So an author asked you to leave a review, or you simply want to just to support them. But you’ve never done a book review before.

Photo by Mikhail Nilov: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-boy-wearing-long-sleeves-sweater-pulling-his-hair-7929277/

Panic Sets In

“What do I write?” “But I didn’t love the book!” “There were things I didn’t like!” Do you think you’re the first person to feel these things? No.

Chill

It’s all good. First, know that just doing the review is great (we authors love you). And, unless you’re married or related to, friends with, or employed by a vengeful author, it’s okay to not love the book, or admit you have some issues with it. You DON’T have to say the book is perfect if it isn’t.

Let’s Break This Down:

1. You don’t have to compromise your principles or integrity so breathe a sigh of relief and relax.
2. READ. THE. BOOK. You’d be surprised how many people DON’T read the book and it shows in the review. The review is too general and could fit almost any book:
   • I loved it
   • So exciting
   • Great characters
3. As you’re reading or right after, jot down a few specifics:
   • “Jenny was such a funny character, I love her sarcastic humor.”
   • “The action left me breathless as Noah chased the villains across the desert, jumped out of the airplane, and speared the sea serpent!”
4. Also, it’s okay to list what you didn’t like because this shows you gave consideration to all aspects of the book:
   • “I think Vanessa’s character was a little thin because how could she not cry over the loss of her cat?”
   • “I wanted more detail about how the magic worked. I’m confused how the wizard defeated the demon king.”
5. Don’t feel obligated to leave 5 stars if you feel the book didn’t earn it- lose the guilt. Authors and readers know not everyone will love every book. Some books just don’t work for you and that’s okay. If someone is pushing you to leave only a 5-star review, decline to review unless you feel the book deserved it. We authors realize there are going to be reviews with only three or four (maybe fewer, ouch!) star reviews. You’re allowed to have a personal preference.
6. This is a review of the book, NOT the author. You don’t have to like the author to review the book, but NO personal attacks. If you can’t be objective about the book because of how you feel about the author, then don’t review.
7. Unless you’re into writing a deeper analysis, don’t feel you have to leave a long review. Several sentences, with specifics, are enough. Also, if you feel comfortable, regardless of how many stars you give it, you can always add things like: I would recommend this for fans of… (dragons, horror houses, military psy ops, whatever).

You’re Done!

Remember, reviews can help boost a book’s visibility, sales, and author audience (which is what authors want and need most). The mature author will be grateful and not critical, and if the review is bad, they should stay mum about it as long as it’s not a personal attack.

Next Week…

Um, I don’t know. So stop in and see what I throw out there.