my mom ordered some journals as well.

You are buying them as an customer would, at the retail price, so no problem.

Those places you reference are decided by Amazon based on what people are buying. It works like any retail store–the retailer decides these things.

Can an author, as of August 4, 2021, register with any of the book reviewing companies found on the internet and pay as much as $500 and have them provide book reviews and then post them on Amazon?

Don, the answer is a qualified yes. I cannot confirm “any,” but there are many reviewers and review businesses you can use, free or paid. Most of those reviews would be editorial reviews and they are posted using Author Central. Here is a list of fee-based editorial reviewers: https://www.authorimprints.com/paid-editorial-book-reviews/

I can never figure out how to ask an author question on amazon. My self-published book recently won a Bronze Award from READER VIEWS. I’m wondering if it can be displayed on my Amazon book page, not just the Amazon author page. Thanks for information.

Put it on the cover of the book.

A couple of professional contacts wrote books which I bought, and I wanted to leave reviews to support them. However, Amazon says there has been unusual review activity associated with my account and will not let me leave a review. I don’t think I’ve EVER left a review, so someone must have done so using my name. How do I remedy this? I really would like to leave a couple of reviews.

This is not uncommon and Amazon won’t explain. You can try emailing them to ask. If you bought the eBook, try leaving a review from the eBook. there should be a link at the end. You can also leave the review on Goodreads.

Hi, What about author’s swapping books and reviewing each other? Are there restrictions against this or is this permitted under all circumstances? Thanks!

Can a person leave a review if they only read a few pages of your book? I have a poor review from someone who said they only read a few pages. Is that even allowed? Don’t you have to read a certain percentage of a book in order to leave a verified review? The person actually said in the review that they only read a few pages.

There is nothing preventing authors reviewing other books as long as the reviews don’t violate policies. But what you describe has been tried many times and it works until Amazon figures out what’s going on. Lots of risk in this case.

No rules about that and it applies the other direction as well. You can always protest.

This is a great article. Very insightful. Thanks for the post.

I appreciate the emphasis on continuous learning and staying updated with the latest trends in Amazon selling. Your blog is a great resource for sellers like us who are looking to stay ahead of the competition. Thank you for sharing your expertise!

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How to Write a Book Review On Amazon: 10 Approved Steps

• February 20, 2024

Table of Contents:

How to write a book review on amazon, 1. choose a book you enjoyed, 2. understand the genre, 3. read attentively, 4. personal reflection is key, 5. structure your review, 6. be honest and balanced, 7. keep it concise and engaging, 8. edit your review, 9. post your review on amazon, 10. share your review, final words:.

Writing a book review can be an enjoyable and rewarding experience, especially if you love sharing your thoughts about books. This guide is here to help you learn how to write a book review on Amazon effectively. Whether you’re reviewing fiction vs nonfiction or any other genre, these steps will ensure your review is insightful and helpful to others. Remember, a great review doesn’t require you to be an experienced critic or to have the skills to write a book with no experience . Let’s Jump in!

The first step to writing a book review is picking a book you love. It might be a novel, a memoir, or an exciting non-fiction work. Think about a book that made you smile, kept you turning the pages, or even changed your thoughts. This could be from a range of top story writers  or twitter ghostwriter you admire. When you write about something you enjoy, your words come alive. Your readers can feel your joy and excitement. This makes your review not just informative but also a pleasure to read. Your enthusiasm can inspire others to pick up the book, too!

Knowing the genre you are reviewing is important. This knowledge shapes your review. Like fiction, look at how the story unfolds, who the characters are, and what happens in the plot. It’s about the journey, the twists and turns, and the emotional ride. In nonfiction, focus on how clear and strong the information and arguments are. Ask yourself: does this book teach, persuade, or inform effectively? Understanding the genre helps you highlight the right aspects of the book, making your review more useful and insightful for your readers. It’s like choosing the right tool for the job – it makes everything more effective and fitting.

To write a book review full of insights, reading with full attention is crucial. Go deep into the book’s themes, the writer’s unique style, and how the story moves. Notice how the book makes you feel or think. Are you excited, curious, or moved? Write down these feelings and thoughts. These notes are precious. They help you remember your initial reactions and impressions. When you start writing your review, these notes will guide you, helping you share a genuine and engaging perspective. Reading attentively is like being a detective, looking for clues to understand the story better.

Think deeply about how the book touched you. Did it open your eyes to new ideas or keep you entertained from start to finish? Sharing your personal experience is crucial. It adds a special, relatable quality to your review. Your reflections show how a book can impact a reader. They make your review a list of observations and a story of your encounter with the book. When readers see your journey with the book, it helps them connect more with your review. It’s like sharing a part of your reading adventure with them.

A good book review has a clear structure. Start with a brief book summary like Haunting Adeline , followed by your analysis and personal reflections. Finally, conclude with your overall thoughts and recommendations.

Being honest is vital when you write a book review. If certain parts didn’t catch your fancy or seemed off, it’s important to say so. But remember, balance is crucial. Even if the book wasn’t to your liking, try to spot the good bits. Maybe the writing style was excellent, or some chapters were engaging. Sharing both the ups and downs makes your review trustworthy. It shows you’ve looked at the book from all angles, which is helpful for other readers. They get a full picture, not just one side. So, while being honest, also be fair. It’s like giving a complete map, not just a part of it.

Make your review short and sweet. Long reviews might lose your reader’s interest. Aim for clear, straightforward points. Mix up your sentence lengths – some short, some a bit longer. This keeps your writing lively and easy to follow. Using simple, everyday words helps, too. It makes your review easy to read and understand. Everyone appreciates a review that gets to the heart of the matter without wandering off into too many words. It’s like giving a clear, quick snapshot rather than a long movie.

Before posting, spend some time editing your review. Look for any spelling mistakes or grammar slip-ups. Consider hiring a book editor if needed. Read it aloud to hear how it sounds. Does it flow nicely? Are your points clear? A well-edited review stands out for its clarity and smoothness. It’s like polishing a gem – the extra effort makes it shine. Remember, a few minutes of editing can greatly enhance your review’s impact and readability.

Once your review is polished and ready, it’s time to share it on Amazon. Browse through the page of the book you’ve reviewed. Look for the ‘Write a Customer Review’ button – it’s usually easy to find. Click it, and then paste your review into the box provided. Don’t forget to also give the book a star rating. This rating helps others get a quick sense of your overall opinion. It’s a simple yet important step, like putting the final stamp on your thoughts about the book.

Don’t keep your review to yourself – share it with friends and on your social media platforms. Your thoughts and insights on the book might be what someone else needs to find their next great read. It’s like spreading a bit of joy and knowledge. Your review could spark interest or start a lively book discussion. It’s a simple action, but your opinion can influence and guide others in their reading choices. Sharing is caring, especially when it comes to great books!

Writing a book review is not just about summarizing a book. It’s an opportunity to express your thoughts, feelings, and insights about your reading. Whether you’re discussing books from professional book writers , your review can be a valuable guide for other readers. So, next time you finish a book, take a moment to share your experience on Amazon. Your review could be the one that inspires someone to pick up their next great read!

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How To Write A Review On Amazon: Proven Methods

• December 1, 2023

Table of Contents:

• Amazon's Review Guidelines

Step-by-Step Guide to Writing a Review

Log in to amazon:, find the product:.

• Click on 'Write a Review':

Give Your Rating:

Write your review, add photos or videos (optional):, check your work:, submit your review:, structure and content, start with a clear title:, describe what you bought:, share your experience:, talk about the good parts:, mention anything that could be better:, think about who would like it:, wrap it up:, check your writing:, additional elements, add photos or videos:, use star ratings:, talk about how it helps you:, compare it to other things:, avoiding common review mistakes, stay on topic:, be honest, but kind:.

• Don't Write Too Little or Too Much:

Check Your Spelling and Grammar:

Q1: what is the connection between amazon reviews and the book trailer guide blog keyword.

• Q2: How can understanding the Author's Purpose Factors help write effective Amazon reviews?

Q3: Why are Book Reviews Significance and important for authors and publishers?

Q4: can you recommend ways to find book publishers, as mentioned in the find book publishers keyword, q5: do amazon reviews have any impact on book editing services.

When shopping online, especially on a large marketplace like Amazon, reviews are the guiding stars for consumers. They offer invaluable insights into product quality, usability, and customer satisfaction. This is particularly true for books and literary works, where opinions can significantly sway potential readers’ decisions. For authors and publishers, especially those utilizing  Book Writing Services , reviews are not just feedback; they’re essential tools that help gauge the readers’ reception and enhance the visibility of their work.

Amazon reviews bridge the gap between the author’s intent and the reader’s expectations. They serve as a platform for honest, transparent communication about the product, helping future buyers make informed decisions. In a digital age where physical examination of products isn’t possible, these reviews become the eyes and ears of the online shopper. Understanding the art of writing an effective Amazon review is crucial for anyone looking to contribute meaningfully to this community.

Amazon’s Review Guidelines

Writing reviews on Amazon is like having a friendly chat about a product, but there are some rules to follow. First, always tell the truth in your reviews. Share what you think and how you feel about the product. Making up stories or saying things that aren’t true isn’t allowed.

You should also only talk about the product in your review. Don’t write about how fast it arrived or the people who sold it to you. The review is just for sharing what you think about the product itself.

Remember to be nice and polite in your reviews. Don’t use mean words or say bad things about other people. Amazon wants everyone to feel safe and happy when they read the reviews.

It’s also important not to write reviews for things you got for free or paid to discuss. Your review should be about something you chose yourself and used yourself.

Following these rules helps make Amazon a good place for everyone to learn about products. It’s like being a helpful guide for others who want to buy things online.

Writing a review on Amazon is easy and fun! Here’s how you can do it:

First, you need to sign in to your Amazon account. If you don’t have one, you can easily make one.

Next, go to the page of the product you want to review. This could be a toy, a book, or anything else you bought.

Click on ‘Write a Review’:

You’ll see a button or link on the product page that says “Write a Review.” Click on that.

Amazon asks you to give stars to the product. If you loved it, give it five stars! If not, you can choose fewer stars.

Now, you can write about what you think. Tell others what you liked or didn’t like. You can talk about how the product works or if it’s fun or useful. Try to write a few sentences so people can understand your opinion.

If you want, you can add pictures or videos of the product. This helps other people see what it’s like.

Before you submit your review, read it again. Ensure it says what you want and is easy to read.

Finally, click the button to submit your review. Amazon will look at it, and if it follows the rules, they will put it on the product page.

Remember, your review is a big help to others. It’s like advising a friend about what to buy. So, write honestly and kindly, and have fun sharing your thoughts!

Writing a great review is like telling a story about what you bought. Here’s how to make your review good and helpful for others:

Think of a short sentence that shows what you think. Like “Super Fun Game!” or “Really Comfy Shoes.”

Write about what the product is. If it’s a book, what’s it about? If it’s a toy, what does it do? This helps people understand what you’re talking about.

Tell people what you did with the product and how it worked. Did it make you happy? Was it easy to use? Your story can help others decide if they want it, too.

What did you like best? Maybe the toy was really fun, or the book was very exciting. People like to know what’s great about something.

If there was something you didn’t like or think could be improved, it’s okay to say so. Just be nice about it. Maybe the toy broke easily, or the book had hard words.

Is it perfect for kids, adults, or someone who loves cooking or sports? Helping others know if it’s right for them is super helpful.

End your review with a final thought. Would you tell your friends to buy it? Do you want to use it every day?

Read your review again to ensure it’s easy to read and has no mistakes. You want everyone to understand your advice!

Remember, your review is like a helpful tip to others. By telling your story and sharing your thoughts, you make shopping on Amazon fun and easy for everyone.

Adding extra things to your review can make it even more helpful. Here are some cool ideas:

If you can, take pictures or a video of what you bought. It’s like showing your friends what you’ve got. They can see the size, color, or how it works. It’s really useful, especially for things like toys or clothes.

You can also choose how many stars to give when you write a review. Five stars mean you love it, and one star means you didn’t like it much. This helps people see quickly what you think.

If the product made your life better or easier, tell people about it! Maybe a new lunchbox keeps your food fresh longer, or a book taught you something cool.

If you’ve used something similar before, you can compare them. Like, “This scooter is faster than my old one,” or “This puzzle is harder than the puzzles I usually do.”

When you write a review, it’s like being a helpful guide. But sometimes, people make little mistakes. Here’s how to avoid them:

Keep your review about the product. Don’t talk about how long it took to arrive or problems with the store. Just focus on what you bought.

Always tell the truth about what you think. If you don’t like something, it’s okay to say so. But remember to be nice. Don’t use mean words or be too harsh.

Don’t Write Too Little or Too Much:

Try not to write just a few words like “It’s good” or “I don’t like it.” Give a little more detail. But also, don’t write a super long story. Just enough to help others understand why you liked or didn’t like the product.

Read your review again before you send it. Make sure the words are easy to read and understand.

A1: Amazon reviews can benefit authors who have utilized the services of Book Writing Founders to increase the visibility of their work, which can be complemented by creating engaging book trailers as suggested in the  Book Trailer Guide .

Q2: How can understanding the Author’s Purpose Factors help write effective Amazon reviews?

A2: Understanding the  Author’s Purpose Factors  is essential as it allows reviewers to analyze a book’s intent and effectively communicate how well it achieves its goals in their Amazon reviews.

A3:  Book Reviews Significance  lies in their potential to influence readers’ decisions, boost a book’s reputation, and help authors, especially those using Book Writing Services, gain valuable feedback.

A4: While the article primarily focuses on writing Amazon reviews, you can find book publishers by researching literary agents, attending writing conferences, and utilizing online resources dedicated to connecting authors with publishers.

A5: Yes, indeed, amazon reviews can indirectly impact  book editing services by reflecting the quality of a book. Positive reviews indicate effective editing, while negative reviews may raise concerns about editing quality.

Indeed, you do something important whenever you write a review on Amazon. Your words help lots of people decide what to buy. It’s like being a helper who gives advice. Sharing your honest thoughts and feelings about a product makes shopping easier and more fun for everyone.

So, remember how much your review can help next time you buy something on Amazon. Take a little time to write down what you think. You’re not just talking about a product; you’re part of a big community where everyone helps each other. That’s a cool thing to do.

