After a novel is launched comes the anxious, sometimes frustrating, wait for reviews to come in.
Apparently, only one in a hundred readers leave reviews. But they’re more important than we may think, both to readers and authors. This post explores why.
How reviews help readers
Reviews allow readers to express their feelings about a book and share their thoughts with other readers. Review sharing platforms like Goodreads create a space for interesting discussion about the work and help build a community around books.
Reviews also give potential readers an insight into what the book is about, so they can decide whether to invest the time and money in it.
Trusted, objective viewpoint
Feedback from ordinary readers is usually more trusted than any promotional material put out by the author or publisher. When potential readers see that a book’s been well-received, they’re more likely to take a chance on reading it themselves.
By writing honest and constructive reviews, readers can help spread the word about authors they like and also play a role in their development, while contributing to the literary landscape as a whole.
Why reviews matter to writers
Positive reviews give a book – and its author – credibility. They validate the work and show potential readers that the author can be trusted.
It’s no use me, as an author, saying, ‘buy my book – it’s great!’. I need that third party endorsement to give those claims credibility.
Raising the profile
Reviews are hugely important for boosting an author’s visibility and reach. They help promote the work to new audiences.
They also give valuable insight into the market by showing authors which aspects of the story resonate with readers and which don’t.
And it’s said that the more online reviews a book gets, the more likely it is that the algorithm will recommend that book to others.
Finding meaning
Reviewers reflect our work back to us. I often struggle to describe my writing until somebody else has read it. Reviewers can find a way of summarising the storyline and mood of a novel and identifying themes which I as the author haven’t thought of.
Before launching Heartsound, I found it very useful to have endorsements in from a few early readers. This helped me shape what I’d say when introducing the book.
Do reviews have to be positive?
When an author publishes a book, they’re putting their work out there for the public to read and judge. A book review can make or break an author.
It’s always a relief when the first couple of reviews come in on Amazon and Goodreads, and they’re four or five stars. Who doesn’t love a five star review?
But even negative reviews have value as they can give authors valuable insight into the reader experience.
Helping authors write better books
Ultimately, feedback on their work helps authors develop their skills and become better writers.
Of course, authors can be sensitive souls, vulnerable to criticism and rejection, and it’s human nature to focus on an isolated negative comment in among a wealth of positive feedback. I talk more about that in this blog post.
But as long as critique is objective and well reasoned, we authors welcome and learn from it.
Why don’t people leave reviews?
There are some obstacles to leaving reviews which mean that most readers don’t. Perhaps because they haven’t got time, don’t feel they have anything useful to say, or it simply doesn’t occur to them.
There’s also the fear factor – people fear being judged on what they write on a public forum. Reviewers, like authors, are taking a risk by putting themselves out there.
Some people may feel their opinion doesn’t matter because it’s not ‘lit crit’ enough. They may have strong feelings about a novel but fear they don’t have the right language to express their views.
Or they may not want to hurt or criticise an author they admire.
Readers – your opinion matters!
What I’d say is, as a reader your views do matter and your feedback helps. So please consider leaving a review. It doesn’t have to be in-depth. Just a line or two will suffice.
And if you don’t have time to write anything, please leave a rating.
