Shawn Hartje's Blog
October 12, 2025
The Power of a ‘Like’ for Authors
Hello, wonderful readers and followers!
I want to talk about something that makes a huge difference to authors like me: reviews on Goodreads.
Recently, I've noticed that the 'Most Popular' review on my book's page is a one-word comment that doesn't reflect the thoughtful discussions most of you have had about the story.
As many of you know, this platform is a vital place for readers to discover their next favorite book. The algorithms here pay close attention to which reviews get engagement ('likes').
If you've read and enjoyed my book, Pipeliner, I have a simple, quick request that would be a tremendous help:
If you've already left a review, would you consider logging in and 'liking' a few of the other positive, substantive reviews that you agree with? This helps the algorithm showcase the real reader conversations that are happening.
And if you haven't left a review yet, even a sentence or two about what you liked would be incredibly valuable.
The goal here isn't to argue with negative opinions—every reader is entitled to their view!—but to simply ensure that the most visible reviews are the thoughtful ones that actually help other readers decide if the book is for them.
My main focus is on writing fiction and I hate burning energy on things like this. Your support means the world to me.
Thank you,
Shawn Hartje
I want to talk about something that makes a huge difference to authors like me: reviews on Goodreads.
Recently, I've noticed that the 'Most Popular' review on my book's page is a one-word comment that doesn't reflect the thoughtful discussions most of you have had about the story.
As many of you know, this platform is a vital place for readers to discover their next favorite book. The algorithms here pay close attention to which reviews get engagement ('likes').
If you've read and enjoyed my book, Pipeliner, I have a simple, quick request that would be a tremendous help:
If you've already left a review, would you consider logging in and 'liking' a few of the other positive, substantive reviews that you agree with? This helps the algorithm showcase the real reader conversations that are happening.
And if you haven't left a review yet, even a sentence or two about what you liked would be incredibly valuable.
The goal here isn't to argue with negative opinions—every reader is entitled to their view!—but to simply ensure that the most visible reviews are the thoughtful ones that actually help other readers decide if the book is for them.
My main focus is on writing fiction and I hate burning energy on things like this. Your support means the world to me.
Thank you,
Shawn Hartje
