Book reviews can be self-promotional opportunities

So your best friend is a writer, you’ve read her book and you’re going to review it … But you’re a writer too. Should you mention your book when you review hers?

No. You should definitely not “MENTION” that you are a writer, that you wrote a book, or the title of your book in the review you do for your friend … But what is your writing style? Can you write a review using your writing style?

There are a few key options you should include in a review that will promote it, without alerting reviewers or readers that YOU have reviewed the book in an awkward way:

• keywords that market to you. For example, if the book is a romantic fiction, you might mention that the book was commercialized during the year internet blog and in fact it’s okay to mention the blog where you found the book, where I found writing tips and word writing, so I bought the book through a link to Amazon.com
• your signature. Your name is your signature, always use your name when reviewing someone else’s book, because it gives you name recognition. If other readers agree with your review, they may mention you in their review, increasing name recognition.
• writing style and voice. Your readers will come to know and expect a certain type of style and voice from you. It’s always good to find that style and that voice on the web, in a different place and recognize it there as well. Use your style and voice to return recognition through reviews of other people’s writing.

Functional reviews get approvals and disapprovals. Did you help the reader decide whether to invest in the book or not?

By including a call to action in your review, “Go ahead and buy this book, you’ll want it in your library forever.” It has motivated the reader to like your review and buy the book.

By including a call to action, you have signed your review with reader action. Writers should always include ACTION in their references, reviews, and recommendations, because it offers the reader the opportunity to let someone else take over.

Be a loader – and take control of where your readers go next. Tell them what you want them to do. Tell them what to do. Remind them to do what you told them to do.

The most important thing to do in a review is to write a GREAT review. Make it count.