To sell your book to the masses, you want great reviews.
But it's not just as simple as going out there and telling the world...
"Get a free book in exchange for a review!"
First of all...
If you don't yet have a fanbase, it's hard to find people to review your book.
And without reviews, it's hard to build a fanbase.
This puts many new authors in a catch-22 dilemma.
They need reviews for sales. Yet they need sales to get reviews.
Not only that...
Even if you DO have a fanbase AND get people to agree to leave a review...
You may find someone who agrees to review your book.
But as the weeks go by and their review still hasn't come in...
You're in this awkward position of having to chase them down and practically beg them to write you a review.
To understand why this is, let's look at...
Offering someone a "free book" is not, in itself, all that enticing.
Remember, people can get all kinds of books for free these days.
You're asking people to spend hours of their time on a book.
Even if you're talking to the right people, they may not see why your book should be read over all the other books they're considering.
So you gotta show people why reading YOUR book should be a top priority.
Especially if these are avid readers who have a lot of other books to check out.
Incentivizing reviews is against Amazon's Terms of Service and not something you'd want to do anyway.
But without any type of incentive or deadline, readers have no urgency to give you a review.
So giving your book a review often gets put on the backburner for readers. Sometimes indefinitely.
And you miss out on those essential early reviews to drive book sales.
Even if someone DOES want to leave a review, they now may be intimidated by not knowing what to write.
They overthink it. Then it feels like too much work.
They put it off until later leaving you to have to track them down and awkwardly remind (beg) them to leave a review.
Because of these challenges, some authors resort to tactics that violate Amazon's terms of service.
Even well-meaning authors may not realize a strategy they use to get reviews could be a no-go.
To keep your account safe when getting reviews, you'll want to know...
An author is not allowed to compensate someone for a review.
That means no gifts, prizes, or other incentives.
Pretty common sense. I wouldn't trust reviews if I knew the person writing it was compensated in some way.
An author CAN give away free or discounted review copies.
However, any reviews must be optional (don't require someone to write a review) and honest (don't ask them to only say something positive).
Reviewers should also disclose if they received a review copy.
There are legit paid review services such as Kirkus.
These reviews may be posted in the editorial reviews section.
Amazon *does* allow an author to review another author's book.
So some authors decide to do "review swaps." It's technically possible to do them while remaining compliant.
Still, here's why I do NOT recommend review swaps.
First, for *authentic* reviews, an author still needs to find another author who's a real fan of a book's genre.
Second, if it's a "swap," it has to be structured in such a way it's not considered an incentive.
Regardless of how it's set up, I believe this is still likely to lead to a biased review.
Finally, it's time-consuming.
An author has to read a book for every review they receive. I'm an avid reader, but this is a lot of work just to get some questionable reviews.
This is why I've never recommended review swaps.
Another grey area is reviews from family and friends.
An author technically CAN use family/friend reviews, however, these reviews should be posted in the editorial reviews section.
Note: While Amazon prohibits regular reviews from close family and friends, their terms explicitly say it IS okay to have reviews from family/friends in the editorial section.
If an author can't compensate someone to leave a review...
And don't want to twist the arms of family, friends, and fellow authors...
What's left to do?
Well, most authors just sit back and *hope* reviews come in.
This usually leads to little to no reviews for sometimes months on end as typically less than 1% of readers leave a review.
That's a problem when reviews are so key to getting the most out of book marketing efforts.
Some book promotion sites even require a minimum number of reviews.
Fortunately, there ARE legit strategies to proactively get more genuine reviews from real fans without violating any terms of service.
In particular, you can do something I call The Bridge Method.
Before going further, here are reviews on a few of my books so you know this works.
Now, many of these reviews came in "organically" without having to do any direct outreach, which is ideal in the long run.
The hardest part though is getting your first 20 reviews.
Without these initial reviews, it's hard to get any traction for your book sales.
And THIS is where you need a strategy like The Bridge Method to get reviews almost "on command."
You won't hear about The Bridge Method elsewhere.
This is something I developed for both myself and my author clients after empowering over 15,000 authors and publishing 7 bestselling books (that have sold over 100,000 copies with hundreds of reviews).
It's NOT about tricks, gimmicks, or anything that violates rules or ethics.
Instead, it's based on human psychology.
Now, I can't guarantee you'll never have flaky people who don't leave a review.
What I can say is The Bridge Method ensures you get far more readers to actually give you a review and do it within YOUR timeframe.
Plus, these reviews are often MORE honest and compelling than typical reviews.
To show you The Bridge Method and more, I'm offering a 5-Day Get Book Reviews Challenge.
During this 5-Day challenge, you'll discover...
Where to find your ideal readers who love to review books... even if you have absolutely no following right now.
The ‘Hollywood Pitch Technique’ that instantly makes your book stand out from the competition. Just fill in 3-5 words and your book can become a “must-read.”
What to do when someone agrees to leave a review… then they leave you hanging. This “Bridge Method” motivates people to follow through on writing a review without constant prodding, pleading, or unethically offering an incentive.
Word-for-word messages that were sent to reviewers that got them to say "yes!" to review a book. These work even if they've never heard of you before.
The counter-intuitive approach that gets you more reviews without asking for them directly.
