Reviews & Endorsements

Reviews

Why Reviews Matter
Reviews are social proof. They tell potential readers that real people have read your book and had opinions about it. More importantly, they tell algorithms and retailers that your book exists and people care about it.


Amazon's algorithm favors books with reviews. More reviews = more visibility in recommendations and search results.


Reader psychology means most people won't buy a book with zero reviews. Even a handful of reviews (5-10) makes your book look legitimate instead of invisible.


Reviews aren't just about star ratings - they're about convincing strangers that your book is worth their time and money.


Building Your Review Team
Your review team consists of readers who get advance copies (ARCs) in exchange for honest reviews posted around launch.


Where to Find ARC Readers:

  • Your street team (overlap with launch team)
  • Beta readers who loved your book
  • Newsletter subscribers
  • Reader groups in your genre
  • BookFunnel or StoryOrigin ARC sign-ups


How Many Do You Need: Aim to recruit 30-50 ARC readers if you want 10-15 reviews at launch. Attrition is real - many won't finish the book or won't leave reviews despite good intentions.


Setting Expectations:
Be clear about the review deadline (usually launch day or within a week after)
Emphasize "honest reviews" - you're not buying praise
Provide easy links for leaving reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, etc.
Send reminders as launch approaches


Managing Your Team:

Use email, a private Facebook group, or BookFunnel to coordinate. Keep communication organized and don't overwhelm them with constant messages.


Start small if it's your first book. Your review team will grow with each release.

 

Platform-Specific Review Requirements
Different platforms have different rules about reviews. Breaking them can get reviews removed or your account flagged.


Amazon:

  • No paid reviews (free ARC copies are allowed, cash/gifts are not)
  • Authors can't review books by friends, family, or competitors
  • No review swapping or sock puppet accounts
  • Don't ask for reviews in exchange for anything other than the free book itself


Goodreads:

  • Anyone can leave a review or rating
  • No purchase required
  • Reviews can be posted before the book releases (unlike Amazon)
  • Authors should NOT comment on reviews of their own books
  • Goodreads giveaways can help generate reviews


BookBub:

  • Helps with visibility and recommendations
  • Less critical than Amazon reviews but still valuable


The Universal Rule: Never buy reviews. Never incentivize 5-star reviews. Never engage in review manipulation of any kind. It's against every platform's terms of service and it will backfire.

 

Editorial Reviews


Beyond your ARC team of regular readers, you can also submit to professional review services for editorial reviews - these are reviews from established reviewers rather than casual readers.


How it works:

  • Submit your book through their website
  • A professional reviewer reads and reviews your book
  • The review is posted on their site and can be used in your marketing

 

The benefit: Professional editorial reviews carry different weight than reader reviews - they're great for marketing materials, press releases, and giving your book additional credibility.


The catch:

  • Reviews take time (weeks to months depending on their queue)
  • You can't control what they say - it might be positive, it might be critical
  • These aren't Amazon reviews - they live on Readers' Favorite's site

 

Editorial reviews are a nice supplement to reader reviews, not a replacement for them. Both serve different purposes in building your book's credibility. Below are some professional review sites.

 

  • Readers Favorite - Offers free book reviews from their team of professional reviewers. The review process takes several weeks, but there's no cost to submit.
  • Kirkus Reviews - Kirkus is one of the most prestigious professional review services, but their indie reviews start at $450 with no guarantee of a positive review. Unless you have a specific reason to need a Kirkus review (film/TV pitching, certain awards, library sales), that money is better spent on cover design, editing, or advertising.

 

Managing Reviews
Reviews will happen. Good ones, bad ones, weird ones. Here's how to handle them:

  • Good reviews: Thank readers if they tag you or message you directly, but don't comment on the actual review itself - Amazon frowns on author engagement on reviews. Share positive reviews on social media if you want. Feel good about them.

