Ask at end of your book for a review

One of the best ways to encourage people to buy your book is by having others speak highly of it, especially on a web page where a person can make a purchase. Amazon.com and other bookselling websites know this and so allow reviews to be posted on pages that hawk books. The challenge then facing authors is to get people to post reviews on that web page.

A good way to do that is to encourage people who’ve read your read to write and post a few positive words. After all, if someone has made it all the way through your book, they probably enjoyed it. So a good spot to make such a request is after the last page of your book.

The request need not be anything long or complex. A simple, direct sentence will do:

If you enjoyed this book, please take a few moments to write a review of it. Thank you!

Be sure to include the URL where the post can be made; in the ebook version of your book, include an actual link to that page.

While there’s always a chance that someone might pen a negative review, the odds are against it. Someone who disliked your book gave up on it long before reaching the page requesting a review. In addition, most people who post reviews do so because the book in some way positively affected them. Regardless, the more reviews you receive for your book the better. A total of 50 positive and 5 negative reviews will benefit your book sales more than 5 positive and 1 negative reviews, even though you received more bad ones.

Need an editor? Having your book, business document or academic paper proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. Whether you come from a big city like San Diego, California, or a small town like Eek, Arkansas, I can provide that second eye.