Amazon Book Reviews: How to Get These
Gary Webb in his new book BOOK REVIEWS THAT SELL: DISCOVER THE SECRETS OF GETTING A BOATLOAD OF GREAT REVIEWS shares very important advice for authors on what NOT to do as well as what to do to get high-value reviews for their books.
Following the system he describes in his book, Webb contacted me to ask if I would like a review copy in exchange for an honest review. Now I have read the book and can recommend the information, which focuses on book reviews on Amazon.
The most important NOT to do advice includes not doing review exchanges and not offering compensation beyond a free book. This is very important because doing either action may violate Amazon’s Terms of Service and get your books kicked off Amazon. And as authors we definitely do not want to lose the ability to sell our books on Amazon!
The most important “to do” advice is probably that which concerns the quality of the reviews:
The key to book sales is through building a relationship with your readers. But, did you know that the key to getting more and better reviews is establishing ways to communicate better with existing and potential reviewers?
Webb’s strategies are not for those authors uncommitted to promoting their own books. You have to be willing to put in the time and effort to follow his recommendations. But if you’ve already put in so much time and effort to write your books, don’t you want to give your “children” the best chance they have out in the world?
Having been inspired by this book, I’m about to follow the recommendations for my new Kindle fantasy adventure story ROAD TO ZANZICA. I’ll be starting with Webb’s advice as to how to find quality reviewers who might be interested in this type of story. (You’ll have to read the book to learn this information.)
I will add, though, that if anyone is interested in a Kindle format copy of ROAD TO ZANZICA in exchange for an honest review, you can email me at pzmiller@gmail.com (Keep in mind that this is an adventure story with a strong female protagonist and not a full-length novel.)
Click here now for BOOK REVIEWS THAT SELL on Amazon (NOT an affiliate link). And if you read the book and find it valuable, do write a review on Amazon.
And click here to see ROAD TO ZANZICA on Amazon.
(Remember Kindle ebooks can be read on other electronic devices via the free Kindle app at https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/fd/kcp)
© 2015 Miller Mosaic LLC
Phyllis Zimbler Miller (@ZimblerMiller) has an M.B.A. from The Wharton School and is the author of fiction and nonfiction books/ebooks, including HOW TO SUCCEED IN HIGH SCHOOL AND PREP FOR COLLEGE and the romantic suspense spy thriller CIA FALL GUY. All of her Kindle ebooks can be read for free via Amazon’s monthly subscription program Kindle Unlimited. Phyllis can be reached at pzmiller@gmail.com
I think this is great, provided that a reviewer doesn’t get caught in and banned by Amazon’s policy of “No review of books by authors whom you know.” Since most authors know dozens of other authors, that puts everyone in jeopardy of being banned from reviewing for Amazon. That has stopped me cold from reviewing on Amazon. What does Gary Webb say about this situation?
Gary Webb talks about this issue and, if I’m understanding him correctly, Amazon makes the decision as to whether an author’s relationship with another author is “too close” and thus Amazon removes the review. I don’t think Amazon bans an author who legitimately reviewed another author’s book even though Amazon may have removed that review. But I do understand that authors may get banned by other actions, perhaps such as buying reviews that are clearly “bought.”
Amazon seldom bans an author from their site. When they do, it is after repeated violations of the terms of service, with warnings being ignored. However, they have recently become very strict in enforcement of the TOS regarding which reviews will be removed. They are using data mining to detect fake reviews based on criteria within the TOS. One of those is having a close relationship with the author of a book. This can be a family member. It can be an acknowledged friend, or it can be someone with who the reviewer has regular, public communications on social media. That’s why it is important not to interact with individual authors in a personal way through their timeline. Instead, use their private messaging to communicate when needed. It is against federal law for companies to hack into private communications over the internet.
Amazon is trying to strengthen the integrity of their reviewing process. Although it may appear that they are persecuting some authors, that is not the intent. Some authors have been restricted from doing any book reviews because they have a history of posting compromised reviews. I had all reviews from one author removed. They were all well-written, five-star reviews, so I hated losing them. Amazon informed him that he had been restricted, but they did not give detailed information about each review.
It is important that we do our best to comply with the TOS, but it is also necessary for us to be pro-active about contacting potential reviewers.
Gary — Thanks so very much for sharing this detailed explanation. Much appreciated!