Do Authors Need Reviews Before Sales or the Other Way Around?
For authors, reviews rule the world. It’s not that we want to obsess over the number of reviews and books’ total ratings, but we’re told reviews make or break a book launch and long-term sales. But do reviews lead to sales, or do sales lead to reviews? Let’s talk honestly about reviews and book sales.
Most publishing “experts” assert that authors need as many reviews as possible for their books. This results in authors begging readers for reviews. Most readers don’t. Even in advanced review copy (ARC) campaigns, there’s always a high percentage of people who claim a review copy yet never read, yet alone review, the book.
Personally, I’ve had terrible luck getting reviews. The majority of mine have come from the overpriced Booksprout, and I’ve exhausted their pool of reviewers and plan to close my account. In addition, a good portion of reviewers won’t review on Amazon, even though authors can require it, and Booksprout won’t do anything about it despite the fact the site is supposed to remind reviewers of outstanding reviews. Weirdly, it’s usually the 5 star reviews that aren’t left on Amazon while the lower reviews always end up there, skewing down my books’ total ratings.
As grateful as I am for the reviews left on Goodreads and BookBub, those sites don’t sell books. Indie authors need Amazon reviews to buy advertising from book marketers. Some companies only do Amazon promotions. Others expect a rating of four or more stars along with a minimum number of reviews. This varies, but I’ve seen it as high as 20 minimum reviews. Any book that doesn’t meet both requirements will be rejected. Most of my books don’t meet both criteria, limiting the companies I can use for marketing. And, of course, zero marketing means zero sales. No one is going to buy a book she doesn’t know exists.
I’ve also hired book PR companies to find me reviewers and manage ARC campaigns. My experiences have gone one of two ways. Either I’m told there are 60 interested reviewers yet only two leave reviews, or I’m told no one is interested in reviewing at all. I question how well the companies vet reviewers and if they follow through with reviewers who have failed to leave a review. For the group claiming there were no interested reviewers, I think they believe putting one post on social media is enough. It isn’t.
One of these book PR business-owners told me most readers review. When I told her that simply wasn’t true, she said it’s because I don’t market. What was she basing this on? First, we’d never had that discussion so she had no idea how much, or how little, I spent on marketing or where I spent my dollars. Second, sales and Amazon page reads tell me people are finishing the books. Third, multiple online sources say the number of readers who leave reviews is closer to 1 percent.
Chasing Reviews Alone Won’t Sell Your Book
While most “experts” emphasis reviews, reviews and more reviews, especially when a book is a new release, a handful contend it’s actually the other way around. Reviews don’t equal sales. Sales drive reviews. Experience tells me it’s a bit of both.
Having several reviews averaging four or more stars helps persuade readers who otherwise might be unwilling to take a chance on a new author. This is what in marketing is known as social proof. It shows others that a book is being read. In this way, reviews are a form of customer testimonials. Potential buyers are more likely to purchase a book with reviews than one without reviews simply because the book with reviews is being read. Then the more sales a book makes, the more likely it is that readers will leave reviews.
The “experts” throw out different numbers regarding the magic number of reviews when Amazon will start promoting books to readers who bought similar titles. I’ve heard 25, 50, 75 and 100 reviews. I know from experience it’s not the first two. None of my books have reached 75 or 100 reviews yet, although a couple are close.
Many authors have anxiety or poor self-esteem related to their books’ reviews, and it’s not difficult to see why. Imagine having your bad report card or employee review posted online. That’s what getting a bad review feels like, and, for the record, Amazon considers anything under four stars as bad. (More on that in a moment.) Everyone with internet access knows your failings. Or your mediocrity. This is especially true when a book doesn’t have many reviews. Even one bad review can drag the average down, and it can take a long time to rise to the favored four stars.
What No One Tells Writers About Amazon Reviews
Amazon – unlike other retailers as well as Goodreads and BookBub – does not base its ratings for books are not an average. Newer reviews carry more weight than older ones, and negative reviews carry more weight than positive ones. There are other variables taken into consideration as well. Reviews from verified purchasers or high-ranking reviewers weigh more than reviews from ARC readers or those who read a book they downloaded for free. Additionally, a text review is weighed more than a star rating without a review.
Amazon considers 3 stars a bad review even though many readers consider this a mediocre, if not good, review. Books receiving 3 star reviews receive less visibility, effecting when or how often your book shows up in search results. It may not show up at all. I have a feeling this happened to some of my books, although I can’t prove it, that have fallen below a 4.
In addition, Amazon has a reputation from arbitrarily blocking reviewers and for removing legitimate reviews. I’ve had this happen with some of my books. One day the total number of ratings will be one less than it had been the day before. The retailer will block reviews it suspects come from friends or family and will remove reviews from people you’re connected to on Goodreads. It also looks down on authors leaving reviews of other author’s books. As a consequence, many legitimate reviews are removed while reviews from trolls or bots often remain.
Authors and readers, how seriously do you take reviews?