I am very keen to make reviews a prominent feature of the book promotions and encourage readers to review the books that they buy and enjoy, or not as the case may be.
Word of mouth is still the most powerful marketing tool that anyone who is selling a product benefits from. Authors are no different, and our books tend to be judged by the number and quality that they have received.
Part of the problem is that those who are not writers of books or blogs are uncomfortable in offering reviews and feel that what they have to say is not important. Many who do review a book, leave just one line after their star rating, simply saying that the reader enjoyed or disliked a book, but they do not elaborate.
That is obviously very welcome. But whilst a potential reader does not want to read three pages filled with spoilers in a review, they do usually want a little more about what they are going to find before paying good money for a book.
And it is going to be a request for a review – good or bad. Here is one version that you might think of using or adapting.
Thank you for reading my book and it would mean a great deal to me if you could give me your opinion. Not only will this let me know what you feel about my writing in general, but potential readers will also value your feedback.
If you have bought this book from Amazon you will already have an account that will enable you to review books that you have bought, or have been given as a gift. If you have not bought the book yourself please mention that at the front end of the review so that it will be published. https://www.amazon.com
Goodreads is an excellent site for readers and you can sign in with facebook or sign up with an email address. This gives you access to thousands of books, enables you to connect with readers of the genres you enjoy and leave reviews on any books that you have read and feel you would like to offer constructive comments. https://www.goodreads.com/
Finally I would be delighted to hear from you by email sally.cronin@moyhill.com about the book.
If you would like to expand on the above request then you could add in this guide which might help someone review your book in more detail.
I believe that all authors should put some version of the above at the end of their books. It gives the reader permission to offer their opinion and also shows them how to do so constructively.
I am sure that there will be some reviews that we have encouraged that may not be all positive, but I want to become a better writer and I can only do that if I have honest reviews.
I do hope that if a reader is very disappointed they will email me to let me know first but I also think that it might just encourage hesitant readers to come forward and help us sell more books.
Your views of course are equally important and look forward to hearing them. thanks Sally
Pingback: How can we encourage more readers to leave reviews for our books? | Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life
I like the idea of the page you intend to include. As a reader it can be quite intimidating to leave a review, especially when those preceding are often written by people who seem to know how to review a story and break down its component parts.
I imagine that many people would never have thought about the items in your list, they’ll just know whether they liked the book or not. Giving a few prompts should give confidence to new reviewers, they will know what they liked or didn’t like.
I think letting readers know that their opinion is as important as a Guardian reviewer’s is the key message to get across.
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Thank you Nicola and I appreciate your thoughts. It is basic customer service and that is part of our role as Indie authors along with all the other aspects of writing, producing and marketing our books. Thanks Sally
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This is great, Sally. It is so intimidating for most people to leave a review. I love the idea of adding the page at the end of the book. Thanks so much!!
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Thank you Kimberly much appreciated. x
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I like your list of questions. I always feel useless writing a review so I would find those helpful.
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Thanks Mary… I hope it will encourage more of my readers to review.. it is so important.. xxx
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Reblogged this on Books: Publishing, Reading, Writing and commented:
From Sally Cronin … an idea to encourage readers to also become reviewers.
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Thank you for sharing Susan.. hugs x
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You’re welcome!
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Reblogged this on Words To Captivate ~ by John Fioravanti and commented:
Book reviews are the lifeblood of an author. Sally Cronin presents us with a practical and, I think, brilliant way of soliciting reviews from our readers. Please, read on…
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Thanks for spreading the word John.
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You’re most welcome, Sally!
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Wonderful, Sally! Thank you so much! I’m printing out this post as a reminder when I next publish a book. How ingenious and helpful for the reader! Bravo! Did I mention that I like this post?
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Thank you John.. I think it might also shows that we are not afraid to ask for opinions about our work and stand behind it.. glad you liked the post.
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No, I loved it! Thanks again. Brilliant!
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Reblogged this on Angie Dokos.
