How to Write a Review Every Author Will Like*

One of the best things an author can hear is that someone enjoyed their book. It just absolutely makes my day when I get an email or note on Facebook letting me know that. And though it goes completely against my grain, I’m learning to follow up with a request for that person to leave a review on Amazon. Most often the response I get is, “Oh, but I’m not a good reviewer.”

I get that. I really do. I struggle to review things myself (though now that I realize how important it is to get as many reviews as you can, I’m trying to be better about it.) And so I thought I’d share the things that I’ve learned from my recent writing and reading of reviews.

First, and perhaps most important, is to understand that you don’t have to write an essay. Short reviews are often better than long ones. (Though you can err on the side of too short. Aim for somewhere around 6 sentences as a minimum. That’ll be about 100 words.)

Next, don’t feel like you have to quote the back cover or do a thorough summary of the plot. On Amazon in particular, the blurb is right there on the same page, so everyone has all that information right at their fingertips. If creating a summary without spoilers is causing you angst, don’t sweat it. Just skip that part!

Ok, so if you’re not starting with a summary, what do you start with? I like to start with something like, “I was excited to read Joint Venture by Elizabeth Maddrey because I’ve been a fan of hers since her first book.” or “I was intrigued when I stumbled upon Wisdom to Know by Elizabeth Maddrey. I’m always interested to take a look at new authors.” In other words, give us a sentence about why you read the book. (My mother gave me this for Christmas, my best friend recommended it…just give us a context to understand where you’re coming from.) As part of this context, it’s also great to let the review-readers know how you feel about the genre. If you’re new to the genre, or it’s not your usual thing, let us know that. It helps us read your review with the right mindset.

Great, now you’ve got a context set up. What next? Well, now it’s time to tell everyone what you thought of the book. Of course authors love it if you can gush on and on about how awesome it was. But we also recognize that not everyone is going to love every word we write. And as a reader, I sometimes get more out of a well-written negative review than a content-less positive one. (And I’ll often buy a book because of a well-written negative review, because the things that reviewer disliked are things I enjoy or don’t bother me. So if that’s the only bad that can be said and the blurb is interesting? I’ll give it a shot.)

So the key here is to be specific. If you liked the book overall, tell us why. Things I look for as a reader when I’m looking through reviews are:

• Character development – did you end up feeling like these people could be your friends? Say that! Was the bad guy so villainous that you wanted to spit in his eye? Or, were the people normal and nothing to write home about? It’s okay to say the characters were somewhat forgettable – or that you wanted to love them but just couldn’t connect.
• Plot – did the pages turn themselves? Did you stay up later and ignore your kids so you could read just one more page? Tell me that. On the flip side, did you enjoy it but not have any trouble setting it down? Tell me that, instead. Not every book out there is a page turner, but if it kept you coming back, that’s still a good endorsement.
• Surprises – Was there a twist that you didn’t see coming? Was that good or bad? (Note here: if you’re reading a genre that has a pretty solid formula, don’t gripe that there weren’t surprises. E.g. if you’re reading genre romance, then you pretty much know for sure going into page one that boy will meet girl, they will encounter obstacles, overcome them, and live happily ever after. That’s what romance is. If you’re reading a cozy mystery, you know that normal person will find him/herself in the middle of a mystery, they will connect with a PI or Police figure, bumble around, make stupid decisions that in the real world would get them killed, somehow squeak through with the case breaking clue, and all will be solved. etc etc.) That doesn’t mean there can’t be surprises within the genre formula – but the basics are going to be there. If there were surprises, talk about whether they added or detracted from the story and your enjoyment.
• The ending – Don’t tell what the ending is, obviously, but let us know if it was satisfying. When you turned the page was there a little tinge of regret that it was over or an overwhelming sense of relief? Was there a plot thread you didn’t feel got resolved (you can say something like “I really enjoyed the sub-plot involving Fred, but I wish the author had tied it up just a bit more.” Vague, but useful.)
• Will you read more by this author?
• Would you recommend the book? (If so, is there a particular audience you’d suggest? e.g. “People who enjoy a slightly-edgy but clean romance will enjoy spending time with Kevin and Lydia in Wisdom to Know.”)

You don’t have to address all of those areas – pick and choose (even just 2 of them is enough) – and try to focus on the ones where you can say something positive. Even if, overall, you didn’t care for the book, there had to be something that was well done or some way you can phrase a negative as a somewhat positive. (E.g. “Though I don’t care for romance that is this edgy, the topics Maddrey addressed are relevant to Christians trying to live in today’s culture and were handled well.”)

One thing you may notice is missing from the list is the quality of the writing. In my opinion, the writing isn’t something that should be part of a review. Now, I’ve downloaded some freebies that were clearly self-pubbed and the writing was on the edge of incomprehensible. In a situation like that, I *might* add something like “The author could have used a bit more time with their editor.” But I would only say something like that in extreme circumstances. Why? Well, at the end of the day someone (be it the author if it’s self-pubbed, or the publisher) deemed it publishable and made it available. If you do feel like you have to criticize the author’s writing, this is the one place it’s not only okay but recommended to be vague rather than specific. (See sample statement above. Then leave it alone.)

Another good idea, particularly when  you’re feeling like you want to say something negative, is to use your “fighting with your spouse” language. That is to say, use the “I felt” “It seemed to me” language instead of “the author didn’t” or “there wasn’t any.” Own, up front, that these are your impressions and thoughts.

Above all, use Philippians 4:8 as a guide: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

Now get out there and review away! We really do appreciate it more than you can possibly know! (If you’ve read my books and want to start with those, I’d love it. They’re here, here, here and here.)

*Maybe not every author. But most of us. 🙂