How Do I Get Reviews for My Book?

Why reviews matter

Reviews give other readers social proof: independent opinions from people with no stake in the book’s success. On some retailer pages, having a reasonable number of reviews can also affect how a book is displayed or recommended, though the specifics of any retailer’s algorithm are not published in detail and change over time, so it is not something to rely on with any precision.

What makes a review honest

An honest review is written by someone who has actually read the book, in their own words, reflecting their genuine opinion, whether that opinion is positive, mixed or negative. The moment a review is written, edited or influenced by the author, or exchanged for payment or favours, it stops being a genuine independent opinion and starts creating real risk, both ethically and in terms of retailer policy.

ARC readers

Offering advance reader copies to interested readers, in exchange for nothing but an honest opinion once they have read the book, is one of the most common and acceptable ways to generate early reviews. Being clear, in writing, that a review is optional and should reflect their honest view, whatever that turns out to be, keeps this practice on solid ground.

Mailing list

Readers who have signed up to hear from you are often glad to be asked, once, politely, whether they would consider leaving an honest review after finishing the book. A simple, low-pressure request in a newsletter tends to work far better than repeated reminders.

Existing readers

If you have readers of previous books, or people who have already bought and finished this one, a straightforward, non-pressuring request, for example a line at the end of the book itself, or a follow-up email, is a normal and acceptable way to invite reviews.

Book bloggers

Bloggers who review books in your genre are often open to review requests, particularly with enough lead time and a respectful, personalised approach rather than a mass, generic email. Read their submission guidelines first; most state clearly what they will and will not consider.

Independent reviewers

Professional or semi-professional book reviewers, including some who charge a fee purely for the service of reading and writing an honest review (not for a guaranteed positive one), can be a legitimate route, provided the fee is clearly for the reviewer’s time and the review’s content remains entirely their own honest opinion.

Appropriate communities

Genre-specific reading communities, whether on social platforms, forums or apps built around reading and reviewing, can be a source of genuine reader interest, provided you engage as a participant rather than only showing up to ask for reviews. Read each community’s own rules about self-promotion before posting.

Friends and family rules

Reviews from friends and family are not automatically forbidden, but most major retailers restrict reviews from people with a close personal or financial connection to the author, and some explicitly prohibit reviews from immediate family or household members. Check the specific retailer’s current policy before asking someone close to you to review your book there, and be transparent rather than assuming it will not be noticed.

Incentives

Offering any incentive in exchange for a review, discounts, free products, entry into a prize draw conditional on reviewing, or payment, crosses into territory that most retailers explicitly prohibit, because it compromises the independence of the review. A genuinely free ARC with no review obligation is different from an incentive tied to leaving one; the distinction matters and is generally how policies are written.

Retailer policies

Amazon, in particular, maintains its own community guidelines covering what is and is not permitted in customer reviews, including rules about incentivised reviews, reviews from close personal or financial relationships, and manipulated review activity. These rules are set and updated by Amazon directly, so always check Amazon’s own current community guidelines before running any review request campaign, rather than relying on older or third-party summaries.

Disclosure

Where a review has any connection to the author, for example a free ARC copy, this should generally be disclosed by the reviewer according to the platform’s own rules and, in some contexts, relevant advertising standards. As the author, you cannot control how a reviewer discloses this, but being upfront about the nature of the copy when you provide it makes honest disclosure easier for them.

Never buying fake reviews

Buying reviews, whether from review farms, click-work marketplaces or any service promising a set number of positive reviews, is a breach of essentially every major retailer’s policies, and detection systems actively look for these patterns. The consequences can include removed reviews, listing penalties, or account suspension, none of which are worth whatever short-term boost fake reviews might appear to offer.

Asking without pressure

The most sustainable approach to review requests is a single, clear, low-pressure ask, made once to any given reader, that explains why reviews matter to independent authors and makes clear that an honest opinion, including a critical one, is genuinely welcome. Repeated nagging tends to damage goodwill rather than produce more reviews.

Review follow-up

A single polite follow-up, some weeks after providing an ARC or after a reasonable reading window, is generally acceptable. Beyond that, further reminders usually do more harm than good, and are best left alone.

Negative reviews

Every book that reaches enough real readers eventually receives some negative or mixed reviews; this is a normal feature of being read widely, not evidence that something has gone wrong. Responding publicly and defensively to a negative review is rarely worthwhile and can draw more attention to it than it would otherwise have received.

Using reviews in marketing

Positive review excerpts can reasonably be used in marketing material, on a website, in social content or in a book’s own front matter, provided the quote is accurate and not edited in a way that changes its meaning.

Permissions for testimonial use

Before quoting a named reviewer, blogger or media outlet prominently in marketing material, such as on a cover or a website hero section, it is good practice to ask permission, even if the review is technically public. This is a courtesy rather than always a strict legal requirement, but it maintains a good relationship with people whose ongoing goodwill is worth more than a single quote.

Common mistakes

• Buying reviews. This breaches retailer policy, risks the book’s listing and account, and undermines the entire point of a review as an honest, independent opinion.
• Offering incentives for positive reviews. Tying any reward to a review, or to a positive one specifically, is against most major retailers’ policies, not just Amazon’s.
• Repeatedly chasing readers for reviews. A single, clear, low-pressure request works better than persistent reminders, which tend to feel like pressure rather than an invitation.
• Ignoring close-relationship review rules. Asking immediate family or people with a financial connection to the book to review it on a retailer can breach that retailer’s policy, even with good intentions.
• Reacting publicly to a negative review. Defensive public responses to criticism usually draw more attention to the review than it would otherwise have received.

Frequently asked questions