Many authors hesitate to ask for reviews at all, worried it might look pushy or break some unwritten rule. In most cases, a polite, honest request is entirely acceptable and is, in fact, how the great majority of reviews get written in the first place; very few appear spontaneously. The line that matters is not whether you ask, but how.
This guide sets out what a good request looks like compared with a problematic one, walks through several channels you can use, and provides a set of original, ready-to-adapt templates. It complements our [cornerstone guide to gathering more reviews](/resources/book-sales-growth/how-do-i-get-more-reviews-for-my-book), which covers the wider strategy.
The general rule
Generally, authors can ask legitimate readers for honest reviews, but the method must comply with the rules of the platform on which the review is posted. Amazon publishes customer review guidelines that cover, among other things, who may leave a review and what kinds of incentives are not permitted; other platforms, such as Goodreads, set their own separate rules. "Ask honestly, ask readers who have actually read it, and never specify the outcome" is a reliable summary that holds up across most platforms, though it is worth checking current policy for anything unusual you are planning.
Good versus bad requests
| Type | Example phrasing | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Good | “Would you consider leaving an honest review?” | Neutral, asks only for honesty, puts no pressure on outcome |
| Bad | “Leave a five-star review.” | Specifies a rating, which is not an honest request |
| Bad | “Only review if you loved it.” | Filters for positive reviews only, which skews the outcome |
| Bad | “Send me proof of a positive review for a reward.” | Ties a reward to a positive outcome, which breaches most review policies |
Channels you can use
Email to readers who opted in and are known to have read the book, a mention in a regular newsletter, a line on the author website, a short note at the end of the book itself, a social media post to followers generally (not targeting specific known non-readers), and a follow-up to ARC readers who received a copy can all be reasonable channels, provided the wording stays honest and the timing is sensible.
Honest review request templates
These are original starting points; adapt the tone and detail to suit your own voice and book.
- 1
Short email
“Thank you so much for reading [Book Title]. If you have a spare few minutes, an honest review — even a short one — would genuinely help other readers decide whether the book is for them. No pressure at all if not, and thank you either way for reading.”
- 2
Newsletter line
“If you’ve finished [Book Title] and have thoughts either way, I’d love it if you left an honest review wherever you bought it. It makes a real difference for a book like this to find its readers.”
- 3
Website line
“Read [Book Title]? I’d be grateful for an honest review on [retailer/site] — good, bad or in between. It helps other readers far more than you might think.”
- 4
ARC follow-up
“Thank you again for reading an early copy of [Book Title]. There’s no obligation, but if you’d like to share an honest review once the book is live, here is the link. Whatever you honestly thought would be genuinely useful to hear.”
What not to do
Do
- Ask for an honest review, whatever that turns out to be.
- Make clear there is no obligation to review at all.
- Direct readers to exactly where you would like them to post it.
Avoid
- Specify a star rating or ask explicitly for a "positive" review.
- Offer money, free products or other rewards tied to a positive outcome.
- Ask people who have not actually read the book.
A note on family and friends
Reviews from people with a close personal or financial connection to the author are treated differently by most platforms’ policies, even when the review itself is entirely honest, and can be removed simply because of the relationship. It is generally safer to focus review requests on readers without that kind of connection.
A worked example
Example
Imagine a non-fiction author who ends her book with a short, polite note asking readers to leave an honest review if they found the book useful, with no mention of star ratings. Over several months, a steady trickle of reviews arrives, some very positive, one mixed, reflecting a genuine range of reader reactions rather than a curated set of only positive responses. This is a healthier outcome, and a more trustworthy set of reviews for future buyers, than a smaller cluster of uniformly five-star reviews gathered through pressure or incentive.
Common mistakes
- Specifying a rating in the request. This turns an honest ask into a solicitation for a particular outcome, which most platforms do not permit.
- Only asking readers you expect to respond positively. Filtering requests by expected sentiment skews the resulting reviews and misleads future buyers.
- Offering rewards tied to a positive review. This breaches policy on most platforms and risks reviews being removed, or other consequences for the listing.
- Asking people who have not read the book. This produces reviews that are not honest, and platforms may detect and remove them.
- Repeating requests too often. Frequent reminders tend to feel pressuring rather than persuasive, and can put readers off responding at all.
Frequently asked questions
Is it against Amazon’s rules to ask for reviews at all?
No. Asking genuine readers for honest reviews is generally acceptable under Amazon’s customer review guidelines, as long as the request does not specify a rating or offer an incentive for a positive outcome.
Can I ask for a review at the end of my book?
Yes, a brief, honest, non-pressuring note asking for a review is a common and acceptable approach used by many published authors.
Can I offer a free short story in exchange for a review?
Offering something in exchange for participation, rather than for a positive outcome, is generally treated differently to an incentive tied to the review’s content, but always check the current rules of the platform involved before relying on this.
Should I ask on social media?
Yes, a general post inviting readers who have finished the book to leave an honest review can work, as long as it is not targeted at specific people known not to have read it.
What if a reader leaves a negative review after I asked?
That is a legitimate, honest outcome of asking for honest reviews. See our companion guide on [whether negative feedback affects sales](/resources/book-sales-growth) for how to think about this without catastrophising.