How to Leverage Book Reviews

What sells a book better than a good review? In one of our previous posts, we covered recommended sources for getting reviews. In this post, we will explore ways to leverage your book reviews to nudge your creation of labor, time, and dedication closer to the top of a reader’s must-buy list.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

First, let’s define what makes a good review. When categorizing reviews, you want to filter them through a two-part system. One: is the review unique and descriptive, without being too wordy? By having eye-catching, descriptive yet concise reviews, it will be more effective at attracting readers. Two: does it make you as the author feel special? Pick the reviews that generate feelings of confidence in yourself and skills as a writer. Once the review has gone through and survived this test, you’ll know that it will stand solid amongst even the pickiest of readers. Another way to determine if a review is worthwhile is to look for the “ugly” reviews. The harsh critiques of laudable sources are particularly useful; say you have written a horror book. Reviews echoing themes like “gory, gruesome, and utterly disturbing” or “violent and shocking!” might seem counterproductive at first, but when you know your audience, you can pick the “ugliest” reviews and spin them into something memorably positive.

Creating Excerpts

Now that you have narrowed down the reviews you want to use, the next step is to make sure you attribute your source properly. When pulling from long reviews, you want to cite it according to the source’s rules. For example, Kirkus is very strict about quote representation. Every excerpt needs to cite the company as Kirkus Reviews in italics, and if words are omitted from a quote, authors must include a […]. Other review sources may have different rules, some stricter, others more lax. Ultimately, it’s up to you as the author to make sure you follow their guidelines.

How to Plug Your Reviews

Now that you have determined your excerpts, it’s time to think about how to share these with the world. If we look at the book itself, you can place a review excerpt on the front cover, back cover, in the interior or a little bit everywhere. For the front cover, you want to make sure the excerpt is brief (so it doesn’t interfere too much with your cover design) and that it’s from a highly reputable source. Avoid giving prominence to reviews from people with little to no name recognition lest readers assume you had “nobody better” like your book. On the other hand, if you have received a glowing review from a comparable author who is at least relatively well known, you may want to feature an excerpt on the front cover. A similar review excerpt could also be appropriate on the back cover. If you have received more than two reviews, considering inserting a page in the front of your title page. Entitling it something like “Praise for -YOUR BOOK TITLE-” you can include longer excerpts than you typically can on the cover, and it adds extra credibility to your book. Place these in descending order of importance, with the most recognizable sources at the top.

For your book listing on Amazon, you can include review excerpts right in the book description. We recommend featuring one or two at the very top so that they have maximum visibility. All you have to do is log into your KDP account and edit your book description.

Now, let’s look at your marketing channels. Including a review excerpt on your website is always a good idea. You may choose to include one right on the home page as well as on the page showcasing your book.

For social media, go the extra mile and share your book reviews in an aesthetically pleasing way. With a little help from a tool like Canva, you can create appropriate imagery as the backdrop for your best reviews. Once you have some of these images created, share them intermittently on social media. If you have a Facebook page, consider incorporating your best review on your header image. If your book is relevant to your LinkedIn profile, do the same.

Now that you know a few methods of leveraging your book reviews, if you don’t have any just yet, no problem. And if your book has already been out for a while, it doesn’t mean you’ve missed the opportunity to get book reviews. There are always review sources available for indie authors. Check out our blog post on four reliable book review sources for authors. You can also explore our website and browse our other author services here.