👉 Write a catchy heading for your review in 10 words or less. (HINT: Use strong words for your title as that is what other readers will see first, and sometimes the only part they read. So make it pop!)
👉 Highlight one or two things you particularly liked about the book, or a single feature you especially enjoyed. Book Review Questions for many titles can be found online. I include such questions routinely at the end of each of my Tales2Inspire anthologies, to spark fresh ideas for reviewers with limited time. I also provide a sneak peak into each story through my CONTENTS pages (found at the beginning of each Tales2Inspire book), offering reviewers the opportunity to focus on just one or two stories of interest to them while crafting a meaningful review.
👉 Be sincere: Focus on the positive, but give the book the number of stars you think it deserves.
(1 is the lowest score, 5 is the highest. A 5-star rating means that you liked the book a whole lot, 4 stars means you thought it was very good, 3 stars, just okay, etc.).
👉 Sometimes you can even craft your review to highlight one of your own accomplishments and make some magic for yourself. For example, “As an author myself, I am keenly aware of . . ., and (author's name) handled it so well.” “As a psychologists, I understand the torment of those afflicted with . . ., and appreciate the way (author's name) depicted the emotional upheaval of . . .”
👉 End your review with your actual name, not a pseudonym. Readers will take more notice of your words if written by a person with an authentic name.
👉 Read over your review to correct any errors before posting.
👉 If you’re not camera shy and own a copy of the book, (or borrowed a library copy), post a selfie holding the book you are reviewing. (This assures Amazon that you actually have the book in hand and most probably read it.)
👉Now that you've read through all these helpful hints, I'd love it if you'd write a review for one of my Tales2Inspire books!
Lois W. Stern is an Associate & Review Coordinator for TheNewBookReview. She is also the creator of Tales2Inspire®, an Authors Helping Authors project/contest to help aspiring writers on their paths to discovery. And best of all, it’s Free. Lois has now published twelve Tales2Inspire® treasured Tales2Inspire Jewel Collection anthologies and six Tales2Inspire 2-in-1 Diamond Collection anthologies. Lois is a multi award winning author whose work has been featured in the New York Times, Newsday, Long Island Press, Barnard Magazine, on Local Access TV and in live presentations in varied venues. As TheNewBookReview review coordinator, Lois serves as an outreach to help other authors brand themselves as authors of talent.
Get a FREE Tales2Inspire book at: www.tales2inspire.com/gifts
Visit her Tales2Inspire blog HERE.
For some lively conversation, join Lois on her Facebook page HERE.
