The most difficult part of writing books isn’t always writing the book. In my three years in the indie author community, I’ve learned that we all have our strengths and weaknesses. Some authors excel at marketing their books. Some can write and publish a new book every month. Some write fantastic, memorable stories that remind us why reading is so entertaining.
But I think there is one thing we can all agree on: Reading your own book reviews is tough!
I have pretty thick skin, so I always have my ears open to readers’ opinions about my books. Reading the reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, and Bookbub is one way I study what readers love and hate about the stories I write.
Some authors don’t read their own book reviews. Those few sentences have the power to tear down an author’s confidence, so I understand an author’s hesitation to scroll through those opinions that can sometimes be hurtful and feel like a personal attack.
One time, I had a book that dropped to an overall four star average on Amazon, and it took me a week to get over it. It sounds so silly. It even sounded silly to me at the time, but I couldn’t shake the heavy cloud of doubt. It was a terrible week. I cried, my husband was worried about me, and I couldn’t find happiness in things I usually love. It’s crazy how words can have such an impact on our confidence.
I do read my book reviews. I read every one of them on all three major review websites. It’s not always easy. It can be a whirlwind of emotions. One person really hated it. One person said it was the best book they’d read all year. One person said they didn’t finish it. It’s a cycle of doubt and encouragement that can be overwhelming. No matter how hard I try, I’ll never please everyone.
I have a one-star review on a book that has been taunting me for years. The reviewer claims that my book has a same sex marriage. And she does it convincingly too. There isn’t even a hint of a same sex marriage in any of my books, and for a long time, I let that negative review pester and nag at me. I feared it would hurt my sales.
I was focusing so much on the bad that I forgot about all the good reviews and the readers who loved my stories. That negativity was extremely powerful if I allowed it to rent space in my mind and build a home there.
Some of the one-star reviews don’t bother me as much.
I have a three star review on a book that says, “Too good to be good,” and I know exactly what that reader meant. There wasn’t enough conflict. The couple was happy and nothing happened. Lesson learned there.
I also had a review that said the reader disliked the excessive internal dialogue. That’s something I’ve been conscious of since.
One of my author friends read the second book in my cowboy romance series and told me the characters spoke as if they lived in the South. The series was set in Wyoming! I realized I had made the characters speak the way I spoke, and I’ve made sure to leave my southernisms out ever since.
The reviews that seem to hurt my feelings the most are the ones that mention the faith content as if it’s something they disliked about the book. Then I remind myself that I write Christian romance for a reason that isn’t up for debate.
On the other side of the review spectrum, there are some wonderful, encouraging messages I’ve found in my book reviews. The kind words of readers have motivated me more times than I can count, and I appreciate everyone who takes that little bit of time to tell me and other readers why they enjoyed the story. It’s also helpful when you (kindly) mention something in your review that you didn’t particularly like. It might help me write better books in the future.
Do you review the books you read? What do you like about it?
Mandi Blake was born and raised in Alabama where she lives with her husband and daughter, but her southern heart loves to travel. Reading has been her favorite hobby for as long as she can remember, but writing is her passion. She loves a good happily ever after in her sweet Christian romance books, and loves to see her characters' relationships grow closer to God and each other.
Goodness I think books are like babies and nothing seems to get to authors in the way unwarranted reviews do. A friend sends out a request to her readers to say helpful or not helpful about unwarrantedly bad reviews and enough people say the great reviews were helpful and the unwarranted ones get pushed down the list.
I sometimes write reviews on kobo, goodreads and bookbub. Prefer to rate instead as I’m not a great writer. Never read reviews as I prefer to make up my own mind and reviews mostly seem to rehash the story so it’s quicker to read the blurb. Now I understand how the system works I do submit reviews, but far prefer to beta read than advance read.
I don’t always review a story, but when I do review I like to keep it positive. There was once a story I couldn’t honestly positively review, so I wrote to the author personally and explained my position, rather than rip her up publicly. She replied and all was well. She was new to the genre and had mistakenly included some elements that were inappropriate.
I’ve always found it funny that people who don’t want Christianity in their book take a Christian romance … I mean if you read Christian romance hoping it’s just a clean book there’s something wrong there. It’s like taking an erotica book and complaining about characters having sex.
If I don’t like a book I always evaluate if it is for a legitimate reason or just personal taste, if I don’t like something for that reason there is no reason to annoy the author just because it didn’t suit my personal taste.If there is a legitimate reason I will leave a review.
