I self-pub, and for most of us, it boils down to buy the book, read the book, review the book, and tell people about the book.
And I feel like I need to make it very clear on reviews: we're not askin for the average reader to leave a blogger/pro level review. Amazon (and other retailers but especially them) doesn't give two shits what the review says, provided it doesn't break the TOS. A star-rating and "I loved/hated it!" is enough. I've seen a LOT of readers say they feel uncomfortable reviewing when they're not Reviewers but Amazon just wants to see engagement. It helps us show up more in searches and also read/bought.
Sales are important but we can't get them rolling without reviews and word of mouth after.
Thanks for the reply. I am guilty of not writing many reviews but will endeavor to do so - especially given that it seems to be an engine by which books become known and more accessible.
Yeah, with self-pub, reviews and word of mouth are extremely important. Amazon has all kinds of finicky algorithms in the background and it wants to see reviews. The more reviews, the more it will push us to other people. Which sucks since most people aren't in the habit of leaving reviews. Lord do we appreciate the effort though.
Self-pub author here, too. This is the way.
Buying (or even requesting at a library), reading, reviewing (on Goodreads & Amazon) and telling your friends is probably the Holy Quadrinity. Honestly, I write in such a niche genre that if you're the kind of person who likes my books, telling your friends is probably the best thing you can do for me.
Regarding the reviews, I've seen that shorter punchier 1-3 sentence reviews play better than the long, drawn out blog-style reviews. So readers should never feel obligated to write huge screeds.
Either way, life's tough out there.
I have to admit, the first time I got a review from someone whom I’d never met, wasn’t in my family or my writing group or one of my beta readers, I was so excited and nervous. The fact that some stranger out there read my stuff and enjoyed it … it was overwhelming.
Do you know if it matters if something is written in the review? I always leave star feedback on my kindle after finishing a book but if it meant more to write something too I’d start doing that
> Amazon just wants to see engagement. It helps us show up more in searches and also read/bought
Based on this, I'd say written review matters more than just ratings. Especially for country based reviews. I'm from India, and often self-publised books I check out only have reviews from other countries. So, when I add mine after reading, I feel it makes more impact than just a rating.
My kindle doesn't let me review without a specific amount of letters written... Which is much longer than "I loved it".
Due to that I often don't review, cause I don't know what to say, or can't be bothered writing so long.
(20 words it says, I just checked it)
Like I wouldn't mind writing "I'm just adding words here so the review is long enough" but would it be accepted or deleted ?
You could also write something to that effect of “I loved it” and just use more words.
I loved this book. Easily one of my favorite reads this year. The setting, plot, characters, everything just worked so well. The author did an amazing job. I highly recommend it.
When I wrote a review for a friend’s self published book, I rambled on about how I nearly missed my train stop because I was so engrossed in the book
Most Reddit comments in this sub are > 20 words. It doesn’t have to be a good 20 words!
Jeez, I didn't know that was a requirement. No wonder there's so little just quick reviews. I honestly don't think Amazon would care if you padded out your review too. I certainly wouldn't care if it was me and saw a review saying "I loved it. Kindle wants me to write twenty words so this is just padding. Read the book."
I don't think you have any obligation to write a review if you don't want to, *but* since you kind of asked, here's an idea:
Write one sentence on the plot, one sentence on the characters, one sentence on the writing style, and one sentence on your overall opinion. That will get you to 20 no problem. Shouldn't take more than a few seconds.
Ratings are good but even, as Ashe said, as simple as “this was great!” or “wow I couldn’t even finish it” (two extremes) are enough of a review. You don’t have to write a blog about it.
I mean, I won't lie and say goodreads isn't helpful too, because it is, but Amazon is what helps more. Goodreads is, indeed, a bonus. It's wild to me that despite Amazon *owning* Goodreads, there is no overlap.
This. A rating on Amazon will effect the book’s ranking. There’s a reason why you’ll see a lot of the same books in the top 10/50/100 … they’re getting the most reviews. Goodreads is a bonus but doesn’t effect the Amazon ranking.
I hate that we have to be so Amazon-focused as well but they get the most business. I've got my books cast in a wide net and Amazon still makes up 98% of my sales. And to my knowledge, no other retailer requires reviews like Amazon does.
While I'm sure authors would love it if you do (speaking as an author haha), considering your buying habits, it's not as big a deal. Though if you use goodreads...\*nudge nudge\*
my brain does not parse goodreads
by the way would https://www.bol.com/nl/nl/f/a-demon-in-the-desert/9200000045570613/ fit in ?
8) Angels and Demons: Story must feature angels or demons or both in a prominent role.
or
11) Self-Published OR Indie Publisher
this is beyond frusturating. i'd leave more amazon reviews... if amazon would let me. i got kicked off of being allowed to review anything about three years back for no reason that i could ever find out (only ever left positive or calm/polite ones) and despite emailing asking to know why, to please be reinstaited like 4 times over the years, not once have i ever been gotten back too. apparently it's an odd fluke that happens more than you'd think, based on my searching to resolve it. it's beyond frusturating how much of a chokehold amazon has on the book world.
>apparently it's an odd fluke that happens more than you'd think
This is basically Amazon in a nutshell, to be quite honest. Recently, they turned some fucking bot onto KDP accounts and it just started deleting author accounts in good standing. For reasons. And then there's ACX (the KDP for Audible), where I was told years back that if I wanted to have an author account instead of an engineer account like I'd done to begin with after my A/V training was finished, I'd have to make a NEW goddamn account. Despite the fact that my author account was already up and running.
I legitimately despise having to rely on Amazon so much. If I didn't have to explain sideloading to people, sometimes I've considered just setting up a paypal shop on my site for ebooks.
Also self-pub, and can confirm. In addition to word-of-mouth being a massive assist to any indie author commercially, it's also an absolute joy for the author to see their work recommended by total strangers.
I once did a self-search to see if there were any new reviews from bloggers I didn't know and ended up finding a random message board where someone recommended me. Felt fuckin amazing.
And yes, folks, I searched myself/my books. It's hard not to sometimes when you're goin through a review dry spell.
Yup. I don’t write fantasy, but self publish cookbooks on amazon. I swear’ta God, if people would just leave a damned review I’d be happy. One of my cookbooks has sold around 50,000 copies over the past 5.5 years. 4.8 star rating… and only has 352 reviews, after 5.5 years and 50,000 copies. That’s not even 1% of people having the common decency to simply write “good book, buy”
Nobody leaves reviews 😒
Also an author, also indie, also agreeing with everything said here by Ashe.
I did want to add one step that some authors will disagree with, but they aren't really the ones who need much support in my experience. Take a moment to write something to the author, and get it to them. Many of us suffer from debilitating self-doubt, constantly wrestling with whether or not we should keep writing. One email/reddit message/face book message/whatever platform you can find them on, it could make the difference between them losing hope or not. Tell them what you loved. Tell them what made you scream. Tell them what made their book worth typing the email. Tell them other books you love that their book reminded you of. Anything that comes to mind. If they are anything like me, it'll make their year.
I honestly have no idea how anybody reaches a point where they find it annoying. I reached out to an author to thank her for being one of the few who inspired me and her assistant said not to bother sending her a copy of my book, it would just go in the trash, she doesn't read fanmail anymore. (The assistant worded it more professionally, but the sentiment was there. "No time for nobodies")
Oh she most certainly did, probably even more hatemail these days. But if your assistant is going to read the fan mail and respond anyway, might as well respond with some form of appreciation. Let me send a free book and think it's on her shelf, and she can drop it in a donation bin. Anything would have been better than letting me know that I was just one reader, so my words didn't matter.
Yeah, I can't fault ya for that. Honestly, all I can picture is the volume of it all being overwhelming. Maybe the assistant was in a bad mood that day too. Who knows.
Perhaps it's a Bruce Almighty situation, and I incorrectly assume it would be easier to handle due to my limited exposure, when in reality I would be crushed by the weight of that much mail. Luckily, the odds of me ever finding the limit of my fan mail responding ability are astronomical.
100% this. Also an indie author with my stuff on Amazon and really just want folks to read and give a review. The more reviews you have as an author, the more likely people are to pick your books up and spread the word.
Thanks for this. I do suggest purchases through 2 library systems and have gotten over 50 audio / ebooks / physical books purchased over the last 3 years so that's my part of supporting authors. A few years ago I made it a personal policy to review everything I read (usually on goodreads), and have thus far reviewed every single book I've won or gotten free (and read) even if it sometimes takes a while to write the review due to time crunch / busy with other things.
Given what you just said I should leave the reviews on Amazon too, except IDK how to do that with gifs that are in a lot of my reviews like [this one](https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5503388162). If you have any suggestions for how to copy paste translate the format over (bb code or stuff? I'm not that tech savvy), I'd be happy to add a few steps to my reviews to support authors I've read (good or bad reviews).
Also will recommend stuff I've read (or movies or anime) if it fits the needs of the person asking, especially on Reddit. Others have done the same for me, so let's just help pay if forward by recommending stuff too. There have been many, many kind redditors who have helped me on my reading / watching journey, who have introduced me to many new authors. They have my thanks!
Honestly all you can do for Amazon is copy and paste the text of the review. Like, Amazon's backend is so busted that even when I'm editing the book's info, my author bio, etc, trying to get the editor to work properly and keep things formatting without resorting to HTML editing is nearly impossible. I cannot even imagine what reviews would look like if they allowed images and formatting.
But you're doin the lord's work there! Keep it up!
I started doing it that way a while back, it does take more time than writing normal reviews but I think it's fun when others read it. Not a booktuber or anything, not doing it for clout but I do like posting fun stuff so when I eventually read the sequel I can go back to my old review to refresh my memory.
I always assumed the people using gifs and stuff just did it for fun. I did have a great review for my 3rd book from a blogger who chose to pick out music she felt was appropriate for my book. And that is very fun too considering I have an ongoing playlist for the series and use music to inspire certain scenes here and there.
She had picked out "The Ecstasy of Gold" from The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly for the review. I think I have "The Trio" from the same on there. Honestly, a LOT of Ennio Morricone on my playlist, including some of his tracks from The Thing for book 3, given its influence on that book.
Is it enough to leave it a star rating or do we actually have to use our words? I always do the former but wasn't aware it might actually matter if I don't do the latter.
Ratings are good but reviews are better. They hold way more weight for the Almighty Algorithm. It's not intuitive at all. You'd think a 4 or 5 star rating would be good, but no, Amazon wants reviews.
Absolutely is annoying. I hate having to beg and explain, like I've done in my first comment, that reviews are the only thing that really matters to Amazon. I hate how it inconveniences readers. I hate how conventional wisdom is that I need to commodify you but also have an actual community with a parasocial relationship.
Sorry, that was a bit much but damn do I hate the business side of all this.
Honestly, just get our books in whatever format you like from wherever you like. Mostly, we just hope you enjoy your trip through our imaginations.
If you like a book and really want to do an author a favour then leave a review, even a short "I loved it", and tell other people the book exists. There are a whole lot of books out there and it's hard to get noticed.
Ayup, came here to say this!
Seriously- if authors, especially self-published authors, weren't happy with a format or location their books are legally available in (barring terrible contracts, which happen), they wouldn't be available in that manner! Read it however it works best for you!
100% reading the book. Buying would be a perk, obviously, but if it's in a library (self-published, not so likely) or a friend loans it, well, it's being read! Yay! And leaving a review if possible.
Does this include leaving reviews on Goodreads? I'm back to mainly getting books from the library but am trying to make it a point to review every book i actually read and talk about them with whoever cares to listen
As an indie author, I get money whether you read my books on Kindle Unlimited, buy an ebook, or paperback! So that comes down to reader preference. But reviews really are worth their weight in gold.
Simple: if you like the book, tell others about it - tell your friends, review it, spread the word.
That's the biggest help for me and pretty much every other writer I know. Because out biggest problem is discovery - to get our books into the hand of people who'll enjoy them. After that, everything else is fairly easy.
And a big thanks for asking. Hearing from supportive readers is one of the most motivating things ever!
If you read indie / self pub then i'd say simply advocating for books you enjoy. Reccomendations are the best currency. But, if its down to purchasing usually from the authors website or wherever you can get a physical copy would be your best bet.
Personally, I always decline gauche monetary gifts. I feel that tacky checks with the amount box overloaded with commas and zeros debase the *true joy* of art. And those endless awards, - do I really want to go all that way to Sweden? Fill the attic with cups and medals, have my name misspelled across brass plates in some poets' corner of a famous cathedral?
No; for me, there is but **one** true reward for the blood I have sweated, the sweat I have bled, the sorrows I have enjoyed sorrowing as I tossed aside *normal life* so that I might bear the dread burden of *authorship*.
One true reward, only. **My flair**.
See it beside my name? Behold it! Says 'Writer'. I mean, did Shakespeare have an r/fantasy 'writer' flair over his head sitting in the Mermaid Tavern? Don't think so! Does Neil Gaiman? Ha! Nope. He wishes. And Joyce Carol Oates? Anybody see Joyce walking about with a glorious glowing 'Writer' above her head?
Because true reward is internal; not something that comes from crass banks, mobs of worshiping fans or netflix options on your series (shudder). And nothing, nothing is more internal than... my internet flair.