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Thanks very much for sharing Angie.. hugs xx
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Good ideas Sally. How many potential readers will participate by writing a review is anyone’s guess. Sadly reality dictates that the figures are traditionally not in our favour. My best seller to date sold over a quarter of a million copies. However the number of reviews was slightly over fifty…
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thanks Jack.. it will take time but if every author was to ask for a review at the back of their book it might get through to some… we can but try.. and we should all have a best seller like yours…..better get back to my writing.
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Reblogged this on Have We Had Help? and commented:
Sally on gaining reviews…
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Thanks for sharing Jack..
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Reblogged this on Sherry Carroll ShinyHappySherry.wordpress.
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Thank you for sharing Sherry.. x
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Reblogged this on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog.
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Thank you for spreading the word Chris.. hugs xx
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My pleasure, Sally – Hugs ❤️❤️❤️
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This is a fantastic idea! I made a note to include it in my next Travel Bits book, and to add it to my next revisions of the ones that are already out!
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Fantastic Sarah.. and don’t forget to let me know when you get a great review you want to share.. it can go in the new series. xx
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Awesome! I have a couple good ones now, but nothing more than a sentence or two. I will let you know!
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Great.. xx
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Even as a writer I find your list of questions very helpful as a guide for leaving reviews. It’s a great idea to include the list after the last page of an ebook, especially if you include a link to Amazon so there are no extra steps involved in encouraging a reader to write a review. Thanks for another great post!
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Thanks Amy.. I will put that link in now as a reminder to people..Sally
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that’s a great idea Sally. i do ask readers to leave a review at the end of my books, but not told them how to do it. Of course it doesn’t help when the Big A take down reviews – I’ve written over 300 in the last few years, and they refused one as I knew the person – they’ve actually been dead for over two decades!
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They have gone overboard Lucinda which is why I am encouraging people to leave reviews on Goodreads. Not only because of the removal of reviews but because they will not transfer the reviews from one country to another. I have books with reviews in the US but not in the UK.. This means when I am promoting an author I will choose the Amazon link to give to readers with the most reviews. Thankfully Amazon does give the link to your country’s Amazon to buy. x
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I like your idea, Sally. I am always amazed when people come up to me and say “I love your book,” and then look wide-eyed when asked it they wouldn’t mind putting a review on Amazon.
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Thank you John.. as someone else has said it can be intimidating for someone who has never written a review before to put one up on an author’s account. We need to show as well as encourage.. Hopefully if more authors add a similar request to the back of their books we might help change that perspective. xx
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I do place a request but I think a couple of prompts would be great. Like “leave a review and your first born will be spared.”
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Very herodite John.. I think that might work.. I will remember that as I am half way through Our Justice at the moment .. hugs xxx
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Ha ha ha ha. of should I say Mooohahahahah
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I think this is a great idea! As a book reviewer, I’m always encouraging my friends to leave reviews as well, everyone appreciates an honest opinion 🙂
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Thank you Anne.. as I mentioned in the an earlier comment, it is important to remember that our readers are our customers and if we want them to come back for future books we need to listen to them.
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such a good point-many authors would benefit from remembering this 🙂
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Excellent idea, Sally. I often hear “I don’t know how to write a review” and your new page solves that problem. Some readers are also intimidated by their favorite authors, and therefore, don’t feel they’re qualified to write reviews. By giving them permission, it tells them their opinion matters. Smart thinking, Sally. Good for you!
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Thank you Sue.. I know the feeling about intimidation.. I have been a lifelong fan of Wilbur Smith and have all his books in print including hardbacks such as his latest. I saw that he was on Facebook and sent him a note via messenger and was so thrilled when he came back with a note.. I will review his latest because even multi-million copies later, a review still means something. hugs x
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Excellent idea, Sally – and the questions you’ve included are very helpful to someone who’s never written a review.
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Thanks Teri.. I hope that and the marketing work that so many authors are doing encourages more reviews. xx
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Reblogged this on When Angels Fly.
