A self-published author needs to master many skills. Some are more difficult than others, with the hardest of all: marketing and getting eyes on your book's sales page. The most powerful engine that drives visibility of your book listing is… reviews.
Reviews are not just feedback from readers. They are a huge factor in how books become visible on a marketplace such as Amazon. A couple of stars is in fact a tripple-edged sword in a double-catch-22 situation. A new book will have no, or few reviews. Few reviews limits buyer trust. Low trust means few buys which keeps the algos on standby and limits visibility, so buyers won't see your book = no buys = no reviews = no views = no traction. To get the ball rolling the author must gain at least a handful of reviews, and not just any kind.
For an Amazon listing, the only reviews that carry any weight are those labeled "Verified Purchase". The KDP algo seems to value them highly, specially in the beginning. Here's / / the catch though: you won't be getting Verified Purchase reviews through an ARC early reader campaign. They only come from actual buyers of which only a small percentage actually post to the website.
So what advice can I give? Here are a few methods that I found helpful when starting out:
Publish another book. Another book increases increases your market footprint and the possibility of a reader sharing a rating.
Join ARC groups on Facebook and let readers have an advance copy.
Encourage reviews. Use social media, website, contacts, and always end your book with asking for the favor.
If you have no network, no social platform and no followers, start by publishing on Amazon KDP Kindle Select which will help you reach readers and in time generate reviews. Another way, specially when you are starting out is to use a reliable ARC service such a Booksprout. There is a small fee but the interface and ease of reaching readers is worth it x10.
Important 1: Be aware that if you publish on Amazon, enlisting ARC or gifting to readers in exchange for a review is against the TOS. At the same time, enlisting ARC readers is allowed… as long as you don’t explicitly demand a review in return, it has to be voluntary and many advance readers will never give a review, that’s just how it is.
Important 2: Never - ever - send an unfinished, unpolished, unedited manuscript to ARC readers (I confess to making this mistake more than once). If you send them something not up to standard, the review they post will probably not be what you hoped for. Always wait until your manuscript is ready for publication, then send it to early readers and give them some time to read it before you commit to actual live publishing.
For self-published authors, the takeaway is simple: encouraging genuine reader reviews is the most effective way to improve a book’s visibility and credibility on Amazon and that means more sales.
Review images are from my books: https://amzn.to/3P7XABP
PS. Whenever you read a book, consider leaving a review. Good or bad, it always helps; as feedback to the author, as guidance to potential buyers, and as as food for the ranking algorithm.
— Ashleigh
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