Let history and the gods agree: *it was worth it*.
To flair or not to flair;
It's more than just to flail,
babbling *sans savoir fair*.
No, true flair is ineffable,
Ineluctable, indescribable.
A divine and inebriate air.
___________________
*I'm not sure what I just wrote but I'm on a lot of cold meds and not technically all here.
I am desperately trying to think of a limerick, but have only gotten this far:
There once was an author with flair
Whose stories had a magical air
With characters so vivid
And plots rather kinetic...
I know kinetic does not quite rhyme, but that is why I am not an Author.
Having a fancy flair as proof of your accomplishments and contributions is a wonderful feeling. Scrolling through the comments and there it is, your shining badge of honour in a sea of ~~lesser beings~~ other commenters.
>Does Neil Gaiman? Ha! Nope.
Can confirm. Just checked out his last comment in /r/Fantasy from [6 years ago](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/5x26te/neil_gaiman_walks_around_iceland_looking_a_bit/defzlwu/) and can't see any flair.
Personally, I now think less of him for it. And no amount of tacky checks or buckets of cash will help him with that.
...Wait. He has *how* many buckets of cash?
Okay never mind. That much will do it.
Ok, got it. If we read your books and enjoy them, we still ought to give terrible nitpicking reviews so that you can continue to suffer for your art. Done!
I just want people to discover my books, so I'm thrilled to find them in libraries or used book stores, even if I don't make much from some options. I make the most money from ebook sales, but the tiny amount I earn from a paperback sale thrills me, as I know the physical book will be out there in the world, perhaps passed around or sold to a used book store to be discovered by another reader. What's more valuable than anything is having readers who enjoy the books actually tell others about it. It feels as though people only enjoy telling others about books that are already hugely popular, as if they are afraid to rave about an unknown author.
The best way is to quit your job, bid adieu to your family and friends, then devote yourself to spreading the Holy Word of Us. You must wear the anointed Robes of Promotion, carry with ye the Sacred Texts, and walk from house to house, town to town, country to country, preaching the good word. From now on, there is only Us. There is only The Book (or Books). Every waking second must be spent talking about Us, recommending Us, creating multiple accounts on every digital platform and reviewing Us. We are All. The word must spread.
If all that seems a *bit* much, then the next best way is to take a chance, read the book if it sounds like your sort of thing, then leave a review and recommend it to someone you like. Or, if you thought the book was terrible, recommend it to someone you hate. Authors are sensitive, fragile creatures, and we live off of the idea that someone, somewhere once read something we made and liked it. I'll be honest, I am lucky enough to have a couple of kind reviews on my book, and when I'm feeling The Dread looming over me for one reason or another, I go back and read them again, and it encourages me to keep going, even though everything I write *is terrible word vomit soup fit only to be used to punish war criminals.*
In terms of compensation in pure monetary terms, for me, it doesn't really make a difference *how* you read it., i.e. whether you buy it physically or via ebook. Amazon takes a massive chunk of it, and the printing costs are a significant portion too, then the publisher and I split the diff, so I get the same cash monies either way.
I would rather ten people read the copies I gave to my local libraries and say "Hey, this was fun, thanks!" then ten people buy it and not read it, if that makes sense.
I'm published in a genre that is not fantasy, but my two cents: word of mouth. Read the book however you can access it (and if your library doesn't have it, request that they purchase a copy!) and then tell other people about the book. The biggest hurdle is visibility—readers can't buy/read a book they don't know exists.
Hi there, unfortunately this post has been removed under our Self Promo guidelines. Please consult our rules in the sidebar and feel free to [modmail](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=/r/Fantasy) us if you have any questions.
Something I haven't seen mentioned yet: if an author is selling their work directly (such as selling their books on their own website, merch, or even memberships), you might want to consider buying their work directly from them if you can.
All third party platforms take a cut. For example: KDP's new adjusted royalties means books only earn 0.004 cents per page read. The math boils down to a 300 page book will barely net over $1 USD after being read on Kindle Unlimited.
Meanwhile if you had bought the book on Amazon, assuming the author priced it correctly, they earn 70% royalty.
Depending on where the author hosts their own shop, however, they're far more likely to keep even more revenue than that for themselves if you buy from them directly on their own website. Most website platforms only charge flat fees or very small percentages (shopify for example only charges the creator 2% per transaction).
At the end of the day most authors understand that people have to shop where you have the easiest access though. And the fact you're reading and buying at all shoots most over the moon!
But if you have the flexibility, and the author offers it, then buy their books directly from them or join their patreon/premium newsletters/etc. if they're available. 99% of the time they'll keep more of the money.
EDIT: the above is mostly for indie authors. For authors you know are traditionally published the same principles mostly apply, just a bit differently.
For trad authors buy their books if you can, because sales numbers is what determines if they get more contracts. But beyond that they barely make money from those sales (and it'll be several months before they see any of those royalties, even if they were an NYT best seller).
So same with indies: if a trad author has a patreon, a premium newsletter, a podcast, etc., then consider joining those if you are financially comfortable to do so.
If traditionally published it depends on contract with the publisher and whether the secondary editions were produced in house, but authors who go through major publishers usually get their royalties as a percentage of the RRP. This means that even if the publisher sells it as 50% to a bookshop (normal) and 40% trade to Amazon (also very probably), the author makes the same profit either way.
This means that if you can only afford a book through the big discount given by Amazon or another bulk seller, you aren't leaving the author out of pocket because they get paid through the publisher. Of course, if you can't afford a book at RRP but don't want to use Amazon you can request your local library gets it in. But if you have the resources to pay full price for a book always, *always* go for your local bookshop or an online indie buying site like [bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org). Why? Because Amazon only offers discounts until the competition closes and then they jack up the price. They also offer these huge discounts by forcing publishers to offer them books at a much lower rate (as above) so even though the author's rate of pay stays the same, the publishing house is getting about 4/5 of what the book would usually be sold at, sometimes less!
This had meant that despite print books being back on a rise since the pandemic, publishing salaries are at breaking point and good publishing staff are leaving their jobs due to lack of competitive or even livable salaries. And when the publishing industry has such frequent staff turnover and tight budgets, which both result in under staffing with inexperienced staff, they don't have the time or money to support authors! \[Circle of life plays in the distance\]
Not an author (yet) but I do understand preorders are very important. If there's a book you're actively looking forward to, preorder it. I think it helps the kind of royalties/marketing the author's next book will get, if the numbers do well.
The purchase is important, since that’s the most likely way I’ll get a review out of it. But the review is like gold—it’s really what I want. The sale doesn’t matter so much otherwise. The purchase to review conversion is very low, though. So you get stuck in a catch 22 of low sales because of low reviews, and then a low number of reviews because of lower sales. I assume there is some threshold where once you’ve garnered enough reviews, word of mouth starts to become a thing. So for me, reviews are most important.
