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40
Steve Weber
book, and reached No. 26 on the New York Times extended bestseller
list, an unbelievable climb for a novel with no big newspaper or trade
reviews. Now the book is in its eighth printing and the story is being
shopped to Hollywood. And—oh yeah—now Stolen Child has plenty of
professional reviews.
All this caused quite a stir in publishing circles, but it didn’t surprise
the folks who actually buy books. Increasingly, readers turn to online
reviews written by peers to find out if a book is worth it. Talese, the
publisher, says a traditional function of professional critics—building
awareness of a new book—is practically obsolete in the Internet age:
We’re really trying to reach readers. Critics have been
a way of announcing that a book exists that readers
might be interested in. But [reviews] are being given
less and less room in the newspapers.
Critics argue that amateur reviews are meaningless, that they don’t
apply the professional critics’ intellectual rigor. But when was the last
time you ran out and bought a book after seeing it reviewed in a
newspaper or magazine? The truth is, many “professional” reviews are
simply rehashes of publisher-generated publicity. Most of the time,
professional critics don’t tell readers the one thing they want to know—
whether they’ll like the book. Today, all it takes is a quick skim of
customer reviews on Amazon, and you’ve got your answer. Whatever the
amateur reviewers lack in highbrow sensibilities, they make up in
credibility and relevancy.
Credibility through peers
Successful books have lots of positive reviews on Amazon, and it’s no
coincidence. It’s another point in the positive feedback loop: Good books
garner good reviews, which leads to more sales. Good reviews on
Amazon are particularly crucial for books by new authors and niche
books.
Positive reviews on Amazon boost your sales not only on Amazon,
but everywhere people are buying books. What percentage of buyers at
brick-and-mortar bookstores actually made their choice by reading
Amazon customer reviews? There’s no way of knowing exactly, but rest
assured it’s a substantial and growing number.
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