  • Bad reviews: Don't respond. Ever. Not even if they're factually wrong, clearly didn't read your book, or are attacking you personally. Responding makes you look unprofessional and often backfires spectacularly. Just... let it go. One-star reviews happen to everyone, including bestselling authors with massive followings.
  • Fake/malicious reviews: If a review violates platform policies (personal attacks on you, contains spoilers without warning, is clearly fake), you can report it. Sometimes the platform removes them, sometimes they don't. Don't obsess over it.


The Reality: You can't control what readers say about your book. You can only control how you respond - and the professional response is to not respond at all (at least not publicly on the review itself).


The goal is to accumulate enough reviews that a few bad ones don't tank your rating. Most readers understand that a book with 50 reviews averaging 4.3 stars is doing fine, even if three of those reviews are one-star rants.

 

Realistic Expectations
Most authors obsess over review counts and ratings in ways that aren't healthy or productive. Here's what to actually expect.


This Is a Long Game
Reviews don't all happen at launch and then stop. They accumulate slowly over months and years as readers discover your book. A book with 10 reviews at launch might have 50 reviews a year later, 100 reviews two years later.


Don't panic if you're not hitting triple-digit review counts in your first month. Most successful books built their review base gradually, not overnight.


How Many Reviews You'll Get:

  • If you send 50 ARC copies, expect 10-15 reviews posted
  • Some will trickle in weeks or months after launch
  • Many ARC readers will read the book but never leave a review
  • Organic reviews from readers who bought the book come slowly but steadily over time

 

This is normal, not personal


Timeline:

  • Launch week: A handful of reviews from your most reliable team members
  • First month: Most of your ARC reviews will post
  • Months 2-6: Organic reviews from actual readers start appearing
  • Year one and beyond: Reviews continue accumulating as more readers discover your book


Star Ratings:

  • Not everyone will love your book, even in your target audience
  • 4.0-4.5 average is excellent and sustainable
  • Anything above 4.0 is solid
  • Obsessing over hitting 5.0 stars will make you miserable


What "Enough" Reviews Looks Like:
10 reviews: Your book looks legitimate, not invisible
25-50 reviews: Algorithms start paying attention
100+ reviews: Significant credibility and visibility boost


You don't need hundreds of reviews to be successful. You need enough to look legitimate and trigger algorithmic recommendations. Focus on writing your next book, not refreshing your review count. Your review count will grow over time as your book finds its readers.

Author Endorsements

An author endorsement (also called a blurb, though that's confusing because "blurb" also means your book description) is a quote from another author praising your book. These usually appear on your cover or in your book's front matter.


Endorsements lend credibility and can introduce you to another author's readership. A quote from a well-known author in your genre can convince readers to take a chance on you.


Who to Ask:

  • Don't aim for the stars immediately. Stephen King isn't going to endorse your debut novel. Instead:
  • Authors at your level or slightly above who write in your genre
  • Authors whose work is similar to yours in style or theme
  • Authors you've connected with in online communities or at events
  • Authors whose books you've genuinely read and enjoyed

 

When to Ask:
Ask 3-6 months before your release date. Authors need time to read your book and write something thoughtful.


How to Ask:

  • Be professional and respectful
  • Personalize your request (mention why you admire their work specifically)
  • Make it clear you understand they're busy and it's fine if they decline
  • Provide your book in their preferred format (usually PDF or ePub)
  • Give them a reasonable deadline
  • Don't ask for a specific star rating or demand effusive praise


Realistic Expectations:

  • Most authors you ask will say no or not respond. That's normal. They're busy, overwhelmed with requests, or don't have time to read your book.
  • If you ask 10 authors, you might get 2-3 endorsements. That's a good success rate.


Don't Take Rejection Personally:
"No" doesn't mean your book is bad. It means they're busy, your book isn't their thing, or they have a policy against endorsing debut authors. Move on professionally.


Using Endorsements:
Once you have them:

  • Put them on your cover (if they're from recognizable authors in your genre)
  • Include them in your front matter
  • Use them in marketing materials and on your website
  • Credit the author properly

 


Endorsements aren't essential for success, but they're a nice credibility boost if you can get them.