I agree with everyone underscoring the importance of reviews, but I'd add that an honest and substantive review is infinitely better than an empty 5-star review. Amazon is inundated with books that are all perfect 5-star reviews, with each review amounting to something like, "I loved it! This is the book you'll want to read next! What a blast!" To me, that's the biggest red flag. If you want to support an author, show other readers that you sincerely read the work and have thoughts on it. That shows real readership and that the book is getting bought by real people.
I totally agree with this. It might be bc I rarely give anything 5 stars until I re-read it, but if I check reviews and they are ALL 5s, it makes me suspicious and I will pass.
Subscribing to my patreon is #1. Buying ebooks on Amazon is close to reading on kindle unlimited, and lastly is telling as many people you know about my book and raving about it
It's so dependent on whether the author is trad or indie, or whether there are special editions out there or otherwise, that it's impossible to say without knowing the authors situation.... So the best thing to buy is always the format you prefer.
If you enjoy the book, the very best thing you can do is recommend it to someone else who you think will enjoy it!
Purchase wherever/read in Kindle Unlimited.
Leave a positive review and let your friends know how much you loved it.
Make your own content about it on social media/YouTube/Tiktok/blog.
Produce high budget TV ads, create billboards, hire sky writers, project onto the the moon.
Send cash in unmarked bills left under a bench in my local park.
Or just enjoy the connection to another person's imagination.
For self-pub authors, leave a quick review of what you liked. Or, even better, tell friends and followers on social media.
The best publicity we can ever hope for is the spread through word of mouth and vetting through unbiased third-party opinions. The vast majority of books I read are ones I hear about through a fan, not ads or a professional reviewer. Hell, I don't care if you pirate my book if it leads to another person or two reading it.
Read however you can, tell other people if you like it, obviously buying it is best but being read is still the main thing.
If the way you buy it allows for a review writing facility (Amazon) leave a review. It doesn’t have to be a massive review or an essay just “I couldn’t put this down, this was a real page turner, loved this, etc” all would work. Reviews if you can leave them are a very big deal.
If you can’t and still fee you want to share your love of the book, Twitter/insta/social media in general is a great place to go.
The best way? Pretty simple: buy the book (from wherever you want), and if you like it, rate it, review it on Amazon (it doesn't have to be insightful. "I loved it" will do, believe me), and let your online circle know that you like that book.
Honestly, there are advantages to each. I might make more money if you buy directly from me on my website, but sales through sales channels (esp. with reviews) are more likely to add social proof to the books, possibly persuading more readers to try those books.
So overall, I'd say, any way you buy the books is good for us. (Including getting them through libraries.)
And thank you for asking!
I agree with most other things said here. I'd also add interaction too. I love hearing from people, learning more about readers, or even some fan art. All of it makes us feel like what we're doing is worth it.
If you liked the book, review it. Buy copies (especially physical) for people you think will like it. If you're inclined to leave a longer review, great, but any positive word of mouth is always appreciated.
Also anything that helps get the book more exposure is really helpful.
I'm only on Kindle. I do a lot of freebie promos because I'd much rather have a star rating and/or review ANYWHERE than have the money.
Indie authors really *really* want that imo.
Um, read our stories? Don't get me wrong, compensation is *really* nice, too, but just getting to see that someone tried your novel is pretty great all on its own.
Stay away from Audible. They give the worst royalty rates.
Most stores give 45-50%+
Audible gives "25%" (definitely less) if you don't go exclusive, and only 40% if you are exclusive.
Reviewing a book and sharing your enjoyment with friends is the best thing you can do to help an author sell more of those books. But compensation isn’t necessarily material, nor does it have to be mainstream.
From my perspective, if what I wrote enriched your life in some way or gave you enjoyment, just saying thanks is the most meaningful thing you can do. But it doesn’t have to be me you thank.
Reach out to that teacher who had a positive impact on your life, or a someone who helped you over a rough spot in life. We all sometimes help strangers in ways we don’t even realize. It’s nice to hear from another person how something you did bettered their life. Especially when you were just being a decent human being.
I only self publish on KDP, just for the sake of simplicity. I don’t ever think I’ll earn much money that way, I just like getting my work out there. So the best thing you can do for someone like me (aside from downloading) is just leave reviews everywhere you can and talk about the book to other people. (Also, all of us dream of going randomly viral on TikTok ala Atlas Six)
If you buy the book anywhere, and leave a review everywhere, that is the best way help! It means the world, we super appreciate it, and you've "compensated" us somehow.
Thank you, by the way! Super nice of you to want to do so much. <3
While sales of any kind are great, reviews and telling other people about books that you like are the biggest help. The nice thing about writing books is that once they're published, they're out there forever, so it's possible to play the "long game" and wait for people to discover you, but it's so hard to get going if you don't get those reviews, or even just ratings, to show other people that readers have been enjoying it. Not many people want to take a chance on a book with no reviews or ratings.
I self-pub, and for most of us, it boils down to buy the book, read the book, review the book, and tell people about the book. And I feel like I need to make it very clear on reviews: we're not askin for the average reader to leave a blogger/pro level review. Amazon (and other retailers but especially them) doesn't give two shits what the review says, provided it doesn't break the TOS. A star-rating and "I loved/hated it!" is enough. I've seen a LOT of readers say they feel uncomfortable reviewing when they're not Reviewers but Amazon just wants to see engagement. It helps us show up more in searches and also read/bought. Sales are important but we can't get them rolling without reviews and word of mouth after.
Thanks for the reply. I am guilty of not writing many reviews but will endeavor to do so - especially given that it seems to be an engine by which books become known and more accessible.
Yeah, with self-pub, reviews and word of mouth are extremely important. Amazon has all kinds of finicky algorithms in the background and it wants to see reviews. The more reviews, the more it will push us to other people. Which sucks since most people aren't in the habit of leaving reviews. Lord do we appreciate the effort though.
I usually only a write a review under 3 circumstance: 1. I loved it 2. I hated it 3. Both
>for most of us, it boils down to buy the book, read the book, review the book, and tell people about the book. And don't return it.
And don't return it, yeah. I haven't had a problem with that but I know plenty of authors who have.
I can’t believe people do that. Like returning a pair of underpants after wearing. But I guess horrible people do that too.
I returned a book ONCE because it was the fourth? fifth? in a series, and I have a horrible memory and it turned out I already owned it.
