Why You Should Write Amazon Reviews for the Books You Read

Let me start with a guilty confession: I’ve never written Amazon reviews for the books I’ve read. I didn’t feel as if it was worth the time. Who even reads them, right? . . . Well, a lot of people. But does it really matter that much whether or not I type up a few sentences to let a bunch strangers know what I think? Well, yes, as it turns out, it does matter. But not because I’m important. It has nothing to do with my credentials. It has everything to do with the market for today’s writers. With so much being written by so many authors, it’s hard for a writer to get the attention of an audience, even a small one. That is, it’s hard for a writer to make his or her voice heard. But leaving a brief review on Amazon is one way in which you, the reader, can help writers out. Here are three good reasons why.

1. Readers need something or someone to tell them what to read. We all read based on suggestions and recommendations. And since Amazon basically has a monopoly on web shopping, it makes sense to leave short book reviews there, where readers can easily pick out their next title. The more positive reviews a book has, the more likely others will read it. What better way to compliment a writer you appreciate than to give potential readers a nudge in his direction?
2. Books with little or no reviews are met with suspicion. The negative side of the first reason is that people are immediately suspicious of a book with little or no reviews. The lack of reviews suggests that if readers dive into this book, they are taking a risk. And with the plethora of new titles published each year, taking risks seems unnecessary. Readers would rather go with a book that they can be confident isn’t a waste of their time.
3. Leaving reviews builds community. Reading, for me, is always a communal activity: a writer shares his or her thoughts, readers engage, and a circle of human beings grows closer to one another. Reading brings about community and communion among persons. Writing reviews is a simple way to get that community started, or to partake in a community that is already thriving.

As a budding author myself, learning much about the industry of writing, I’ve come to appreciate reviews much more than I used to. So, I’ve begun working through my library systematically and writing a brief Amazon review for all of the books I’ve read. It’s my way of saying “Thank you” to the authors who put years into producing something that was vitally important to them, and helpful to me. With a little more recognition from readers, the writers you love can start to thrive and reach a larger audience.

Like what you read? You might enjoy my most recent book, Finding God in the Ordinary. It’s about how we can find God in the everyday moments that we often try to rush past. Here’s a FREE sample chapter.

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