Why Book Reviews Matter on Amazon

If you bought a book on Amazon, the author probably asked you to publish a review of the book. While you may not put much thought into the application, the author is focused on getting good reviews.

There are a variety of reasons why book reviews are important on Amazon, but here are the eight most important from an author’s perspective.

1. A book review helps other readers determine whether the book is for them or not. There is nothing worse than someone who already knows a lot about a topic by buying a book and then discovering that it is for beginners. Or vice versa.

While authors generally try to explain who the book is for, a good review can reinforce that point more effectively.

2. A well-written review points out the things to look for in the book. Since you often highlight your favorite parts of the book in your review, other readers find it easy to look forward to that section. It also helps to highlight content that is most relevant to readers and that provides valuable feedback to the author for their next book.

3. One revision encourages the next. Not everyone wants to be first in line, so you’re doing a great service by being the first person to write a book review. Once you’ve started shooting, one review leads to another, and readers often rely on comments and respond to comments from others.

Also note that you do not need to write a review in order to comment on a review. You can join the conversation about a book at any time.

4. The more positive reviews a book receives, the better it will rank. The better it ranks, the more people see it. The more they see it, the more likely they are to buy it. Therefore, by posting a positive book review, you are helping the book move up the rankings for more exposure.

And a note on the star rating: anything below 4 stars is considered “not recommended” so it helps to be generous with your stars.

5. Simply “liking” a review helps that review move up the list of reviews. As a result, book reviews appear in the order of most helpful first. So, whether or not you write a review, take the time to read and rate the reviews already posted.

6. Once a book has 10 reviews, it is eligible to be included in the “also bought” list as well as in the “might like” recommendations. These listings, in turn, add up to the number of sales the book is likely to receive.

7. After an unspecified number of positive reviews, a book may be included in the “Recommended for you” emails that are sent to individual Amazon readers. As with any other step in the review process, this significantly increases the amount of sales a book can receive.

8. Many book review sites will not consider a book for review unless they have multiple reviews on the Amazon book page.

With these eight elements in mind, you will understand why book reviews are important and why an Amazon author asks you to write a review on the books you buy.