New Authors: How to Get Your First Reviews on Amazon and Goodreads > Likes and Comments
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Thank you! I have done one and two already. I’ll give three a try. Do you know if Amazon promotes the books you put on for free? I started yesterday and already had 50 orders by the end of the day, which has never happened before.
Lee wrote: ''Thank you! I have done one and two already. .....''You’re welcome, Lee! I’m glad to hear that. I also recently had a free book that got 109 orders, and it really surprised me. I’m not sure if it was Amazon’s promotion or Reddit that made the difference.
About Revvue... I am also a user, but with a caution.I signed up for the paid plan. I am retired, and a voracious reader, and I review everything that I read. Sadly, I tripped some internal switch at Amazon based on the number of reviews in a period of time. I am not banned from Amazon reviews (for life?), and all of the reviews that I posted were taken down.
Ouch for me, double-ouch for the authors.
My own fault, of course. I should have spaced out the reading and reviews. I entered a marathon and opened with a sprint.
Oops!
Be mindful, keep reading, keep reviewing, smile-smile-smile.
Hola, Lee. I did a free promo, posted to a handful if FB and Reddit groups, and had 70 downloads in one day. A Redditer explained to me that... Amazon does not do direct promotion, but there is an ecosystem of readers out there who scour the site for FREE reads every day. That likely accounts for the exposure, and the success.A couple of points:
1. My little book hit #3 in folk horror during free promo. Heady stuff, but good only for the screenshot and marketing - the ranking does not carry forward past free period.
2. I received 0 (zero) reviews from those downloads. I suppose that free readers are not active reviewers.
It was a real shot-in-the-arm for me, knowing so many people had downloaded some that I wrote. Happy-happy.
Best to you!
Steve wrote: ''About Revvue... I am also a user, but with a caution........''
Hi Steve, I’m sorry to hear that.
As far as I know, Amazon has a system where if you spend more than 50 USD in a year, you can write reviews for up to five non-purchased books per week for a year. My recommendation is to send one book per day from Sunday to Saturday.
Also, if you are a Kindle Unlimited (KU) subscriber, you can do seven readings per week. It’s important that with KU, the book is read completely and that you give stars from your phone first, again one book per day. The stars reflect in the system within 3 to 14 days. After the stars appear, if you write and submit your review from a PC, the review will appear within 1 to 5 days and will get the “Verified Purchase” tag.
My advice is also not to write reviews for non-purchased books while doing KU readings.
Steve wrote: '' Hola, Lee. I did a free promo, posted to a handful if FB and Reddit groups, and had 70 downloads in one day. Yes, unfortunately free book readers have a habit of not leaving reviews. I have distributed 1,500 free copies of my own books so far, but I have received only 3 reviews. Still, knowing that my ideas have reached other people is enough for me and very satisfying.
Hi! I’m a new author, and I recently released my book, Chronicles of Balance: Rise of the Sovereign.
If you’d like to check it out, here’s the link:
https://books2read.com/u/3G0r1n
Thank you so much for your time and support!
Mehmet wrote: "Steve wrote: '' Hola, Lee. I did a free promo, posted to a handful if FB and Reddit groups, and had 70 downloads in one day. Yes, unfortunately free book readers have a habit of not leaving revie..."
I agree with this completely. I’ve had readers message me directly to say they enjoyed my books, and even with a polite note asking for a review if they liked the read, many still never leave one.
I’ve come to realize it’s not about readers being dishonest. Most people just don’t think to review unless they’re already trained to do so, or unless the author is very visible and established.
From what I’ve seen, a lot of big review counts come after scale, larger audiences, newsletters, ARC teams, and repeated exposure. On the come-up, reviews are genuinely hard to earn, even when the feedback is positive.
It’s frustrating at times, but it also helps set realistic expectations early on.
Very true! Across my books, I have logged 332 downloads (mix of orders, free promos, pdfs) and gained 54 reviews. I first published on Oct 1, so I am feeling pretty good... especially compared to other new authors who bemoan their lack of downloads and reviews after a much longer period of time!
I review all of my review books. My kindle unlimited books have never rec'd a verified purchase post. Most of my review books come from NetGalley, Edelweiss+ , LibraryThing and GR giveaways. Only a few author direct contacts. I don't always accept author offers, but if I do, I will review.
I just added one of my books to Revvue, and I'm hoping it gets not only reviews, but enjoyed. The one I submitted is called, "Two Strays One Heart," a story of unconditional love, an unlikely friendship, and a bond that lasts a lifetime. For anyone who is interested here is its link on goodreads and amazon:https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GCY9BGCG
Katherine wrote: '' I just added one of my books to Revvue, and I'm hoping it gets not only reviews, but enjoyed...... ''Hi Katherine, I hope you receive absolutely wonderful reviews!
Best
Mehmet
* Use the Revvue platform, which I also use. With a free membership, you can read 2 books per week and get 2 reviews: https://revvue.co/?ref=B0FB699LJ2
* Run free days on Amazon to reach more readers, and create eye-catching promotions on platforms like Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/FreeEBOOKS/
* Join Goodreads reading rounds and review tours to get your book noticed: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...