Reviews: An Intergenerational Rant by Rachel Stone
Before I published a book, I understood reviews were important in much the same way I once understood, intellectually, that childbirth was uncomfortable.
Now (as I scour my bookshelves, retroactively posting reviews of every title I’ve ever enjoyed, while calling up moms with kids older than mine to apologize), I understand.
Reviews are important to authors for many reasons, all of which boil down to: nobody wants to read a book that nobody else is reading. People don’t want to take your word for it, they want proof. Reviews are a Bat-Signal to readers, book clubs, industry professionals—and of course, those almighty algorithms—that this party is hopping and they want in.
But if you ask me now, with the benefit of hindsight, getting reviews for your book isn’t nearly as important as preparing yourself to navigate the veritable shitstorm of emotions that reviews in general have a tendency to unleash.
To offer a not-so-hypothetical scenario:
You direct significant launch efforts to getting reviews. You put the book up on review sites like NetGalley, invite everyone you know and everyone they know to sign up for your ARC Team. You hand out review copies like cinnamon hearts in March. You issue clear instructions, friendly reminders, borderline pester-y reminders.
You’re inwardly terrified that people you know are now reading your book, people you don’t know are reading it, they’ve maybe stopped reading it, that any minute they’re going to publicly declare their thoughts about it. Mercifully, you can’t think about all of that too much, because you’re a full-time helpdesk, fielding well-meant inquiries such as what to say in the review (literally anything you want!), where to post it (literally anywhere you want!), how to post it (click any of the links I sent!), why isn’t it posting (no idea!), why did it post then disappear (cue head explosion!).
But nausea and cold sores aside, you’re feeling pretty good. You’re well-positioned to meet your goal of fifty reviews by launch day, the rumoured “magic threshold” that will purportedly make your ads work better, drive traffic to your page, boost sales, shower your book in pixie dust as you watch it soar to the heavens…
And weeks—months—after launch day, you’re still not anywhere close.
You understand, intellectually, that there are infinite reasons why the majority of people who accepted a review copy on the promise of, you know, reviewing it, don’t. But only one reason feels plausible: they hate your book, and you, and wish they’d never wasted their time.
Others who have bought the book—yay!—tell you, your parents, your spouse how much they loved it—yay!—and your heart sings. Your rejection-injected soul begins to heal. Your stomach squelches as you work up the nerve to ask if they’d be willing to post a review. Of COURSE! Consider it DONE! They’re doing it RIGHT NOW!
And then—like, a really high percentage of the time—they don’t.
Again, you can come up with a zillion possible reasons, and yet, only one: they were lying. Just trying to be nice.
You get a review from a stranger that is so viciously, artfully hateful it haunts you for days and makes your daughter cry.
And you’re done. With caring, trying, with this futile crusade to hit some algorithms target you were never even sure is real.
But your family, bless them, they’re in this now. Your dad texts each morning to ask if you’ve reached that magic threshold yet, while your mom checks for herself, every ten minutes, by clicking the sponsored link you’re paying for per click. Over dinner, your spouse ballparks there are at least fifty people who said they’d post a review and have not. It’s a collective WTF?
And you help them understand, intellectually, that it’s not personal (even as those who do keep their promise all but get bronze statues erected in their image, and “the disappointments” collect on a mental shit list that you’re pretty sure your parents will be taking to their graves.)
BUT. There is plenty of good news:
Many wonderful people did take time to post reviews, and it means more than you can say, in ways they will never know.
You’ve identified who to ask to be ARC reviewers for your next book (and spared yourself sending review copies to those who aren’t a fit). This is golden intel.
You’ve discovered that sometimes the people who show up aren’t the ones you were expecting, which is a little bit sad but also really beautiful. You reallocate your own time and energy accordingly.
You’re a habitual reviewer now, because you understand.
Key Takeaways:
- 1 For 3: Expect one review for every three people who sign up to review your book. Several authors told me this, and it held true in my case. (So if your goal is 50 reviews for launch, aim to sign up 150 advance reviewers.)
- Make it super easy for reviewers to follow through. Send links and QR codes to the review pages you’d like them to post to. Give them lots of time to read. Send reminders leading up to launch, the day of launch, and a few days later.
- Don’t take it personally. AT ALL.
- No review = life happened, or they weren’t a fit. Either way, helpful to know. Skip sending them a review copy next time.
- Negative review = still positive. The more reviews the better, period. They don’t all have to be glowing (in fact, if that’s the case, readers get suspicious). Your best-loved book likely has thousands of crap reviews. You’re part of the club. Trust that people know how to decide for themselves. Be proud your book is out there, finding new people. (How else is it going to find its people?)
- Vicious/hateful review = something much bigger is going on, and it has nothing to do with your book (one look at their other reviews will confirm this). Anyone who takes them seriously isn’t your reader anyway.
- You don’t have to read your reviews. If negative reviews will be devastating (super understandable!), make the conscious decision not to look. If you want, ask a trusted friend to forward you positive ones.
- When sharing digital review copies, use a secure provider/platform to limit piracy, and set up a Google alert (your name + book title + free download), so you’ll know if a pirated copy goes live.
- The Big A: What I Know So Far (FWIW)
- love it or hate it, many head to Amazon first when checking reviews, and the site’s rules/processes around such are different than anyplace else.
- you don’t have to buy a book from Amazon to review it there. (If you do, it will show as a “verified purchase.”)
- different countries have different URLs. Reviews at each are counted separately (unless it’s a verified purchase, in which case the review appears as a global rating and counts towards the overall total).
- to be eligible to post a review, the reviewer must be logged into their account and have spent $50 or more on the site (on any products) in the past 6 months.
- reviews cannot be posted ahead of release day.
- Ratings = stars given. Reviews = words. Both are counted separately.
- 20 reviews is believed to be a magic algorithm threshold, as is 50 (though on hitting both for my debut, I can’t say I noticed any pixie dust). If you’re planning to run ads on the site, you’ll need at least 10.
- Strange things may happen. Some reviews may not go live, or go live then disappear. My review count held at 19 for days, even as new ones went live (they were displacing previous ones). If reaching the magic thresholds on this site matters to you, I’d track/copy live reviews in a separate document along the way (so you can beg any lost reviewers to re-post).
- If you enjoyed a book (or product, or service), be a unicorn and go review it. Don’t wait (you’ll forget). Don’t overthink it (you’re not Shakespeare). Do it for the person bravely sharing their gifts and their heart. If nothing else, do it for their parents.
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RACHEL STONE writes stories of hope and redemption, set against vibrant Canadian backdrops. Her debut novel THE BLUE IRIS has won multiple awards, and her acclaimed lyric essays have appeared in international journals, magazines and blogs. She lives near Toronto, Canada with her family. Join Rachel on Substack for The Launch Diaries: Reflections, Lessons, Real Talk and Confessions from a Debut Author.
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BLUE IRIS
“Such a unique and heartwarming story about found family…” -Tracey Lange, NYT Bestselling Author of We Are The Brennans
Sometimes, uprooting the thorn-filled past is the only way we bloom. . .
Tessa Lewis is set to embark on a Big-Time Career and marry Toronto’s fastest-rising lawyer, who loves her to pieces. But when a visit to a flower market from her childhood sparks memories of the mother she lost too soon, Tessa puts her bright future on hold to work there, determined to come to terms with her past.
At the Blue Iris Flower Market, everything is blossoming except the rag-tag crew, each hiding deep scars of their own. When Sam, the beloved but troubled man in charge, takes off and leaves the market reeling, Tessa and her unlikely new friends come face-to-face with their most uncomfortable truths, uprooting lives carefully cultivated-and just maybe, unearthing everything they’ve ever wanted.
Told from multiple perspectives, The Blue Iris is an intricately woven exploration of love tested beyond its limits, chosen family, and the beauty that grows in letting go.
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