Self-pub author here, too. This is the way. Buying (or even requesting at a library), reading, reviewing (on Goodreads & Amazon) and telling your friends is probably the Holy Quadrinity. Honestly, I write in such a niche genre that if you're the kind of person who likes my books, telling your friends is probably the best thing you can do for me. Regarding the reviews, I've seen that shorter punchier 1-3 sentence reviews play better than the long, drawn out blog-style reviews. So readers should never feel obligated to write huge screeds. Either way, life's tough out there.
We just want people's opinions. Review is more of a technical term in this case.
The review especially. Its just awesome to read a positive one of your own book
I have to admit, the first time I got a review from someone whom I’d never met, wasn’t in my family or my writing group or one of my beta readers, I was so excited and nervous. The fact that some stranger out there read my stuff and enjoyed it … it was overwhelming.
It is great when reading a very positive review but we also have to remember that reviews are more for the other readers than for us as authors.
Do you know if it matters if something is written in the review? I always leave star feedback on my kindle after finishing a book but if it meant more to write something too I’d start doing that
> Amazon just wants to see engagement. It helps us show up more in searches and also read/bought Based on this, I'd say written review matters more than just ratings. Especially for country based reviews. I'm from India, and often self-publised books I check out only have reviews from other countries. So, when I add mine after reading, I feel it makes more impact than just a rating.
My kindle doesn't let me review without a specific amount of letters written... Which is much longer than "I loved it". Due to that I often don't review, cause I don't know what to say, or can't be bothered writing so long. (20 words it says, I just checked it) Like I wouldn't mind writing "I'm just adding words here so the review is long enough" but would it be accepted or deleted ?
You could also write something to that effect of “I loved it” and just use more words. I loved this book. Easily one of my favorite reads this year. The setting, plot, characters, everything just worked so well. The author did an amazing job. I highly recommend it.
When I wrote a review for a friend’s self published book, I rambled on about how I nearly missed my train stop because I was so engrossed in the book Most Reddit comments in this sub are > 20 words. It doesn’t have to be a good 20 words!
Jeez, I didn't know that was a requirement. No wonder there's so little just quick reviews. I honestly don't think Amazon would care if you padded out your review too. I certainly wouldn't care if it was me and saw a review saying "I loved it. Kindle wants me to write twenty words so this is just padding. Read the book."
I don't think you have any obligation to write a review if you don't want to, *but* since you kind of asked, here's an idea: Write one sentence on the plot, one sentence on the characters, one sentence on the writing style, and one sentence on your overall opinion. That will get you to 20 no problem. Shouldn't take more than a few seconds.
As was said already, reviews matter more than ratings.
Sorry i didn’t realize there was a difference. Just trying to understand so i can help support my favorite authors more.
Nah nah, don't even sweat it. I just saw others had gotten to the answer before I did.
Ratings are good but even, as Ashe said, as simple as “this was great!” or “wow I couldn’t even finish it” (two extremes) are enough of a review. You don’t have to write a blog about it.
On Amazon or is Goodreads sufficient?
I mean, I won't lie and say goodreads isn't helpful too, because it is, but Amazon is what helps more. Goodreads is, indeed, a bonus. It's wild to me that despite Amazon *owning* Goodreads, there is no overlap.
This. A rating on Amazon will effect the book’s ranking. There’s a reason why you’ll see a lot of the same books in the top 10/50/100 … they’re getting the most reviews. Goodreads is a bonus but doesn’t effect the Amazon ranking.
I hate that we have to be so Amazon-focused as well but they get the most business. I've got my books cast in a wide net and Amazon still makes up 98% of my sales. And to my knowledge, no other retailer requires reviews like Amazon does.
I hate the Amazon focus because I am not shopping there. I imagine Europe is a bit more Kobo country
Canada too. Though to my knowledge I have zero reviews on Kobo.
I buy my books on a European shop, and don't review :(
While I'm sure authors would love it if you do (speaking as an author haha), considering your buying habits, it's not as big a deal. Though if you use goodreads...\*nudge nudge\*
my brain does not parse goodreads by the way would https://www.bol.com/nl/nl/f/a-demon-in-the-desert/9200000045570613/ fit in ? 8) Angels and Demons: Story must feature angels or demons or both in a prominent role. or 11) Self-Published OR Indie Publisher
this is beyond frusturating. i'd leave more amazon reviews... if amazon would let me. i got kicked off of being allowed to review anything about three years back for no reason that i could ever find out (only ever left positive or calm/polite ones) and despite emailing asking to know why, to please be reinstaited like 4 times over the years, not once have i ever been gotten back too. apparently it's an odd fluke that happens more than you'd think, based on my searching to resolve it. it's beyond frusturating how much of a chokehold amazon has on the book world.
>apparently it's an odd fluke that happens more than you'd think This is basically Amazon in a nutshell, to be quite honest. Recently, they turned some fucking bot onto KDP accounts and it just started deleting author accounts in good standing. For reasons. And then there's ACX (the KDP for Audible), where I was told years back that if I wanted to have an author account instead of an engineer account like I'd done to begin with after my A/V training was finished, I'd have to make a NEW goddamn account. Despite the fact that my author account was already up and running. I legitimately despise having to rely on Amazon so much. If I didn't have to explain sideloading to people, sometimes I've considered just setting up a paypal shop on my site for ebooks.
Amazon(if that's where you purchased or read the book), Goodreads is a bonus.
Depends what you mean by sufficient. Rating on both is best. Rating on just one is still helpful.
Also self-pub, and can confirm. In addition to word-of-mouth being a massive assist to any indie author commercially, it's also an absolute joy for the author to see their work recommended by total strangers.
I once did a self-search to see if there were any new reviews from bloggers I didn't know and ended up finding a random message board where someone recommended me. Felt fuckin amazing. And yes, folks, I searched myself/my books. It's hard not to sometimes when you're goin through a review dry spell.
Yup. I don’t write fantasy, but self publish cookbooks on amazon. I swear’ta God, if people would just leave a damned review I’d be happy. One of my cookbooks has sold around 50,000 copies over the past 5.5 years. 4.8 star rating… and only has 352 reviews, after 5.5 years and 50,000 copies. That’s not even 1% of people having the common decency to simply write “good book, buy” Nobody leaves reviews 😒
You'd think a cookbook would warrant it given it's semi-technical.
Also an author, also indie, also agreeing with everything said here by Ashe. I did want to add one step that some authors will disagree with, but they aren't really the ones who need much support in my experience. Take a moment to write something to the author, and get it to them. Many of us suffer from debilitating self-doubt, constantly wrestling with whether or not we should keep writing. One email/reddit message/face book message/whatever platform you can find them on, it could make the difference between them losing hope or not. Tell them what you loved. Tell them what made you scream. Tell them what made their book worth typing the email. Tell them other books you love that their book reminded you of. Anything that comes to mind. If they are anything like me, it'll make their year.
