write book review on amazon

How to Write a Book Review On Amazon: 10 Approved Steps

• February 20, 2024

Table of Contents:

How to write a book review on amazon, 1. choose a book you enjoyed, 2. understand the genre, 3. read attentively, 4. personal reflection is key, 5. structure your review, 6. be honest and balanced, 7. keep it concise and engaging, 8. edit your review, 9. post your review on amazon, 10. share your review, final words:.

Writing a book review can be an enjoyable and rewarding experience, especially if you love sharing your thoughts about books. This guide is here to help you learn how to write a book review on Amazon effectively. Whether you’re reviewing fiction vs nonfiction or any other genre, these steps will ensure your review is insightful and helpful to others. Remember, a great review doesn’t require you to be an experienced critic or to have the skills to write a book with no experience . Let’s Jump in!

The first step to writing a book review is picking a book you love. It might be a novel, a memoir, or an exciting non-fiction work. Think about a book that made you smile, kept you turning the pages, or even changed your thoughts. This could be from a range of top story writers  or twitter ghostwriter you admire. When you write about something you enjoy, your words come alive. Your readers can feel your joy and excitement. This makes your review not just informative but also a pleasure to read. Your enthusiasm can inspire others to pick up the book, too!

Knowing the genre you are reviewing is important. This knowledge shapes your review. Like fiction, look at how the story unfolds, who the characters are, and what happens in the plot. It’s about the journey, the twists and turns, and the emotional ride. In nonfiction, focus on how clear and strong the information and arguments are. Ask yourself: does this book teach, persuade, or inform effectively? Understanding the genre helps you highlight the right aspects of the book, making your review more useful and insightful for your readers. It’s like choosing the right tool for the job – it makes everything more effective and fitting.

To write a book review full of insights, reading with full attention is crucial. Go deep into the book’s themes, the writer’s unique style, and how the story moves. Notice how the book makes you feel or think. Are you excited, curious, or moved? Write down these feelings and thoughts. These notes are precious. They help you remember your initial reactions and impressions. When you start writing your review, these notes will guide you, helping you share a genuine and engaging perspective. Reading attentively is like being a detective, looking for clues to understand the story better.

Think deeply about how the book touched you. Did it open your eyes to new ideas or keep you entertained from start to finish? Sharing your personal experience is crucial. It adds a special, relatable quality to your review. Your reflections show how a book can impact a reader. They make your review a list of observations and a story of your encounter with the book. When readers see your journey with the book, it helps them connect more with your review. It’s like sharing a part of your reading adventure with them.

A good book review has a clear structure. Start with a brief book summary like Haunting Adeline , followed by your analysis and personal reflections. Finally, conclude with your overall thoughts and recommendations.

Being honest is vital when you write a book review. If certain parts didn’t catch your fancy or seemed off, it’s important to say so. But remember, balance is crucial. Even if the book wasn’t to your liking, try to spot the good bits. Maybe the writing style was excellent, or some chapters were engaging. Sharing both the ups and downs makes your review trustworthy. It shows you’ve looked at the book from all angles, which is helpful for other readers. They get a full picture, not just one side. So, while being honest, also be fair. It’s like giving a complete map, not just a part of it.

Make your review short and sweet. Long reviews might lose your reader’s interest. Aim for clear, straightforward points. Mix up your sentence lengths – some short, some a bit longer. This keeps your writing lively and easy to follow. Using simple, everyday words helps, too. It makes your review easy to read and understand. Everyone appreciates a review that gets to the heart of the matter without wandering off into too many words. It’s like giving a clear, quick snapshot rather than a long movie.

Before posting, spend some time editing your review. Look for any spelling mistakes or grammar slip-ups. Consider hiring a book editor if needed. Read it aloud to hear how it sounds. Does it flow nicely? Are your points clear? A well-edited review stands out for its clarity and smoothness. It’s like polishing a gem – the extra effort makes it shine. Remember, a few minutes of editing can greatly enhance your review’s impact and readability.

Once your review is polished and ready, it’s time to share it on Amazon. Browse through the page of the book you’ve reviewed. Look for the ‘Write a Customer Review’ button – it’s usually easy to find. Click it, and then paste your review into the box provided. Don’t forget to also give the book a star rating. This rating helps others get a quick sense of your overall opinion. It’s a simple yet important step, like putting the final stamp on your thoughts about the book.