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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.

Writing from the Heart, Reading for the Road

• About Janet Hulstrand
• Book Tour! A Long Way from Iowa
• Demystifying the French
• Praise for A Long Way from Iowa
• Praise for Demystifying the French
• Selected Reviews and Press

How to Write a Book Review on Amazon (or anywhere)

October 6, 2020 at 12:01 pm 4 comments

One of the most helpful things readers can do to help writers (and publishers, and everyone else who works with writers to create and produce books) is to write reviews of books on Amazon, GoodReads, and elsewhere.

Most readers are not aware of just how helpful this simple thing can be. (And it really is simple, as I’ll explain in this post.)

I really love the fact that thanks to the democratizing effect of the internet, readers no longer have to rely only on professional reviewers to tell them what they think about a book. I think it is absolutely wonderful that this information can be shared reader to reader.

How easy is it to write a brief review? It really is easy, and you don’t have to necessarily have bought your books on Amazon to write reviews there. (It depends. It seems that sometimes you do, and sometimes you don’t.) In any case, all you have to do is go to the Amazon page of the book you want to review, scroll down the page (past Product Details, past More About the Author), and click on the bar that says “Write a customer review.” A window will open up and invite you to choose from 1 to 5 stars and then write a headline and a brief review–and it really can be brief! Remember, all most readers want to know is did you like the book or not? And if so, why? This can be said in just a few simple words, no need to be fancy, though if you want to elaborate, that’s up to you, and that’s fine.

You don’t have to use your own name to review books if you don’t want to. You can make up a name. Some people prefer to do that, and that’s fine too.

I will say, I really don’t like the star rating system. The only thing I dislike about teaching literature in college classes is having to assign letter grades to my students. It doesn’t make any sense to me. To me letter grades are strictly (and narrowly) judgmental, and they don’t really provide my students with very useful information: it is my comments that hopefully will do that.

Likewise, I don’t think the star rating system is really very helpful to readers, and it can be quite harmful to writers if reviewers aren’t fair. But sometimes you have to work with the system that exists, not the one you wish existed. And the fact is that those stars can apparently be quite important for some people when they are trying to decide whether or not to buy a book.

In my honest opinion there are very few books that merit either five stars, or just one star. But I often award five stars even when I think a book is less than perfect. (I mean, how many perfect books are there in this world? NOT MANY!!! But there are SO MANY very good books, and they deserve to be bought, and read!)

Likewise, it’s hard for me to imagine ever assigning a one-star review. I would have to really hate a book and think that everyone should know how awful it is in order to do that. I personally would be much more inclined to just not review such a book.

So I would suggest, as you choose the number of stars to award, maybe try not to think so much about whether you loved, liked, kind of liked, kind of hated, or absolutely hated this book. Try to give at least a few seconds of thought to how much effort the author put into writing the book, and allow that to help you decide. It’s important to also remember that how you liked the book is not necessarily the most important thing about it: is it a book that someone who is very interested in this topic would love, even though you found that you were not all that interested in the topic? If so, then why would you give it only one or two stars?

In my opinion, the reason for writing a book review should really be just to help readers find books they will enjoy, and writers to gain new readers. And that’s a wonderful thing to be able to do! Janet Hulstrand  is a writer, editor, writing coach, and teacher of writing and of literature who divides her time between the U.S. and France. She is the author of  Demystifying the French: How to Love Them, and Make Them Love You,  and A Long Way from Iowa: From the Heartland to the Heart of France .

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Entry filed under: About Writers and their Work , Neither Here nor There... . Tags: Amazon reviews , book reviews , books , writing book reviews .

The Other Bonjour Effect… Demystifying the French, via Zoom!

4 Comments Add your own

[…] whether or not to buy (or read) a book we should be fair about it. Here is a post I wrote about how to be fair when writing a review. (Most people don’t know HOW MUCH these reviews help writers: they help […]

Definitely a great read, Janet! I really liked the tips you listed here. Truly, people need a post like this one, since trashy Amazon reviews really aren’t helpful. Thanks so much for sharing!

3. Got Salt? – The Writing Bug  |  September 2, 2021 at 7:28 pm

[…] Write a FAIR book review […]

4. Write a book review on Amazon in a simple, fair and easy way - Private Finanzen  |  September 2, 2021 at 10:22 pm

[…] How to Write a Fair (and Helpful) Book Review on Amazon (or anywhere) […]

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All About Book Reviews and Amazon – A Quick Guide and Rules

What reviews are allowed on amazon.

There’s been some panic in the self-publishing streets about reviews being removed from Amazon and who is going to get sued for their reviews – and a lot of outrage blogging about Evil Amazon. Here’s a quick guide to why you should stop worrying too much and start understanding the different types of book reviews a little better.

There are three kinds of reviews on Amazon:

1. customer reviews.

These are the reviews that Amazon is exercising their right, as a private company remember, to investigate more closely. What Amazon is trying to achieve is a clear picture of product experience. This picture has been muddied somewhat by several factors:

1. “Fiverr” style purchasing of 4 and 5-star reviews by authors – Not allowed

When you see an individual advertising to write and post a favorable review of your book on Fiverr, Craigslist, or other online marketplaces, this is the sort of review Amazon is now suing for. Never buy a customer review from a blogger or individual in this manner nor from a company offering to get their team to directly write reviews for you and post them to Amazon. Aside from that, they will be badly written and possibly copied and pasted over and over from other books. These reviews are most Unverified, i.e. the reviewer does not buy the book, which flags it even further to Amazon. Look for copy that says “We will write reviews and post them to Amazon,” that charge a low amount of money per review and typically without buying the book.

Outcome: Your review will be deleted, and possibly the user will be too. Your book may be demoted in Amazon’s shop lists if you have many of these. If the reviewer is part of a company, it’s likely Amazon already hit them.

Amazon says:

Paid Reviews – We do not permit reviews or votes on the helpfulness of reviews that are posted in exchange for compensation of any kind, including payment (whether in the form of money or gift certificates), bonus content, entry to a contest or sweepstakes, discounts on future purchases, extra product, or other gifts.

2. Authors getting family and friends to write reviews – Not allowed

Amazon is crystal clear on the fact they frown on family and friends writing reviews. Why? Because these reviews are bound to be biased. If you have personal contact and interaction with that person in real life, on a forum, or on email, it’s likely Amazon will delete that review. This is because you could have told the person what to write, or because they will be overly polite about your book because they like you!

Outcome: Most likely the review will be deleted.

Amazon Says:

Promotional Reviews – In order to preserve the integrity of Customer Reviews, we do not permit artists, authors, developers, manufacturers, publishers, sellers or vendors to write Customer Reviews for their own products or services, to post negative reviews on competing products or services, or to vote on the helpfulness of reviews. For the same reason, family members or close friends of the person, group, or company selling on Amazon may not write Customer Reviews for those particular items.

3. Authors swapping with other authors to gain reviews – Not allowed

Again, Amazon is crystal clear. If you have swapped a book with another author, and you think that book is a one-star book, and they have given you a five-star review, be honest: would you then leave a one-star review? No, of course not. So Amazon does not want you to do this, and it is not a good way to gain reviews. I feel like I am talking to the wall with this one. However much you want this to be true, it is just not true I am afraid. Because it is clearly stated in Amazon’s TOS that compensation of ANY kind is not allowed, these reviews will be deleted if a connection can be seen between authors with reviews because it could be argued that compensation was gained in the form of a reciprocal review.

Outcome: The review will be deleted. You also run the risk of losing book visibility if you have multiple offenses of this method.

Paid Reviews – We do not permit reviews or votes on the helpfulness of reviews that are posted in exchange for compensation of any kind

4. Bloggers being paid directly to add a customer review to Amazon

If you pay money to a blog to leave a customer review, or you run a sweepstake in exchange for a review, and that person leaves a Customer Review themselves – let’s say “Honey Raven Book Blogs” (disclaimer: I don’t know if there is a user called this!) puts your review that you paid for, gave a gift card for, or gave any other kind of compensation for onto Amazon under her username “Honey Raven” it is exactly the same as if you bought a review on Fiverr. It is unequivocally not allowed.

Outcome: The review and the user account may be removed.

Paid Reviews – We do not permit reviews or votes on the helpfulness of reviews that are posted in exchange for compensation of any kind , including payment (whether in the form of money or gift certificates), bonus content, entry to a contest or sweepstakes, discounts on future purchases, extra product, or other gifts .

2. Editorial Reviews

These are reviews written by companies that write reviews for publicity, such as Self-Publishing Review , Kirkus Reviews, Clarion, Publisher’s Weekly, and The Independent Review of Books . These reviews are allowed by Amazon, and are posted by the author themselves in the section Amazon provides for these reviews (and sometimes self-populates in the case of Kirkus Reviews) called Editorial Reviews, found in the Book Details page. You can read about how Amazon supports these reviews here.

Outcome: Totally fine, and will help promote your book on Amazon. These are marketing for your book. These reviews will be staying on the site and are an integral part of the Amazon Book Page – built by Amazon themselves .

You can also add these to Goodreads and the back of your book.

3. Verified Customer Reviews Gained by Mailing Lists

SPR has several Amazon Promotions that include getting Verified Customer Reviews. The reason our reviews are allowed is simple: you are not paying us to write the Customer Reviews, and we don’t know the reviewers. We are using our mailing lists to get your book seen, bought, and reviewed by members of the public. We have hundreds of readers on our list who signed up to receive news about books, and when they see a book they like, they told us via a survey a long while ago that they will most likely buy it and review it on Amazon. We have no control over their reviews, and our communication is not interactive.

Therefore, these kinds of reviews are fine to acquire – because you are buying our marketing skills to get your book out there and a happy side effect of the advertising is that you get your Verified Reviews (guaranteed numbers because we have enough people to know the minimum amount of reviews you will get when we market your book). Other companies that have a method like this, such as BookBub. With this method, you may get unbiased Verified Customer Reviews.

Mailing lists are the most effective way to get genuine, verified customer reviews, and is the method favored by traditional publishers and bestselling authors everywhere.

Outcome: Totally fine , and will help promote your book on Amazon if a sale is made before the review is posted as a Verified Review.

The Ten Commandments of Reviews:

• Don’t ask anyone to review your book for free if you know them socially in any way including online forums and groups
• Don’t pay or promise gifts to an individual to review your book even if they promise an honest review
• Don’t swap your book with other authors for reviews even if you intend to give an honest review

Promotional Reviews – In order to preserve the integrity of Customer Reviews, we do not permit artists, authors , developers, manufacturers, publishers, sellers or vendors to write Customer Reviews for their own products or services

• Go to your Amazon book page without being logged in
• Click “Add A Customer Review”
• Copy the link given for this sign-in page
• Add this to your book page and your readers will go directly to the review page!
• Don’t confuse the types of review available to you – you can still buy Editorial Reviews within Amazon Guidelines to use on your book page, and you can even buy mailing list marketing services to garner Customer Reviews within Guidelines too
• Don’t get outraged – Amazon is a bookshop, with no public responsibility to you or anyone else lucky enough they started this revolution so we could all publish our books freely. Try to follow their very reasonable guidelines without too much kvetching and gain understanding of their very fair policy to sort the fakes from the real – it will be to your benefit as an author in the long run, and will mean Amazon is a healthier environment to sell books in
• Unverified Reviews (no sale made to the reviewer before the review is written) are far more likely to be flagged as fake than Verified Reviews. Verified Reviews (written after a sale to the reviewer) are the only reviews that help with sales and visibility in the Amazon algorithm. Encourage readers to buy your book under their Amazon username, not just review it
• Don’t get hung up on reviews. Many bestsellers have few reviews when they hit hot. Sales are always going to be more important than reviews to Amazon. Around ten to fifteen reasonable (3.5 – 4 star) reviews and a few strong editorial reviews will do nicely. You don’t need 300 reviews.
• Build your own mailing list to advertise your book to avid readers by adding a sign-up link to the back of your book and on your websites and pages. If you cannot do this yourself, use a respected service that has mailing lists to garner customer reviews within Amazon TOS such as Self-Publishing Review or BookBub .

 You may not like these Terms of Service, but them’s the rules.

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14 comments.

This rule stands out: “Don’t pay or promise gifts to an individual to review your book even if they promise an honest review”

That’s precisely what Amazon does with its Vine reviews, which include books and a host of other items, some costing $100 or more.

Yes, but Amazon owns the company. So they are allowed to do whatever they choose. They are under no obligations, as a private company, and this point is often forgotten by many authors using Amazon’s very convenient and free service to sell their books.

Amazon’s prerogative as a private business!

IMO, it’s about time Amazon did something about the purchased 5-star reviews (Item 1.1 above). Maybe integrity can be restored to their review system.

outstanding article

Most of this makes sense, but asking people not to have friends and family write reviews seems unnecessarily draconian. For a novice, self-published author, these may be the only reviews they’ll start out with. If there are only a few reviews up, I’d expect the first ones to be positively biased.

See Amazon Terms of Service. It’s not allowed. This is because these reviews are bound to be biased. Friends and family will say your book is great, which, although that’s nice for the author’s ego, that does not give a consumer any real idea about the product. Amazon aims to only give unbiased opinions on its customer review section, and rightly so.

Unfortunately Amazon is a private business and only wants unbiased customers to review products, including books. Therefore there’s a chance these friends and family reviews would be deleted or worse, their account could be removed.

I think the rules should be changed. Beginning and first time authors may have ONLY reviews from friends or family to start. Therefore, I think the rules should be appended to allow for them to get the psychological boost they need.

Consider having a time limit and a number limit for reviews by friends & family Alternatively, allow those friends and family to write whatever they want. Add a category tag to reviews: [ ] Friends & family [ ] Solicited review in exchange for free or discounted copy [ ] Unsolicited review.

This would allow customers to evaluate the reviews and still let a beginning author get support. Someone might LIKE a book that only a mother would love. 🙂

Yeah, but this is not the purpose of Amazon reviews. It’s not a hobby site. How would you even vet that? Who is your friend? Your colleague author on a forum? Your best friend of 30 years? It’s an impossible idea, and all of those reviews would be worthless to Amazon and any customer looking to buy the book. So it wouldn’t work. I think in that way the system is fair – it should be members of the public reviewing to keep it unbiased.

Agreed. It’s not a hobby. But a new author must start somewhere. Chances are that they will have very few people who are aware of their book to start. Perhaps imposing a number limit and require a Relationship to Author field would help. I would find some of these reviews at least marginally informative compared to some of the trashy and poorly written reviews I find on Amazon. I’ve found a large fan base for books that are written in amateurish style with atrocious grammar.and poorly constructed sentences. Reviews of these books written by “the public” can be grossly misleading and not representative, and they skew the ratings.

I expect that some reviews written by family and associates associates may be as good as or better indicators of content quality than these.

Does the public include only total strangers? Then how do they learn of the book in the first place? Again, a new author must start someplace, and databases are infinitely modifiable to include and expose the relationships of the reviewers such that they do not have to be excluded.

If that was true they would never have created their “Top Reviewer” program and pushed people like the late Harriet Klausner who reviewed ten books a day with worthless drivel and was gifted, for that, with a #1 reviewer rank that gained her tons of free books… They are trying to fix a problem they caused by being unwilling to police their reviews early on and then coming in with a hatchet later on to try and fix it.

While you are correct that they are merely using their rights to investigate customer reviews and regulate them, how is it a fair policy to do so – and cancel accounts, etc. without a warning that in any way shows that they DID said research. I run a company with 170 plus authors and 1500 titles. I am not familiar with every review… if a rule gets broken, all of us could be shut down, so the very least they could do if they actually cared about the authors they work with – who they have a contract with that only seems to matter if the user violates it – is a warning system that actually points out what they believe is wrong so it can be fixed, avoided, or deleted.

Yup, totally unfair, I know! For instance, what if a friend of yours through no volition of your own buys and reviews your book – then you know that person and it’s likely they may only have reviewed your book – does this mean their review will be deleted? There are a lot of problems with it. I would advise a spread of different streams of advertising and marketing to ensure a good cross-section of customer review sources.

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Tips for Writing Terrific Amazon Book Reviews: A Guide for Book Lovers

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As an affiliate, we may earn a commission from qualifying purchases. We get commissions for purchases made through links on this website from Amazon and other third parties.

Writing a book review on Amazon can be a daunting task, especially if you’re not sure where to start. However, leaving a thoughtful and helpful review can greatly benefit both the author and potential readers. In this article, you’ll find tips and tricks to help you write terrific Amazon book reviews that are informative, engaging, and helpful.

First and foremost, it’s important to read the book thoroughly before writing a review. This may seem obvious, but it’s crucial to have a complete understanding of the book’s content and message. Take notes while you read and jot down any questions or thoughts that come to mind. This will help you write a detailed and thoughtful review that accurately reflects your experience with the book.

When writing your review, include a summary of the book’s plot and main themes. This will give readers an idea of what the book is about and help them decide if it’s something they would be interested in reading. Additionally, share your thoughts and opinions on the book, but be sure to back them up with specific examples from the text. This will help readers understand your perspective and make an informed decision about whether or not to read the book .

Understanding Amazon’s Book Review System

The Role of Amazon Reviews

Amazon reviews are a crucial element in a book’s success on the platform. They serve as a way for readers to share their opinions and experiences with a particular book, and they also help other potential readers decide whether or not to purchase it. Reviews can also impact a book’s overall rating, which can affect its visibility on Amazon’s website.

Amazon Algorithm and Categories

Amazon’s algorithm plays a significant role in determining which books are shown to potential buyers. The algorithm takes into account various factors, such as the number of reviews a book has, the overall rating of those reviews, and the relevance of the book to a particular category. It’s essential to understand the categories that Amazon assigns to books because they can affect a book’s visibility and overall success on the platform.

Community Guidelines and Trust

Amazon has strict guidelines in place to ensure that reviews are authentic and trustworthy. These guidelines prohibit paid reviews, fake reviews, and reviews from individuals who have a personal or business relationship with the author or publisher. Amazon also has a system in place to detect and remove reviews that violate their guidelines. This helps to ensure that readers can trust the reviews they read on Amazon and make informed purchasing decisions.

In summary, understanding Amazon’s book review system is crucial for both readers and authors. Reviews play an essential role in a book’s success on the platform, and it’s essential to follow Amazon’s guidelines to maintain trust and authenticity. By understanding Amazon’s algorithm and categories, authors can optimize their book’s visibility and increase their chances of success on the platform.

The Importance of Book Reviews

Book reviews are essential for both readers and authors. They provide valuable feedback and help potential readers decide whether to purchase a book or not. In this section, we will explore the influence of book reviews on readers, the impact on authors, and the importance of verified purchase and credibility.

Influence on Readers

Book reviews play a significant role in the decision-making process of readers. They provide insights into the book’s content, writing style, and overall quality. Positive reviews can encourage readers to buy a book, while negative reviews can deter them. Readers often rely on book reviews to make informed decisions about their purchases.

Impact on Authors

Book reviews are crucial for authors as they help them improve their writing and understand their audience better. Positive reviews can boost an author’s confidence and help them gain more readers. Negative reviews can be a learning experience for authors, providing them with insights into what readers didn’t like about their book . It helps them improve their writing and create better content in the future.

Verified Purchase and Credibility

Verified purchase reviews are especially important as they provide credibility to the review. Amazon verifies that the reviewer has purchased the book, making the review more trustworthy. Verified purchase reviews also carry more weight and influence potential readers more than non-verified reviews.

In conclusion, book reviews are essential for both readers and authors. They provide valuable feedback and help create a better reading experience. Verified purchase reviews carry more weight and provide credibility to the review. As a reader, leaving a review can help other readers make an informed decision, while as an author, it can help improve your writing and gain more readers.

Preparing to Write a Review

Writing a terrific Amazon book review requires careful preparation. Before you start writing, you need to read the book thoroughly, take note of key details and impressions, and understand your audience.

Read the Book Thoroughly

To write an insightful and informative book review, you need to read the book carefully from cover to cover. This means taking the time to understand the author’s message, themes, and characters. It’s also important to pay attention to the writing style, pacing, and structure of the book.

Note Key Details and Impressions

As you read the book, take notes of key details and impressions that stand out to you. This could include memorable quotes, plot twists, or character development. It’s also important to note any weaknesses or areas where the book could be improved.

Understand Your Audience

When writing a book review, it’s important to consider your audience. Who are you writing for? What do they want to know? Are they looking for a recommendation or a detailed analysis? Understanding your audience will help you tailor your review to their needs.

By taking the time to prepare before you start writing, you’ll be able to write a more thoughtful and helpful book review. Remember to be neutral, clear, and knowledgeable in your writing, and avoid making exaggerated or false claims.

Crafting Your Review

When it comes to crafting a terrific Amazon book review, there are several things to keep in mind. Crafting your review involves providing a clear rating, structuring your review, discussing content and writing style, providing analysis and honest opinion, and writing a conclusion and recommendation.

Starting with a Clear Rating

The first step in crafting your review is to provide a clear rating. This helps readers quickly understand your overall opinion of the book. When providing a rating, it’s important to be honest and fair. Avoid making exaggerated or false claims that could mislead readers.

Structuring Your Review

Structuring your review can help readers follow your thoughts and understand your opinion more easily. Consider using headings, bullet points, or numbered lists to organize your review. This can also help you stay focused and ensure that you cover all the important points.

Discussing Content and Writing Style

When discussing content and writing style, it’s important to be specific and provide examples. This helps readers understand what you liked or didn’t like about the book. Avoid making generalizations or unsupported claims.

Providing Analysis and Honest Opinion

Providing analysis and honest opinions is perhaps the most important part of crafting a terrific Amazon book review. This involves going beyond simply summarizing the book and instead offering your thoughts and insights. Be sure to support your opinions with evidence from the book.

Writing a Conclusion and Recommendation

Finally, when writing a conclusion and recommendation, summarize your overall opinion of the book. Be sure to explain why you would or wouldn’t recommend it to others. This can help readers decide whether or not the book is right for them.

Best Practices for Review Submissions

Following amazon’s formatting guidelines.

When submitting a book review on Amazon, it is essential to follow their formatting guidelines. This ensures that your review is easy to read and understand. To format your review correctly, make sure to use proper grammar and punctuation. Use paragraphs to separate your thoughts and ideas, and avoid using all caps or excessive exclamation points.

Avoiding Spoilers and Excessive Plot Detail

When writing a book review, avoiding spoilers and excessive plot detail is crucial. This is especially important if you are reviewing a book that has not yet been released. Avoid giving away too much information about the plot or characters, as this can ruin the reading experience for others. Instead, focus on the overall themes and writing style of the book.

Editing Before Submission

Before submitting your book review, it is essential to edit and proofread your work carefully. This ensures that your review is free of errors and easy to read. Take the time to read through your review several times and make any necessary changes. Consider having a friend or editor review your work as well to catch any mistakes you may have missed.

Overall, following these best practices for review submissions can help you write a terrific Amazon book review. By formatting your review correctly, avoiding spoilers and excessive plot detail, and editing before submission, you can create a review that is informative, engaging, and helpful to other readers.

Leveraging Social Media and Other Platforms

Social media and other platforms can be valuable tools for promoting your Amazon book reviews and connecting with other reviewers and authors. Here are some tips for leveraging these platforms to enhance your book review experience.

Sharing Reviews on Social Media

Sharing your Amazon book reviews on social media can help increase your visibility and reach a wider audience. Consider sharing your reviews on platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, using relevant hashtags to make it easier for others to find your reviews.

When sharing your reviews on social media, be sure to include a summary or excerpt from your review, along with a link to the book’s Amazon page. This can help entice others to read your full review and potentially purchase the book.

Engaging with Other Reviewers and Authors

Engaging with other reviewers and authors can be a great way to expand your network and gain new insights and perspectives on books. Consider following other reviewers and authors on social media and engaging with their content by liking, commenting, and sharing their posts.

You can also participate in book clubs or online forums dedicated to discussing and reviewing books. These platforms can provide a space for you to connect with like-minded individuals and share your thoughts and opinions on books.

Overall, leveraging social media and other platforms can help enhance your Amazon book review experience and connect you with a wider community of readers and authors.

Advanced Tips for Seasoned Reviewers

Creating a review blog or video content.

For seasoned Amazon book reviewers, creating a review blog or video content can be a great way to expand your reach and influence. By creating a dedicated platform, you can share your reviews with a wider audience and establish yourself as an authority in your niche.

When creating a review blog or video content, it’s important to keep your target audience in mind. Choose a niche that you are passionate about and that you have a lot of knowledge about. This will help you create content that is valuable and engaging for your readers or viewers.

In addition, make sure that your blog or video content is well-designed and easy to navigate. Use clear headings, bullet points, and images to break up your content and make it more visually appealing. This will help keep your readers or viewers engaged and interested in your reviews.

Building an Email List for Book Recommendations

Another advanced tip for seasoned Amazon book reviewers is to build an email list for book recommendations. By collecting email addresses from your readers or viewers, you can send them regular updates on your latest reviews and recommendations.

To build an email list, start by offering a free resource or incentive in exchange for people’s email addresses. This could be a free e-book, a discount code for a book you’ve reviewed, or access to exclusive content on your blog or video channel.

Once you have a list of subscribers, make sure to send them regular updates on your latest reviews and recommendations. Use a clear and engaging subject line to encourage people to open your emails, and include a call-to-action to encourage them to click through to your blog or video content.

Overall, creating a review blog or video content and building an email list for book recommendations are two advanced tips that can help seasoned Amazon book reviewers expand their reach and influence. By following these tips, you can establish yourself as an authority in your niche and build a loyal following of readers or viewers.

In conclusion, writing a terrific Amazon book review is not rocket science. It takes a little bit of effort, but it can be a rewarding experience. The key is to be honest, informative, and concise. Don’t forget to proofread your review before submitting it, and try to use formatting such as bold and italics to make it easier to read.

Remember that writing a good book review is not just about helping the author, but also about helping other readers. By sharing your thoughts and opinions, you can help other people decide whether or not to read the book. So take the time to write a thoughtful and well-crafted review, and you just might make someone’s day.

Happy reading!

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How To Write An Amazon Book Review

by Katie | Jun 19, 2017 | Book Reviews , Writing and Publishing

:: Your words are as important to an author as an author’s words are to you: Please leave a book review.

Authors depend on book reviews written by readers. If you read a lot of books, and you don’t know this yet, you can read about why here , and here , and other places too. It’s good information to have. Writers and readers have always had a close relationship, unless maybe if you’re Jonathan Franzen telling Oprah you’re too good for her book club but then in that case I don’t know what to do with you.

In any event, I recently had a conversation with good friend who happens to be very smart and also a radiologist (!!), and she told me she loved my novels but had no idea how to leave a review on Amazon. I thought that was hilarious and also worthy of a blog post.

So, dear friend (you know who you are), this blog post is for you. Here’s how you leave a book review on Amazon.

[Accessibility note: Images below are screenshots from Amazon.com that visually demonstrate the written instructions.]

Step 1. Navigate to the book’s page on Amazon.

IMPORTANT NOTE: You do not need to have purchased the book on Amazon to leave a review on Amazon. In fact, DON’T purchase the book on Amazon. Go buy it at your local indie bookstore, and then leave a review on Amazon. HAHAHAHA.

(For the purposes of this demonstration I’m using a great book I recently read that is probably way not literary enough for Jonathan Franzen. THE BOOK WAS AMAZING. Go buy it .)

2. Scroll down to the Customer Reviews section of the page, located just under the author’s bio. There is a button that says, “Write a customer review.” CLICK IT.

3. You will be taken to the “Your Reviews” page. Cool! The book you have selected to review will be at the top.

4. Click the answer to “How is the author’s writing?” and the review panel for that book will expand. Super!

5. Now you can answer the questions and click on the scale of 1-5 stars.

Obviously this AMAZING book gets 5 stars.

6. Click inside the box that says “Write your review here” and write. Provide a TITLE for your review. THEN, click the SUBMIT button!

What should you write? Start with 1-2 sentences (or more) that will help readers understand how you feel about the book. If you want to write more, great! But don’t make writing book reviews such a burden that you don’t want to do it.

