Reviews = An Indie Author’s Success

The tricky thing about self-publishing can be getting your work out there, but with reviews comes not only credibility but also visibility. The importance of reviews was something I never knew about before publishing my own novel, especially in marketplaces where people purchase books by indie authors. But now that I know, not only am I going to do my best to leave reviews for authors like myself, I’m also going to encourage others to leave reviews for books they’ve read and spread the word about the importance of reviews.

For debut authors and self-published authors, reviews are super important because many of us are still building a relationship with readers and connecting with our audiences. We don’t have a marketing team from a big publishing house promoting our books (and our dreams!), so reviews are the greatest way to help us out. By leaving a review for indie books, it shows other potential readers that this book was something worth investing their time and money in. Now obviously good reviews are more helpful to our success than bad reviews, but reviews should always be honest—though not harsh! How many times have you read the reviews for something and have it sway your decision to purchase to it?

You can probably think of a few instances when reviews swayed your decision. For me, I recently had to buy a new printer and I scoured the review pages for answers to questions I had as well as opinions about how the printer performed. And yes, those reviews ultimately led me to choosing the printer I ended up buying, but with books, it’s not just about functionality, it’s about personal preference too. Some people may enjoy a story, others may not, and that’s okay! It’s my job as the author to accurately promote my book so that people who will genuinely enjoy my book will read it and people who aren’t sure if it’s their cup of tea can decide whether they’d like to give it a try or not. And reviews are helpful in that regard too, because when other readers share the same enthusiasm for a book, can help increase sales.

As an indie author, I can assure that even leaving a star-rating you think our book deserves is like gold to us, but reviewers who go the extra mile and leave a sentence or two with their rating are like gods among bookworms! Not only do these reviews help us out, but they help readers just like yourself as well, so the next time you read a book, try leaving a review, especially if you enjoyed it!