How To Write A Great Review
Our most frequently-asked questions about writing reviews
How do I decide how many stars to give?
Your very favorite book in the same genre is the one that would get five stars. The book you couldn't even finish because it was too awful would get one. How does this book compare? Before you click, think about whether you feel like bumping down the rating to make a point about something that really annoyed you, or bump it up because you'd like to encourage other readers to try it.
What if I don't like the book? Do I have to give it a good review?
No. You should give it an honest review (even a mixed/negative one) or no review at all.
What should a good review include?
A quality review addresses one or more of the following points, in any order:
• What you enjoyed most about the book.
• Why you liked/didn't like it
• Your opinion about what the author does best.
• What kind of person would most enjoy this book and/or who you'd recommend it to.
How long should my review be?
It should be as long or as short as you'd like to make it, but a general rule of thumb is to make it no more than a few sentences for online bookseller/reading community pages (like Amazon and Goodreads), and to match the average length of previously published book reviews in blogs and other publications.
Should I include a summary of the plot?
If you know the review will appear on the same page as the book synopsis (on Amazon, for example), it's not necessary. If you're writing a stand-alone review for a blog or publication, you can write your own synopsis or copy the one from our book descriptions.
If I know the author (either in person or online), should I reveal that?
No, unless that fact keeps you from giving the work an honest review. (Amazon, for example, actually removes reviews that are written by people obviously connected to the author.)
Your very favorite book in the same genre is the one that would get five stars. The book you couldn't even finish because it was too awful would get one. How does this book compare? Before you click, think about whether you feel like bumping down the rating to make a point about something that really annoyed you, or bump it up because you'd like to encourage other readers to try it.
What if I don't like the book? Do I have to give it a good review?
No. You should give it an honest review (even a mixed/negative one) or no review at all.
What should a good review include?
A quality review addresses one or more of the following points, in any order:
• What you enjoyed most about the book.
• Why you liked/didn't like it
• Your opinion about what the author does best.
• What kind of person would most enjoy this book and/or who you'd recommend it to.
How long should my review be?
It should be as long or as short as you'd like to make it, but a general rule of thumb is to make it no more than a few sentences for online bookseller/reading community pages (like Amazon and Goodreads), and to match the average length of previously published book reviews in blogs and other publications.
Should I include a summary of the plot?
If you know the review will appear on the same page as the book synopsis (on Amazon, for example), it's not necessary. If you're writing a stand-alone review for a blog or publication, you can write your own synopsis or copy the one from our book descriptions.
If I know the author (either in person or online), should I reveal that?
No, unless that fact keeps you from giving the work an honest review. (Amazon, for example, actually removes reviews that are written by people obviously connected to the author.)