Do Book Reviews Sell Books?

e'll tell you what we learned about whether book reviews sell books, and you tell us your experiences!

The way I know book reviews sell some books, at any rate, is that more than one person has, as a result of a review I wrote, said "I want to read this book! Thanks for the review!" But how many books one review sells depends on a lot of factors, not the least of which is the quality of the review and the reviewer.

In an article titled Book Reviews Sell Books Tyler R. Tichelaar, Ph.D., writes:

More than 200,000 books are published each year. Less than 2% of those books sell more than 500 copies. We’ve all heard the saying, “So many books. So little time.” People don’t want to waste time or money reading books they won’t enjoy, so they rely on book reviews to help them make buying decisions. Your book will stand out if it receives positive reviews from reliable reviewers.

OK, that's logical, but all it says is that book reviews could sell books.. not that they definitely do. And that word "reliable" gives me pause. One thing I have discovered about many of the book blogs I look at is that editors seem more focused on the author than the reader. I don't think that is what reviews are for, to encourage authors as one editor told me her review blog was all about. In my understanding, book reviews are to "help [book buyers] make buying decision," as Dr. Tichelaar avers. That must mean that all these book blogs are what he would call "unreliable"

When I write a review I try to be candid. I have a background teaching English literature so I am well-informed as to what makes writing good, and not just enjoyable. As a result I get the impression that my reviews make other reviewers a little nervous. And I thought I was generous enough without actually lying about what I read. What good does it do a reader if all they hear from a reviewer is niceness? If I have some prejudice or druther when it comes to a book's topic, I either skip writing that one or come clean about it. But others have deleted reviews I have written because they weren't "nice" enough.

That makes me wonder if all reviews really do is what I am convinced most advertising succeeds at. Commercials inform you of a product.. They say, "Hey, look at this cool thing! Here's where you can get it." They leave to you to decide, once they've made that one sale, whether you plan to buy another of those things. You cant really do that with a book. Not that books have repeat purchases by a single consumer. That's the theory behind being the first person to read a book.. so you can advise others before they make the purchase.

In many ways most of the book blogs reviews are no more than extended plot descriptions made to look like a recommendation. I ask you, do these reviews make you want to read a book? If so, is it just that you found out about a book you like the sound of? If not, would you read the book if you knew more about the quality of aspects of the book.

Other reviewers simply tell you "I liked this book" or "I didn't like this book". Fortunately they usually say why. Unfortunately you rarely know whether the reviewer has any idea what she is talking about. That is often the case with books that a segment of the reading population deems "obscene". That's a term that is very much in the eye of the beholder. Since my definition of obscenity is probably quite a lot looser than many others' you can't trust me or them to warn you as you might wish.

I plan to look for something more solid in the way of facts to support whether reviews sell books, and when I find some I'll share them.

In the meantime, please answer one or more of the following questions, and share your thoughts generally in the Comments section.

1. Do you buy books or at least read them based on reviews you read? What is it in a review that convinces you?

2. What makes a good review? All niceness, all negatives, or a combination? How much of each, if this is even relevant to you?

3. Have you ever picked up a book because of a review and then discovered you don't agree with the reviewer?

4. Do you have certain publishers of reviews or certain reviewers whose judgment you trust? Who?

5. As an author or publisher, ls do you use to assess the success of a specific review?

Finally, as an author, what do you don a review comes out that you believe shows the reviewer had no clue whatever what you were writing about? By and large, do you think most reviews you have received been worth the electrons used to deliver them to potential readers?