What Makes a Review Good?

Recently, there’s been a lot of discussion in the writing community about “bad” reviews. The debate about whether authors should write reviews of other books, whether they should feel obliged to keep them positive, and whether it should be posted in professional outlets only or on any website has been intense. Let’s cover the subject in a few short points.

What kind of book reviews matter?

Reviews in Kirkus, Foreword Reviews, Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and other publishing industry sources help authors reach librarians, booksellers, media, and other reviewers. These are important to a book’s success, and books should be submitted to them 3 to 4 months in advance, depending on the publication’s guidelines. In the pre-internet days, a positive review in one of these publications could make or break a book.

These are written by relevant industry experts or big-name authors. For instance, a highly reputed endocrinologist endorsing your book on hormonal changes due to the stress of pregnancy, or a noted romance novelist recommending your romance novel, will be very helpful in influencing potential readers. If this review is garnered pre-publication, it can be used as a blurb. If it’s after, in a magazine your target audience reads, it’s equally beneficial. Either way, you can make expert reviews a part of your marketing.

Never underestimate the power of customer reviews on retailer websites. Today, the average reader’s book-buying decision is more strongly influenced by Goodreads and Amazon reviews than anything else.

What about those glowing testimonials left on social media by readers excited about the book? These mini-reviews may be just a sentence or two, but they count because a lot of people make buying decisions based on what their friends post on social media, not to mention what influencers endorse. These reviews are often not posted on other sites, and that may be frustrating to see. You can certainly ask the poster to copy it over to Amazon or Goodreads, but they may feel that they’ve done enough by tweeting about your book or posting it on Instagram or Facebook. You can still share their review by retweeting it, reframing it, commenting on it, or even grabbing a screenshot and sharing it with your audience.

The four types of reviews above are all helpful in putting the book in front of its intended audience. Of course, authors hope that the reviews will be positive.

No one would argue that a starred review in Kirkus or a 5-star review on Amazon is a victory for an author. What about a mostly positive trade review that’s not starred, or an Amazon review that praises the book but rates it three stars?

I believe that less than flawless reviews are also something to celebrate. It is rare for a review to be so negative that it would put someone off from buying the book. As long as your cover, title, and marketing copy are compelling, the review only needs to bring attention to your book. Each review in an industry trade journal, each customer review on a sales platform, each social media post has the potential to do just that.

While it is understandable that authors have a hard time processing reviews that aren’t five stars, I suggest looking at the bright side. Consider any review that’s mostly positive a “good review,” and any review that has some usable parts a “usable review.” Focus on the positive. Take the best part of each review and use it to promote your book. Make it a “good review.” That’s what it’s all about.

~ Nanda