Don’t keep your review to yourself – share it with friends and on your social media platforms. Your thoughts and insights on the book might be what someone else needs to find their next great read. It’s like spreading a bit of joy and knowledge. Your review could spark interest or start a lively book discussion. It’s a simple action, but your opinion can influence and guide others in their reading choices. Sharing is caring, especially when it comes to great books!

Writing a book review is not just about summarizing a book. It’s an opportunity to express your thoughts, feelings, and insights about your reading. Whether you’re discussing books from professional book writers , your review can be a valuable guide for other readers. So, next time you finish a book, take a moment to share your experience on Amazon. Your review could be the one that inspires someone to pick up their next great read!

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How to Write a Book Review on Amazon (or anywhere)

October 6, 2020 at 12:01 pm 4 comments

One of the most helpful things readers can do to help writers (and publishers, and everyone else who works with writers to create and produce books) is to write reviews of books on Amazon, GoodReads, and elsewhere.

Most readers are not aware of just how helpful this simple thing can be. (And it really is simple, as I’ll explain in this post.)

I really love the fact that thanks to the democratizing effect of the internet, readers no longer have to rely only on professional reviewers to tell them what they think about a book. I think it is absolutely wonderful that this information can be shared reader to reader.

How easy is it to write a brief review? It really is easy, and you don’t have to necessarily have bought your books on Amazon to write reviews there. (It depends. It seems that sometimes you do, and sometimes you don’t.) In any case, all you have to do is go to the Amazon page of the book you want to review, scroll down the page (past Product Details, past More About the Author), and click on the bar that says “Write a customer review.” A window will open up and invite you to choose from 1 to 5 stars and then write a headline and a brief review–and it really can be brief! Remember, all most readers want to know is did you like the book or not? And if so, why? This can be said in just a few simple words, no need to be fancy, though if you want to elaborate, that’s up to you, and that’s fine.

You don’t have to use your own name to review books if you don’t want to. You can make up a name. Some people prefer to do that, and that’s fine too.

I will say, I really don’t like the star rating system. The only thing I dislike about teaching literature in college classes is having to assign letter grades to my students. It doesn’t make any sense to me. To me letter grades are strictly (and narrowly) judgmental, and they don’t really provide my students with very useful information: it is my comments that hopefully will do that.

Likewise, I don’t think the star rating system is really very helpful to readers, and it can be quite harmful to writers if reviewers aren’t fair. But sometimes you have to work with the system that exists, not the one you wish existed. And the fact is that those stars can apparently be quite important for some people when they are trying to decide whether or not to buy a book.

In my honest opinion there are very few books that merit either five stars, or just one star. But I often award five stars even when I think a book is less than perfect. (I mean, how many perfect books are there in this world? NOT MANY!!! But there are SO MANY very good books, and they deserve to be bought, and read!)

Likewise, it’s hard for me to imagine ever assigning a one-star review. I would have to really hate a book and think that everyone should know how awful it is in order to do that. I personally would be much more inclined to just not review such a book.

So I would suggest, as you choose the number of stars to award, maybe try not to think so much about whether you loved, liked, kind of liked, kind of hated, or absolutely hated this book. Try to give at least a few seconds of thought to how much effort the author put into writing the book, and allow that to help you decide. It’s important to also remember that how you liked the book is not necessarily the most important thing about it: is it a book that someone who is very interested in this topic would love, even though you found that you were not all that interested in the topic? If so, then why would you give it only one or two stars?

In my opinion, the reason for writing a book review should really be just to help readers find books they will enjoy, and writers to gain new readers. And that’s a wonderful thing to be able to do! Janet Hulstrand  is a writer, editor, writing coach, and teacher of writing and of literature who divides her time between the U.S. and France. She is the author of  Demystifying the French: How to Love Them, and Make Them Love You,  and A Long Way from Iowa: From the Heartland to the Heart of France .

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Entry filed under: About Writers and their Work , Neither Here nor There... . Tags: Amazon reviews , book reviews , books , writing book reviews .

The Other Bonjour Effect… Demystifying the French, via Zoom!

4 Comments Add your own

[…] whether or not to buy (or read) a book we should be fair about it. Here is a post I wrote about how to be fair when writing a review. (Most people don’t know HOW MUCH these reviews help writers: they help […]

Definitely a great read, Janet! I really liked the tips you listed here. Truly, people need a post like this one, since trashy Amazon reviews really aren’t helpful. Thanks so much for sharing!