7. You’ll be taken back to the “Your Reviews” page where you’ll get a confirmation message.

You will receive an email from Amazon when your review is posted. OMG wasn’t that super easy. Let’s do it again.

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How To Write A Good Book Review On Amazon

Imagine this.

You have just finished the last page of a great book and that familiar feeling of emptiness runs over you.

You stop for a moment and think to yourself, “What now?” because the book that has really hit home with you is now over.

How can you reflect on your experience and share it with others?

Go to Amazon (or your favorite bookseller) and write a fair and honest book review !

If you are wondering how to write a book review, you have come to the right place.

As a self-published author , you know how valuable book reviews are.

They can validate your hard work and ensure you that people are benefiting from your dedication to the book.

It is also a chance for you to read some constructive feedback to keep in mind for your future books.

It is important for you to spread the love to other authors by writing helpful book reviews so their books can move up the ranks in Amazon’s algorithm.

While you are probably thrilled to get some feedback and positive comments on your work, other self-published authors also appreciate the opinions of other readers.

Writing reviews will also make you more credible as an author because it will show that you are able to look at a book objectively to see if it portrayed its intended message and then give your subjective opinions on the content.

While it is great to give other authors reviews, you are writing the review for potential future readers, not for the author.

You give a review of a book so other readers can decide if it is worth their time and money to read.

One thing to keep in mind is that it is important to avoid writing reviews for authors that you have a personal relationship with, not only because it’s against Amazon’s rules, but also because you are likely to bring in your own bias.

Further, it is not acceptable to write or receive a review for any kind of compensation.

This also introduces a sense of bias to the book review that will not help other readers get an honest feeling as to whether this book is right for them or not.

Amazon has Customer Review Guidelines that set specific rules for giving and receiving book reviews on their website.

These guidelines are set forth to ensure that their customers are able to get truthful information about books when reading the reviews posted on their site.

There are some things you will want to keep in mind when writing any book review.

First, you want to be honest and allow readers to find you to be a trustworthy source of information. Doing so may even encourage them to look into books that you have authored.

If your opinions about the subject of the book are strong, be sure to still write an objective review of the book itself.

Don’t make the claim that a book is either extremely well-written or extremely poorly-written based on your opinion of the subject.

If the book is written by a fellow self-published writer, remember that you are working in a small community. You don’t want to write something that will come back and haunt you later.

Be respectful of your fellow authors.

Writing a Review for Fiction Books

Writing a review for non-fiction books, amazon’s bestseller ranking, here are some more specific tips on how to write a book review for fiction and non-fiction books..

There are several things you will want to include in your book review format for a fiction book to help potential future readers get information that is valuable to them.

First, you want to mention the title, author, and genre of the book . This will immediately narrow down the readership to only those who are interested in the idea of the book.

Then you will want to provide a brief synopsis including the main characters and a brief look into the plot.

In this section, you will want to be cautious to not give away anything that might ruin the book for the potential reader.

You can then move on to explain your personal impression of the book.

Some things you may address would be the credibility (or lack thereof) of the characters, the issues that the main characters have to face, the names of the characters you connected to (and why), your favorite (and least favorite) parts of the book, and if you would recommend it to other people.

When you are giving your personal impression, make sure you are writing about the story, not about yourself.

For example, you can mention how the ending was predictable, but don’t say something like, “I hate love stories.”

Doing this will have people wondering why you read the book in the first place.

Finally, mention what type of reader may especially enjoy the book.

You want to be able to gain the trust of other readers, so being honest about who may particularly like this book and who may find it to be a bit lacking is important.

There are a few things to keep in mind when you are doing this. You want to write a review on how the book was written, not how you think it should have been written.

Your opinion in this matter is not going to help other readers decide if they want to read this book.

However, it is important to add some of your personal thoughts into the review instead of providing people with a summary similar to a book report.

It is good to give your opinion about the book’s quality beyond its content, just don’t go off on a tangent suggesting various endings or other directions in which the book could have gone.

Writing a review for non-fiction books looks a bit different than reviews for fiction books.

You will want to start your review with background information about the author and the information in the book. State why the author is (or is not) a trusted source of information on the subject at hand.

You then want to let the reader know what the author’s goal was when writing the book. Is the goal to inform readers?

To persuade them to do something? To teach them?

The important second step of this is to let the reader know if the author succeeded in meeting their goal.

Provide a summary of the book and an evaluation of its contents.

What are its strengths and weaknesses?

Describe the tone and writing style of the book and its potential value for its intended audience. Did the author present an effective argument?

Were the conclusions that were made by the author reasonable?

Did the author give any recommendations and were they practical?

Be objective in answering this question and provide book readers with the facts.

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You are able to give between one and five stars to a book, depending on how much you enjoyed it.

It is important, however, to think very carefully before giving either a one or a five.

Your five-star reviews should be left for books that have great writing, great editing, and an impactful storyline that makes you want to read it multiple times.

While it may seem like the nice thing to do is to give five stars to every book that you think is pretty good, it does not help potential readers really know if this book is worth their time.

If a book is written and edited well, you should not give it fewer than three stars.

You can give an explanation in your review telling readers why you did not like a book, but if it is well-written and you give it one or two stars, you are making your review too subjective.

You must allow other readers the chance to make their own decision on the content of the book because others may find the content to be great.

Unless a book has absolutely no redeeming qualities at all and the writing has errors and typos, do not give a one-star review.

As a self-published author, you likely know that poor reviews are very distressing to authors, especially if they stand no ground.

Also, getting a negative review from a fellow author can be even more painful than if it is from just a reader in passing.

Authors often focus on the negative points in reviews, even if they are mainly positive, so be careful to tread lightly.

Knowing the potential lasting effect that a negative review can have on an author’s reputation and personal feelings should show you the importance of leaving thoughtful reviews.

While this does not mean you have to be gentle in your criticism, it is important to be careful in the delivery of your opinions.

It is important to note that every book may have something about it that you don’t like.

In this case, it is best to lighten up your book critique and find some ways to put a positive spin on your comments.

For example, if you read a book on a subject and it is geared more towards beginners but doesn’t suggest that in the book’s title, say something like, “This book is a great tool for people who want to brush up on the basics” or something to that effect.

You can be critical without being harsh.

In conclusion, the trick to writing an effective book review is to approach the task in a systematic way.

Keep your focus on the main points you want to communicate to future readers and think about what readers want to get out of your review.

Book reviews should communicate the quality and style of the book without giving away so much detail that readers no longer feel the need to read the book to get more information.

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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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Posted on Aug 11, 2021

Amazon Editorial Reviews: An Indie Author’s Secret Weapon

Love ’em or hate ’em, book reviews are an indispensable part of the publishing process. Not only does a positive review let people know your book exists in the first place, but it also helps readers decide whether to take a chance on it.

Most of the time, self-published authors obsess over user reviews: star ratings and short write-ups that any random user can post on a book’s Amazon page. And while user reviews are certainly valuable — we’ve found that a given book needs at least 10 positive ratings before most readers will consider buying it — don’t overlook the power of professional editorial reviews.

Reviews from the people who know best

Major publishers will bend over backward to secure editorial reviews from publications, like Vanity Fair and The New Yorker , as well as respected figures like popular authors and authorities on the book’s subject. Getting this seal of approval from an institution is something they can promote on the book jacket, on a subway ad, and indeed on the book’s Amazon page.

This post will focus on the power of displaying editorial reviews on Amazon. We’ll show you some of the places where you can secure editorial reviews, then give you some top tips for making them shine on your book page.

Getting reviews in time for your Amazon launch

In addition to showing readers that a trustworthy professional thinks your book is the bee’s knees, the other key advantage to an editorial review is that you can display it on your Amazon book page before your launch date.

This is a departure from standard user reviews. According to Kindle Direct Publishing ’s terms of use, user reviews can only be posted after a book’s release date — in theory, to prevent the page from flooding with fabricated reviews, as most readers wouldn’t even have access to the book yet. So to make sure your book’s Amazon page has enough “review-power” during your launch week and pre-sale period, you must start securing editorial reviews in the months before.

FREE RESOURCE

The Guide to Getting Book Reviews

Learn to pitch your book to potential reviewers with our handy checklist.

Of course, most of the big-name review outlets — national magazines and the like — will have their hands full with big releases from major publishers. But if you’re a humble indie author, don’t panic: there are plenty of reviewers online who are looking for books just like yours! Here are a few promising editorial review outlets to try. 

Reedsy Discovery

Reedsy Discovery is a network of over 1,000 professional reviewers. For $50, you can submit your book to the entire pool, or pitch it directly to individual reviewers who specialize in your genre or seem like they might enjoy your subject.

You can even specify your launch date to ensure your reviewer knows to publish their review by that day. And once the review is published, not only will it appear on a dedicated Discovery page with its own URL, but the book itself will be featured in that week’s Discovery feed for users to upvote — and maybe even in our newsletter to over 250,000 readers.

Book review blogs

You can cast a wider net by searching for book review blogs in your genre and pitching your book to them for a review. Some will charge a fee for an unbiased, professional, and prompt review, while others will do it for free —  but not always with the same gravitas, availability, or expedience. Learn more about how to get editorial reviews from book bloggers .

Which book review site is right for you?

Find out here! Takes 30 seconds

Endorsements

Sometimes confusingly called “blurbs” or “testimonials”, these short reviews are offered by experts and specifically intended for promotional use (as opposed to longer reviews that can be used for promotion, but are primarily meant to inform readers).

In fiction, these experts are often other authors — in a perfect world, it should be someone fairly prominent who writes in your genre. If a Brandon Sanderson fan sees his blurb on the Amazon page for your sci-fi epic, there’s a very good chance they’ll be swayed by his opinion!

For nonfiction, the criteria are a little broader: your testimonials can come from fellow authors, experts in your subject matter, and/or those who have benefitted from your book. So even if you’re unable to get Malcolm Gladwell to endorse your book, you can surely find someone with some kind of authority — someone whose opinion your target audience will trust.

And even if you already have esteemed publications backing you, it never hurts to add more editorial reviews from a variety of sources. For example, in amongst the glowing magazine reviews and celebrity endorsements for James Clear’s Atomic Habits is a testimonial from a military doctor:

For more tips on this, check out this Reedsy webinar on securing endorsements .

Now, let’s jump ahead a bit to when you’ve gathered some sweet reviews and endorsements for your book. How do you add them to your Amazon page?

Upload your reviews through Author Central

KDP’s user interface, Amazon Author Central , isn’t always the easiest to navigate — so for everyone’s benefit, here’s how to load up your editorial reviews step-by-step.

1. Log onto Amazon Author Central and go to “BOOKS”

Once you log onto your Amazon Author Central dashboard, you can view what your author page looks like in different regions and give feedback. But don’t let that distract you — you want to click on BOOKS, either from the center of the dashboard or the tab in the upper left corner of your browser window.

2. Select the book(s) for which you want to add a review

When you’ve selected the book format and edition that you want to add a review to, click on “Edit book details”. If you have more than one format or edition, you’ll have to add the reviews to each version separately, but this won’t take long if you have everything already on hand.

3. Select “Edit” next to “Review”

Once you’ve opened the overview for the correct edition, select “Edit” next to “Review” to either add new reviews or edit older ones. Then preview the review, hit “Save changes”, and presto: a brand new editorial review to bolster your Amazon page!

So you’ve figured out how to upload editorial reviews — and if you play your cards right, you’ll have your pick of testimonials. How do you pick which reviews to display, and which elements of them to highlight?

Cherry-pick your quotes and make them stand out!

Once you have reviews to post, don’t get too excited and just start copy/pasting them in their entirety. Your goal here is to curate your reviews for maximum impact, which means you should pick the best line or two from each review — coordinating your quotes such that each one says something unique about your book.

For example, say you receive the following editorial reviews (abridged for convenience):

1. “I was hooked from start to finish. A hypnotically compelling story, full of characters you love to hate, only for them to turn all your assumptions on their heads. The pacing was taut, with answers expertly doled out — it’s a domestic fiction novel with the pounding heart of a thriller. Would recommend it for fans of Meg Wolitzer and Gillian Flynn alike…”

2. “This is a fantastically compelling read. The characters took up residence in my psyche and refused to leave. I felt a particular connection to Sophie, the cheery suburban mother battling an onslaught of invisible demons. The way she never hesitated to make sacrifices for her children, bleeding internally all the while, reminded me far too much of the matriarchs in my own family…”

Both these reviews mention the compelling story and strong characters, so make sure one review’s Amazon blurb doesn’t repeat the other. From these reviews, in particular, you might pull the unique genre description from the first and the quote about the characters from the second.

As well as avoiding repetition, Amazon offers a few other suggestions in the editorial review guidelines...

Don’t paraphrase and make sure your source is legit

As per Amazon’s guidelines:

Reviews should consist of transcribed text from reputable sources. The name of the source should be credited after the quotation.

In short, you’re not allowed to edit or paraphrase what a reviewer has written, and the review cannot be something your uncle’s cousin said. An exception might be if your uncle’s cousin is an actual, seasoned reviewer or someone who has some authority in your book’s subject matter — but basically, don’t include any ol’ user review in this section.

Keep your quotes short

Quotes from outside reviews should follow “fair use” copyright guidelines and be limited to 1-2 sentences. 

Copyright law in most countries allow you to include short quotes from a published text (in this case, a review) for educational, editorial, or critique purposes. If you replicate more than just a few sentences, you run the risk of breaking copyright guidelines — which is not a cool thing for an author to do. So from the reviews above, you’d take quotes of about this length:

“I was hooked from start to finish. A domestic fiction novel with the pounding heart of a thriller.”

“The characters took up residence in my psyche and refused to leave.” 

This is a blurb, not War and Peace

Limit your reviews to 3,000 characters.

Regardless of what Amazon says, 3,000 characters are way too many. Even the most acclaimed books on Amazon only have a few hundred characters in their Editorial Review sections. Your prospective readers don't want to read whole essays about your book — again, just cherry-pick the most impactful, complimentary quotes.

Don’t include “forbidden” details

Having covered what you should include in your editorial reviews, here are the details you shouldn’t include (again, as per Amazon’s restrictions):

• External links (e.g. to your author website)
• Personal information like email addresses or phone numbers
• Advertising or promotional links
• Price information
• Information that is subject to change (e.g. temporary campaign information)

Apart from all this, everything else is up to you!

