How do you get reviews without begging your friends?

@chapter_two_curse OP

2mo ago

My launch went okay on sales but I'm stuck at nine reviews and it's killing my conversion. I really don't want to keep DMing friends, partly because it feels gross and partly because I've heard Amazon strips reviews from people connected to you. How are you all building reviews the legitimate way?

11 comments

@the_oxford_comma2mo ago

The single highest-leverage thing is the back matter call to action. Last page of the book, before the about-the-author: a warm two-line ask, 'If this story meant something to you, a quick honest review helps other readers find it,' with a direct link to the review page. That one change took me from a handful of reviews to a steady trickle on every sale, because you're asking the person who just finished and is feeling it.

@beta_reader_ben2mo ago

Do you link straight to the review page or just the product page? I've seen people argue both.

@the_oxford_comma2mo ago

Direct to the review-writing page if you can. Every extra tap loses people. There are tutorials for building the review URL for your ASIN. The reader's already motivated, don't make them hunt for the button.

@manuscript_mona2mo ago

An ARC team changed everything for me. I built a launch team of about 40 readers from my newsletter who get the book two weeks early in exchange for an honest review in the first few days. Roughly 60 percent follow through, so that's 24 reviews on launch day. Key word is honest, you can't require a positive one, that violates Amazon's terms.

@chapter_two_curseOP2mo ago

How do you recruit the ARC team without it being the same begging energy, just aimed at strangers?

@manuscript_mona2mo ago

It doesn't feel like begging because you're offering something they want: the book early and a peek behind the curtain. I put one line in my newsletter, 'want early copies of everything I write?', and link a signup. People opt in. They asked to be there, so the review request is welcome, not an imposition.

@chapter_two_curseOP1mo ago

That reframe helps a lot. I've been thinking of it as me extracting a favor when really it's a trade. Setting up an early-reader signup now.

@indie_ivan1mo ago

On the friends thing, your instinct is right and it's worse than gross, it's counterproductive. Amazon's system flags accounts with social or household links, and those reviews get silently removed. People connected via Amazon Household or who've gifted you things are the most likely to vanish. So you can burn a friendship and still end up with nothing.

@wattpad_to_print1mo ago

NetGalley and BookSirens for the editorial side. NetGalley is pricey and skews toward librarians and bloggers, better for trade-style cred. BookSirens is cheap, you only pay per download, and it's aimed right at genre readers who leave Amazon and Goodreads reviews. For indie genre fiction I get far better ROI from BookSirens, maybe 15 to 20 reviews per title for under fifty dollars.

@brewed_prose1mo ago

Patience plus volume. Reviews are a percentage of readers, so the lever is more readers, not harder asking. When I run a promo and 2,000 people grab the book, the back-matter ask quietly produces 30 to 40 reviews over the next month with no extra effort. Low review counts are often just a low-readers problem wearing a costume.

@cold_open_cora1mo ago

Goodreads giveaways still seed early reviews for me, especially pre-launch buzz. Reviewers there are tougher and more honest, so expect some three-star hits, but having 15 thoughtful Goodreads reviews before the Amazon page even has traction gives social proof you can point to.