3. Got Salt? – The Writing Bug  |  September 2, 2021 at 7:28 pm

[…] Write a FAIR book review […]

4. Write a book review on Amazon in a simple, fair and easy way - Private Finanzen  |  September 2, 2021 at 10:22 pm

[…] How to Write a Fair (and Helpful) Book Review on Amazon (or anywhere) […]

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How to Write Book Reviews on Amazon That People Will Read

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Amazon has almost a quarter of a billion titles in popular demand. A good review can help spread the word about great titles and best-selling books.

Writing book reviews on Amazon can help readers find the perfect matches for their book lists. It's also one of the best ways to show readers that you're an experienced and knowledgeable person who can provide valuable insights into a book.

Here, we share some tactics you can use to write book reviews on Amazon that people will want to read.

1. Carry Out Thorough Research

If you're going to write a book review, it's important to know what you're talking about. Consider doing some research on the book itself, and the author's overall body of work.

There are plenty of books out there, so you'll need to convince readers what they're missing out on by not reading them. The more familiar you are with the content of the book and its author’s other work, the more credible your opinions will be.

Read up on the author's background and reputation to get a sense of their writing style. Doing so will help you understand the author's perspective, and you'll be able to make an informed decision on whether to recommend the book.

2. Use Correct Keywords and Active Voice for Your Target Audience

The next step is to identify who your audience is and what they want from your review. Do they want advice on how to improve their business? Do they want information on how to use technology in their daily lives? Or do they just want an entertaining read that makes them laugh?

Once you know who your audience is, it's time to start thinking about how exactly you'll address their expectations from a book. We recommend writing in an engaging tone and using real-life examples from the story so that everyone can relate easily with what you're saying.

3. Stay Up-to-Date With Amazon's Community Guidelines

You should make it a point to adhere to Amazon's Community guidelines while posting book reviews on the site. To be eligible for reviewing a book or product, you would have to spend at least $50 on Amazon.

Make sure your views are informative and constructive. These must be genuine and reflect your honest opinion of the book you've read. That said, they should not contain spoilers or excessive promotion for other products or services that are unrelated to the original content.

4. Use Appropriate Headlines

A key aspect of a book review on Amazon, or any other platform for that matter, is to craft an appealing headline. This should be short, sweet, and catchy.

You'll also need to make sure that you have a strong introduction before diving into the main body of your review. It's tempting to just touch upon the points in the blurb from the back cover, but that's not going to work.

A compelling introduction should grab the reader's attention with a powerful hook or an interesting fact about the book. Take a moment to think about what makes this book unique. What makes it worth reading?

For instance, you can try and highlight in a sentence how their life will change if they read this book, or by explaining why they need to read it in order to accomplish something important in their life today or tomorrow (like improving their career).

5. Apply Proper Formatting and Include Images or Videos

Book reviews go a long way in helping potential readers decide whether they want to buy a book or not.

Make sure your review is informative, not promotional. Readers should have all the information they need to decide whether that book is for them. You can include at least one quote or fact from the book, if you need to, but don't overdo it.

Use bullet points and bolded letters or italics to highlight key points in the text. You can also try doing a video review if that is something you're comfortable with. Use appropriate images or videos that may be helpful.

Given the huge sea of content on the Internet, you should exercise caution when it comes to reading others' reviews or doing your own research. We recommend checking tips to spot fake reviews online .

6. Give an Insightful and Unbiased Opinion

Follow up your introduction with your unbiased opinion or analysis. Talk about the best parts of the book and explain why you feel so.

You can also mention any issues that may come up while reading the book. You can talk about them in terms of how they affect your understanding of the story, or how they impact your ability to connect with characters (in fiction) in some way or another.

Your reviews might vary with genres, such as fiction or non-fiction. When reviewing nonfiction titles, your review should consider the author's writing style, accuracy and clarity, structure, and logic.

In the case of fiction books, it all comes down to a compelling plot, characters who are memorable, and an ending that leaves readers wanting more. Your review should look at the characters, setting, and plot. It should also consider whether there were any significant flaws in these areas.

For example, if you're reviewing a fantasy novel, you might discuss how well its characters were developed and how convincingly they interacted with each other. You might also comment on whether there were any plot holes or inconsistencies in the narrative.

You should include what you liked or disliked about the book. You may mention whether you agree with the author's point of view. Reedsy recommends using an appropriate tone and style for note-worthy bestseller reviews.