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Thank you for sharing.
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Welcome!
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Sally, great idea to include these questions on the back page of a published book. Wish I’d done that! The questions cover a lot of literary ground and would be useful in a book club, too.
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Thank you Diane, what I am going to do is add something to my bio on Amazon on my author page about reviews with a link to this post and see if that might have an impact when my current books are sold…Sally
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I have to admit that as a writer myself, I often hesitate about leaving an honest review. It’s easy if I loved the book, but if I didn’t, I know how hard that is for an author to hear criticism. On the other hand, I get annoyed to read glowing reviews of a book that turns out to be poorly written.
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I agree Kelee but I think that I give me email address and hope that a reader will contact me directly if they are that unhappy with a book I have written. Also, I think if a reader looks at the list of elements that they might write about the book, they might just see some areas that are not actually that terrible and give a more balanced review. Of course if it is a stinker.. then hey that is not the readers fault and better to save othe people spending their money. Also there are other factors at play here and I have read reviews from lovers of horror who have hated a romance… whilst others who prefer that genre have loved it. thanks again.. Sally
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Great idea, Sally. At the backs of my books, I do thank readers and ask for a review, but I haven’t expanded beyond that. It’s something to think about. 🙂
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Great Diana.. I have added a note to my Amazon Bio on both US and UK about how important a review is and also added the link to this post. I think if enough authors begin to emphasise how important reviews are to the readers it might just result in a sea change. One can hope.. hugs xx
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Dear Sally,
We love your idea for an end page. Of course it would be simpler if authors wants a review, to offer to set us on readers….
Lots of love
The Dudes xxx
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Wow.. now that is a perfect solution.. I cannot imagine why I did not think of that.. thank you Dudes.. will add a PS to the post….hugs xxxx
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Just don’t tell Shey…… we gear she might bin us…
Love the dudes
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Don’t worry my loves.. I will protect you.. xxx
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Sally, ignore them. Personally your idea is brilliant. Think of how authors do book club questions and things. THIS is far better . And you are right re reviews, proper reviews, not just I loved, I hated, no explanation given reviews.
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How can I ignore the Dudes.. I love them… We are leaving too much in the hands of Amazon.. and letting them dictate to us about which reviews they will accept or not. We need to educate people so that they know how to review and how to get them passed through the algorithms and if that means deploying The Dudes..so be it…♥♥♥
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Oh Sally, how very very, true re Amazon. I don’t want to start here but I am going to, about reviews I know were never posted because these readers took the time to tell me they’d been refused because they knew me when they didn’t.(I am not doing this actually they did lying bit here. I regard that as an affront) and yet Amazon do nothing about troll reviews, about these glowing ones from folks who have managed to review nothing else ever and appear to have no real profile, about authors who pay for reviews, and authors who appear to have more 5 star reviews than books sold, or reviewed from NetGalley either.
Moving on from books, last year they were blithely selling goods for a fortune that Poundland were selling for a quid. DON’T get me started re their stranglehold on the market and their free on kindle direct that authors see sod all of. (Heavy breathing here.) SO BTO, I think this is brilliant and just tell if there is anything else I can do. xxx
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Reblogged this on Wind Eggs and commented:
I always dedicate a page asking readers to review my book—good review or bad. Sally Cronin’s request page provides guidance to readers not used to reviewing. Authors can use this as a model for their books. Readers can use it as a model for books they’d like to review.
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Thanks for sharing Phillip.. Great that you are already asking for feedback.. It would be wonderful if it becomes part of the reading culture. It might bring Amazon to its knees one day trying to check them all for friendships etc!
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Reblogged this on Pearls Before Swine and commented:
Excellent idea from Sally on encouraging reviews. I think some people think leaving a review means writing a literary critique. A small reminder that it is just them leaving their opinion about the book is most excellent.
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Thanks for sharing Yecheilyah.. much appreciated and agreed – plain English and useful..