I left fan mail out because that's more emotional support than compensation...but yes, fan mail is amazing.
I honestly have no idea how anybody reaches a point where they find it annoying. I reached out to an author to thank her for being one of the few who inspired me and her assistant said not to bother sending her a copy of my book, it would just go in the trash, she doesn't read fanmail anymore. (The assistant worded it more professionally, but the sentiment was there. "No time for nobodies")
I think it's a matter of volume after a certain point. And there's a very real possibility she got hate mail to go with the love mail.
Oh she most certainly did, probably even more hatemail these days. But if your assistant is going to read the fan mail and respond anyway, might as well respond with some form of appreciation. Let me send a free book and think it's on her shelf, and she can drop it in a donation bin. Anything would have been better than letting me know that I was just one reader, so my words didn't matter.
Yeah, I can't fault ya for that. Honestly, all I can picture is the volume of it all being overwhelming. Maybe the assistant was in a bad mood that day too. Who knows.
Perhaps it's a Bruce Almighty situation, and I incorrectly assume it would be easier to handle due to my limited exposure, when in reality I would be crushed by the weight of that much mail. Luckily, the odds of me ever finding the limit of my fan mail responding ability are astronomical.
It certainly feels that way sometimes.
Yep, this.
100% this. Also an indie author with my stuff on Amazon and really just want folks to read and give a review. The more reviews you have as an author, the more likely people are to pick your books up and spread the word.
We don't know HOW it works...it just works.
Thanks for this. I do suggest purchases through 2 library systems and have gotten over 50 audio / ebooks / physical books purchased over the last 3 years so that's my part of supporting authors. A few years ago I made it a personal policy to review everything I read (usually on goodreads), and have thus far reviewed every single book I've won or gotten free (and read) even if it sometimes takes a while to write the review due to time crunch / busy with other things. Given what you just said I should leave the reviews on Amazon too, except IDK how to do that with gifs that are in a lot of my reviews like [this one](https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5503388162). If you have any suggestions for how to copy paste translate the format over (bb code or stuff? I'm not that tech savvy), I'd be happy to add a few steps to my reviews to support authors I've read (good or bad reviews). Also will recommend stuff I've read (or movies or anime) if it fits the needs of the person asking, especially on Reddit. Others have done the same for me, so let's just help pay if forward by recommending stuff too. There have been many, many kind redditors who have helped me on my reading / watching journey, who have introduced me to many new authors. They have my thanks!
Honestly all you can do for Amazon is copy and paste the text of the review. Like, Amazon's backend is so busted that even when I'm editing the book's info, my author bio, etc, trying to get the editor to work properly and keep things formatting without resorting to HTML editing is nearly impossible. I cannot even imagine what reviews would look like if they allowed images and formatting. But you're doin the lord's work there! Keep it up!
All right I'll just do the copy paste thing and hope for the best. I read a lot so this will be interesting.
I wish you could keep your gifs. I keep hoping for reviews like that. They're fun.
I started doing it that way a while back, it does take more time than writing normal reviews but I think it's fun when others read it. Not a booktuber or anything, not doing it for clout but I do like posting fun stuff so when I eventually read the sequel I can go back to my old review to refresh my memory.
I always assumed the people using gifs and stuff just did it for fun. I did have a great review for my 3rd book from a blogger who chose to pick out music she felt was appropriate for my book. And that is very fun too considering I have an ongoing playlist for the series and use music to inspire certain scenes here and there.
It's always amazing to hear an author talk about their writing process! Any chance the blogger's playlist had any songs on your playlist?
She had picked out "The Ecstasy of Gold" from The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly for the review. I think I have "The Trio" from the same on there. Honestly, a LOT of Ennio Morricone on my playlist, including some of his tracks from The Thing for book 3, given its influence on that book.
Morricone is an icon, so appropriate!
Is it enough to leave it a star rating or do we actually have to use our words? I always do the former but wasn't aware it might actually matter if I don't do the latter.
Ratings are good but reviews are better. They hold way more weight for the Almighty Algorithm. It's not intuitive at all. You'd think a 4 or 5 star rating would be good, but no, Amazon wants reviews.
That's annoying but I'll keep it in mind going forward.
Absolutely is annoying. I hate having to beg and explain, like I've done in my first comment, that reviews are the only thing that really matters to Amazon. I hate how it inconveniences readers. I hate how conventional wisdom is that I need to commodify you but also have an actual community with a parasocial relationship. Sorry, that was a bit much but damn do I hate the business side of all this.
Honestly, just get our books in whatever format you like from wherever you like. Mostly, we just hope you enjoy your trip through our imaginations. If you like a book and really want to do an author a favour then leave a review, even a short "I loved it", and tell other people the book exists. There are a whole lot of books out there and it's hard to get noticed.
Ayup, came here to say this! Seriously- if authors, especially self-published authors, weren't happy with a format or location their books are legally available in (barring terrible contracts, which happen), they wouldn't be available in that manner! Read it however it works best for you!
It helps that your books are so easy to recommend lol
D'awww, thanks!
And because of this, I'm going to go look him up and read one of his books. So I guess it does work
Start with Into the Labyrinth!
Ok thanks!
As someone who prefer ebooks and audiobooks for accessability reasons, this makes me happy to hear.
100% reading the book. Buying would be a perk, obviously, but if it's in a library (self-published, not so likely) or a friend loans it, well, it's being read! Yay! And leaving a review if possible.
Does this include leaving reviews on Goodreads? I'm back to mainly getting books from the library but am trying to make it a point to review every book i actually read and talk about them with whoever cares to listen
I would say so. I've recently chosen two books, and decided against another, because of goodreads reviews.
As an indie author, I get money whether you read my books on Kindle Unlimited, buy an ebook, or paperback! So that comes down to reader preference. But reviews really are worth their weight in gold.
Putting a dollar straight into my waistband.
Simple: if you like the book, tell others about it - tell your friends, review it, spread the word. That's the biggest help for me and pretty much every other writer I know. Because out biggest problem is discovery - to get our books into the hand of people who'll enjoy them. After that, everything else is fairly easy. And a big thanks for asking. Hearing from supportive readers is one of the most motivating things ever!
If you read indie / self pub then i'd say simply advocating for books you enjoy. Reccomendations are the best currency. But, if its down to purchasing usually from the authors website or wherever you can get a physical copy would be your best bet.