Do format the text for maximum impact

Amazon Author Central’s text edit feature is a bit limited, though it does allow you to use bold text, italicized text , bullet-point lists, or numbered lists. Just because you can format your text, doesn’t mean you need to make every other word stand out. Your goal is to help Amazon customers who are scanning the page to see what you want them to see.

Most people don’t actually remember what the review says, but they will notice who said it or what their qualifications were. So what you highlight will differ depending on the review itself. For instance, you might emphasize:

• The reviewer's name (if they’re well known in relevant circles) 
• Their qualifications, or 
• A publication that they work for.

Note that if you’re copying text from other word processing programs, some of the previous formattings may transfer and slow down the page. It’s, therefore, better to either write it directly into the box or copy your reviews from a plain text editor like TextEdit or Notepad.

And with that, congratulations: you’ve finished setting up your editorial reviews! In the indie publishing space, editorial reviews are a bafflingly underused feature of books’ Amazon pages. But with the help of this article, you should have all the information to take full advantage of them — before your competition realizes what they’re missing.

Continue reading

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How to leave a book review on Amazon (anonymously or not)

November 30, 2017 by Jo Maeder 12 Comments

When a tech-savvy friend confessed that she loved my book yet had no idea how to leave a review on Amazon, I decided to write this for her and anyone else who may not know. Books depend on word-of-mouth and  mouse . It’s part of my job description now to ask readers to leave book reviews the way politicians ask for votes: constantly.

I have not gone this far. So far.

Seen on a car at the Bookmarks Book Festival in Winston-Salem, NC.

I don’t know about you, but I’m bombarded with requests for reviews, from things I buy to businesses and doctors I’ve used. It’s easy to say “NO!” I bought your doodad. Isn’t that enough? Or we’re more inclined to write a review about something/someone we hate, not love.

So here we go.

Find the book’s page on Amazon by typing the title in the Amazon search bar . Or type in the author’s name and go to their Amazon Author Page. You can find it on any book page if you click on their name in blue under a title, to the left of “(Author)”.

The Amazon Author Page looks like this and gives you an overview of the author with features like their bio, videos, events, discussions, and a “FOLLOW” button under their main photo. Click on the book cover image of the book you want to review. Following is nice, too, if you’re a fan.

Once on the page, scroll down to where you see “Write a customer review” and click on it .

If you don’t want to use your real name, once you click on the “Write a customer review” button, look in the upper right corner to change your reviewer name.

Click “CHANGE” that is in tiny blue letters under the words “YOUR PUBLIC NAME”. A blank box appears that you then write your chosen reviewer name for that review. Click DONE. You can change it on any review. I have changed mine below to demonstrate. It’s not the name I use.

Your review does not appear instantly. It must be checked first. Amazon may not post a review where the reviewer says they know the author or there are more than one from the same household for the same product. However, telling friends, bookstores and libraries that you know the author can be a win-win for everyone.

The more reviews you leave on various sites the better, but if you only leave one, make it on Amazon, the leader in online book sales. As of this writing, it is not required that you purchase a book through them to review it there. You only need to have bought something on Amazon and have an account.

[UPDATE MARCH 5, 2018. You now have to have bought at least $50 of any kind of merchandise on Amazon with a valid credit or debit card and you cannot write a review for a free e-book if you were given the book specifically to write the review (except if you are in the Vine Program). For complete details on Amazon’s latest rules click here .]

I encourage the “3 out of 10 Rule.” If three out of ten books you read are bought at a brick-and-mortar bookstore, those stores will survive. Bookstores are important cultural meccas for every community and need all the support they can get — especially with Amazon as their competition. Number two in importance of reviews is Goodreads.com (which is owned by Amazon). Good old word-of-mouth is just as important as that Amazon review. Ya gotta show the love when you feel it. It’s like Paying it Forward.

Online book reviews do three things.

1) Though everything is subjective, reviews let potential readers know if they should consider investing their time and money in a book.

2) The more reviews, the more the book is lifted in search engine algorithms. Even if a book has lots of reviews, if the reviews slow down, so does the search engine. All books need to be fed. Be generous with your morsels. Even one sentence is better than nothing.

3) It makes you feel good to rejoice in a book you love!

What if you have negative feelings about a book? Does it feel good to vent them? Not for me. I know how hard it is to write a book and have it published. And, see #1. It’s subjective. Why hurt the feelings and ratings of someone whose book just isn’t my cup of tea? There have been many a bestseller I found unreadable. You are welcome to adopt this philosophy with my tomes. No like-ee. No tell-ee.

Thank you for spreading the word about your favorite books!

Jo Maeder’s Amazon Author Page

Thank you for this … I’ve done all you’ve said, but alas, I do not see the “Write a Customer Review” area. 🙁 But thank you, this was informative. I am an Apple user, do not know if this makes a difference.

Hi Sheryln. Thanks for writing. Go to the Amazon page for the book you want to review. Scroll down past Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought…Special Offers and Product Promotions…Editorial Reviews…Product Details…More About the Author and then you get to Product Reviews and you’ll see a gray button that says WRITE A CUSTOMER REVIEW to the right of the graph showing how many stars the book has. Let me know if that doesn’t work.

It doesn’t work since you can only review items you purchased comes up

Hi Maureen. Thanks for writing. I’m so sorry you took the time to try to write a review and couldn’t. I really appreciate you making the effort. It looks like you can still leave a review as long as you have an Amazon account and have bought something with it at least once. Jo

I want to leave a comment on a book “A Stranger’s Love by Linda Sealey Knowles. I really enjoyed it and sat reading for 24 hr, what a wonderful story, makes me feel like I am right there with characters. Amazon needs to fix how to write a review, this was only way I could do it.

The Last Visitation by James Iber . Being a history student and sociologist I enjoyed reading this book. It was hard to put down. I put my self into to the book, because I felt that Iber writing style would get me to the end of the book with a better understanding from the beginning to the end. Also my background I could identify with the theme.

April 14, 2023 – I don’t review much on Amazon, but I wanted to write a review today for the first time since 2019. The book is one that I did buy, in Kindle format, on Amazon. But there’s a new twist – because Amazon believes that customers are helped best if there’s a photo or a video for a review, I wasn’t allowed to get to the title and text of my review until I uploaded one of these! So I took a screen shot of the first page of the book. I hope I didn’t violate any copyright laws. This type of thing should not be required for a book, whether it be an ebook, audiobook, or “real” book.

As I said, I think my last review was posted in 2019. It was a book for which I was a “verified purchaser” because I bought it on Amazon as a gift, to be sent directly to the recipient. I had read the book, but it was a copy I found in a library about 150 miles from my home that I was able to read in one sitting. That’s why I knew it would make a great gift for the person I sent it to. It’s a good thing I didn’t have to upload a photo then because I didn’t have a copy of the book in my possession!

I hope that when I hit Post Comment here that I won’t get presented with a montage of photos asking me to choose all with, say, motorcycles.

Thanks for the heads up about this, and I hope you did not have to choose any motorcycles, cars, buses, etc!

Thank you for trying to help others, like me navigate, writing a review anonymously. I absolutely don’t my complete name on a review in world full of anger & lashing out! Not that I would like read them anyway. I also very much agree that you should not write a negative review simply because it did not appeal to your tastes. I’m not a literary critic & try to say what appealed to me or warn against things that many other people may not like. I feel guilty resorting to ebooks that have audio. I buy books that I know a few people to share with or science type books that I may reread chapters in the future. I’ll try your advice the next time I would leave a review if it allowed a “pretense” of privacy – ugh. Thank you!

Very helpful

Thank you for sharing how to leave a book review and also your thoughts on when perhaps to not leave a book review!

I have a question I just left a book review on Amazon and I gave it five stars and noticed after I submitted it unfortunately only had four stars. Once the review is published can I make an edit to give it the five star rating that I wanted to do in the first place? I look forward to reading your response. Thank you!

Hi Lauren. That’s odd the stars didn’t match. At the bottom of your review there should be two tabs: Edit and Delete. Under Edit you can change the stars, what you said, and add a photo/video. I checked a book review I left recently and it had those options. (Jill McCorkle’s “Old Crimes and Other Stories”. Excellent!)

Thank you for asking.

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Do-it-yourself book marketing tips, tools, and tactics

How to give readers a direct Amazon review link

Not getting enough reader reviews on Amazon?

Make it easier for readers by giving them a direct Amazon review link they can use to write an honest reader review.

I’ve created a short video that shows how to send them directly to the review form for your book on Amazon.

Table of Contents

Finding your direct Amazon review link

All it takes is a few clicks. Here’s how to do it:

Abbreviated transcript/instructions:

• On your book’s sales page, go to the review stars at the top under the book title. (No reviews yet? I cover that later in the video.)
• Hover your mouse over the stars. Click on “see all customer reviews.” That takes me down the page to my reviews.
• Underneath the summary of reviews, you’ll see the option to “review this product.” Click on “write a customer review.” It takes your readers to the review template. This is where readers review your book.
• To share that specific link, go to top of your screen and copy the URL. Use a URL shortener (I use bit.ly but there are others) to make a shorter version.
• When you don’t have reviews already, from your sales page, scroll down to customer reviews. (You’ll still have the customer review section.) You’ll see the “write a customer review” link. Click on that.
• Copy that URL and shorten it.
• Share the link with readers. In particular, include it when you give them the Build Book Buzz Reader Book Review Form .
• Add it to the end of your book so readers can click on it in the e-version or  type it into a browser for the print version.

Why this is important

Like it or not, reader reviews are the “ social proof ” readers look for when making a decision about buying a book.

Most authors struggle to get reviews, so the easier you make it for readers to write a short, honest, and meaningful review, the more likely they will be to support you with a review.

For help finding readers who write reviews, be sure to read “ 9 places to look for readers to write reviews ” on this site.

What’s your best tip for getting reader reviews? Please tell us in a comment! 

Like what you’re reading? Get it delivered to your inbox every week by subscribing to the free Build Book Buzz newsletter. You’ll also get my free “Top 5 Free Book Promotion Resources” cheat sheet immediately!

Sandra Beckwith is an author, book marketing coach, freelance writer, and national award-winning former publicist whose Build Book Buzz book marketing blog is ranked 7th among thousands globally and has been honored as a top website for authors and writers seven times.

48 Comments

Thanks so much for this helpful tip, Sandra!

You’re welcome, Jarm! Thanks for stopping by.

An excellent tip! You always share valuable info — thank you. I’m going to share with my authors and St. Louis Publishers Assoc. community 🙂

I’m so glad it was helpful, Peggy, and thanks for sharing it with the SLPA. You and I met when Bobbi Linkemer recruited me for an in-person workshop for the group! You have so many fantastic members.

Is there a way to include a link that will connect to the reader’s specific Amazon marketplace? As a Canadian, nothing ticks me off more than to be constantly punted over to the US site.

Start with your book’s listing on the country-specific Amazon marketplace. If your book is available in Canada, that’s the review link you’ll want to share.

What I am looking for is a universal link that will direct the reader to whete to leave a review in the Amazon marketplace in their own country. My books are sold all over the world. I can direct readers to book pages in their countries but not the review link. It is frustrating.

I don’t think you’ll find a universal link because there’s no universal sales page.

Thank you so much for sharing this video and instructions, Sandra. I continue to appreciate you and your great blog posts!

You’re welcome, Phoebe! Thank you for such a lovely comment.

Thanks for this easy and important tip! Supplying direct URL links to specific pages on sites is a great idea for this and any other time you want to direct someone’s attention with fewer distractions. It makes it so much easier on the readers. THX again!

So true! Thanks for that important and helpful reminder. It applies to so much more than your book’s review form on Amazon!

It may have been well-intentioned but it does not work. See All Customer Reviews does take you to / Write a Customer Review – but once you click on that, it takes you to YOUR OWN log-in page to Amazon, and once you log-in, it will tell you that you don’t have enough purchases to review this book and there is NO LINKK that you can provide to your readers. I’ve no idea what these readers above thanked you for – but this ‘helpful suggestion’ does not work.

Edita, did you try logging in first?

Also, Edita, you have to have spent at least $50 on Amazon in the past 12 months to review any product, so that’s part of your problem.

Thanks for the post. I do know how to do this, and I include a direct link in my back matter and in my newsletters and anywhere else I can think of. My problem is that most of my readers do not spend $50 with Amazon within the time frame and therefore can’t post a customer review even if they wanted to. Goodreads is an option but I’ve also had readers who don’t want to sign up to GR just to leave a review for me as they’ve had issues with GRs.

How interesting, Vicky. They’ve told you that about their Amazon spending? Pretty hard to get around that one.

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These suggestions are very clear and I’m eager to follow them to create a link, but when I click on write a review, Amazon takes me to my sign-in page, and when I sign in, and am back at the write a review page, the only URL at the top of the page is amazon.com. The longer URL which would pertain to the particular book, does not appear. What might be the problem here?

Tom, have you tried logging in to your account before you go to your book’s page?

QUESTION: Since I have to be signed in to access the review page the link is through my account. Presumably, if they try to use that link it will look like I’m writing the review of my book. Plus, can they continue on in Amazon through my account? I’m probably missing a vital step here LOL

Thanks for any help you can offer! Debbi

Debbi, the review link you can copy when you follow the instructions is not linked to your account. It’s the same link everyone sees when they’re on your book’s “page” on Amazon.

Thank you so much for this valuable info! I am getting ready to publish my first book through KDP. Once I have this link… how do I get it into my ebook if the book is already published? Are we able to easily edit a book after the Publish button is hit? Thank you!

Yes, you can update the file and upload it again. And congratulations on your book!

My book is on pre-order and I am trying to add a link into the final manuscript before it goes off for formatting.

When I click on the ‘Write A Customer Review’ button it says ‘This item is not eligable for review’

Is this because I am the author, or because the book is not yet released?

I would like to pu the link in the manuscript ready to go for formatting. Can you advise?

Jackie, I suspect it’s because it’s not available for purchase — nobody can review it until it is. But I also can’t find a book by you that’s available for pre-order so I can give it a try, too. Could you post a link here?