I almost always leave a review for the books I read. I leave them in good reads and Amazon. Leaving reviews also helps me when I want to recommend a book to someone. After reading so many books I sometimes forget but my review helps me to recall why I liked it so much. I almost always have positive things to say in a review and sometimes there may be one critique or something I didn’t like.
Since I got my Kindle for a Christmas gift a few years ago, and learned how important reviews are, I try to review every book I read. There are some that have been challenging to write a review for, though! There was the book with 60 some chapters that I struggled to get through, and then the ending wasn’t satisfactory at all!! It totally left me hanging. I didn’t really need an HEA (it wasn’t that type of CF) but I needed something that I just didn’t get with that one. That was a hard review to do! There have been books I didn’t finish, and I just didn’t review them at all. That’s really not fair (my opinion) to the author. Some books just aren’t for me, and I don’t want to blame the author for that. No matter what, I try to be kind in my reviews. I’ll admit, though, most books I love!!
Hi Mandi! As a retired English teacher, in the past 9 years I have written about 150 reviews a year. Amazon says my total to date is 891 reviews. In 1969 my book review in college, got me a spot on the college newspaper. I am on several review teams, including some that blog on INSPY Romance. The first reviews I wrote when I retired was for Valerie Comer and her Farm Fresh series. As a retiree, writing reviews keeps my mind active; since I try to write my reviews with a personal touch – why the book or series is unique. What spoke to me: setting, characters, plot, theme, troupe, motif or a combination. Very seldom do I write a review that receives less than 3 stars. Usually it was because of research errors or lack of editing (missing chapters, confused timeline, or names of characters switched). Best wishes and happy writing. Enjoy the Labor Day weekend. So glad we have cooler and less humid weather in Michigan. Fall is in the air.
Lilly, I agree with your evaluation of some reviews. Or giving a book a bad review because Amazon messed up their order or the book arrived damaged. Not the author’s fault. Enjoy your weekend.
I am conflicted about leaving reviews. Some authors ask for reviews and say how important they, while others say they never read them. Usually I don’t read reviews since they are not the main reason I would read a story. If anything they are at the bottom of my list. When I do leave reviews they usually positive, at least a 4 or 5 stars. I won’t leave a bad review just because the book didn’t meet my expectations or for things beyond the author’s control. I know reviews affect how the book is promoted, so if an author needs a review due to low number of reviews I will write one, but again I had to have truly liked it. Some books are only ok in my opinion. I don’t feel comfortable leaving a low rating just because the story was not “my cup of tea”. Just because I didn’t really like it doesn’t make it a bad story and I won’t penalize the author by giving a bad review. It just means I didn’t make a good choice or was influenced by the hype.
I think beta readers are particularly helpful because their input comes before the book has been sent out into the world. Authors can still make changes to the books after they’re published (if they’re independently published), but it’s easier to catch it early.
That was very helpful of you! New authors especially are still learning so much, and I’ve always appreciated those private messages.
Yes, I try to keep in mind that personal tastes are different, and someone else might love that book that I didn’t really enjoy. I like to review on the pacing, character growth, writing style, and resolution. Those are the things I want to know about as a reader.
That’s a great idea. I’ve read so many books that I forget the details of the books too.
I review some of the books I read. If I read a book that I really didn’t like, then I won’t leave a review. I don’t want to be rude or make an author look/feel bad.
I know your reviews are always kind. I also appreciate the times when you’ve reached out to me about things that could make my books better! It really makes writing and publishing a book feel like a team effort. So many people contribute and help.
It sounds like your reviews are very helpful to readers and authors. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and opinions about the books you read.
You have some great points. I don’t like to write negative reviews either. Thankfully, I rarely come across a book that I don’t enjoy. I either already love the author or I’ve had a personal recommendation for the book (Oh, look! A REVIEW in the wild!).
That’s very sweet of you to consider the author’s feelings.
Good morning! I think there are only two or three books I’ve read that I did not write a review for. I just read my first ebook about 5 years ago. It’s funny that I’ve never been able to remember where I saw the book and/or what convinced me to read it where I had always been so stuck on the need to hold a physical book. But after reading I was so touched that I emailed the author. Through her & her PA I learned how much of a difference reviews mean to both authors & readers so I got into the habit of writing one as soon as I complete a book. I have also read them to help me decide to whether or not to get each book since then as well. Since that first book I have not only read far more books than I can count but have come to love writing reviews so much I do ARCs for several authors. I am always honest in my reviews as they would of value otherwise. The sites I review on are Amazon, Goodreads, BookBub and when available there, on Kobo.
