We love our readers, and we’re thrilled you love us, too! We’re thankful for every person who comments on our blog posts, follows us on social media, and buys our books. Some of you have become friends, street team members, and prayer partners, taking the love to whole new levels. Thank you! Without readers, authors are nothing. But what would readers do without authors? As a reader, I don’t want to find out.
Today I want to offer some tips for sharing the love.
Why review books?
Reviews aren’t for the authors. Some authors don’t even read them — gasp! I watch mine for the first week or two after a new release, then scan from time to time to get a general feel for the tone. I don’t check every day to see if a new one has been posted or have the number of reviews for each book memorized. Who has time for that? It can totally sidetrack an author, making her prone to self-doubt with a low review and, possibly, pride at high ones.
Reviews are for potential readers. They tell those looking for their next read whether this story is worth them spending their time and money on, and why.
What should you say?
How the book made you feel. What emotions did it evoke? We read romance for entertainment, primarily, though with a Christian story, you’ll often also find something deeper as well. Did this book make you feel hopeful? Like you’d just had a great vacation to a fictional land? Like God’s love became sweeter to you?
Here’s your review writing prompt: “I loved this book because…”
There’s no need to detail the plot. The potential reader has likely already read the book description at the top of the page. She’s interested, but not sold. Right now she is more interested in knowing whether the author handled that story line well than to have it repeated.
Please, no spoilers. A general rule of thumb is not to give details about anything that happened beyond the first quarter or third of the book. If the author didn’t mention a particular twist in the description, please don’t offer that information to potential readers! We want to hold back some surprises.
Exemption: if the book hit a Hot Button with you and you feel others should know about it, consider mentioning it, but wording it carefully. I dealt with infertility in one of my stories, but didn’t put that in the description, as it didn’t come up until quite late in the book. If you, reader, felt sucker-punched by that turn of events, think about how to word it in the review without spoiling it for others, yet still protecting others who might be vulnerable. It can be tricky!
A review doesn’t need to be long. One to three sentences is fine. More is also okay, but don’t think you can’t write a review because it will take too long. Simply write how the story made you feel.
A review should always be your honest opinion, not what you think the author wants to hear. However, consider the old adage: if you can’t say anything good, don’t say anything at all!
If you were given an ARC (advanced reader copy) or review copy (and did not also pre-order/buy the book), you MUST legally say something to the effect of: “I was given a copy by the author (or publisher), and this is my personal opinion.” Use your own wording, but it does have to clearly state that you weren’t coerced to say anything at all, let alone something positive. The words “in exchange for a review” are no longer acceptable on Amazon.
Where should you post?
Most readers think first of Amazon, and that’s a terrific place. There are others, as well. Amazon has country stores, so consider posting on amazon.ca (Canada), amazon.co.uk (United Kingdom), and amazon.au (Australia) if you qualify to. Reviews placed specifically on those sites rank higher in those countries than ones pulled in from amazon.com.
If the book is also available on other platforms, feel free to post the identical review there. Nook, Kobo, and iBooks all allow reviews. (Tip: if you borrowed the book on Kindle Unlimited, you won’t find the same book for sale elsewhere.) Goodreads is a great spot for a review as well.
But the best gift you can give an author is simply recommending her book to your friends, not only strangers who might be surfing online stores. Here are some ways:
• Tell your real-life friends.
• Recommend the book to your local book club.
• Ask your library or church library to buy a copy, or ask if you can donate one.
• Talk about it online.
• Post your review in Facebook review groups and on your timeline. Engage in book discussions on Facebook and offer your favorite books when applicable.
• Share author’s posts on Facebook. Share Inspy Romance blog posts, too!
• Tweet about it, pin the book, blog about it.
• Add the book to lists on Goodreads.
• Take a photo of you reading the book (digital or paperback) and post that.
• Loan your paperback to friends.
• Join an author’s street team, or offer to moderate a Facebook group with her.
Inspy Romance readers, what do you think? Do you have any other ways you know of to help support an author you love? Authors, do you have something to add to the wishlist?
Valerie Comer is a USA Today bestselling author and a two-time Word Award winner who writes where food meets faith and fiction. She injects experience laced with humor into her green clean romances. Her life on a small farm in western Canada provides the seed for stories of contemporary inspirational romance. Like many of her characters, Valerie and her family grow much of their own food and are active in the local foods movement as well as their church. She only hopes her creations enjoy their happily-ever-afters as much as she does hers, shared with her husband, adult kids, and adorable granddaughters.
HI Val–great post. Personally, I LOVE writing reviews. I don’t detail the plot, but like you said, talk about why I loved the book. I don’t write negative reviews. If I didn’t like a book, I either review with a decent rating and highlight what I did like, or I don’t review at all. And actually, reading a book that I LOVE, inspires me to write a review. I also tell everyone IN THE WORLD about the book. :) Thanks for these reminders!
Excellent information Valerie. As a reader, reviewer, and being on several street teams, I send emails and post encouraging notes.
To encourage reviewers, I mark helpful on reviews and leave a comment. As a reviewer I like to know whether my reviews are helpful, especially if I struggled to get my emotions on paper. Often I finish a book in the middle of the night, so my eyes are blurry and my mind foggy, and just can’t think to write an inspiring review! Often I read previous reviews, so I don’t repeat what was said.
As a retired English teacher, I reflect on characters, setting, plot, conflicts, and / or theme. Usually one of these areas hit me the most and that is reflected in my review! The more background I have an the author and the work, the better I can write a review!
