As an indie author, I love to read genuine reviews of my published books. There is nothing more comforting than a bit of positive feedback. Yes – I do mean positive! There is no need to be rude about someone’s work after all. Similarly, book reviews are actually useful for other readers. When I first check out a new book, I flick through some of the book review comments to get a taste for it. This often helps me make my mind up about ordering a paperback, for instance.

So in this blog post, I want to encourage you to consider writing your own book reviews after finishing a novel or novella. Hopefully I will convince you that it makes a positive difference to you, the author and to other readers in the book orientated community.

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1) Support The Author

This is really important, in my view. Authors spend a lot of hours trying to create stories that will grab your interest. Therefore it is not only polite, but also incredibly supportive to write a quick review.

I believe that if you think a book is worth less than 3 stars, don’t review it. But if you do like something about it, note down what you enjoyed. Alternatively, just post a positive comment which will encourage the writer and help promote the book.

Of course, if you absolutely love it, then definitely don’t miss the chance to write a glowing book review.

2) Connect With Other Readers

People who make the effort to review books are helping to build and promote the bookish community. Why not respond to their reviews and like them on Goodreads?

Other readers will notice your book review and may even check out your socials if they find you a like-minded reader. For me, connecting with other reviewers has been interesting and I have discovered great book influencers too. Who knows? You may even feel inspired enough to establish a bookstagram or booktok.

3) Improve Your Own Writing

For me, book reviewing makes sense. As I get a lot out of my reading experience, it is fun to jot down what made me satisfied by a particular book or collection. In the process of writing more book reviews, I have developed as a writer and learned what parts to concentrate on.

Any book review holds value, even just a few words. However, if you get into reviewing, you will find that certain elements help to make a review purposeful and cover all the bases. Now that I blog about books, I tend to write a quick overview of what I read. Then I write my thoughts and often bullet point the positives. Finally, summing up the review ‘in a nutshell’ can be a lovely way to highlight the main reason this book grabbed your attention and kept you captivated.

4) Share Your Love Of Reading

I mentioned possibly becoming book influencers but if that isn’t your thing, just let your friends know how much you loved a book. Book reviews can be shared on Facebook and individually with friends and colleagues. My Goodreads friends are mostly my real life mates and I like to read their thoughts about books. They influence me greatly.

It is good to share. Writing about a book is therapeutic, thoughtful and fun. Why not try it and share it with people you know who love reading? You may find it is really rewarding for you and for them.

5) Become An Expert In A Topic

Many people read particular genres of fiction or even non-fiction. After you have written several book reviews, you are likely to be considered an expert on that niche. It can be fun to focus on the type of books that you normally opt for.

I personally read a lot of contemporary fiction, so most of my content revolves around that. My other preference is for YA novellas which I am increasingly reviewing. You have probably already got an idea of which niche you could write about regularly.

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Final Thoughts

I hope that you found this particular article helpful, outlining the benefits of taking the time to write a book review. For one of my recent reviews, check out You Must Read – Apples Never Fall.

Thank you for reading. Perhaps you may wish to follow my blog and check out my future posts about books, TV shows and climate change. If you have time, please pop a comment below.