Wishing everyone a full & thoroughly enjoyable holiday weekend!
I do review books. I like when a book quickly pulls me into the story and I can feel the character’s emotions. I also like if I can relate to the story or characters in some way.
I always have the problem of not wanting to give anything away in my reviews, so they tend to be a bit generic. That said, I do personally look at how many reviews a book has had. That makes me want to at least write something when I finish each book. Growing up I knew I was loved, but I wasn’t necessarily coddled with positivity. My husband has recently shared with me that in our 14 years of marriage he could count on two hands how many compliments my mom and grandma have given me. Their way to show love is through worrying about the person. It makes sense to me that words of affirmation mean so much to me. In high school and college I was a waitress (Bob Evans) and a cashier (Wal-Mart). Those two jobs helped me so much. It always made my day when my manager pulled me aside and told me that a person that had recently left was praising me to him. Those customers that came through me line that were understanding and gracious also left a lasting impression. I try to always be that person when a waitress is exceptional and I always remember the cashier (or whoever is in customer service) is an actual human with feelings and a life with personal struggles and responsibilities.
It makes me so happy when a book or series is so special that I feel the desire to personally reach out to the author and let them know how much their writing has impacted me. I’m so grateful that I found your books and that I felt the need to DM you. You were so gracious and kind. You are awesome and I am so grateful to have not only found your books, but also to be able to connect through your group to be able to get a glimpse of the person behind the books.
That’s wonderful that you enjoy writing the reviews!
I love those stories that suck you in!
I’m so glad the books brought us together. Of all the joys I’ve found from writing, making friends has been the most wonderful surprise. Thank you for your kindness!
I see that I am definitely in the minority here, but I seldom review books, partly because it’s hard for me to put into words in a helpful way why I enjoyed or didn’t enjoy a story. I much prefer giving ratings over reviews.
Yes, I review most every book I read.
Yes, I give reviews on the books I read, I have been reading lots of good books, so it is not hard to leave a review. Just like everything else, some people like some things and some people don’t like some things, people can never be pleased. I really do think that if someone didn’t like what they read, then they can just message the author and tell them what it was they didn’t like or bothered them about the book instead of leaving a bad review. Have a great weekend and stay safe.
It took me a while, but these days I review pretty much every book I read. The biggest incentive was knowing how much they can help authors :) but it also helps me remember what I liked/didn’t like about a book.
Hi, Mandi! Reviews. Yeah. About that… I am not a frequent reviewer. If I am an ARC reader, yes. That is part of the package. But for my copious personal reading? Nope. I think part of it is my own ignorance of (and consequent aversion to) the culture of social media. I much prefer one-on-one conversation and its possible depth to the scattershot, quick and shallow communication of on-line connection.
Another part of it is that, most often, my observations have to do with the mechanics of the writing. I am the son of teachers and I married into a family of language sticklers. :-) I am very likely to notice and remember that an author got a name wrong or left out a word or doesn’t know the difference between wrack and rack. I am much less likely to remember the gracious arc of love between the hero and heroine in a way that I can put into words. I’m one of those people who is just content to have the warm fuzzies and move on.
So, despite the earnest pleas to the contrary of the many authors I read, I leave only the rare review. I am with those, though, who prefer to give only positive reviews in public settings. If you can’t say something nice…
I don’t read book reviews. Everyone’s tastes can vary so much. Prefer to find out for myself.
I don’t read reviews. I like to read without any preconceptions. I rarely leave reviews as when I do write something it doesn’t come across what I really meant.
I do review books although would never go below a 3 star. When looking at the rating system many say 5 is for outstanding best read so to put all at 5 star would be wrong in my view. 4 star normally means above average and a very good book. 3 star is still a good read more a good book.
Normally if its an author I am not sure about I often will read the 3 star reviews and often the 1 star just to see what is said. I do this with products I am looking at. Check out the 1 star and then the other reviews.
I review books that I read, I usually have some Advanced Reader Copies that I have to read. And then if I really loved a book, I end up writing a review because I went to tell others about the books I love.
I sometimes read reviews, it is usually to check the content of books or to see if items hold up to what they say they are going to do.
Yes, I do review on Goodreads. On a whole, I have always given positive reviews. I read a book for a book club. There were many aspects of the story that I disliked. I felt the book would have been more powerful and uplifting without these aspects. This is one book that I gave a three rating. I explained my reasoning in the review. Thank you for your encouragement and positive thoughts in all you do. God bless you.