A simple way to bypass the fear readers have around writing reviews. This will help your readers confidently share a review... and it will help you get the most effective and genuine reviews possible.
What you should NEVER start your message with to potential reviewers. Most authors get this wrong… and it’s why their messages are quickly deleted, ignored, or even marked as spam. (Note: You do NOT need to spam to get authentic reviews)
Feedback on students' review pitches to take them from boring to enticing.
How to prevent boring and generic "This is a good book!" kind of reviews. Use the Elicitation Method and watch as ordinary readers craft compelling reviews that actually sell your book.
The step-by-step method to motivate readers to record a video review... even if they seem camera shy.
A clever way to create a deadline that has readers eager to get you their review BEFORE you even need it. (Never again worry you won't have enough reviews for a launch or upcoming promotion or fear you'll have to constantly chase people down who take forever to get you a review)
Instead of it feeling desperate or spammy to request reviews from strangers...
You can have people THANKING you for reaching out to them.
After all, if you have a great book, why wouldn't someone be delighted to receive a free review copy?
The key is taking the right approach...
Which is exactly what you'll discover in this challenge.
There is no time too early to start the review-gaining process.
On the other hand, waiting to get reviews can cost you time and money in lost sales opportunities.
Start the challenge today and you'll get lifetime access to the training for now and whenever you need to revisit them.
If you don't get brand new insights and strategies you've never heard anywhere else...
If you don't feel this is the fastest, most effective way to get all the book reviews you need...
Or if for any other reason you're not thrilled with this challenge...
Send me an email at derek@bestsellersecrets.com
I'll promptly issue you a refund - no questions asked.
Because I know if all this did was get reviews that sell 10 more books with a mere $2 royalty...
Of if it saves you even just an hour or two of trial and error, headache, and chasing down reviewers...
Then it's paid for itself.
I've invested a lot more than $20 into promotions and ads that didn't deliver.
And almost nothing works for book marketing if you don't have compelling book reviews.
So I believe this is one of the best investments you can make into your author success.
My journey took me from broke valet parker to 7-time bestselling author.
When I saw how even a "no name" aspiring author could become a #1 bestseller in some of the most competitive categories, I decided to start coaching other authors.
Now I share with fellow authors like you the marketing strategies that empowered me to sell over 100,000 books.
What genre is this for?
The strategies work for fiction and non-fiction books.
How is the challenge delivered?
Each day, starting from the day you enroll, you'll get a Daily Challenge Email. The emails provide access to the daily training video and text. At the end of the challenge, you'll get all the daily trainings in one convenient location to refer back to.
What kind of reviews is this for?
Use the strategies in this challenge to get early draft feedback, final draft reviews, Amazon reviews, Goodreads reviews, and/or written and video testimonials. This also works for print books, ebooks, and audiobooks.
Will more reviews result in more sales?
It depends. A book needs a compelling cover, description, pricing, and market demand to sell. And of course, an author needs to get visibility for the book. As important as reviews are in maximizing book sales, good reviews alone won't result in sales if these other factors aren't in place.
Do you guarantee I'll get positive reviews?
No. This process is all about getting authentic reviews. This means if a book isn't good and needs a lot of work, that's the feedback that may come in from reviewers. You will discover a way of minimizing negative reviews by getting early reader feedback first... then making sure you reach out to the kinds of people who are most likely to love your book. (Your ideal readers)
What if I'm not ready right now to get reviews or need to take longer than five days?
Whether you're still writing your book or it's already published, now's the time to build your audience and get feedback. You can also get the challenge now and take it at your own pace. You can choose to consume the trainings and revisit them over and over to fit your timeframe.
Will this work for new/old books?
You'll get strategies that work to get early readers for an upcoming, unpublished book. You'll also get strategies for a published book that's been out for years to get even more reviews.
What if I don't have an audience yet and am starting from scratch?
You'll see strategies to connect with brand-new readers and reviewers even if you're just starting out with no audience.
What if I don't feel totally comfortable requesting reviews?
This often comes from not what to do or taking an approach that doesn't feel good for you. With the method you get inside this challenge, you'll never have to twist anyone's arm or try to convince someone who isn't interested to review your book. When you reach out to the right people in the right away, you'll often find they're extremely grateful for the opportunity to read your book.
How much time will I need to invest in this?
This depends on how quickly you want to go through this challenge. I suggest at least one hour a day during the five days. Since books vary in length, it may take several weeks before you receive reviews from reviewers since they need time to read the book.
I already have a lot of reviews, is this for me?
This process can help you get even more reviews. And it can make the review gathering process easier. That said, if you already have over 100 reviews per book, then getting more reviews usually isn't going to make a big difference. At that point, I'd recommend focusing on other marketing strategies.
Is this challenge a monthly installment or one-time investment?
The Get Book Reviews Challenge is just a one-time investment of $20. Then it's yours to keep and revisit as often as you'd like.
Will this help me with what to say to potential reviewers?
You'll see the exact scripts I send to reviewers and the psychology behind them. You'll then modify these scripts to suit your book no matter the genre you're in.
Copyright Doepker Global LLC
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Contact: info@BestsellerSecrets.com
Individual results may vary. No sales or review results are guaranteed. Your reviews and sales depend on your marketing abilities and market demand.