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Welcome 👍
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Asking questions is a great idea. It works for beta readers (gets them to say more than “I like it”), so it ought to work for reviewers, too.
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Thank you Thomas. I think anything that promotes better communication has got to be better for all of us. best wishes Sally
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Reblogged this on and commented:
A helpful post by Smorgasbord on How can we engage more readers to leave reviews for our books.
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Thank you for sharing Lindsay.
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My pleasure 🙂
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A great idea, Sally. Amazon does send an email asking for a review a couple of weeks after you make a purchase. That is a good reminder.
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I did not know that Darlene and have not received any emails from Amazon UK and we have bought a fair few books in the last year. I must check on why not.. hugs Sally
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Maybe it’s just Amazon.ca and .com but I get a notice every time I buy a book.
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Great advice, Sally. 🙂
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Thank you Brenda..
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You’re very welcome. I shared your advice on Twitter. I hope that’s OK. 🙂
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What a good idea. I am published with a small press, so cannot, unfortunately, add anything to the book, although they do already mention how valuable reviews are, at the end of every book. I have shared this on Twitter, and put a note on my Amazon Author Page. I might also do a page on my blog, using yours as a guide, if that’s all right with you , giving you credit of coursel
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Thank you Hywela and I am sure if you ask your publisher they might consider doing the page. We are self-publishers and we will be recommending to our authors to insert this page. Indie publishers and mainstream publishers alike should be promoting reviews far more. Thank you for sharing on social media and please feel free to share the template on your blog as it is intended for people to adapt to their own requirements and genres.. Thank you for taking the time to comment. Sally
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Thanks Sally – will do! I agree, we all need to be promoting reviews more.
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Reblogged this on Brenda Scruggs.
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Thank you for sharing Brenda.. best wishes Sally
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Fab post Sal. I always include something polite and nice about reminding for reviews if a reader has enjoyed my book, but nothing as elaborate as yours. Thanks for this great idea and I’ll be reblogging it next week. 🙂 xo
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Thank you Debby..we are an intimidating lot.. or readers assume we are and it would be great if they got into the game… for that is what it is. ♥♥
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I agree 100%. Perhaps if readers who aren’t writers would visit our blogs they’d see the ‘human’ side of us. 🙂 ❤
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Keep us posted on how the page you mentioned is received and the results!
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Well judging by the response to the post I am hopeful that over time there might be a general change in how we as writers encourage reviews and in the response from the readers. Thanks for popping in and commenting.. Sally
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One could hope! 🙂 Keep up the good work!
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Great advice Sally. It’s something I’ll be sure to do when I publish.
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That’s great Jessica and if as many writers as possible reach out to there readers it will make a difference. thanks Sally
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Absolutely! We, as a society, are so programmed to review negative experiences, let’s get them into reviewing the positive ones (which we hope our books will be 😉 )!
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This is a great idea. I do have a short sentence asking readers to review my book, but I don’t get specific like you do in this letter. I think it is very important to explain to the reader how their review helps you as a writer and helps other readers. Thanks for this awesome suggestion!
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Glad you found useful Tricia.. I hope it does encourage more… xx
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Reblogged this on cicampbellblog and commented:
Oh, yes, please! It would be lovely to have more reviews for my novels, and this article by Sally Cronin is a great one for readers and writers alike. For readers, there is a great section with some questions you might care to answer in your review of a book. Very helpful if you’re unsure how to write a worthwhile review. For writers, the article gives some great suggestions as to what to put at the end of your story, on the very next page, in the hopes that those who enjoyed your novel will care to write a review.
Excellent suggestions all round. Thank you, Sally.
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Thanks Christine and glad you found useful. I am finding more and more that authors are reticent about asking for feedback. But we should not be shy as it is good customer service to find our how our customers enjoy our product. And I do hope that the reticent readers too will have the confidence to speak their minds. thanks for sharing and hugsx
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A great list of questions, Sally. This certainly goes beyond simply asking the reader to leave a review when they get to the last page of the book they’ve just read. Your questions will certainly get readers thinking (and hopefully writing that review).
