The Importance of Reader Requests and Reviews

Writer: Paul Attaway

For independently published authors like me, the only thing more daunting than writing a book is selling it. Outside of independent book stores, the primary distribution channels for paper copies of books are online portals such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Those are great ways to sell a book, but it’s nice to have your book on a brick and mortar shelf. The Achilles Heel for Indies, however, is the lack of distribution through independent bookstores.

Traditional publishers have sales teams that call on independent bookstores and pitch their latest releases and authors. Independent bookstores, in turn, have relationships with publishers and come to depend upon them, in part, to keep them informed. If an independently published author wants their books caried by bookstores, they must call on them, one by one, and ask them if they will carry their book. Most owners of independent bookstores will consider these requests. But they pay even more attention to readers who ask to buy your book. That’s why Indies who want to sell their books in bookstores should encourage their readers to visit their local bookstores and request their books. If their books are in the IngramSpark catalog, the bookstore can order the book for their reader, and consider stocking the book.

According to Nielsen: “The most credible advertising comes from the people we know and trust. More than eight-in-10 global respondents (83%) say they completely or somewhat trust the recommendations of friends and family. But trust isn’t confined only to those in our inner circle. In fact, two-thirds (66%) say they trust consumer opinions posted online—the third-most-trusted format.”  Hence, the need for honest online reviews of your book on platforms such as Amazon and Goodreads.

Before I became an author, I had no idea you could purchase reviews, but I’ve learned that the world of purchased reviews is a mixed bag. Some of the reviewers have excellent reputations and though they charge for the review, they charge for a service. The long-term value proposition for their services depends upon the credibility of their reviews so it is important that they provide honest reviews. I have read reviews by paid reviewers with good reputations, and they do not always provide glowing reviews.  In other words, paid reviews are not, in my opinion, automatically a bad thing. However, the world is full of plenty of sham reviewers lurking online that are nothing more than mills, turning out poorly written reviews of books they likely have not even read.

So where does that leave us? In my opinion, the best reviews are those submitted by readers who care enough to invest their time to read your book and write an honest review, especially when you can build up a number of reviews. Just ask yourself, if you are looking at two books online and one has over 100 reviews, a rating of over 4 stars or higher, and plenty of good written reviews and the other book has six reviews, regardless of the quality of those six reviews, doesn’t the sheer difference in the number of reviews affect your decision and how you perceive each book?

Furthermore, with respect to Amazon, understand that it is not a bookstore, it is a search engine. If you are looking for books and searching key words and genres, Amazon will respond to your search and push books to you in accordance with an algorithm. The most weight in the algorithm is sales. Amazon will promote a book that sells well because Amazon is in the business of selling things. But reviews are another important factor, the total number, the number of written reviews and the overall ranking. So, the more positive reviews a book receives, the better the chance it will pop up in a search. As for Goodreads, it is an online community for readers to discuss books. Book reviews by other readers are a reason Goodreads exists.

So, what makes a good review? One that is authentic and not paid for. The review does not have to be long. The best ones say what the reader liked about the book. Quite simply, reviews are the most trusted form of advertising.

About the Writer

Blood in the Low Country is Paul Attaway’s debut novel. Paul and his wife split their time between Charleston, SC and Phoenix, AZ, where they raised their three children. Paul recently retired from a 30-year career as a small business entrepreneur.

Website: paulattaway.com