If you’re self-publishing and it’s print-on-demand for print books, you can easily update the e-book and print files as soon as it goes live.

Thank you, Sandy. It’s not so easy for me to update the files myself as I have them professionally formatted by a third party. This is a universal link to my book It Never Rains But It Paws – A Road Trip Through Politics And A Pandemic; mybook.to/NeverRains

Your formatter will be able to update the files for you. And it’s definitely because the book isn’t published yet.

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hI Sandra – Most helpful (and clever) idea. Can I create and share this link with my reviewers befor the ‘go live on Amazon’ date?

That’s a great question, Michael. No, you can’t. Because readers can’t post a review until it’s live, you also can’t generate a link to share with them. But if you’ve got a review team/street team/launch team/whatever team lined up, I’d grab that link as soon as it publishes and send it out to them.

I’m unable to leave reviews myself, as I haven’t spent the required amount. When I try to access the “leave review” page I get an error message. If I were to give that link to a reader they would get the same message. How to overcome this?

Thomas, you can ask a friend to follow the instructions and get the link for you.

Hello – do your review forms (whether for fiction or NF) address distinctions in language between American and British English? Would be nice if neither set of forms had to address the matter!

Many thanks – John

They don’t, John. Why do you ask — what’s the issue with reviews?

It relates to the audience to whom I’m reaching out. Assume that a given would-be reviewer would prefer to read the review form written in a specific language, and might not otherwise complete the form. This is a thing – albeit not confirmed in this particular instance.

However your form, which presumably is written in American English, may map perfectly to British English. In which case my purchase of such would not give rise to any British English language concerns. Might I bother you to confirm that there are no mapping issues; alternatively, would you be interested in a proofreading of your form for the sake of your international audience?

It is written in American English. It won’t confuse people who speak and read British English. The form contains instructions that anyone who can read English can follow. Readers using the form to review books can write reviews in the language of their choice.

That doesn’t properly answer my question, but thank you for your bother.

It’s the best I can do.

The issue is more around whether I could use the same form for either type of audience, without potentially giving rise to some manner of English language usage offence (or *offense* if you will).

As we know, readers can be a picky AND prickly bunch…

It is not giving me a link without the person signing into Amazon.

It just gives an amazon link to sign in??

Janis, the issue here might be that anyone writing a review has to have spent at least $50 on Amazon, so logging in to your account is how you verify that. Are you logged in when you’re getting your review link?

So, if I understand correctly, I go into an already published book to create the link, then shorten it and add it to the book. Correct? But if the book is already published, does that mean I have to unpublish it, add the link to the manuscript/inside the book, and then republish it?

Joanne, it’s a simple edit to the book, and yes, that’s one option. Not a big deal. You can also simply provide the link with review copies, include it in emails, share it on social media, and so on.

Oh dear, not so easy for me. I created the link and shortened it. I tried to edit my book PDF and had to purchase Adobe Pro. So I copied the shortened link, but now how do I get it to link? Sorry, I’m a 70-year-old, and all this technology is new to me, and my head is about to explode trying to get this to work.

Joanne, I don’t provide tech support, but I hope you can get someone to help you.

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How to Write a Book Review + Bonus Tips!

Whether you are a writer or a blogger, it will help to know a few things about book reviews. Book reviews used to be solely a formal analysis, but with sites like Amazon and Goodreads… the book review has a new meaning. Now, you can write a book review for the sake of trying to urge potential readers to get their credit cards out.

In this article, we’ll look at how you can write a formal book review. However, if you’re looking to write shorter reviews for Amazon or Goodreads, you can still use parts of this article too.

Table of contents

• What is a Book Review?
• Before you start writing, develop key questions for your book review.
• Introduction
• Your Summary of the Book
• Include your analysis and opinion.
• Conclude your points.
• Be clear with your position.
• Remember Your Audience
• Include a Rating
• Proofread Before Posting
• Final thoughts

In order to ensure we’re on the same page, let’s start with the basics. It’s important to know that a book review is not the same as a book summary. A book summary–AKA an abstract–is a shortened version of a book. A book summary recaps the main ideas and doesn’t include any additional commentary.

On the other hand, a book review summarizes the book along with giving your opinions, interpretations, ideas, and critiques. The beauty of a book review is that you’re able to continue the conversation that the book starts. So rather than just summarize someone else’s opinions, you can become a part of the book and the surrounding discussion. If you’re a book blogger, you may also write a book review to try and sway potential readers to buy it as well.

Another thing commonly confused with book reviews and summaries are book synopses. Learn the difference and how to write a book synopsis here!

Sadly, there is no formal way to write a book review. For most cases though, writing a book review is a simple two-step process. First, develop an argument about the book. And be sure to make that argument as you write your review. Second, create a series of questions to concentrate your thinking towards a specific topic. While we have designed these questions for reviewing books , they’d be useful if you have to review pretty much anything.

• What is the main argument of the book? If the author wanted you to get one idea from the book, what would it be? How does it compare to the world you know? What has the book accomplished? Was the author successful?
• What exactly is the subject or topic of the book? Does the author cover the subject appropriately? Does the author cover all aspects of the subject fairly?
• How does the author support their argument? What evidence has the author used to prove their point? Do you find the book’s evidence convincing? Why or why not? Does the book conflict with anything else you’ve read?
• How does the author structure an argument? Does the argument make sense? Why or why not?
• How has this book helped you understand the subject? Would you recommend the book to your reader?

Having these questions as the foundation for your book review will make sure that your analysis is on topic and relevant to the discussion. So, make sure these questions are at the forefront of your mind when reading a book you want to review.

How to Write a Book Review: What You Need to Include

• Your summary of the book
• Include your analysis and opinion
• Conclude your points
• Be clear with your position
• Remember your audience

Once you’ve looked over your notes to the questions above, you need to create an overarching viewpoint or thesis for your review. What is the main point of your review? What are you adding?

When it comes down to writing your book review, you’ve got to say as much as possible with as few words as possible. Typically, a good book review is around the 1000 word mark. However, if you’re reviewing a book on a website like Goodreads, you may have to keep it even shorter.

But despite your review’s length, here’s a basic structure you can keep.

In the introduction, give your readers insight into what the book is all about. However, you need to make sure you’re concise and straight to the point while doing so. Get your reader interested in reading the book if they haven't or contributing to the conversation if they have.

Throughout your introduction, try to stay unbiased with your comments about the book. There should be a fair balance in the beginning as you’ll give your critical opinions later. The introduction to your book review will need to include:

• A good hook : When you are writing a book review, the hook is one of the most important lines you’ll write . Your major aim here should be to draw the reader’s attention and have them interested enough to read the rest of your review, maybe even read the entire book.
• Important information: Include the book’s author, title, date of publication.
• Background on the author : What do you know about the author? When were they alive and when were they writing? Did the author’s background have a major role in the book’s message?
• The book’s theses : What message is the author trying to say with the book? This will be a lot easier if you’re reviewing a non-fiction book as they are more obvious in their theses.

You need to include a short summary of the book in your review. Nothing more than a few paragraphs. Make sure you don’t go into too much detail–you’re writing a review, not a full analysis. Look to keep your summary short and sweet. This way the potential reader has an idea about what to expect in the full book without revealing everything.

The Writing Center states that when you’re looking to summarize the plot, you also have to consider the audience of your work. For example, if you’re writing book reviews for comprehensive grad exams, you’ll want to include more of the book’s contents. However, if you’re writing a review to an audience that’s already read the book, you’ll have to scope and emphasize the subtle points of the text. If you’re writing a review for a website or a blog, you’ll want to fall somewhere in between.

Formatting Has Never Been Easier

Write and format professional books with ease.  Never before has creating formatted books been easier.

Rather than go through the book and give analysis chapter by chapter, break your writing down into arguments. Think about it the same way you’d write an English paper in high school.

Dedicate a paragraph or two to each argument you make about the book. To drive your points home, sometimes it’s necessary to quote the text. This shows that your views are grounded in evidence from the book. Paraphrase quotes when you can, as it saves time and makes your review more concise.

Recap your analysis before making your final judgement on the book. If you’re writing a literary review, go over the book’s main points. And if you’re a book blogger writing a sales-focused review, you may want to include a Call-to-Action.

Like any piece of writing, you shouldn’t look to include new points in your conclusion. Instead, reiterate the points you’ve already made.

Other things to consider when writing a book review

Once you’ve got the key structure down, here are a few additional things you should pay attention to.

While you need to provide accurate information about the book, it is also important in a book review that you make your feelings and opinions clear. It’s not enough to just describe the plot and use a bunch of general statements. Instead, let everyone know what you think. Don’t be afraid to include your own opinions about the events, characters and settings in the book.

Depending on the way you want readers to take your review, you can make your opinion clear right from the beginning. And give your insights as you explain the plot. For example, if there’s a character or device used that you think is notably weak or strong, include your views.

Your audience is reading your review so they can get an honest opinion. Let them know if they should or shouldn’t read the full book.

The audience reading your book review should dictate the style in which you write. So, look at the publication you’re publishing in (or the reason for writing) and make adjustments accordingly. If you’re writing a buyer-focused review, make recommendations to the right audiences. Game of Thrones would not only appeal to fantasy fans, but also to those who enjoy a good political thriller.

We touched on this earlier, but for a buyer-focused book review, the rating is very important. The way you rate a book determines the overall feeling you have and will impact the opinions of those reading your review.

Star rating systems are popular and widely understood. We all know a five-star thing is good, and one-star is mostly terrible. Apart from the star rating, you can use a conventional rating such as five out of ten points or a school-based letter grade.

The book’s author probably went to a lot of effort to put their thoughts into words, the least you can do is the same. There isn’t anything that takes credibility away from a written viewpoint quicker than poor spelling and grammar. Make sure you use a top-notch writing tool like ProWritingAid to edit and optimize your work.

So, there you have it. If you want to write a book review, follow these steps to get started. Personally, I find it easier to learn through great examples. So I’d go ahead and recommend checking out The New York Times Sunday Book Review and The New York Review of Books for some of the best book reviews available.

Dave Chesson

When I’m not sipping tea with princesses or lightsaber dueling with little Jedi, I’m a book marketing nut. Having consulted multiple publishing companies and NYT best-selling authors, I created Kindlepreneur to help authors sell more books. I’ve even been called “The Kindlepreneur” by Amazon publicly, and I’m here to help you with your author journey.

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How to leave a book rating or review on Amazon (even if you didn’t buy your book there)

It's the #2 question* I get from readers: "Can I leave a review for your book on Amazon, even though I didn't buy your book there?"

The answer is: You  can leave a rating or review for a book that you didn't purchase on the site.

Why Amazon ratings/reviews are important to authors

A rating is the number of stars a book has. Amazon allows customers to rate a book with one to five stars.

One is bad.

Five is freaking awesome .

A review is your viewpoint on the book.

What you thought of it.

Why other readers should get the book (or stay away).

Amazon keeps their algorithm and business plans closely-guarded, but the bottom line is this:

The more ratings and reviews a book has, the more relevant Amazon sees it.

And when a book is relevant, Amazon will suggest it to more people.

How to leave a book rating or review on Amazon

• Log into your Amazon account.
• Go to the book title you want to rate/review
• Select the number of stars you'd like to rate the book. If you'd like to just rate the book without leaving a review, go to step five.
• Write a review in the Customer Reviews section. A review should be a minimum of 20 words and should tell other readers why they would like the book. (What did you like about it? What other books is it like?)
• Click submit. Amazon will usually send you an email that lets you know your review was accepted.

Want to take it a step further?

Share your review on BookBub and Goodreads.

Do you like spicy romantic comedies with couples over 35?

I have a whole bunch of books like that.

Check 'em out here .

In case you were wondering - the #1 question I get from readers is: "What happens next in the series?"

Follow me on Amazon and never miss a new release alert.

Amazon Best-Selling Author Dawn Dugle is the creator of the Flamingo Cove Quartet , Saber Sisters , Pleasure Point , and Wysdom Ward Case Files series.

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Sample Easy Book Review & Template To Use on Amazon (or anywhere else)!

Please Share With Your Friends!

Last Updated on October 10, 2023 by Sarah McCubbin

Customer book reviews on Amazon are a valuable resource for both authors and other customers. Many of us use these reviews on a regular basis to help us sift through the titles there for the perfect one for our situation. This book review template and sample book review will make it easy for you to write a great review!

(Affiliate Disclosure: Purchases made through links on this page may result in me earning a small commission. Thank you!)

In 2021, I was helping my brother and friend launch their new real estate book on Amazon. They needed reviews for their book. We had a launch team of family, friends and supporters. But I realized that as people bought the book, it didn’t necessarily translate into reviews. Why? I think it is because there is SO MUCH in a book and people don’t know know how to narrow that down into something helpful…so they don’t write a review. So, I put out an explanation of how to write reviews…and this book review template…and the reviews began to trickle in. Funny enough though, this became the most popular post on my blog even though it had nothing to do with my main content. I hope YOU find it helpful and if you think there are other things I should add, send me an email to [email protected] . Happy Reading!

Table of Contents

Why Are Book Reviews Important?

Book reviews help potential buyers know if a book will meet their specific needs.

Here is an example of how a book review would save a customer from purchasing a book that isn’t right for them:

You are on a diet and need some new recipes. Great! You go looking for a low-sugar cookbook and find one with a lot of 5-star reviews which seems promising. It also has some 1 and 2-star reviews. Out of curiosity, you start reading the low reviews and realize that the comments all mention that this cookbook uses a lot of sugar substitutes in place of regular sugar.

Perhaps your actual diet goal is whole foods eating plan (no sugar substitutes) that is low-sugar but your search did not have all those details because you weren’t thinking about it that way. However, when you read the reviews, you realized…Nope..this cookbook is not the one for me.

These reviews saved you a lot of frustration and prevented you from ordering a book that did not meet your needs.

What Should I Include in My Book Review?