That is why I know I will love the Arcadia Valley Series. Your pictures are breath taking and help with the setting. Will you post some seasonal pictures – winter, spring, and fall?
Happy writing!
Great post on reviewing! I love sharing reviews so others will know about a book. Sometimes you can’t tell by a description whether you would like the book or not, so a review helps so much, especially if it’s a new to you author.
Yay for readers like you! I stopped reviewing, at least in our genre, because I didn’t want to ‘take sides.’
That’s a great tip, Renate! Marking helpful on good reviews.
I don’t know that you’ll get seasonal photos of the Arcadia Valley series. It’s a solid 12-hour drive from my place, so it’s not likely we’ll get back regularly. :(
I agree. The description tells us what the author thinks the book is about, but the reviews are less partisan (usually!). I always check out a few reviews before I buy a book from a new-to-me author.
Valerie, that is wonderful advice. Thanks for giving those pointers. I don’t do reviews of romance any more either because I don’t want to “take sides” as you say. And as a writer, I don’t read the same way I used to read.
Definitely true! While I still love to read Christian contemporary romance, I tend to be nitpickier than I used to be. Sigh.
Are there local fans, who might like to post some seasonal pictures in the next 18 months? Just a thought. Or links from a local website. The region is probably especially beautiful in the fall.
Yes, Linda, we love readers like you :)
Thanks for the advice. I’ve been thinking about writing reviews for a while, but time is always elusive and not often I know how to translate my feelings into words that I think will be helpful to other readers. I appreciate this post and I’ll re-read it if I ever decide I have time to write a review. I do often recommend books to friends and family though.
It’s interesting that being on some authors’ street teams, I’ve gotten into the habit of trying to review all the books I read. My problem is that I don’t like trying to type on my Kindle Fire right after I read the book, so then I forget. By the time Amazon reminds me to review a book, I’ve forgotten a lot of what it was about :-( I know that I do appreciate other people’s reviews of books I’m considering, especially the more negative reviews! I want to know why they didn’t like it.
I’m looking forward to this new set!!
Great post! I don’t review Christian romance, either, because for a while there Amazon was taking down reviews by authors who wrote in the same genre. But if I love any other book I read, I’m always happy to say so!
Excellent post, Val! I enjoy writing reviews, but I never give any plot spoilers. If a reviewer plans to do so, they should indicate at the start of the review.
The beauty of a review is that it doesn’t have to be long. So you can spend as little as five minutes on it and still be a big help. But telling friends is always just as valuable (maybe more!)
Typing on devices is definitely a challenge sometimes! I know we all appreciate the thought, too. :)
I’ve pretty much quit reviewing as well for that same reason.
the spoiler alert is definitely needed if you are going that route!
Valerie,
This is a great post. So many times I see reviews that tell all, which I really don’t like. After all that’s what the synopsis is for right? I just want to know if a person liked a book and how it made them feel. I’m not a writer so I am really conscientious of what I write. That it will sound okay and paint a good picture of the book.
GREAT POST! You really covered all the point.
I frequently use reviews for a new to me author. I’ve leaned to do reviews on amazon and nook , which for my non technical self is a huge accomplishment. Due to time constraints,l leave short reviews. I avoid long reviews because I’m afraid of plot spoilers. One way of supporting authors is prayer when you know of a need they may have or just a general prayer if you don’t know anything specific.
I do a lot of read/review for authors, and I’m on several street teams. I really enjoy it. When I do a review, I usually only write a couple of short paragraphs, and I don’t put anything they can find on the book description. I think you can convey your feelings about the book in a few sentences. I find that when I look at the reviews on a book, I tend to skip over the long, detailed ones, unless they’re on a blog I follow.
I really appreciate all of you wonderful writers who share your time and talents with us! Thanks a bunch!
Priscila, I usually only write a short paragraph or two on why I liked the book. I think you can convey your thought in a few sentences. I find I skip over long reviews, as I don’t want to take the time to read the whole thing. I read a few of the shorter reviews if I’m undecided as to whether to get the book.
Definitely don’t spend a lot of time sweating your words. I think short reviews speak to some and longer ones to others, so there’s definitely room for any kind of review at all! :)
Congrats on figuring out the techy stuff – there’s so much today isn’t there? And prayer is always welcome!
Thanks, Winnie! And you’re so right — I tend to look at the shorter reviews first myself and then, if I’m interested or see a lot of disagreement I go to the longer ones.
That’s an idea!
I do try to review the few books I read outside Christian romance, but those are few and far between!
You said :I just want to know if a person liked a book and how it made them feel. “I just want to know if a person liked a book and how it made them feel.” That’s it in a nutshell. That’s what most people who read reviews want to know :)
Prayers are so much appreciated.
Thanks for the tips. I enjoy writing reviews and I choose not to write a negative one. I tend to read reviews prior to buying a book but I absolutely can’t stand the very long reviews that doesn’t doesn’t seem to end.
Just a few sentences is enough, isn’t it!
You’ve covered good ground here Valerie!! All things I keep in mind when I post a review. :-)
I’m also part of a vast number of authors street teams, write reviews on various sites, recommend books for my library to purchase both physical and digital copies, pass my physical copies on to my sister-in-law, talk about books on FB or re-post what authors do or even share blog posts and giveaways for books, signed up for many authors newsletters, and the list goes on! There are so many ways I’ve discovered to show authors some love <3
And we are so thankful for it! We love <3 :)
Valerie, great post! I’m in the process of gathering all the book recommendations I’ve written over the years in one place (my author blog) and setting up a Social Jukebox to retweet them on an ongoing basis.
That’s such a cool idea!