amazon book review

amazon book review

The Importance of Amazon Book Reviews

1. Introduction

A consumer may have to dig through piles of reviews on various websites and book review magazines to get enough information about a certain book. This, in itself, is a very big “if” because some writers simply do not promote their work enough and books can be easily forgotten due to the sheer amount of new material coming out daily. This is where the beauty of Amazon reviews comes in. Given the author has listed his book at an appropriate price and has done a good amount of self-promotion, his would-be consumer has a good chance of reaching a page to his book on Amazon. At this point, the customer can easily check out the book and not pay a dime if he doesn’t like the way things are sounding. This is the first step because if the person reads the whole thing through and is intrigued, he will scroll down and look at the reviews. People love convenience and the fact that the person can read the most valuable information in a purchase (no matter his level of interest), the reviews, all in one place is a very attractive concept.

For new authors, Amazon is one of the most important places to get your writing noticed, but not for the reasons you might think. Most people know that selling books on Amazon can be very profitable due to their high traffic and the possibility of reaching a global audience. However, what most novice authors do not know is that reviews are the key to making a sale on a book. This may sound very simple, but it really is a hard concept to grasp because a would-be writer just cannot fathom the fact that his brainchild is not worthy of a purchase based on a description and a few sample pages. However, taking the viewpoint of a potential customer, it is obvious to see why this is the case. A consumer wants to know they are spending money on a product that is worth it. There are too many cases where one has bought something based on a description and it has not met their expectations. This also concerns the pricing of the book. Is it not too pricey for its contents? A possible reader wants to know this and they want reassurance. A review provides such information and the last chance the book has at making a sale may just be a good review.

Section 1: Introduction

2. Benefits of Amazon Book Reviews

Amazon book reviews could quite possibly be the wave of the future, as more and more users are turning to the internet for information about what to purchase. They have many benefits for both readers and authors, and each review helps to pave the way for future visitors to the site. For readers, Amazon reviews can be extremely useful for determining whether or not to purchase a book. Traditionally, readers depended on book reviews from magazines in order to determine if a book would be worth reading. But with the death of print media, online book reviews are the best way to get opinions on a book before actually reading it. Amazon is the perfect place for book reviews, as all types of people visit the site. This offers a wider range of opinions than would be available in a print magazine. Also, the review process being tied to a specific product page makes it more likely that reviews will be submitted in comparison to reviewing on a general purpose review site. This ultimately provides a vast amount of reviews on most books, which in turn helps to provide a clear description of a book and quick judgment of whether or not to read.

3. How to Write a Persuasive Book Review

2. Tell your readers what the book is about, and lead into your thesis. Mentioning what the book is about is an important aspect of analysis. As I just mentioned, too much plot summary is a bad thing. Thus, there is an art in telling your reader what a book is about without telling them too much. You, as the reviewer, want to give a taste of the book. Briefly mention the setting, the major points of the plot, and possibly, most importantly, the genre of the book. After giving your readers a taste of what the book is like, it’s time to lead into your thesis.

1. Avoid a summary. Create an argument. One of the most common mistakes a reviewer makes is to spend too much time summarizing the book as opposed to analyzing it. In order to analyze a book, you must avoid the plot summary trap. Don’t get me wrong, it’s okay to include a brief description of the book at the beginning of your review, especially if it’s less well-known, but the majority of your review should be an interpretation of how you perceived the book and an analysis of why you perceived it that way.

Find your voice and use it. Keeping a review focused on the book and your analysis of it will be more effective. While there is no actual rule saying you must write a review a certain way, many more successful reviews share a few key characteristics. These characteristics are not in any way the only way to write a review, but they make a good starting point.

4. The Impact of Book Reviews on Sales

As with many reviewed products, one of the key factors in the impact of the review is a price comparison between the positively reviewed item and the less favorably reviewed product. Most readers are more likely to buy books that have a higher number of positive reviews, but this is also affected by price and often the reader will not want to pay the price of the best-reviewed item. This can mean that a less reviewed, cheaper book still sells well with consumers who are judging based on value for money. This is especially relevant within the education sector. It has also been noted that the volume of reviews has a larger impact than the overall valence of these reviews, and this can escalate the costs for more popular books.

There have been many studies into the impacts of online reviews of various products, be they technology, consumer goods or books, and not surprisingly, many of the findings are consistent across the various market sectors. So although this essay will focus predominantly on the book reviews, the following key findings on the effects of both negative and positive online reviews are relevant across the entire spectrum.

5. Conclusion

It cannot be denied that the book industry has changed with the increased use of technology, but it is also undeniable that the quality of books remains as important as ever. The only difference is that more and more people are turning towards online vendors to fulfill their needs rather than traditional brick and mortar retail stores. In order to stay competitive in the market, it is necessary for all authors and publishers to make use of Amazon.com by sharing and receiving vital feedback on their work. This will not only help them to change strategies where necessary, but will serve as a most cost-effective alternative to hiring a publicist; and we all know that in the end, publicists are expensive and often times ineffective. Amazon.com has made it so convenient and beneficial for the customer and the seller that it is silly to consider taking business elsewhere. In addition to the customer benefits already discussed, Amazon also allows the seller to sell personal previously owned copies of a book for a discounted price. This is a great method of gaining readers, keeping overhead costs low. And considering how tough the book industry is these days, it is crucial to keep costs as low as possible and profit as high as possible for everyone involved.