Your review is likely only going to be about 5 or 6 sentences. That is a short amount of space to include all or some of the following:

• Amazon will require that you Title your review. So pick a short title that gives readers an idea of how your review might help their situation (i.e. “From No Cooking Skills to Almost-Gourmet Chef Nearly Overnight” as a title for a book on cooking for beginners.
• Why you bought the book
• What you hoped to learn from the book
• How the book helped you (or didn’t help you)
• Who would you recommend this book to?
• Did the book live up to it’s claims
• Comments about specific formats of the book (i.e. the Kindle book is poorly formatted or the print size in the paperback version is printed too light to read easily)
• If you have expertise in the area of the book, you can agree or disagree with the author’s premises. A positive review from an “expert” will add to their credibility, but a negative review from an expert will detract from the author’s credibility…so use this carefully.

What Should I NOT include in My Book Review?

• Details about poor shipping times. These have nothing to do with the book and can be left on the seller’s review page.
• Any mention of your relationship to the author (i.e. “I’m Bill’s mom…sister…friend…neighbor…etc”) It is fine for these people to review the book…just don’t put it in the review itself.

Amazon Rules For Customer Reviews

How Long Should My Review Be?

Reviews can be long or short. They can be 1 sentence or 5 paragraphs. The important thing is that if you take the time to review it you are giving value to someone who reads your review…that your intention is to help the next person.

A Sample “Fill In the Blank” Non-Fiction Book Review

I got this book because ( problem you needed to solve ). I thought ( BOOK TITLE ) might give me more information about ( fill in the blank ). I was not disappointed. This book helped me so much. I learned a lot about ( what are some things you learned in the book ). Moving forward, I know I’ll be able to ( what you plan to do ). I highly recommend this book to anyone who ( fill in the blank with the type of person who would benefit from this book).

Obviously, your review does not have to follow that format or use every sentence. If you have more thoughts to add, definitely do that. The most important thing is that your review is honest and adds value to other potential readers.

If you need more information about writing Amazon book reviews including the rules and how to use stars, please read: How to Write a Good Book Review on Amazon. I hope this template is helpful. If you think other things should be added, please send me an email at [email protected] . Have a great day!

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The Amazon.com Books homepage helps you explore Earth's Biggest Bookstore without ever leaving the comfort of your couch. Here you'll find current best sellers in books, new releases in books, deals in books, Kindle eBooks, Audible audiobooks, and so much more. We have popular genres like Literature & Fiction, Children's Books, Mystery & Thrillers, Cooking, Comics & Graphic Novels, Romance, Science Fiction & Fantasy, and Amazon programs such as Best Books of the Month, the Amazon Book Review, and Amazon Charts to help you discover your next great read.

In addition, you'll find great book recommendations that may be of interest to you based on your search and purchase history, as well as the most wished for and most gifted books. We hope you enjoy the Amazon.com Books homepage!

Amazon.com Books has the world’s largest selection of new and used titles to suit any reader's tastes. Find best-selling books, new releases, and classics in every category, from Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird to the latest by Stephen King or the next installment in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid children’s book series. Whatever you are looking for: popular fiction, cookbooks, mystery, romance, a new memoir, a look back at history, or books for kids and young adults, you can find it on Amazon.com Books. Discover a new favorite author or book series, a debut novel or a best-seller in the making. We have books to help you learn a new language, travel guides to take you on new adventures, and business books for entrepreneurs. Let your inner detective run wild with our mystery, thriller & suspense selection containing everything from hard-boiled sleuths to twisty psychological thrillers. Science fiction fans can start the Game of Thrones book series or see what's next from its author, George R.R. Martin. You’ll find the latest New York Times best-seller lists, and award winners in literature, mysteries, and children’s books. Get reading recommendations from our Amazon book editors, who select the best new books each month and the best books of the year in our most popular genres. Read the books behind blockbuster movies like Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games , John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars , Stephenie Meyers’ Twilight series, or E.L. James’ 50 Shades of Grey . For new and returning students, we have textbooks to buy, rent or sell and teachers can find books for their classroom in our education store. Whether you know which book you want or are looking for a recommendation, you’ll find it in the Amazon.com Books store.

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May 8, 2024

Written by Amazon Staff

Introducing the Amazon Book Sale—a new shopping event with deals on thousands of books, starting May 15

The Amazon Book Sale is happening now—here are the 50 best deals to shop through May 20

Stock up on eBooks starting at $0.99 and print books as low as $4.99, including from trending #BookTok authors like Colleen Hoover, Casey McQuiston, and Toshikazu Kawaguchi.

What is Amazon Book Sale?

When is amazon book sale.

What are some of the best early deals and offers?

Can I see all of my Amazon books in one place? Yes—introducing Your Books.

Your Books is a personalized space to explore all of your print, Kindle, and Audible books, receive recommendations, and gain insights into your reading habits.

• Save 29%—Amazon’s lowest price—on select Kindle Scribe devices
• Save up to 80% on curated recommendations made by the Amazon Books Editors , including Kindle Books like Memphis , The Last Bookshop in London , Now Is Not the Time to Panic , Happy-Go-Lucky , Broken (in the best possible way) , and The Black Church: This Is Our Story, This Is Our Song
• Save on popular books trending on #BookTok , including 75% on Alexis Hall’s A Lady for a Duke , 70% on the Sarah J. Maas Starter Bundle: A Court of Thorns and Roses , House of Earth and Blood , and Throne of Glass (available May 13; Kindle Book only), and 57% on Rebecca Serle’s Expiration Dates

Anthony Bourdain’s

• Save up to 60% on popular book club picks , including The Christie Affair (Reese's Book Club; Kindle Book only) , Middlesex (Oprah’s Book Club), and Good Company (Read with Jenna; Kindle Book only)
• Save up to 50% on popular book-to-screen titles , including American Prometheus: The Inspiration for the Major Motion Picture OPPENHEIMER , The Lord of the Rings , Firefly Lane , Red, White & Royal Blue, The Last Kingdom , and The Princess Bride (available May 12)
• Save up to 40% on classics like Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice (available May 12) and Plato’s The Republic (available May 12)
• Save up to 40% on popular children’s graphic novels , including Serena Blasco’s Enola Holmes: The Graphic Novels and Mariah Marsden’s The Secret Garden: A Graphic Novel
• Get three months of Kindle Unlimited for $0.00
• Choose any May First Reads , free with Prime or only $1.99 for a limited time, and get a $2 credit toward a select Kindle book
• Discover the latest Kindle Challenge mystery reveal and unlock a new achievement in the Kindle app when they read any three days between May 14 and May 20

All the best new books available to Kindle Unlimited members

Explore the latest releases and enjoy popular books and authors right now with Kindle Unlimited, our binge-worthy literary subscription service that offers unlimited reading and listening.

How can I find new book recommendations?

Do you have to be a Prime member to shop Amazon Book Sale?

The Best Hardcover and Paperback Deals of the Amazon Book Sale (UPDATED May 17, 2024)

Today is the first day of the six-day Amazon Book Sale . It includes deals on tablets and ereaders, Amazon Editors’ print book picks , most shelved Goodreads books , books by Asian Pacific American Heritage Month authors, books by Black authors , ebooks in Spanish , and much more. You can browse them on the Amazon Book Sale page , or you can check out our curated list of deals below.

This list has been updated May 17th: all these deals are still active and more have been added!

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Louryn Strampe

Amazon Is Hosting a Massive Book Sale

Is there anything better than lounging in the sun, reading a fantastic book? I think not. Now is an excellent time to stock up on books for the summer, because Amazon has a huge book sale running through May 20. Ebook prices start at $1, while print books are going for as low as $5. Every genre you can think of is covered in the sale, from classics to children's books to BookTok faves. We'll list our favorites below, but you should check the whole thing out for yourself . Maybe you can finally put a dent in that massive “to be read” pile and start rebuilding.

Be sure to check out our related guides, including the Best Kindles , the Best E-Readers , and the Best Ebook Subscription Services . Don't forget that you can also frequently find discounts on Bookshop.org , or browse our coupons for Books-A-Million , if you'd rather not shop through Amazon.

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If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more .

Amazon Book Sale Deals

We've seen this deal before, but it still matches the best price we've tracked. The Kindle Scribe ( 8/10, WIRED Recommends ) is expensive. This deal makes it a bit more accessible. It's the Best Kindle for note-taking and annotation. It's also the only Kindle that's on sale right now.

Usually Kindle Unlimited trials are a month long, but right now new subscribers can try the service out for two months longer. Keep in mind that the service will automatically renew at $12 per month once the trial is up, so set a reminder to cancel if you don't want those subsequent charges. Kindle Unlimited is one of our favorite ebook subscription services . It helped me get back into reading as an adult .

Neal Stephenson named the Metaverse . How much more WIRED can you get? This classic cyberpunk tale is worth every penny.

People have a lot of strong opinions about this author, but if you're curious, you can save on one of her most popular titles. This tender romance novel is being made into a movie that'll be released in August.

This novel is arguably the perfect beach read. It's romantic and glamorous, with a well-rounded cast of characters and the right level of intrigue to keep you turning the pages.

I devoured this book in two days. I couldn't put it down. If the thought of a badass heroine, talking dragons, a bully romance trope, and a quest to save the world gets your blood pumping, this one lives up to the hype.

Books are almost always better than their movie adaptations. No shade to the wonderful Kathy Bates, but Misery is definitely one of those cases. I probably shouldn't have read it when I was 13, but I did, and I still think about it. I think it's one of King's best works. If you've already read it, Fairy Tale —a newer King novel—is also on sale for $13 ($8 off).

This memoir comes highly recommended by WIRED reviewer Medea Giordano. She said it “shattered her heart into a million pieces.” I'll be buying a copy based on that recommendation alone, but if you need more convincing, just check out the thousands of 5-star reviews on Amazon.

This memoir has been a New York Times bestseller for 80 weeks and counting. It explores McCurdy's life as a child actor, complete with an overbearing mother, addiction, eating disorders, and more—but it ends on a good note, with themes of resilience and self-discovery. (I'll be buying this one too.)

It's a Dr. Seuss board book and it's $3 and I guarantee the kids in your life will get a kick out of it (pun very much intended). They can lift the flaps and discover opposites. You can read the rhymes. It's a win-win situation.

I, for one, am fully here for Snoop Dogg's culinary career. This cookbook was made in collaboration with E-40, who should need no further introduction. It contains more than 60 recipes that share a common theme—getting together with your loved ones and eating good food.

Reviewer Scott Gilberton jokingly called this “light reading,” but despite its heaviness, it's still worth reading. This novel sits with you long after you put it down. It's gritty, it's poignant, and despite its heady narrative, it isn't too difficult to read. Most of all, though, it'll stick with you—I recommend having a highlighter handy.

Scott Gilbertson

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Best AI for Writing Non-Fiction Books: Top 5 Expert Picks for 2024

See how the latest AI writing tools stack up to one another

AI has had a MASSIVE week with OpenAI's (the team behind ChatGPT) latest updates. Their models can now translate languages in real time and interact with the world through voice and video. And these are just the updates they've shared with the public—there's no telling what's on deck.

Here's what that means for publishers:

• Going from idea to execution in a fraction of the time
• Having more control and power throughout the publishing process
• Generating even more recurring income and royalties as you build out your published library

There are already tons of AI writing tools out there, specifically tailored for non-fiction writers and publishers, but this blog post covers the top 5 that are making waves.

See what's possible with just a laptop + a free Amazon account. Stop by our no-cost publishing training and discover the formula that's already generated millions of dollars in royalties for total beginners with no publishing, writing, or tech experience.

Can You Legally Publish a Book Written by AI?

We've answered this question multiple times across our blog because it's one of the biggest concerns we hear among newbie publishers. The short answer, is YES, you can definitely publish a book written by AI.

Now, here's the long answer...

The laws surrounding purely AI-generated content are still evolving, but as of now, there are no legal barriers to publishing a book written or assisted by AI.

Any new technology is automatically going to have some resistance to it because that's how we humans are. We're usually not too fond of change. But at the end of the day, using AI like a co-pilot is really no different than hiring a ghostwriter. You still have to put in the critical thinking and creativity to make the final product worth your readers' time.

Amazon has started testing a new policy that requires self-publishers to declare if their content is AI-generated or AI-assisted, but this is strictly for educational purposes. It is NOT punitive despite some rumors you may have heard online.

What Is the Best AI for Writing Non-fiction Books?

When it comes to selecting the best AI for writing non-fiction books, the "best" tool is really going to boil down to personal preferences and the extent of the work you're looking for help with.

These are 5 recommendations for AI tools that have been gaining a lot of popularity on the publishing scene:

• Publishing.ai

#1: Publishing.AI: Best AI for Writing Non-Fiction Books

Although Publishing.AI is currently exclusive for members of Publishing.com's student community, it is a gamechanger for the industry. This powerful tool is specifically designed to cater to non-fiction authors and serve as a one-stop-shop to all things publishing.

Best Use Cases:

• Customer Research Reports: Gather essential data about your audience to actually tailor your content (most AI's fall completely short here).
• Comprehensive Text Generation: Capable of producing well-structured 30,000-word books from scratch.
• Book Descriptions and Marketing Copy: Helps create compelling descriptions specifically formulated for Amazon's KDP to reach more readers and boost your book sales.
• Detailed Research: Provides in-depth audience AND competitor insights.
• Structured Content: Generates comprehensive and well-organized text (which is also fully editable).
• Marketing Support: Optimizes book descriptions with SEO analysis already built-in!
• Built for KDP: Designed with Amazon's publishing guidelines in mind and offers helpful reminders so you can make sure your manuscript stays compliant.
• Exclusivity: Must be a Publishing.com member to gain first access.
• Limitations: The AI tool can't actually publish or market your book for you (...yet), so you'll still need to put in the 10% of work to bring your book across the finish line.
• Visit the Publishing.AI website for pricing updates.

#2: ChatGPT

ChatGPT has come a LONG way since its earlier versions, and it's still constantly being updated. Premium subscribers should already have access to its 4.o version, which is even faster and smarter than GPT 4, 3.5, and so on.

• Outline Draft Creation: Helps in setting up a clear and detailed book outline.
• Overcome Writer's Block: Unlimited idea generation for your chapters based on market research (though it might not always be completely up to date).
• Research Assistance: Suggests sources for further research or generates citations based on your preferred style (APA, Chicago, MLA, etc.). Just keep in mind that ChatGPT has been known to "hallucinate" facts, figures, and sources, so triple-check everything!
• Quick: You can get instant answers to practically any question on your mind.
• Accessible: The free version is open to anybody with a computer!
• On the Go: They also offer a mobile version, and there are rumors that future iPhones will all be automatically integrated with ChatGPT!
• Learning Curve: May require some practice to get used to prompting and providing the AI with feedback.
• Niche Limitations: Might not be perfect for every subject area, requiring manual edits.
• Free or $20/month for Premium Subscribers

#3: Scrivener

Scrivener is perfect for those who love having everything in one place. It lets you manage your research, notes, and first drafts, all from the same dashboard (just like Publishing.ai).