7. Assign Star Ratings Wisely

Reviews are a great way for you to share your opinions on what you read, but star ratings are the first touchpoint where readers often decide whether to go for a purchase, so you should assign your star rating wisely.

The ratings you give your reviews carry distinct persuasive weight and can either make or break a book. Reviewers who write three-star and four-star reviews with honest, constructive criticisms are more likely to be read than reviewers who write very brief one-star reviews, which are often unconstructive rants.

8. Use a Book Review Template

You can always start off with a book review template to help you get started. You can find them for free on sites like Sample Templates, which will give you a basic outline of everything that needs to go into each book review.

Use them to submit a well-structured and readable review. It will help you focus on the most important aspects of the book.

Download: Sample Templates (Free)

9. Feel Free to Provide a Recommendation

You can leave a recommendation if you found a book extremely engaging and helpful. Consider if the book is something that would interest your target audience. While this is by no means necessary, reviews which include recommendations are more likely to be read by others.

If you're a new or experienced author, here's a list of tips on how to get positive reviews for your book .

Make Your Reviews Stand Out

Writing book reviews can be rewarding and fun, but it's also very hard to write them well. In order to get people to read your reviews, you have to ensure they're good.

And that means maintaining both a consistent level of authority and clarity in your reviews—no easy feat! With some practice, however, you should be able to take your reviews from average to outstanding by playing off the elements mentioned above. And there are other platforms for you to take your love of reading to as well.

• Online Reviews

How to Write a Good Book Review on Amazon

Please Share With Your Friends!

Last Updated on June 5, 2024 by Sarah McCubbin

Write a book review on Amazon in just a few easy steps. For new and established authors, Amazon is the biggest seller and most common source of reviews. Reviews are a valuable resource for consumers both on and off Amazon as they help us know whether a product is right for our needs.

(Disclosure: If you make a purchase through links in this post, I may earn an affiliate commission. Thank you!)

Table of Contents

Why Are Book Reviews Important?

As a consumer, book reviews are important because they tell me whether a book actually provides what I am looking for. For this reason, book reviews should accurately reflect the reader’s opinion of a book as well as offer helpful insight as to why it was helpful (or not helpful) for their situation.

Sometimes books have something that is helpful to one audience but offensive to another audience. When you write a book review, you have the chance to include details that help consumers save time and money. Thank you for taking the time to write a good review!

Sample Book Review Template

I learned this first hand in 2021 when my brother and his friend wrote the book, REAL Experience: A Tactical Field Guide for Buying & Selling Homes. We were working down the “checklist” of promoting a new book and of course one of the items is asking people to write reviews for the book. This post came about as I was helping people who bought the book know how to write a review that was genuinely helpful. If you think this guide should have something else in it, please send me an email at [email protected] and let me know!

How to Review Books on Amazon

Whether a book is fiction or non-fiction does play some significance in what you share on Amazon.

5 Tips for Fiction Book Reviews on Amazon

Fiction reviews may include the following elements:.

• A brief summary of the story.
• An analysis of the characters, plot, and genre
• Description of the writing style of the author
• If the reviewer is familiar with the author’s other writing, they may offer helpful comparisons that will help potential buyers know if they would enjoy this book.
• A comparison to other books in the same genre to give the reader an understanding of whether they might enjoy this work as well

6 Tips for Non-Fiction Book Reviews

Non-fiction is a pretty broad category that may share some similarities with fiction especially if the work is a biography or other true account.

However, most non-fiction should be reviewed based on other elements. For example:

• What was the books purpose? (This is usually stated in the introduction or first chapter. It is also usually on the back cover or inside flap)
• Why did you buy or read the book? What were you hoping to learn?
• Did the book meet your expectations?
• What did you learn from the book?
• Who would you recommend read this?
• Did the book accomplish it’s purpose?

How to Give Stars on Amazon for book reviews?

In your book review on Amazon, you can rate your purchase as anything between 1 and 5 stars. Before you do a book review on Amazon, make sure you are actually rating the book and not things like the shipping time. You want your review to reflect the product. You can rate shipping times under seller profiles instead.

Additionally, be aware of your own biases when reading a book. If you strongly dislike science fiction…but you are for some reason reviewing a science fiction book, it would be unfair to give a low review based on your dislike of science fiction. Do not intentionally give low reviews on books that don’t line up with your personal preferences in the first place.

