There is confusion and misinformation about Amazon’s book review policy (and it changes periodically) so let’s get it straight as we can at this date: March 11, 2019.
Never mind their policy on other areas, focus on book reviews. This column will give you the basics and links to more info on Amazon, and give you two links to writers who have reached this issue and explained it well.
N.B.
- You can ask people for book reviews.
- You cannot compensate them for doing so. (Money, gifts, promises of marriage, etc.)
- You can give them ARCs (Advance Review Copies) but you can’t influence their comments.
- You can ask people to review your book but without any obligation on their part to review it favorably.
You cannot ask for a “good” review unless you mean a thoughtful, well-written review. ‘Good’ cannot mean favorable, much less a 4- or 5-star review. Don’t use the word or refer to any stars.
- Do not swap reviews. It is against Amazon’s policy and you could be banned.
- Do not get your family or friends to review your books (exception coming!). Amazon can discover who these people are by having their algorithm check your Facebook page, etc.
EXCEPTION!
You can get people who know to review your book, but you must have them put those reviews (or you do it) on your EDITORIAL REVIEW PAGE, on your Amazon author page not the regular section where people usually put their reviews. You can put Editorial reviews there whether paid for or not.
(Note: whether people actually look at an author’s page to see these reviews is a good question!)
Paid reviews, in this case, means reviews paid for by you to one of the several companies that do this professionally. They hire writers (usually in your genre) to read and review your books. You cannot ask for a favorable review with these either.
Some companies that perform this service (among others) are: Publisher’s Weekly; Kirkus Reviews; International Review of Books (operated by Books Go Social). Fees: (All figures US).
PUBLISHERS’ WEEKLY REVIEWS:
Standard Fees: $225. Reports in 5-9 weeks. ($300 for a faster review)
KIRKUS REVIEWS:
Standard Fees: $425. Reports in 7-9 weeks. ($575 for faster turnaround.)
INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF BOOKS
The third choice Books Go Social’s operation. BGS’s prices are much less expensive although not as well-known yet!
Standard Fees: $79-149
https://bgsauthors.com/product/products/the-international-review-of-books/
AMAZON REVIEW POLICY NOTE
To contribute to Customer features (for example, Customer Reviews, Customer Answers, Idea Lists) or to follow other contributors, you must have spent at least $50 on Amazon.com using a valid credit or debit card in the past 12 months.
Promotional discounts don't qualify towards the $50 minimum. In addition, to contribute to Spark you must also have a paid Prime subscription (free Prime trials do not qualify). You do not need to meet this requirement to read content posted by other contributors or post Customer Questions, or create or modify Profile pages, Shopping Lists, Wish Lists or Registries.
There are pros (it reduces fake reviews) and cons re the policy, but I am not a big fan. It means you can’t buy a book in a book store (that is not Amazon’s.) And you must pay Amazon $50 /year -one way or another to get the privilege of posting reviews. You may feel differently. Mr. Woghan does in his piece below.
Here’s an article by Barb Taube. She is not a fan of this rule.
https://barbtaub.com/2018/04/15/dont-throw-out-the-baby-why-amazon-doesnt-want-your-bookreviews/
AND ANOTHER THING!
RE THIS RULE OF $50 AS AN ADMISSION FEE FOR THE PRIVILEGE OF POSTING REVIEWS ON AMAZON
It appears that if you live in England or Canada (where I live), or countries other than the US (while your reviews if you manage to get them on Amazon, will be on your country’s site they will not appear on the US site).
That might make some sense, right?
How about this?
It may mean that you must buy $40 or $500 of Amazon products on your country’s site as well as the US site. That might be irrelevant, though since your review will not appear on the SS site anyway!
(That is unclear as is the rule that you have to spend $50 on products in general or just on books. I have not been able to find a ruling on that one!)
REVIEWS IN GENERAL
Most people do NOT write reviews for various reasons: they can’t write well, they don’t feel comfortable doing it, they’ve never done it, they don’t have time, they don’t want to be embarrassed, they don’t know what to say, etc. This Amazon rule will not help.
Charitable people say Amazon does it to reduce fake reviews; other people say there are other ways for companies like Amazon (Twitter and Facebook to name two) to do this. And, Amazon makes more money with this policy. (And discourages reviews as well.)
There are many more aspects of this question. I will give you two articles on the whole topic of Amazon reviews
Both do a good job of explaining the details.
They also have links to some of Amazon’s policy sections too.
First is DAVID WOGHAN’S post on Amazon’s Book policy.
https://www.authorimprints.com/amazon-book-review-policy-authors/
NEXT IS DAVE CHESSON’S piece.
His site us excellent in every respect and offers wonderful specific articles and recourses for self-publishers.
This is his video/piece on our subject today.
https://kindlepreneur.com/how-to-get-book-reviews-with-no-blog-no-list-and-no-begging/
Read these two articles and improve your knowledge of how Amazon’s review policy really works!
Frank Daley is a writer who lives in Waterloo Ontario, Canada. You can obtain a free copy of Curse of the Ottawa, a paranormal, urban legend story, here: https://goo.gl/fFXSmk
Good post, Frank, but as a pedant, please allow me to make these points:
1. You say ‘but without any obligation on their part to review it favorably.’ There is no obligation to review whatsoever. This part is therefore redundant.
2. ‘EDITORIAL REVIEW PAGE, on your Amazon author page not the regular section where people usually put their reviews. You can put Editorial reviews there whether paid for or not.’
By that, if you mean in the Product Description area, I agree. You can use Author Central to add editorial reviews to your book product listing.
The customer need not look up your Author page to read these editorial reviews.
3. ‘Amazon can discover who these people are by having their algorithm check your Facebook page, etc.’ Sorry, that seems to be an urban myth as there is zero evidence Amazon tracks your Facebook links other than if someone uses a dirty link to a product listing.
4. I’m surprised you make no mention of the paid Netgalley review service seeing that BGS offers a good deal with them to have your book listed.
As I say. good article but I do love accuracy 🙂
Stephen, thanks, especially re Pt.2; but re Pt. No 1.
You can ask a reader to review your book. They can agree or not.
But if they DO write a review…
Some people think you can ask for a
a) favorable notice (or a starred review)
b) a review for compensation
c) a swap favorable review (sometimes with either of the above included).
None are legit. I disabuse them of these practices. I break up the specifics.
There are two points here. If they do agree to review it (No. 1)-no obligation, it is an request), they have no obligation to review it favorably (No.2). It isn’t redundant, it’s clarification.
2. True.
3. Maybe. But they can find out apparently, since people complain about it and/or report it rather frequently. If you are Facebook friends, they can find you and censure you. It has been done.
4. I’m limited to a word count. Netgalley will be covered in another piece. Ad yes, BGS does offer an excellent with them.