You just read a fantastic book and you want to share it with the world. The chances are you got your book from Amazon so the easiest way is to write a book review. It’s easy to say that but some book reviews are pretty poor; how do you write a good one? These tips will help you pen a great review to let the world know what you thought of the book.

By the way, these tips will also work for a book that perhaps wasn’t so great too.

General Tips

First, you need to bear in mind that this is about the book and how you felt about it, not you. Don’t try to be funny and don’t use asides.

Second, this review is also about the book’s readers, not the author. Other readers want to know if they should pick this book up so write for them and not for the author.

Last, be honest, but if you didn’t enjoy the book, don’t be abusive. You can be kind while saying you didn’t like a book but don’t slate it unnecessarily; always try to find some good points in it. Honesty is always the best policy.

Specific Tips – Amazon and Goodreads Reviews

These review sites will ask you to provide a rating from 1 to 5; these should only be given in exceptional circumstances. On average a 3 or 4 is best; 2 should be saved for a book you didn’t like and 1 for a total disaster.

Always write a very brief synopsis of the book without any spoilers so the reader knows what to expect and it will help them to understand your comments too.

Next, how you reacted to the book.

How did it make you feel? Were you excited? Disappointed? Why? Was it a book you struggled with or couldn’t put down? Why?

Give examples of what you did and didn’t like about the plot, the characters, settings, pacing, and so on. Try not to give away any spoilers.

Are you praising the author? If they deserve it then yes, but you must say why.

Be aware that reviews written in a passionate language can help increase Google page ranking so go ahead and use this where necessary. Use too much, though, and it can have an adverse effect on those rankings.

You don’t need to stick to a specific length but it is worth bearing in mind that content online does tend to be shorter. Just make sure you have provided sufficient detail without being over the top or giving the plot away. All a potential reader wants to know is whether the book is worth looking at.

If you are posting reviews for one book on multiple sites, do not copy and paste your review. Write a new one for each site. Again, Google doesn’t like it and your review may not be shown.

Lastly, if you know the author or have been given a free copy of the book for review, you must say so at the start or end of the review.

Now you know how to write a review, go to it!