The Critical Importance of Asking
Authors know, likely more than any other type of reader, just how critical having reviews is for their book. You’ll see authors sharing all kinds of memes and posts about the importance of leaving a review.
In author groups, one of the most common bits of advice is that, at the end of your book, or in messages to the readers of your author newsletter, remind them of the importance of leaving a review. Remind them just how much of a different it makes. Remind them it’s one of the best ways they can show support for an author.
Along with the importance of having a newsletter list, it’s one of the most common bits of advice that authors share and embrace.
Reviews provide social proof to potential consumers. There’s a lot of material competing for their time. Seeing a book that has a number of reviews means something to the buyer.
It’s like observing two adjacent restaurants serving the exact same type of food. One of them has a line-up down the street with at least an hour wait, and the other one has either no or maybe a few patrons inside, and no line — you can walk right in and start ordering food immediately. Which one of those is initially more appealing? What is so good about that one place that people are lined up and waiting, when they can go next door and eat immediately? You likely ask that question usually as you get into that line because you have to know.
The same goes for book reviews.
And often, the reviews don’t have to be glowingly positive either. In fact, seeing nothing but 5-star reviews might be an indication of insincere reviews, because we know that even the top-selling books in the world end up having a diverse range of responses. Many of us suspect that any product that has only 5-star reviews might be a title that has been gamed or where the reviews might be planted by a few of the author’s friends.
I mean, seriously, take the idea of pineapple on pizza. You’ll get a range anywhere between glowing 5-star recommendations, and 1-star reviews that beg for there to be a rating option of zero or negative numbers. Tastes differ. Just because one person doesn’t like something doesn’t mean another won’t.
When I worked at an online book retailer, we experimented with two competing books that looked equally appealing in terms of genre, book cover style, description and price. They were equally compelling to the target readership. One of them had no reviews, the other had a single 1-star review. When presented with the choice, customers chose the book with the single 1-star review more than half the time.
Why?
Social proof. At least someone else has read that book, even if they didn’t like it. But don’t just take my word for it. In general purchasing decisions of consumer behavior, a Fan & Fuel study revealed that 92% of customers hesitate to make a purchase if there are no customer reviews.
So, you would think that, within an author community, a book written specifically for authors, that they, more than any other audience, would understand this importance. That if they found value in the book, if they learned something, they would intuitively leave a review on the retail or library site where they read the book.
You would think.
But, as authors know, through the commonly shared wisdom, you have to actually ask.
Case in point — last week I launched a book that was highly anticipated among a number of author circles I interact within. These groups boast memberships in the thousands. And the feedback, within the first 12 to 24 hours of the book’s release was glowingly positive. I woke up to notices that folks had already finished reading the book on release day, because in a global release, the eBook is released at 12:01 AM local time. Authors were sharing in Facebook and Twitter posts just how much they were inspired by the content from the book; how much they got from the read. That they plan on buying it in paperback so they can re-read it and mark it up with notes. All great things. And certainly, things that make an author’s day.
But on the five major eBook platforms, there was only a single review posted to one of them. It was a positive short 5-star review. But there was just one. It wasn’t until a few days later, and even after a little bit of uncomfortable prompting in reply to people who had emailed me directly to thank me for writing the book, did a few reviews start to appear on a couple of the other retail sites. (I call it uncomfortable prompting because the act of asking for a review feels dirty, sleazy and self-serving. It’s not something I’m good at doing. I suspect many authors feel a similar way).
But still, five full days later and mostly crickets in the realm of reviews. Despite glowing praise about the book being shared in other ways that likely took as long or if not longer than a review would take.
Shouldn’t authors know better? Do I even have to explain why reviews are important? Do I even have to ask?
Yes, I do.
This is 100% on me. Because I didn’t ask.
Even authors, who know, more than any other type of reader, the critical importance of a review, need to be asked.
It’s an important aspect that you can’t skip.
Not even if you assume your audience knows.
That call to action, that simple prompt, is an important reminder to those who have finished and enjoyed your book. A 2019 survey by BrightLocal showed that 76% of those who are asked to leave a review do so.
So I’ve learned my lesson.
When people reach out to me, tag me in social media, I’m going to push aside that awkward, sleazy feeling, and I’m going to take action. I’m going to thank them for the kind and positive words, but also going to ask if they’d consider leaving a review.
I actually started to do it; and it has already helped.
I’m sure it can help you, too.
Mark Leslie Lefebvre is the author of WIDE FOR THE WIN: Strategies to Sell Globally via Multiple Platforms and Forge Your Own Path to Success, a book that doesn’t really have many reviews. If you’ve read it, he’d love if you would consider leaving an honest review. He’ll eventually get over the sleazy feeling of having to ask.
Mark reflects and rants about writing & publishing in his weekly podcast: Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing
