Reviews are critical for authors because book lovers on the hunt for their next read seek out reviews to get the real scoop, free of any marketing hype. And every author, whether self-published or traditionally published, writes because they really want to connect meaningfully with an audience. By taking the time to review a book you’ve read – even if your feedback is not entirely positive – you not only reward and encourage the author, you help to connect new readers to books they might really like.
Reviews are helpful for readers, too. Did you know that libraries rely on reviews when considering what books to purchase? With limited funds, libraries want to make sure that the books they buy will be checked out regularly, and reviews are one of the best ways to see that an author has an engaged and enthusiastic audience. By taking a few minutes to share your thoughts on a book, you could help to make the author’s works more accessible to everyone.
Here is a step-by-step guide to posting a book review on Amazon. Check back with us soon for another tutorial about reviews on Goodreads.
Step 1: Log in to Amazon
Step 2: Search for the book you want to review
One way to do this by typing the book’s title into the search bar at the top of the screen. If you purchased the book from Amazon, another way to find it is by clicking the Orders tab at the top right of the window. This will bring up all of your recent purchases.
Step 3: Scroll down to the Customer Reviews section
This will be about 2/3 of the way down. Next to the section that shows the breakdown of current reviews is a gray box that says “Write a customer review.” Click there. You’ll be taken to a page titled Your Reviews. The item you specifically chose to review will be at the top, but there will also be a list of other products you have purchased from Amazon so that you can review them as well, if desired.
At the top right of this screen will be your public name, which is the name that will show up with your review. Unless you have changed this in the past, it will simply show your first and last name. If you prefer to review anonymously, click on the option to “change” underneath the name listing. You can review under any name you choose without affecting your Amazon account in any other way.
Step 4: Choose your star rating
It’s a standard 5-star range. Simply click the number of stars you would like to assign to the book.
Step 5: Type in your review and give it a title
Once you choose a star rating, a box opens up to type the text of your review. Try to put yourself in the shoes of a potential reader. What would you most want to know about the book in deciding whether or not to read it? Reviews don’t need to be very long. Two to three paragraphs is an ideal length to keep the reader’s attention.
Once you start typing in the review box, an additional box opens up for the review title. There will also be buttons available to view tips and guidelines for reviews, see how your finished review will look in preview mode, and to add a picture or video. Note that you are also permitted to include links to other products available on Amazon right in your review. In the case of books, this might be helpful if you want to reference the next book in the series or another book by the same author. There is a button to include links at the top right of the review text box.
Step 6: Click to submit
When you’re done, just click the orange Submit button at the bottom right of the text box. Amazon will take a few hours to review your submission and then send you an email when it goes live. Then, people who read your review have the opportunity to rate it as either helpful or not helpful!
Bear in mind that Amazon has an advanced algorithm that detects whether or not you have purchased the book through their site. You are not required to have purchased the book from Amazon in order to review it, but the site does note and favor what they call a “Verified Purchase” review. Further, the system is eerily able to determine whether you are likely to have a close relationship with the author. Amazon will reject reviews written by a spouse, family member, or verifiable friend of the author. This is to ensure that reviews are fair and unbiased, but it can be frustrating to those of us who happen to love an author.
Many thanks to everyone who has taken the time to review a book or books from Strange Angel Press. It makes all the difference in the world!