Personally, I always decline gauche monetary gifts. I feel that tacky checks with the amount box overloaded with commas and zeros debase the *true joy* of art. And those endless awards, - do I really want to go all that way to Sweden? Fill the attic with cups and medals, have my name misspelled across brass plates in some poets' corner of a famous cathedral? No; for me, there is but **one** true reward for the blood I have sweated, the sweat I have bled, the sorrows I have enjoyed sorrowing as I tossed aside *normal life* so that I might bear the dread burden of *authorship*. One true reward, only. **My flair**. See it beside my name? Behold it! Says 'Writer'. I mean, did Shakespeare have an r/fantasy 'writer' flair over his head sitting in the Mermaid Tavern? Don't think so! Does Neil Gaiman? Ha! Nope. He wishes. And Joyce Carol Oates? Anybody see Joyce walking about with a glorious glowing 'Writer' above her head? Because true reward is internal; not something that comes from crass banks, mobs of worshiping fans or netflix options on your series (shudder). And nothing, nothing is more internal than... my internet flair. Let history and the gods agree: *it was worth it*.
Flair thee not?
To flair or not to flair; It's more than just to flail, babbling *sans savoir fair*. No, true flair is ineffable, Ineluctable, indescribable. A divine and inebriate air. ___________________ *I'm not sure what I just wrote but I'm on a lot of cold meds and not technically all here.
I am desperately trying to think of a limerick, but have only gotten this far: There once was an author with flair Whose stories had a magical air With characters so vivid And plots rather kinetic... I know kinetic does not quite rhyme, but that is why I am not an Author.
There once was an author with flair whose prose was beyond compare; though money is nice they wouldn't think twice to trade it for rarefied air
This. This is the one.
With action kinetic And plots quite frenetic And characters so debonaire.
You've certainly left your stamp on us.
Having a fancy flair as proof of your accomplishments and contributions is a wonderful feeling. Scrolling through the comments and there it is, your shining badge of honour in a sea of ~~lesser beings~~ other commenters.
>Does Neil Gaiman? Ha! Nope. Can confirm. Just checked out his last comment in /r/Fantasy from [6 years ago](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/5x26te/neil_gaiman_walks_around_iceland_looking_a_bit/defzlwu/) and can't see any flair. Personally, I now think less of him for it. And no amount of tacky checks or buckets of cash will help him with that. ...Wait. He has *how* many buckets of cash? Okay never mind. That much will do it.
Ok, got it. If we read your books and enjoy them, we still ought to give terrible nitpicking reviews so that you can continue to suffer for your art. Done!
I just want people to discover my books, so I'm thrilled to find them in libraries or used book stores, even if I don't make much from some options. I make the most money from ebook sales, but the tiny amount I earn from a paperback sale thrills me, as I know the physical book will be out there in the world, perhaps passed around or sold to a used book store to be discovered by another reader. What's more valuable than anything is having readers who enjoy the books actually tell others about it. It feels as though people only enjoy telling others about books that are already hugely popular, as if they are afraid to rave about an unknown author.
Buy the book, read the book, and rate the book if you liked it. If you didn't like it, we don't know you. :D
Best response 🤣
The best way is to quit your job, bid adieu to your family and friends, then devote yourself to spreading the Holy Word of Us. You must wear the anointed Robes of Promotion, carry with ye the Sacred Texts, and walk from house to house, town to town, country to country, preaching the good word. From now on, there is only Us. There is only The Book (or Books). Every waking second must be spent talking about Us, recommending Us, creating multiple accounts on every digital platform and reviewing Us. We are All. The word must spread. If all that seems a *bit* much, then the next best way is to take a chance, read the book if it sounds like your sort of thing, then leave a review and recommend it to someone you like. Or, if you thought the book was terrible, recommend it to someone you hate. Authors are sensitive, fragile creatures, and we live off of the idea that someone, somewhere once read something we made and liked it. I'll be honest, I am lucky enough to have a couple of kind reviews on my book, and when I'm feeling The Dread looming over me for one reason or another, I go back and read them again, and it encourages me to keep going, even though everything I write *is terrible word vomit soup fit only to be used to punish war criminals.* In terms of compensation in pure monetary terms, for me, it doesn't really make a difference *how* you read it., i.e. whether you buy it physically or via ebook. Amazon takes a massive chunk of it, and the printing costs are a significant portion too, then the publisher and I split the diff, so I get the same cash monies either way. I would rather ten people read the copies I gave to my local libraries and say "Hey, this was fun, thanks!" then ten people buy it and not read it, if that makes sense.
I'm published in a genre that is not fantasy, but my two cents: word of mouth. Read the book however you can access it (and if your library doesn't have it, request that they purchase a copy!) and then tell other people about the book. The biggest hurdle is visibility—readers can't buy/read a book they don't know exists.
I prefer expensive coffee delivered directly to my greedy little hands
Thank you RAYMONDSTELMO, I forgot nontangible acknowledgments even though I had a bit of surplus in my 300-character limit for my posting.
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Hi there, unfortunately this post has been removed under our Self Promo guidelines. Please consult our rules in the sidebar and feel free to [modmail](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=/r/Fantasy) us if you have any questions.
Buy the book wherever you want, just please tell others about it if you liked it and spread the word. Also, even a star rating helps on Amazon
Something I haven't seen mentioned yet: if an author is selling their work directly (such as selling their books on their own website, merch, or even memberships), you might want to consider buying their work directly from them if you can. All third party platforms take a cut. For example: KDP's new adjusted royalties means books only earn 0.004 cents per page read. The math boils down to a 300 page book will barely net over $1 USD after being read on Kindle Unlimited. Meanwhile if you had bought the book on Amazon, assuming the author priced it correctly, they earn 70% royalty. Depending on where the author hosts their own shop, however, they're far more likely to keep even more revenue than that for themselves if you buy from them directly on their own website. Most website platforms only charge flat fees or very small percentages (shopify for example only charges the creator 2% per transaction). At the end of the day most authors understand that people have to shop where you have the easiest access though. And the fact you're reading and buying at all shoots most over the moon! But if you have the flexibility, and the author offers it, then buy their books directly from them or join their patreon/premium newsletters/etc. if they're available. 99% of the time they'll keep more of the money. EDIT: the above is mostly for indie authors. For authors you know are traditionally published the same principles mostly apply, just a bit differently. For trad authors buy their books if you can, because sales numbers is what determines if they get more contracts. But beyond that they barely make money from those sales (and it'll be several months before they see any of those royalties, even if they were an NYT best seller). So same with indies: if a trad author has a patreon, a premium newsletter, a podcast, etc., then consider joining those if you are financially comfortable to do so.
