EDITORIAL REVIEWS–DO YOU READ THEM?

Several weeks ago I received a review back from Self-Publishing Reviews for The Secret of Excalibur I had paid for this review, which wasn’t cheap by any means.  It ended up being a 4 star, which I was pleased with.

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But why pay for a review, you ask?  Well, according to Amazon, and my publisher, these types of editorial reviews add to the relevance of our book pages in Amazon’s convoluted algorithms.  And according to Amazon’s TOS, any reviews paid for cannot be added under the normal area for reviews.  NO. That would be too easy.  So Amazon has an actual Editorial Reviews section on each book page. 

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The problem is, they limit us on the amount of words used in that spot.  So some authors have taken to adding these editorial reviews either under the book description, or the About the Author section

This is not the first review I’ve requested and paid for.  But is is the most expensive.  This whole jumping through Amazon’s hoop thingy got me thinking.  How many readers/consumers actually READ the Editorial Reviews area on the book page?  I know I don’t.  Is this a waste of time and money?  Does it really help the sale of my books? 

So, my question to you today is, Do you ever read the Editorial Reviews, or even the About the Author portions of the book pages?  If not, why?  If so, what are you looking for?  Do they impact your decision to buy or pass by a book?

I’m really looking forward to hearing your responses.

About Sahara Foley

Sahara Foley, in collaboration with her beloved late husband, writes urban and dark fantasy, science fantasy, and the occasional horror tale. She is an international award-winner and the first book in her Excalibur Saga series has been an Amazon bestseller multiple times. In 2018, she teamed up with friend and fellow author J.M. Northup to start Norns Triad Publications. They represent four authors under their brand. Sahara was born and still resides in the Midwest. Insurance Guru during the day, on her time off she enjoys reading, gardening, traveling with her family, helping fellow authors, and her secret passion – gaming. She is currently working on a new fantasy, time-travel story titled, Time Stones, slated to be released in 2022. You can connect with Sahara below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/booksbysaharafoley Twitter: https://twitter.com/SaharaFoley Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/saharafoley/ Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Sahara-Foley/e/B00J9ST32U/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1
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8 Responses to EDITORIAL REVIEWS–DO YOU READ THEM?

  1. Thanks for following my blog! Your is really interesting and I will have a shout out to you in a post later today. Good luck from another indie author!

  2. Hi, Sahara,

    In answer to your question: No, I don’t read the editorial reviews page. In fact, until recently I didn’t even know it existed. I suspect there are many more like me who don’t know either.

    I only tend to read ‘About the Author’ in books I’ve read or on blogs I follow or just visit. I prefer to read reviews posted on people’s blogs, although I sometimes read those posted on Amazon.

    • Sahara Foley says:

      I’m the same way. I will read the info about the author in their books, but I do not look at the Author Pages on Amazon. I also like reading reviews on blog posts. It’s made me see that a 3 star isn’t always bad. Very few of them ever give a 5 star. Even when they rave about the book.

  3. John Chapman says:

    I do read editorial reviews and regard them in the same way I would the book description. I’ll look at Five/four star reviews and one/two star reviews and ignore any which don’t give reasons for their opinion.

    • Sahara Foley says:

      HI John, Thanks for your feedback. Your comment accidentally got placed in the spam folder. Oops. I agree, I don’t give much credence to lower reviews that don’t give a reason why they earned a 1 to 3 star. I’ve noticed a lot of book bloggers very seldom give 5 stars, and when they do give a 3 star, they don’t tell you what it was about the book that they didn’t like.

  4. As another struggling Indie author, I must admit I don’t read the Editorial Reviews. I never have and don’t see me reading them in the future. Good luck with your sales and spreading the word.

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