If you’re new to writing, or have just published your first book, you are probably faced with the topic of REVIEWS. 

In a nutshell, reviews come in two varieties: customer reviews, and editorial reviews. And, guess what? You need both of them to get noticed on social media.

Customer reviews are given by readers who have bought and read your book and would like to give their opinion about it to other potential readers. By scrolling to the bottom of any author’s page on Amazon, you will see a button that is used for submitting a review. (As an author, you can politely ask readers to leave a review if they enjoyed reading your book. However, offering money or freebies is not allowed.)

If you are a reader and want to read the reviews to give you insight as to whether or not you’d like to purchase a given book, simply look at the star ratings and read the posted reviews. 

Editorial reviews are different. Besides a star-type rating, they also contain a synopsis of the book. They are said to carry more “weight” because editorial reviews are usually written by people who are at least somewhat more knowledgeable about the craft of writing and or the subject matter in your book. There is a section nearby the customer reviews where you can find these editorial reviews.

So, how do you get these coveted reviews that garner social media hype and add credibility to your book? If you are wanting a credible third-party review, check out reviews you see on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. If the books they reviewed are of the same genre as yours, find out who wrote them, and contact them with an offer to send them a free copy in exchange for a review.

Now, I am sure other authors have found other ways to find these reviewers, but once found, they will all require that free copy, although some will settle for a PDF. (Be sure to let them know exactly how you will be using their reviews).

You might have thought once your book was published, all of the hard work was behind you. However, most authors will tell you that marketing is as challenging and time consuming as anything you will ever do!