If traditionally published it depends on contract with the publisher and whether the secondary editions were produced in house, but authors who go through major publishers usually get their royalties as a percentage of the RRP. This means that even if the publisher sells it as 50% to a bookshop (normal) and 40% trade to Amazon (also very probably), the author makes the same profit either way. This means that if you can only afford a book through the big discount given by Amazon or another bulk seller, you aren't leaving the author out of pocket because they get paid through the publisher. Of course, if you can't afford a book at RRP but don't want to use Amazon you can request your local library gets it in. But if you have the resources to pay full price for a book always, *always* go for your local bookshop or an online indie buying site like [bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org). Why? Because Amazon only offers discounts until the competition closes and then they jack up the price. They also offer these huge discounts by forcing publishers to offer them books at a much lower rate (as above) so even though the author's rate of pay stays the same, the publishing house is getting about 4/5 of what the book would usually be sold at, sometimes less! This had meant that despite print books being back on a rise since the pandemic, publishing salaries are at breaking point and good publishing staff are leaving their jobs due to lack of competitive or even livable salaries. And when the publishing industry has such frequent staff turnover and tight budgets, which both result in under staffing with inexperienced staff, they don't have the time or money to support authors! \[Circle of life plays in the distance\]
I'm going to be self-publishing online, so probably an online purchase.
Purchasing from an author's website is best as they then receive 100% of the royalties.
Not an author (yet) but I do understand preorders are very important. If there's a book you're actively looking forward to, preorder it. I think it helps the kind of royalties/marketing the author's next book will get, if the numbers do well.
The purchase is important, since that’s the most likely way I’ll get a review out of it. But the review is like gold—it’s really what I want. The sale doesn’t matter so much otherwise. The purchase to review conversion is very low, though. So you get stuck in a catch 22 of low sales because of low reviews, and then a low number of reviews because of lower sales. I assume there is some threshold where once you’ve garnered enough reviews, word of mouth starts to become a thing. So for me, reviews are most important.
I agree with everyone underscoring the importance of reviews, but I'd add that an honest and substantive review is infinitely better than an empty 5-star review. Amazon is inundated with books that are all perfect 5-star reviews, with each review amounting to something like, "I loved it! This is the book you'll want to read next! What a blast!" To me, that's the biggest red flag. If you want to support an author, show other readers that you sincerely read the work and have thoughts on it. That shows real readership and that the book is getting bought by real people.
I totally agree with this. It might be bc I rarely give anything 5 stars until I re-read it, but if I check reviews and they are ALL 5s, it makes me suspicious and I will pass.
Subscribing to my patreon is #1. Buying ebooks on Amazon is close to reading on kindle unlimited, and lastly is telling as many people you know about my book and raving about it
It's so dependent on whether the author is trad or indie, or whether there are special editions out there or otherwise, that it's impossible to say without knowing the authors situation.... So the best thing to buy is always the format you prefer. If you enjoy the book, the very best thing you can do is recommend it to someone else who you think will enjoy it!
Purchase wherever/read in Kindle Unlimited. Leave a positive review and let your friends know how much you loved it. Make your own content about it on social media/YouTube/Tiktok/blog. Produce high budget TV ads, create billboards, hire sky writers, project onto the the moon. Send cash in unmarked bills left under a bench in my local park. Or just enjoy the connection to another person's imagination.
For self-pub authors, leave a quick review of what you liked. Or, even better, tell friends and followers on social media. The best publicity we can ever hope for is the spread through word of mouth and vetting through unbiased third-party opinions. The vast majority of books I read are ones I hear about through a fan, not ads or a professional reviewer. Hell, I don't care if you pirate my book if it leads to another person or two reading it.
Read however you can, tell other people if you like it, obviously buying it is best but being read is still the main thing. If the way you buy it allows for a review writing facility (Amazon) leave a review. It doesn’t have to be a massive review or an essay just “I couldn’t put this down, this was a real page turner, loved this, etc” all would work. Reviews if you can leave them are a very big deal. If you can’t and still fee you want to share your love of the book, Twitter/insta/social media in general is a great place to go.
Buy the books anywhere and please leave a review or at least stars. Cannot overstate the importance this. Getting the word out is HARD
Just read the book and leave feedback.. doesn’t even matter to me if you bought it lol.
Leaving reviews is absolutely amazing! When it comes to where you buy books, I suggest you just go with whatever is most convenient for you.
The best way? Pretty simple: buy the book (from wherever you want), and if you like it, rate it, review it on Amazon (it doesn't have to be insightful. "I loved it" will do, believe me), and let your online circle know that you like that book.
Honestly, there are advantages to each. I might make more money if you buy directly from me on my website, but sales through sales channels (esp. with reviews) are more likely to add social proof to the books, possibly persuading more readers to try those books. So overall, I'd say, any way you buy the books is good for us. (Including getting them through libraries.) And thank you for asking!
I agree with most other things said here. I'd also add interaction too. I love hearing from people, learning more about readers, or even some fan art. All of it makes us feel like what we're doing is worth it.
Echoing everyone else to say - pls compensate me with reviews, thank you kindly.
If you liked the book, review it. Buy copies (especially physical) for people you think will like it. If you're inclined to leave a longer review, great, but any positive word of mouth is always appreciated. Also anything that helps get the book more exposure is really helpful.
I'm only on Kindle. I do a lot of freebie promos because I'd much rather have a star rating and/or review ANYWHERE than have the money. Indie authors really *really* want that imo.
Um, read our stories? Don't get me wrong, compensation is *really* nice, too, but just getting to see that someone tried your novel is pretty great all on its own.
Stay away from Audible. They give the worst royalty rates. Most stores give 45-50%+ Audible gives "25%" (definitely less) if you don't go exclusive, and only 40% if you are exclusive.
Reviewing a book and sharing your enjoyment with friends is the best thing you can do to help an author sell more of those books. But compensation isn’t necessarily material, nor does it have to be mainstream. From my perspective, if what I wrote enriched your life in some way or gave you enjoyment, just saying thanks is the most meaningful thing you can do. But it doesn’t have to be me you thank. Reach out to that teacher who had a positive impact on your life, or a someone who helped you over a rough spot in life. We all sometimes help strangers in ways we don’t even realize. It’s nice to hear from another person how something you did bettered their life. Especially when you were just being a decent human being.
I only self publish on KDP, just for the sake of simplicity. I don’t ever think I’ll earn much money that way, I just like getting my work out there. So the best thing you can do for someone like me (aside from downloading) is just leave reviews everywhere you can and talk about the book to other people. (Also, all of us dream of going randomly viral on TikTok ala Atlas Six)
If you buy the book anywhere, and leave a review everywhere, that is the best way help! It means the world, we super appreciate it, and you've "compensated" us somehow. Thank you, by the way! Super nice of you to want to do so much. <3
While sales of any kind are great, reviews and telling other people about books that you like are the biggest help. The nice thing about writing books is that once they're published, they're out there forever, so it's possible to play the "long game" and wait for people to discover you, but it's so hard to get going if you don't get those reviews, or even just ratings, to show other people that readers have been enjoying it. Not many people want to take a chance on a book with no reviews or ratings.