Here is a general guide to help do your book review on Amazon:

1 star: In book terms, this book was poorly written, not cohesive and does not meet its defined purpose in any way. Or, it could be that the book is a perhaps a bait and switch…the book’s purpose was not the focus of the book but more of a hook in order to push another agenda. 1 star is pretty rare. I did book reviews for years and as a reviewer, I can remember giving one star only 1 time. It was a very poorly written self-published book written by 3 nurses. Nothing about this book added up…so it was a 1 star book.

2 stars: The author of this book had a good idea but it was poorly executed. Maybe they have poor writing skills. Maybe the book needed an editor. Maybe the ideas didn’t flow…or they flat out contradicted each other. Additionally, if the book failed to meet its own purpose, this would also warrant a low rating.

3 stars: This book is neither great nor terrible. It is neutral. The author had some good ideas. Maybe the story was ok. But the book is incomplete and lacked important details that would lead to a satisfying ending. Perhaps the writing was average and it did not hold your attention well.

4 stars: This work was a very good book. You would recommend it to a friend with perhaps a single reservation…or two. Maybe you liked the whole book but you strongly disagreed with a position or two taken by the author. The book is well written, kept your attention, demonstrated a good though process or story line, but had one or two glaring things you just can’t forget.

5 stars: This is as good as it gets on Amazon. The author of this book clearly put in a lot of time and effort to make sure that the details lined up just perfectly. They must have had a team of editors double-checking for errors as well because this book flowed. You can recommend this book without reservation knowing that the next person will likely appreciate it as much as you.

You are of course welcome to review a book however you would like. Maybe there are factors important to you that are unique but other buyers might find helpful. Writing your reviews to help other buyers is the key!

Guidelines for a Book Review on Amazon (as well as for other products).

As it turns out, Amazon has some specific requirements for writing reviews. Before your review goes live, they do actually have someone check the reviews to make sure they meet the necessary criteria.

1. In order to leave a review on Amazon, you have to have an active account.

They define that as an account that has $50 spent on it on a credit card in the last 12 months. There is a limit of one review per product per account. This means that multiple individuals sharing an account CANNOT all post reviews to the same account. They would need to open a separate account…spend $50…and then be allowed to post a review. Fun right?

The good news is, there are other places you can post book reviews that don’t have any spending requirement. Goodreads is a popular place to leave reviews when one does not have an Amazon account.

2. Amazon wants Genuine Reviews

When you do a book review on Amazon, know that they want reviews that share both positive and negative opinions and are helpful to customers trying to decide whether a product is a good fit for them. They do not allow manipulative or misleading reviews.

Among other things, Amazon does not allow the following and will remove reviews that break their rules:

• Reviews that are a promotion
• Reviews by someone who has a financial interest in the product. (either directly or indirectly)
• Reviews that say they are written by someone closely affiliated (family, friend, co-worker) with the author or product owner. It is fine for these people to write the reviews…just not announce it in the actual review.
• Product Manufacturers
• Paid Reviews

Check here for a complete list of Amazon Rules .

3. Amazon Recognizes Verified Purchases

Have you ever looked through Amazon reviews after an unhappy purchase of a product that was clearly a dud? I know I have. I usually look at reviews before I buy, so it is very frustrating when something is clearly misadvertised. It is even worse when all the reviews are raving about a purchase I now realize is junk. Amazon wants to prevent buyers from having those frustrating purchases, so they identify some product reviews as “Amazon Verified Purchases.”

Can I Write a Review a Bookon Amazon without Purchasing?

Yes, as long as your Amazon has had $50 in purchases in the last year, you can review anything on Amazon without purchasing. However, these reviews will not be marked “Verified Purchase.”

While all reviews are valuable, buyers often look at Verified Purchase reviews with more confidence knowing that at actual person spent their own money to buy this. If they are happy with the purchase, then there is a higher chance that the next customer will be happy too. For this reason, when someone is launching a new book, they will often promote their book on Kindle for a very low price so that customers will “buy” the book and then submit a review on their new book.

The Most Important Key to Book Review on Amazon

If writing a book review seems overwhelming, know that there is really one important key. The key is to be honest in your review. If your motivation is to help others…you will be a success!

Need a Sample Review Template? I have one here!

Happy Reading!

Sarah McCubbin and her husband and 9 kids live in Ohio. She loves talking about all kinds of education topics and is passionate about helping families find the best education options in each season! Socially awkward growing up, she loves to help families teach life skills, social skills and leadership.