I have been asked by several people recently how to do a book review. Many of these people mentioned to me that they enjoyed one or more of my books but did not know how to do a review.
Since I have been doing reviews for several years I didn’t realize how many do not know how to do them. It feels simple enough to me but I am a writer and doing them is second nature to me. If you are not used to being on Amazon or other sites and doing reviews it is a daunting task.
Well, this post is my way of making this task easier for you. Here is what you need to do.
- You go to Amazon.com and put in the search engine the name of the book you want to review. For example, here’s the link to my books on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/Janice-Spina/e/B00HNET4HG
2. Here is what you will see under the book (example from Hunting Mariah). You need to click on WRITE A CUSTOMER REVIEW.
Customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars5 out of 517 customer ratings
Review this product
Share your thoughts with other customersWrite a customer review
Read reviews that mention
hunting mariah serial killer school girl girl killer reading this bookspina mystery thriller blood suspense tale endingmemories twists beginning chilling revenge robertsdisturbed givenTop ReviewsMost recentTop Reviews
3. Above mentions all the things that have been mentioned in previous reviews. This gives you some idea what to write about and/or mention in your review.
4. Write what you enjoyed or not about the book.
That’s all there is to it.
Here’s an example of such a review for my novel, Hunting Mariah.
Simple and to the point:
Theresa Falco5.0 out of 5 stars Love Hunting Mariah!!Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2015Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
I couldn’t put it down. I really needed to find the answers. A great read!!
This is a longer more detailed review:
Colleen M. Chesebro5.0 out of 5 stars 5 Reader Enjoyment: 5 Overall RateReviewed in the United States on July 3, 2018Format: Paperback Hunting Mariah is written by J. E. Spina, an award-winning children’s author. This novel is her debut into the mystery and crime genre.
The story is set in a New York suburb, where a killer is on the loose, terrorizing a college campus filled with young students.
Be prepared to be creeped out as J. E. Spina gives us an intimate view into the thought processes of a killer. Spina portrays this character as if she channeled the thoughts and actions of a real serial killer. The guy is deranged and takes pleasure in the sight, smell, and the feel of blood. Her descriptions were chilling!
The story revolves around the protagonist, Mariah Hampton who suffers from amnesia and Dr. Roberts, who is helping her to remember the savage attack she endured at the hands of an unnamed man. Through most of the book, this man’s identity is a secret which adds to the suspense building.
As Mariah’s memories begin to resurface, she realizes that the family secrets from her past have exploded into the future.
J. E. Spina has written a whopper of a murder mystery. She strings the reader along, giving nothing away until the explosive ending!
MY RATING:
Character Believability: 5
Flow and Pace: 5
Reader Engagement: 5
Reader Enrichment: 5
Reader Enjoyment: 5
Overall Rate: 5 out of 5 Fairies
*I received this book as a gift.*
There is no rule that you have to write more than a few words if that is all you can do. Both kinds of reviews are effective to getting the attention of other readers. Word of mouth is the way to spread interest in a book.
We authors are happy to receive any reviews. They all hold weight with Amazon. The more reviews we receive the better we look in Amazon’s eyes and stand a chance to be promoted by Amazon. Please keep them coming now that you know how to do one.
Thank you for stopping by to read this post. I hope you will find it helpful in writing reviews.
REMEMBER: READING GIVES YOU WINGS TO FLY! SOAR WITH JEMSBOOKS.COM ALL YEAR THROUGH! HAPPY READING!
Blessings & Hugs!
Janice
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Most people simply think that their point of view is not important. I keep telling my readers that what they think does matter. I also ask them did reading the reviews for a book make them choose it? Most say no. What got their interest is the synopsis!!!
Right on, Jack! I look at the cover first then the synopsis and then the reviews. If I like the cover and blurb I may buy it unless the reviews are negative. 😊
Take no notice of 98% of negative reviews. Most are penned by people who love to hate…
I agree, Jack. I will not do a review if I can’t give it 3 or more stars. Thanks for stopping by. 😃
Reblogged this on Plaisted Publishing House and commented:
This is great for those writing reviews. However, if you really hate a book. Don’t review it at all. Don’t even one star it, especially if you never finished the book. Especially if they are all individual short stories… Anthologies are written in many styles, with different characters and endings. To review part of a book is…just daft.
Thank you, Claire! You are correct about that. I won’t review a book unless I can give 4 or 5 stars. 😃
I have had on review on Inkitt I did for a lady. I was nice, i think i gave mainly 3 stars as she needed a lot of improvement and I didn’t want her to fall into the same pit I did with one genre. She then proceeded to give me a review…worse than what I gave her and another week later she deleted the review i did. At the time I didn’t realise you could delete reviews on Inkitt…I’m rather shocked at this writers bad attitude. Maybe I should tell her I’m also a publisher…lol.
I agree with you on the stars…if not over 3 and unless i can advise how to improve I will leave well alone.
I have had on review on Inkitt I did for a lady. I was nice, i think i gave mainly 3 stars as she needed a lot of improvement and I didn’t want her to fall into the same pit I did with one genre. She then proceeded to give me a review…worse than what I gave her and another week later she deleted the review i did. At the time I didn’t realise you could delete reviews on Inkitt…I’m rather shocked at this writers bad attitude. Maybe I should tell her I’m also a publisher…lol.
I agree with you on the stars…if not over 3 and unless i can advise how to improve I will leave well alone.
Exactly, Claire. Sorry to hear of this person’s vindictive attitude. It’s sad. Do you publish other authors’ books besides your own? Thanks for stopping by! 😃🤗
I left her review up. I’m not that petty…lol. Yes I do assist with publishing. I run an author assist program where i bring contractors together to build a clients book to how they like it. It works well. I get paid on final basic file and pay my contractors. I’ve assisted over 30 authors so far. 🙂 There is a list of them on another page on this website…some have links to their social media. 🙂
Very good information to pass on, Janice! Thanks for sharing!
You are welcome, Amy! 😘🤗
Reblogged this on Have We Had Help? and commented:
Nothing to it…