Why Book Reviews Are Important For E-book Sales

As an e-book author, you have two choices when it comes to publishing. In fact, many people turn to self-publishing and putting their books out themselves. However, when you go that route, you are also in charge of marketing it. 

When marketing your e-book, you really can't expect to put it out there and have sales. You need to have reviews done if you want to sell even more books. 

Still not convinced? Here are some reasons you need book reviews when trying to sell your e-book. 

Ninety percent of people check out a business online before they do anything else. The simple truth is that almost everyone checks out what their peers are saying about a business before making the decision to further the interaction. Reviews are important to ensure that you get as many customers (readers) as possible.

Eighty-eight percent of those people trust these reviews. A study by BrightLocal in 2014 found that up to eighty-eight percent trust the reviews they read online as much as personal recommendations. Because of this, you need to get as many positive reviews as possible.

Even more important, seventy-two percent of people will only interact with brands that have positive reviews. You need to make sure that, not only do you get reviews, you have positive reviews. Negative reviews may push people toward another book.

If you do get negative reviews, you can use them to improve yourself (and your books). You should turn these reviews into a positive thing. You should read them and try to improve this book and any other books you write. 

If someone writes that you are too wordy, you need to try to shorten your next book. If they have trouble understanding your books, you may need to use shorter words and write down to your audience. This is common with complex topics. Some people don't write in a way that people are able to understand what you are saying. 

So, what does this mean for you as a writer? Basically, if a reader is torn between two books, he or she will probably choose the book with the most positive reviews. 

Basically, online reviews lead to increased sales. You need to focus on getting a few good reviews before you start marketing your e-books.

So, now that you want to get some reviews, here are some ways to do this quickly. 

Ask for them. Not many authors ask for reviews, and this is a mistake. If you don't remind your readers, they won't think about leaving a review.

Many authors include a note at the end of the book to remind their readers. By leaving a note at the end, your readers are more likely to leave a review as soon as they are finished with the book.

Make it easy for them. Many authors leave a link in their e-books, making it easy for their readers to leave a review.

Giveaway books (and hope for reviews). One of the nice things about Amazon KDP Select is that you can give as many books away as you can for five days every few months. By giving books away, you are more likely to get a few reviews (especially if you ask nicely.)

By now, you should have a writer platform on social media and use this to your advantage. Many writers ask their fans to write reviews for them. They may even give away a certain amount of books in order to have reviews prior to each new book coming out!

Get in touch with book bloggers. Book bloggers love to read books and write reviews. By getting in contact with them, not only will you get some reviews, you may increase your reach to all of their loyal readers.

You can even target certain reviewers on Amazon. Amazon has a list of top customer reviewers. These reviewers give credible reviews, and a lot of them. They are sought after, and it can be hard to get their attention. However, it is worth it to get one of these reviewers to read your book.

Though getting in touch with book bloggers and top reviewers can be quite helpful, it is important to remember that you need to build a relationship with them before you ask for a review.

Hire help. Many authors hire a service to help them get more reviews. You can easily get several reviews by giving away books (for a review).

The best way to get reviews is to ask for them. If you don't, your audience won't realize that you would really appreciate it. You may even be able to give away free books in order to get more reviews. It may also help to ask your followers that you have a new book to get out. You may even hire someone to do it for you!

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Previously published on Medium.