• Project Management: Organize your entire book project, from research to final draft, all in the same place.
• Detailed Outlines: Create comprehensive outlines with multiple features that let you really customize your experience.
• Multi-Format Support: Easily format your manuscript for various publishing platforms.
• All-in-One: Combines writing, research, and organization tools.
• Flexible: Supports various writing styles and project types.
• Distraction-Free Mode: Helps you stay focused while writing in Composition Mode.
• Learning Curve: Can be complex to learn initially.
• Not AI-Powered: Doesn't generate content or ideas for you; it's more of a management tool.
• Scrivener is available for a one-time fee of $59.99 for macOS and Windows , and $23.99 for iOS .

#4: WriteSonic

WriteSonic is another decent AI-powered writing tool for creating non-fiction books. It uses advanced machine learning algorithms (like ChatGPT) to generate content through chat-based prompts.

• Content Creation: Ideal for writing eBooks, articles, and other non-fiction content.
• SEO Optimization: Built-in SEO tools help your content rank better in search engines.
• Branding: Teach the AI what your preferred brand voice is, and it will automatically apply that feedback to future prompts.
• Multiple tiers: Choose which plan best suits your budget and content needs.
• Tool Suite: Also offers image and voice capabilities through Audiosonic and Photosonic.
• Versatile: Suitable for various types of writing projects (not just manuscripts).
• Not Perfect for Everyone: May not meet all writing needs and may not be as in-depth as other tools.
• Not Specific to Publishing: This is more of a general AI tool than a manuscript-specific one.
• WriteSonic offers a free plan and individual plans starting at $16 per month.

#5: Squibler

Squibler is a versatile writing tool known for its user-friendly interface and more comprehensive feature set, making it a great choice for fiction and nonfiction authors, writers, and publishers.

• Fast Drafting: Helps you quickly draft your non-fiction book, novel, or screenplay quickly.
• Collaboration: Supports real-time collaboration, perfect for co-authors or editors.
• Templates: Offers a variety of templates to kickstart your writing process.
• User-Friendly: Easy to navigate and use, even for beginners.
• Collaboration Tools: Allows for seamless teamwork on your writing projects.
• Goal Tracking: Keeps you on track with word count and chapter goals.
• Limited Advanced Features: The free version only allows 6,000 AI words generated per month.
• Genre Limitations: Its nonfiction writing capabilities are mostly specific to memoirs.

Squibler offers a free plan or a $20 per month plan for premium subscribers.

How Do You Know Which AI Writing Tools Are Worth Trying?

Here are some things to look out for when you're comparing AI writing software:

Accuracy and Reliability

In a perfect world, AI will always be accurate and reliable.

That includes things like:

• Context Understanding: The AI should get what you’re saying and keep the flow consistent.
• Error-Free Text: The tools should produce clean, polished content that doesn't require rewriting from scratch.
• Regular Updates: A good AI gets regular updates to stay sharp and current (look out for knowledge cutoffs, which are usually disclosed in the terms and conditions).

User Interface and Experience

Publishing takes a lot of focus and planning, so a smooth user interface can make a world of difference.

• Clean Layout: A cluttered dashboard isn't going to help produce a clean, organized manuscript.
• Intuitive Navigation: You want something easy to navigate without a ton of instructions and training videos required just to get started.
• Personalized Assistance: Look for tools that adapt to your writing style and needs.

Support and Community

Good support and an active community can be lifesavers, especially when you find yourself hitting a mental roadblock.

Look for companies that provide these things on top of the AI writing tool:

• Active Online Community: A place to share ideas and get tips from other users.
• Comprehensive Documentation: Helpful guides and FAQs that make using the tool easier.
• Responsive Customer Support: Quick, helpful responses when you need help.

Cost and Value

Ghostwriters, editors, and graphic designers start to add up, so your AI tools should help you get the best bang for your buck.

Think about:

• Pricing Plans: Compare different tools and see whether you can save money on an annual plan or whether the free plan is actually sufficient for your content needs.
• Value for Money: Look for tools that offer more holistic features to help you across multiple steps of the publishing process versus just writing or editing.

Use Cases and Practical Applications

There is always something new to learn about AI—even for those of us who have been using it for years.

Here are some practical ways to put these new tools to good use:

1. Research and Outline:

• AI tools like Squibler and Publishing.ai can simplify your research process, gather valuable information, and create a detailed outline for your book.

2. Content Generation and Improvement:

• Tools like ChatGPT and WriteSonic can speed up your writing by offering suggestions to improve your storytelling and convey information in a different way.

3. Editing and Proofreading:

• Scrivener can help you organize and manage your writing process, making editing and proofreading more efficient.

4. SEO Optimization:

• AI tools like WriteSonic can help you craft content that's already optimized for search engines to improve your book's online visibility.

5. Language Translation:

• WriteSonic and ChatGPT are already testing out translation, which can be a great way to add an additional income stream and reach new book markets. (In our opinion, these capabilities still aren't completely perfect, but they're definitely on their way there.)

Which AI Writing Tools Offer the Best Value for Money for Non-fiction Writers?

Publishing.ai does things a little differently than most AI writing tools . For one, it's specifically designed for DIY publishers and authors, and the main goal is to simplify the publishing process as much as possible.

From just one dashboard, you can generate:

-Unlimited book topic ideas

-Hefty customer and market research reports

-Optimized book outlines

-First-draft manuscripts based on your ideal chapter count ready for polishing and editing

See how Publishing.ai is changing the publishing industry!

Are There Any Free AI Writing Applications Suitable for Non-fiction Books?

If you're a non-fiction writer balling on a really tight budget, ChatGPT's free plan is the way to go.

Most blogs are going to recommend ChatGPT because it's so accessible and easy to practice with.

Sure, its output isn't always going to be perfect, but even if it can help you save a few hours of research time, that's ultimately more freedom over your time and schedule (which is why most people want to start publishing in the first place).

Ready to Take Off on Your Publishing Journey? Join the 7DPC

Our public 7-Day Publi$hing Challenge officially kicks off at the end of May, and the best part isn't even that THOUSANDS of people have already committed to publishing their first book...

The best part is that the challenge is completely 100% FREE!

Discover the exact formula for:

• Coming up with a good book idea
• Using an AI copilot for 90% of the writing process
• Getting your book formatted with zero hassle
• Hitting PUBLISH on your very first book on Amazon in as little as a week

Join thousands of other newbie publishers and see what the 7DPC is all about!

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10 rules for reading from someone who does it for a living

Where to read, when to read and why you need a pencil in hand: The Post’s Michael Dirda offers some advice from his years as a critic.

How do you read a book? Like most people, I still decipher the meaning of words printed on sheets of paper bound together, but you may prefer to peer at pixels on a screen or listen through ear buds to a favorite narrator. They are all reading, in my book. Each of us, I think, seeks what the critic Roland Barthes called “the pleasure of the text,” though finding delight in what we read doesn’t necessarily mean a steady diet of romance novels and thrillers. Scholarly works, serious fiction, poetry, a writer’s distinctive prose style — all of these deliver their own kinds of textual pleasure.

As someone who has been lucky enough to earn his living in the rarefied world of book reviewing, I’ve gradually developed reading-related habits as part of my work. Some of them — listed below — may even be similar to yours. At the least, I hope a few of my customary routines and practices will be useful in your own reading life.

Be choosy, but not too choosy

I spend a lot of time, often way too much, dithering about what to read next. A book has to fit my mood or even the season. Spooky stories are for winter, comic novels for spring. What’s more, I like to mix it up, the old with the new, a literary biography this week, a science fiction classic the next. I can adjust my expectations up or down — you don’t read Thomas Mann’s “Doctor Faustus” in the same way you read Ian Fleming ’s “Dr. No.” — but the book must be, on some level, exciting. I try to avoid wasting time on anything that leaves me indifferent. As Jesus memorably told the Laodiceans: “Because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.”

Editions matter

In my youth, I could read paperbacks printed in tiny type on pages you could see through. No more. These days, I opt for hardcovers whenever possible, if only because they’re generally easier on aging eyes. For classics, I want a good scholarly edition; for translated works, I try to acquire the best English version. This just makes sense. As a reviewer, I often work with a galley or advance reading copy of a forthcoming title, but these are simply tools of the trade. I generally don’t keep them. I want the finished book.

Check the small stuff

Before turning to Chapter 1, I glance at a book’s cover art, check out the author’s dust jacket biography and photo, and read through the back page endorsements. Unlike many people, I pay close attention to copyright dates, introductions, dedications, acknowledgments and bibliographies. All these provide hints to the kind of book one is dealing with.

When to read

Mine is a simple system: I read from morning till bedtime, with breaks for my job, family, meetings with friends, exercise, household chores and periodic review of my life’s greatest blunders. On the days I don’t read, I write. As I say, it’s a simple system. Many people complain that they have no time for books, yet somehow they manage to spend three or more hours a day watching television or scrolling through social media on their phones. You pays your money and you takes your choice.

Where to read

Even though I know better, I still read more often than not while sprawled in an overstuffed armchair or on an old couch. You probably do something similar. Not only ergonomically bad, these soft options invite dozing. Realistically, the best place to read is at a table or desk with lots of good light. Other good locations include the public library, an outside table at a coffee shop away from background music and other customers, and the quiet car on the train to New York. In truth, though, don’t expect to find an ideal place to read. Trust me: You never will. Instead, as the Nike slogan says, Just Do It.

Don’t read in a vacuum

To read any book well often requires knowledge of its author, context, history. So I surround myself, when possible or appropriate, with collateral texts to help me better appreciate the writer’s artistry or arguments. These can be biographies, volumes of criticism, competing titles on the same subject or, most basically, other books by the same author. For example, if I’m reading E. Nesbit’s “Five Children and It,” I want to have the sequels, “The Phoenix and the Carpet” and “The Story of the Amulet,” close at hand for possible comparison. This is one justification for building a personal library. I also keep within easy reach a notebook, magnifying glass and Chambers 20th Century Dictionary. Other reference books are shelved near where I type these words.

Attention must be paid

As I read, I do all I can to live up to Henry James’s dictum: “Be one on whom nothing is lost.” This vigilance means that I seldom lose myself in the story, which is the devil’s bargain I made by becoming a professional reviewer. As it is, I track the clues in whodunits and the symbolic events or objects in literary fiction. I note oddities of style, repetitions, possible foreshadowings and anomalies that might be meaningful. I frequently flip back to previous pages to check details. In every way, then, I try to make my first reading as intensive and comprehensive as possible, knowing I may not pass this way again.

Be prepared to take notes

I can’t open a book without a pencil either in my hand or nestled conveniently in that space between my right ear and skull. For a long time, my weapon of choice was a No. 2 Ticonderoga pencil, but it now tends to be a Paper Mate disposable mechanical pencil. As a boy, I took to heart the lessons of Mortimer J. Adler’s essay “How to Mark a Book.” I place two or three vertical lines next to key passages, scribble notes to myself in the margins, sometimes make longer comments on the blank end papers. I never underline words or phrases — this seems too much like sophomoric highlighting, plus it just looks ugly. All these practices serve one end: to keep me actively engaged mentally with the words on the page. For the same reason, I scorn bookmarks: If you can’t remember where you stopped reading, you haven’t been paying close enough attention.

Make some noise

I don’t skim or speed read, though I envy people, like the late Harold Bloom, who can zip through a novel in 20 minutes. When I try to pick up my own reading pace, I end up constantly flogging myself not to slow down. Where’s the fun in that? Woody Allen once said that he’d taken a speed-reading course and had finished “War and Peace” in half an hour; he gathered that it was about Russia. As an exceptionally slow reader, I mentally murmur every word on the page, which allows me to savor the author’s style and to remember what he or she has said. Sometimes I also pause to copy a striking passage into my commonplace book. Here’s a fairly recent example from the poet John Ashbery: “I am aware of the pejorative associations of the word ‘escapist,’ but I insist that we need all the escapism we can get and even that isn’t going to be enough.”

Find a shelf

After finishing a book, I tend to keep it. While not a frequent rereader, I do like to refresh my acquaintance with old favorites, if only by opening one up occasionally to enjoy a page or a passage. When I look at my living room’s bookcases, while sleepily sipping coffee in the morning, I see not only my past laid out before me but also my future: Someday I will read David Cecil’s “Melbourne,” a biography of the Victorian prime minister that was said to be John F. Kennedy’s favorite book. Someday, I will get to — hangs head in shame — Willa Cather’s “The Professor’s House.” Other shelves remind me of the books I want to reread: Angela Carter’s “Nights at the Circus,” Dawn Powell’s “The Locusts Have No King,” Ralph Ellison’s “Invisible Man,” Frederick Exley’s “A Fan’s Notes.”

Long ago, one of my teachers in high school told me that he didn’t feel right unless he spent at least three hours a day reading. This seemed incredible to me then. Not anymore.

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Check out our coverage of this year’s Pulitzer winners: Jayne Anne Phillips won the fiction prize for her novel “ Night Watch .” The nonfiction prize went to Nathan Thrall, for “ A Day in the Life of Abed Salama .” Cristina Rivera Garza received the memoir prize for “ Liliana’s Invincible Summer .” And Jonathan Eig received the biography prize for his “ King: A Life .”

Best books of 2023: See our picks for the 10 best books of 2023 or dive into the staff picks that Book World writers and editors treasured in 2023. Check out the complete lists of 50 notable works for fiction and the top 50 nonfiction books of last year.

Find your favorite genre: Three new memoirs tell stories of struggle and resilience, while five recent historical novels offer a window into other times. Audiobooks more your thing? We’ve got you covered there, too . If you’re looking for what’s new, we have a list of our most anticipated books of 2024 . And here are 10 noteworthy new titles that you might want to consider picking up this April.