You loved a book, you want to support the author, but do you write a review? I get it. Even knowing their importance, I don’t make time to write book reviews as often as I could.
Often, we put too much pressure on ourselves to write a great review. We want to be thoughtful and witty. We may want to be entertaining. There’s nothing wrong with that. Well-written reviews are fun to read, especially when you’ve finished a book and want to compare others’ opinions.
Yet, book reviews do not have to be elaborate or in-depth to support an author and make an impact on their future sales. So what do you write when you don’t know where to begin?
Elements of a Book Review
When you write book reviews, think about your goal and where you’re posting the review. If it’s on a book site, like Amazon or Goodreads, you can keep it short and sweet while still helping the author (if it’s a good review). Simply adding a positive review gives a book a boost in its ranking, which can help it show up for more readers in search results or on lists. If you’re writing a review to share on your own website or socials, you may want to write a longer, more detailed review.
Whether you’re writing a longer or shorter review, you can include four elements: introduction, summary, opinion, and conclusion. In a longer review, you can use a full paragraph (or more) for each section. In a shorter review, each section could be just 2-3 sentences.
- Introduction – The opening briefly describes the book you are reviewing. You can start with a hook–an attention-getting sentence–if you’d like. Include basic information, like the book title and the author’s name. You might mention the genre or mood of the book and other details, like when it was published. You can also state the premise of the book, but keep it brief.
- Summary – Here’s where you can say more about what happens in the book. Include key story points, but try to avoid giving away the ending or other spoilers. If you do plan to give away surprises, be sure to start with a spoiler alert.
- Opinion – While the summary gives key facts about the book, your opinion shifts to your reactions. Do you recommend the book? Why or why not? Does it remind you of other books?
- Conclusion – Wrap up your review. You can end by restating some of the points you made earlier or by repeating whether you’d recommend the book to other readers.
Short and Sweet
You don’t have to include all of these elements when you write book reviews on a sales page (like an Amazon or Goodreads listing). Basic information, like the title and author, is already included before the review section. There’s likely a summary already given, too, making your summary more optional. You can stick to your opinion, though having a fun introduction and conclusion can give your review some oomph.
Remember, simply adding a positive review helps a book’s rating. You can keep it short and sweet, saying something like, “I loved this book! It kept me guessing until the end, and I couldn’t put it down.”
As an author, I deeply appreciate any positive reviews. If you’ve enjoyed my books, please consider adding a review on Amazon, Goodreads, or wherever you buy books. You can also submit reviews for my books here. Thank you for your support!