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Thank you Hugh.. even if only one or two more readers do a review it does make a difference to us.. hugs xx
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Very true, Sally. I’ve save the post so I can include those questions at the end of my next book. 😀
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Fantastic Hugh.. thank you hugs xx
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I think it is a very good idea Sally… particularly for those readers that are not sure what types of thigs to write in a review. 🙂
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A fantastic idea, Sally! I think this added engagement with readers can prove valuable in numerous ways. Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
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Thank you Natalie – I hope it encourages some to share their views and realise how important we regard them. xx
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Reblogged this on Don Massenzio's Blog and commented:
Check out this post with some excellent ideas for encouraging more readers to leave book reviews from the Smorgasbord Invitation blog.
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Thank you for sharing Don.. much appreciated.
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Reblogged this on Second Wind Leisure Perspectives and commented:
Let me ask you a question…are a you a reader, a writer, an author, a blogger? All of the above? Then this post is for you!
As a prolific author, Sally Cronin recently shared some wonderful advice for encouraging readers of our books to leave honest reviews using Amazon and GoodReads.
Like Sally, I am surprised that many readers feel intimidated to leave an honest review for a book they’ve read. It is not always easy to leave a review but if readers feel strongly about a book and can take just a few moments, that review is gold for the author. Feedback is everything to an author.
I have made the commitment to review at least one book a month and share that review on my blog. For myself, I have discovered more books by reading other bloggers’ book reviews.
Sally plans to add a page at the end of her books encouraging folks to leave reviews. If you are in the process of writing a book now, do consider this option.
Here is an action item by Sally that any author can do NOW!
“In the meantime I am going to add a note to my author’s page on Amazon requesting reviews for my current books and adding a link to this post.. Who knows!”
As writers, let’s continue to support and share our fellow writers’ works.
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Thanks very much Terri for helping to spread the word. The more of us commit to something similar at the end of our books the more readers will come to accept it as a part of the reading process.. I think some of them will grow to like it.. hugs x
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You are welcome! I think you are on to something here!!
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Thanks, Sally (and Terri) – As a reader, and a member of two book clubs, your ‘review page’ is an excellent idea. Not only does it help the individual reader to flesh out his/her review, but it also is a great discussion focus for book clubs!
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Thank you Donna.. I am pleased you found useful..and delighted if it can be adapted for other purposes.. At the end of the day it gets people talking about books.. best wishes Sally
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I think this is a marvelous idea. I have decided that I must write more comments when I read something that speaks to me. It’s what I hope my readers will want to do. But in the meantime, I’m glad to give you feedback! Thank you for sharing.
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Thank you so much for the feedback and delighted that you found useful. best wishes Sally
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Love this. My little one-sentence suggestion about writing a review doesn’t seem to be cutting it. This is much better!
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Thank you Anne.. we forget sometimes that our readers are not used to writing and also feel slightly intimidated..
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Reblogged this on Stuart Aken and commented:
An excellent post, which I’ve shared and reblogged. Thank you.
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Many thanks Stuart for spreading the word.
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As many of the people leaving comments do, I also add a sentence asking people for reviews but I recently mentioned that to one of the authors whose book I was translating and he did not think it was appropriate. The questions will be useful to people inclined to review but worried. I suspect most people go by word of mouth rather than reviews for books they are not familiar with but it’s worth trying.
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I think you are right Olga..I do tend to read the reviews for books I am about to buy good and bad.. as with any product and it at least gives a general feel for the quality of the writing and story.. anyway it will be interesting to see what happens.. hugs xx
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Pingback: How can we encourage more readers to leave reviews for our books? | Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life | Just Olga
Thank you for sharing and spreading the word Olga.. xxx
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LOL… you’re braver than me, Sally. 😀 Seriously though, it’s a good idea. Mega hugs.
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Thanks Teagan..we shall see what happens… I have put the link to the post on my Amazon US and UK bios.. xxxxhugs
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