I feel like a broken record, but let’s get the main point of this blog post out of the way right now:
Writing reviews is one of the biggest ways you can support an author.
Seriously. Many online marketplaces, especially Amazon, recommend titles based on how many reviews they have and the quality of those reviews. Simply put, a book that has more reviews is more likely to get eyes on it than a book with fewer views.
You don’t have to be a book blogger or critic to leave a review either. For example, I have a short thank you page in the back of my paperback that asks the reader to consider leaving a short review on Amazon if they enjoyed my book. Writing a sentence or two takes most people a few minutes at most, but every review counts.
Beyond the impact of reviews on the success of an author’s book, hearing feedback also just means a lot to authors!
I really enjoy going through reader reviews to see what people think of my book. Positive reviews make my day. Even reviews that aren’t stellar still help. Bad reviews can give me insight into a different opinion, or at the very least, give me an opportunity to develop a thicker skin.
While all authors benefit from reviews, I’d encourage you to especially dedicate review-writing time to indie or self-published authors. A lot of these authors might only offer Kindle versions of their books, so Amazon reviews make up a huge part of their marketing and impact.
Thank you for all the ways you support authors!
Cailin Riley 