Asking readers for reviews

[Marian Perera]

I'd like more reviews (wouldn't we all?) but I was wondering something. If someone emails you out of the blue to say hi, I read your book and it was great, would you reply thanking them and then asking or suggesting that they post this as a review on Amazon, B&N, etc?

So far I've been thanking people and letting them know that I've planned a sequel to my book. It didn't occur to me to ask anyone to post a review because I figured, that's up to the reader and they might feel pressured by such a request. But today I read a suggestion to do this (in a polite non-pressuring way, of course) so I was curious as to what other writers thought of this - and of course, how readers would feel.

Marian Perera
Flights of Fantasy

[Marian Perera]

Thanks, Julie! I think you're right - it just doesn't occur to lots of people, or they're not sure what to write. I once asked a friend if he could write a review and he asked what he could say other than the fact that he liked the book.

[Marian Perera]

When I first started out in writing I wrote to two authors whose books I'd enjoyed - Lawrence Watt-Evans and Lorraine Heath - and they replied. Just like you said, I felt like a rock star. So yeah, I always reply to fan mail now. :)

And thanks also for the suggestion of what to write. I'll use that in the future.

[Krista]

I am a reader and I think requesting them to write a review for you is not a bad thing, If they take the time to email you to let you know they enjoyed reading it, they are probably more than willing to type something up for amazon, etc.

[Marce]

Good day Marian,

I think if a fan has taken the time to compliment you they would not mind you asking where they post reviews or if they would consider posting it (specific site)

Everyone is different, so go into it realising you won't please everyone.

http://teawithmarce.blogspot.com

[Coffee and a Book Chick]

First of all...if a reader loves a book and they reach out to the author to tell them that they like it and then the author responds back?! That would make any of us (book blogger, reader, etc.) fall out of their seat with excitement. And then if the author asks them nicely to post it on Goodreads, etc.? Sure, why not? If done without pressure or any invasive way, then it's perfectly fine -- after all, it the reader made all that effort to track your contact information down and then compose a glowing email, and then to click the "send" button? Honestly, they may just not have thought about posting a review on Amazon or other sites, or that they can help play a critical part in getting the buzz out there.

So I wouldn't think there's anything wrong with encouraging a reader to feel free to spread the word online. As a book reviewer, I always post any review that I've written onto Barnes & Noble, Goodreads, Amazon, LibraryThing, and Paperbackswap.

Natalie
Coffee and a Book Chick

[Marian Perera]

Hi everyone,

Thanks to the comments on this thread, I emailed a blogger/reviewer to ask if she could post her review to Amazon and she did. I'll definitely be more proactive about such reviews in the future. :)

Marian
Flights of Fantasy

[Taylor Ward]

I think this could go both ways. Since I am a historical fiction book reviewer then if an author asked me for a review of course I would say yes because that's what I love to do. Now if it was just some random fan that e-mailed you out of the blue one day to say how much they love your work, then I don't think it's ok to ask for a review because you don't know whether or not they write reviews for the books they read. They may see your asking as insincere and not gracious for just their e-mail of appreciation. Plus you probably don't want a hacked up review of your book that may badly reflect your work as an author.
I like what Gareth said about collecting reviewers that you can trust to give you a fare review. Hope this helps!

http://allthingshistoricalfiction.blogspot.com/

[Caroline Mbi Ayuk]

If I sent you a message appreciating your work and you reply and ask me to write a review on Amazon, I sure would do it and many people I think would do it. If they can take the time to email you after reading your book, without any pressure, they sure can go that extra mile to write a review. As a reader I would do it.

[Ms.Tiptress]

As a reader I would not hesitate if you asked to post a review for a book. But as a writer I would see how asking them could put pressure on them but from experience I have never had a problem. When someone emailed me or even told me what they thought (good or bad) I encouraged them to let others know how they felt. {sn} Im still very afraid of reviews..... b/c I know myself I tell the truth about how I feel about a story.

[Tracy Falbe]

When I get an email with nice feedback, I ask for permission to use their quote on my websites. I don't think there is anything wrong with suggesting that they add a review or rating at a retail site, but I try not to bother my readers with too many requests. So much of marketing is always making demands these days. Go here. Do this. Share. Tell your friends. I suppose it's effective, but I don't lay it on thick. Not everyone belongs to social media or even knows how to put a review in at Amazon, etc.

 

I do usually conclude this type of correspondence with a general, "Let your fantasy-reading friends know about www.braveluck.com."

[Marian Perera]

And sometimes it's hard to get our friends to write reviews. I've promised a good friend of mine a copy of my book when it comes out in paperback and she's looking forward to reading it. She was pleased when I said I'd give her a copy, and said she would pay me for it.

 

"No need," I said, "just write me a review."

 

Her face fell. "But I'm not good at writing reviews! I'm not articulate."

 

"You don't need to make it elegant," I said. "Just mention what you liked and anything you didn't like."

 

She still looked like I had asked her to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel. "But it won't sound as good as your other reviews."

 

"For crying out loud, it doesn't have to. It'll be authentic, and that's all I want."

 

"Will you edit it for me before I post it?"

 

Makes me so grateful for people who review and post of their own volition.:)

[Henry Brown]

I did this in a reply to my first fan email...and never heard back. I was polite and unpressuring. I don't know if it turned them off or my reply got sent to their spam folder or what. I haven't done it since.

 

But when someone posts a review to their own blog and nowhere else, I ask them if they'll cross-post to Amazon and other sites. About 75% of the time (very unscientific estimate) they will.