I leave positive reviews.
I do often write reviews for books, and thankfully I’ve not had to write too many “negative” ones. I like the idea that I can help steer readers towards a good book & maybe find a new-to-them author!
If I do have to write a negative one, I try to be kind, considerate and just stick with what I didn’t like about the story. It’s never okay to tear the author apart in my opinion! My hope is that it will help the author improve :-)
I always review them. I love young parents like teen moms. I like a lot of book but I rarely give a bad review
If the book is too bad then it gets a worse review then ones with my good stories
I don’t really review books. Mostly because I don’t feel like I do a good job writing a quick blurb that will be helpful. My writing tends to get bungled down in a lot of extra words.
I usually only buy a book based on reviews of people I know or other authors. So many reviews, at least bad ones, nitpick about things that either don’t matter to the story or are out of the authors control. I do glance at both the high and the low rated reviews, just to see if there’s anything major in the book that I wouldn’t like, but overall I go by recommendations more than reviews.
I understand how reviewing can be difficult. Ratings have an impact as well, so that’s also good to do. I sometimes tell readers that even one sentence can be a helpful review. Just saying “I liked this book,” is enough.
That’s very helpful. Thank you!
That’s a great way to think about it.
The remembering part is especially good for me too. I have a terrible memory!
I understand your issues with reviewing. It’s not for everyone, and that’s why it must always be optional. I ask my readers for reviews sometimes, but I try to always add the “If you want to.” The pressure can sometimes be stressful, and no one wants that!
That’s a good method if it works for you! I read them SOMETIMES. And usually, it’s because I’m trying to find out if the book is clean. The reviews mention things like that occasionally, and I find it helpful.
I understand your problem. I can write a book, but I get stumped trying to write a few sentences for a review.
Amazon considers a 3 star review to be “negative,” but I sometimes find that those are the ones that give me as an author the most helpful information about what readers liked or didn’t like about my book. I’ve even had some reviews with a 3 star rating, but the review sounded as if the reader liked it. So everyone’s rating system is different.
That’s why I read reviews most of the time too. I want to make sure it’s a clean book or that it doesn’t have a cliffhanger ending.
I’m sure your review was helpful to the author if he or she read it. It sounds like you were kind in the way you presented the critique as well. Thank you for being mindful of your words. It’s easy for readers to use the review section to bash a book (or even the author).
Those are always helpful!
Thank you for your kindness! I know the authors appreciate it.
I like a lot of books too. It’s rare that I come across a book I dislike.
That’s fair. I think the exceptional stories deserve a higher (5 star) review.
There’s no pressure, and I don’t think anyone would judge your or your words. At least I hope not. Writing reviews isn’t for everyone, but even a quick, “I liked it,” can be helpful.
That’s a good way to choose your books. I like recommendations as well.
I always review books I like. If it’s not for me – I don’t (we can have different opinions :)) maybe someone will like it.
I try to always review. I always put 5 stars because I really enjoy them. I never put low marks. Never. I would not review them.
I’m reading Just as I am now. It’s my first of your books and I’m really enjoying your characters. It won’t be my last.
I used to review nearly every book I read. Lately with my writing, I have had a hard time making time to read so reviews are few and far between.
I used to write reviews, but then I got busy. I do have a rule though. If I don’t like the book, I don’t review it. For one thing, I know how it feels to get bad reviews. And often I figure just because I don’t like it doesn’t mean someone else won’t. I once read a Christian book that I hated so badly because the main character wasn’t a Christian, lived nothing like a Christian, said God wasn’t for her, and cussed. But she ended up marrying a Christian without changing anything. But I didn’t review it and I’ve never named it online. I did burn it though :)
There is scripture that helps me when I’m attacked for the Christian content in my books:
John 15:18-21
If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me.
The first time I got such a review was in my first book. It was a non-fiction book about Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. The person accused me of proselytizing. At the time it bothered me, but once I gave it some thought I realized I should wear it as a badge of honor. God wants us to share the gospel. The reviewer was accusing me of doing just that. I was only guilty of doing God’s will.
These days, I still get reviews that bother me, but never when they say a book I wrote has too much Christian content. Those are the kind of reviews that will actually encourage readers who will enjoy my books to download them.
I haven’t read all your books, but the ones I have read, I’ve enjoyed.