Why reviews are so important

Reviews are important to me, both as a reader, and as an author.

And when I mention “review” I simply mean one or two sentences telling other people why they should read a book. “From page one I enjoyed this novel. As I submerged further into the characters, scenes, and story, it only got better — excellent read and looking forward to reading more of this Author’s works.” J Steele

As a reader, I tend to read only 4 or 5 star reviews as I’ve found that any review less than 4 stars reveals more about the reviewer than the product. And to be honest, I just want to know why readers enjoyed the book, not their pet hates or dislike of certain types of themes/characters/style of writing etc.

As a reader, the most helpful reviews I’ve read have been short and sweet, basically saying “I enjoyed this book because…” Any reviews that are long or go into detail about character development and plot arcs, turns me off straightaway. That’s not a review, that’s a critique, and I’m not interested!

As an author, I am dependent upon positive comments and reviews. Without them, I cannot promote my books. And, if I can’t promote my books, I can’t earn the money I need to pay the bills and simply live!

The more reviews a book has, the better chance an author has of getting it included in a paid promotion. Many promos require a book to have at least 10, sometimes 20 positive reviews.

As I’ve mentioned above, a review need only be one or two sentences saying why the reader liked the book. This doesn’t take long to do and indeed, I spend no more than 15 minutes a couple of times a month typing up the reviews I write for the books I’ve enjoyed reading, and post them on both Amazon and BookBub. “Freya’s ability to craft complex characters and create an interwoven storyline show’s well in this volume! The way things play out as the story unfolds, with some mysteries answered and others yet to be revealed, makes me want to know more of this world!” Troi

Reviews are really helpful when they’re posted on Amazon (as most promos require Amazon reviews) as well as Goodreads, Kobo, Nook and iTunes. So, if you have recently read a good book, please take a couple of minutes to compose a maximum of two sentences to encourage other people to also buy the book and get it up on Amazon etc. This really helps both the author and potential readers.

And, if you’ve ever read any of my books, please consider leaving a positive review about them on the above mentioned sites! You never know, I may well dedicate one of my works in progress to you!

Don’t forget that Insides is just 99p / 99c on Kindle as well as Apple, Kobo, Nook and other bookstores! Grab your copy quick before the price goes up! And check out the book trailer HERE!