Chapter 7

The Importance of Book Reviews

You’re able to enter review quotes in your IngramSpark title record, and while this isn’t a required metadata field, there’s value in including it because review quotes signify an endorsement of your work. It’s important that you not provide quotes by individuals no one recognizes or that don’t have particular authority on your subject matter. It’s fantastic that your Aunt Harriet provided a blurb about your book that could bring readers to tears with its beauty and accuracy, but no one knows Aunt Harriet, and the fact that she’s your aunt makes her, and you, even less credible than if you’d included no quotes at all. On the other hand, if you have a quote from a Doctor of Neuroscience, it’s rare that many will know her by name, but her qualification legitimizes her review of your book. One of the easiest ways to know if your review quote is relevant is by submitting your book for review to a valid and recognized book review service.

1. The Importance of Reviews for Indie Authors

Why do major traditional publishing houses have staff whose responsibility it is to secure book reviews for upcoming releases? Because reviews lend to a book's success, and here are some of the ways how. Book reviews:

• Establish credibility and competence in the publishing marketplace
• Help set the tone for reader interaction
• Give readers the language and vocabulary to write consumer reviews, thereby, increasing the number of consumer reviews a book receives
• Distinguish your work from the millions of other books that are vying for the reader’s attention and help to crystallize what your book is about
• Support your author platform by adding evidence that your work has been evaluated and validated by industry professionals
• Contribute to your book’s success in today’s digital age. Many potential readers may never see your book in print in a store, but your reviews will be easily available on the Internet via your book metadata, and add credibility to your books in a digital environment.
• Give you and your publicist something to post, blog, and chat about that a publishing professional has said about the work. You can easily retweet, share, like, and comment on their editorial book reviews without looking like a “self-promoter.”

2. Where You Can Use Your Book Reviews

Beyond your metadata, there are plenty of additional uses for book reviews. Positive reviews are valuable book marketing tools. Once you get a review, don't let that be it. Apply it to your book marketing strategy. Book reviews generate great content for:

• Social media posts & blogs
• Shelf talkers
• Press releases
• Your author website
• Interviews (most interviewers do not have time to read the book of the person they're interviewing so a book review can be very helpful)

3. What Book Reviewers Look for When Reviewing a Book

So how do you land that book review to include in your metadata and book marketing materials? Many book review sites have submission guidelines you need to follow. If you don’t, you could be automatically disqualified, so be sure to see if there are guidelines wherever you submit. Once you have that in place though, there are a few basic criteria that lend to a good book review:

• Compelling, unique, and continuous storyline
• Professionalism of writing, editing, and formatting
• Characterization
• Pacing
• Intriguing opening
• Satisfying ending (not necessarily “happy”)
• Genre-specific criteria

This chapter was compiled from the following posts on the IngramSpark blog:

“The Value of Book Reviews for Indie Authors” by Kathryn Brown, Co-Founder of Chanticleer Book Reviews