Rate, Review, Repeat: A Bookish Influencer's Guide to Better Reviews
What separates a casual reader's review from a bookish influencer's? This blog breaks down how to write honest, balanced reviews using the compliment sandwich method so you can build the kind of reputation that gets you on every ARC list worth being on.
There. SEO done. Let's dive in.
Hi friends! It's me, your feral bookish auntie here with some words of encouragement and general life advice. No, it's not "don't wear white after Labor Day" (which has always been so confusing because... technically every day other than Labor Day is... after Labor Day). Anyway, before I go off on a tangent.
Today, we're here to talk about reviews: what to say and what not to say as a bookish influencer to make you more appealing to authors, publishers, and marketing and PR companies.
First, let's start with the obvious. We're not your parents. We can't tell you what to do. Nor do we really want to. But, there is a difference between reviewing purely as a consumer and reviewing as a bookish influencer or blogger.
We've talked extensively on our blog about branding and public perception from an author's POV, but our ecosystem doesn't exist without reviewers. Your branding, your public perception plays just as big a role. Without readers, there are no authors. And vice versa.
Our goal is to create a guideline, or a checklist, as it were, for bookish influencers (aspiring, established, or hobbyist) to follow to step-up their review game, make themselves more appealing to authors for their ARC teams, publishers, marketing and PR companies.
Let's Be Clear: Review Spaces Are For Consumers
That is an absolute truth that we are unwilling to compromise on. Reviews are not for the authors, they're not for the book. They are for the people who are buying the product.
Think about it like this: are you writing a review for your coffee maker brand? Or for the person who is going to buy it?
Exactly.
When you're writing your review, you are sharing your thoughts about the product with the world, with the understanding that they will be spending their hard-earned money on that product.
This is why not every book deserves a glowing five-star review.
Sure, high ratings and waxing poetic about prose makes you look very appealing to companies like ours and authors, but at what cost?
A loss of reputation among the people who most benefit from your content.
That's pretty steep if you ask us.
The Tricky Part: Honesty Doesn't Have to be Brutal
It's totally okay if a book wasn't for you. Your 1-star DNF on page 30 can be someone else's all-time-favorite read, and vice versa. You're allowed to say that. You're allowed to go so far as to even say that you didn't enjoy it.
But here's the nuance. As a bookish influencer or reviewer, being blunt about how much you despised something can hurt your public image among authors and marketers.
Here's a safe script:
"This book wasn't for me, but people who enjoy x might."
"I had a hard time connecting with the story/characters."
If there are legitimate craft concerns, feel free to share them! Other consumers will benefit from hearing it (and sometimes, so will authors), but frame it fairly.
"The book was too wordy," can be, "The prose was a little too dense for my taste."
"The characters were all unlikeable," can be, "I didn't resonate with the characters' portrayals."
As an influencer, you do serve that function. People subscribe and engage with your content because they look forward to hearing your thoughts. If your review is, "this is the worst thing I've ever read and I would burn every copy of it if I could," chances are, your followers (who likely share similar interests and tastes) will never pick up the book on their own, and come away with the impression that the title is trash.
A fairer, more balanced review allows them to make a better, more informed decision about whether they want to give the book a chance—and that fairness is a mark of an excellent review.
Which leads us to what authors, marketing companies and PR agencies are actually scouting for in an influencer.
What Makes a Stellar Review
Every reviewer has their own style, preferred framework and approach, especially when it comes to writing social media reviews. We won't break down a line-by-line structure, as that's yours to develop over time. But, what we will do is explain from a marketing agency's POV what really makes a review stand out from the pack.
The first thing you often see in a review is the reader's rating. Five stars, three peppers. Four stars, five peppers. So on and so forth. As you know, ratings are relatively arbitrary. My partner, for example, is allergic to rating anything five stars unless it fundamentally changed her life or made a mortgage payment. I, on the other hand, will rate anything a five-star if I haven't been able to stop thinking about it for a week after finishing it.
Ratings, believe it or not, are a bit of a sticking point for some authors. Some find three-star reviews to be a direct admonishment of their skills, when to you, three stars may mean, "I sincerely loved this book and can't wait to read more." Stating what your ratings MEAN, even if it's only a few words, can be instrumentally helpful.
(Pro-tip: It also helps to have a rating guideline on your social profiles.)
After the rating comes the actual review.
Generally speaking, we're big fans of the compliment sandwich. If you're unfamiliar with that framework, that is when you take two compliments (the buns) and sandwich them around the criticism.
For example:
Compliment #1: Ivy's blog post was well-written and humorous.
Criticism: At times, the prose was a little dense, and her usage of parentheticals was a little distracting.
Compliment #2: But, overall, the blog was informative, actionable, and just the right amount of feral.
This is fair and balanced, and gives personal insight as to how you perceived/experienced the material. It allows your readers to see a balanced take and just enough information to know what they may be "getting themselves into."
We also love seeing a general synopsis of the story (spoiler-free, of course).
In marketing, we encourage authors to talk about their books the way reviewers would. You, as the reader, speaking about the story in an organic way is a potent sales tool. We affectionately call this "kitchen table marketing." Word of mouth is a strong signal to other readers that this book may be worth their time and attention.
And finally, what we LOVE to see: a CTA.
If you conclude your reviews with a CTA ("you can read this book on KindleUnlimited," "you definitely will want to pick this up," "follow the author for updates,"), you are immediately at the top of the list. A strong CTA is an invaluable tool in marketing, and just by adding that tiny nod to the author, you've already made yourself an essential part of the author's marketing strategy.
The Checklist
For ease of reference, here's a handy-dandy list. Copy and paste it somewhere, bookmark this blog, stamp it onto your post-it notes.
Rating & Rating System Clearly Stated
Compliment Sandwich Review
Short Book Blurb
CTA
At the end of the day, being a great reviewer isn't about being nice or saying what you think people want to hear—it's about being honest. Which makes you invaluable to readers deciding whether to buy, and to the authors trying to find their people. By being transparent, but fair, you're building the kind of reputation that gets you on every ARC list worth being on.
So keep the checklist handy, keep your voice honest and balanced, and keep being the reason someone finds their next favorite book. Us included.
Auntie out. 💋
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