Speaking of reviews; every author is dying for them, but many readers feel intimidated by the thought of writing one, even for a book that they loved.

Books survive or go into obscurity according to how many reviews they receive or don’t receive. For instance, did you know:



1. If a book never gets a review, it will not show up in Amazon’s search results?

2. Honest reviews are invaluable. They let you know whether a book is worth your time because it has the things that make your reading experience enjoyable or not. By leaving a review, you are helping fellow readers.

3. You are not allowed to review books for friends and family on Amazon. So, you're off the hook, at least for Amazon, if one asks you for a review and you didn't like the book. However, no such restriction applies for reviews on Goodreads and Bookbub.

4. Amazon requires you to spend at least $50.00 a year in their marketplace before you’re allowed to review anything. Goodreads (also owned by Amazon) does not.



I asked someone the other day why she didn’t give reviews for the books she read. She said that she didn't know what to say. So, for those of you in the same frame of mind, let me share the following from a blog about writing negative reviews, though much of what she says can be said about writing reviews in general.

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Form Firefly Hill Press, by Dani Mod.

Number One Rule of Reviewing: Be Honest, but BE NICE.

5 Tips for writing a Great NEGATIVE BOOK REVIEW:

1. Be Honest and Be Fair, but be tactful and considerate. Be honest. That's what readers, and authors/publishers expect. We all want to trust reviews and reviewers and trust comes only with unmitigated honesty. So please articulate that you didn't enjoy a book! That's more than fine! It's great, in fact! But please do it kindly and when possible justify your opinion with reasons. Ask yourself: would I say this to someone's face? If I did, would they cry? If the answer is yes, they'd cry, then maybe you want to reword it. Don't change WHAT you're saying, just maybe HOW you say it.

2. For a review that would receive less than 4 stars, try to give at least two things that you enjoyed about the book and two things that left you feeling dissatisfied. It's called the sandwich method: you sandwich the less than flattering points between the good bits. So you'd start with something positive, shift to the critique, and then end again on something positive.

3. Be specific when you can when discussing things you don't like about the work. Was it the pacing? The subject matter? Was the hero too chauvinistic for your liking? Was the world building too confusing? Give some examples of where you feel the novel fell short or maybe even what you would have preferred to see and didn't.

4. I always like to include a PERFECT FOR FANS OF... and that can be followed by an author, a genre, or even subject matter! Though it may not have been YOUR cup of tea, maybe it'd be received more favorably in the hands of someone else?

5. Last but not least, don't write off an author just because you didn't like one of his/her works. Each book is a different endeavor and though authors tend to lean into a particular style or subject matter, each book is a different journey - for you and for the author. Maybe the work you read was the author's debut novel and they hadn't found their footing yet? Or the content and characters just didn't resonate with you? Just keep an open mind - in reading and in life!