7 Reasons To Leave Book Reviews

"Reviews are for readers" is a phrase you'll hear pretty often in bookish spaces. It's largely rooted in setting clear boundaries for authors and readers in online discourse, things like asking readers to not tag authors in reviews of their books and advising authors against engaging with said reviews (especially if it means going to war for their book in the comments). It's about coexisting respectfully.

Can there be crossover? Sure. There are plenty of things writers can learn through reading or watching book reviews (as long as those reviews are not for their own book, that is). And reviews can benefit the author as much as readers. In this post, I'm highlighting a few reasons to leave book reviews and yap about what you're reading.

Reviews Can Get More Eyes On The Book...

Being online can sometimes feel like you're just shouting into the void. That's already a bummer on its own, but if you've got a book baby you're trying to show off to the world, that feeling is amplified.

By posting about a book you've loved, you can help broaden its reach.

These reviews don't have to be full-on analyses. They can be as simple as posting your TBR for the month, recapping your recent reads, or putting together a collection of recs based around a fun topic; I recently picked up You Between the Lines by Katie Naymon because it was featured as an Elliott-inspired pick in a "Books you should read based on your Stardew Valley spouse" post on Instagram.

And now that I've read it, I can let you know I really liked it! Also I couldn't stop picturing Will as Elliott but that's a me thing :) ...

...Which Means (Potentially) Increased Sales

Let's face it: even though most authors pick up the profession of the pen out of a love for storytelling, a lot of them do have to take the business side of publishing into consideration.

Sales matter. Book sales matter.

The better a book is selling, the more it might be pushed by the algorithm. A self-published author may be able to commit to a larger budget for their next book's production. A traditionally published author might be able to negotiate with their publishing team for a better deal with their next manuscript or receive a bigger slice of the marketing budget.

It's not just about putting bread on the table. Book sales allow authors to continue doing what they enjoy and give the opportunity for each release to be greater than the one before.

Reviews Can Help Other Readers Find Their Next Read

Like I mentioned above, I picked up You Between the Lines because it was featured in a Stardew Valley-inspired Instagram post, but this is far from the only time I've purchased a book or added one to my TBR based on a review.

For example, I read Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix because it was recommended to me by one of the higher-ups at my escape room job. The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow has been on my TBR because it's a frequent recommendation from Reads With Rachel. Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé is on my TBR because it came up while I was searching for books like Last Chance Live! by Helena Haywood Henry, one of my favorite reads so far this year.

Reviews can help other readers find their next read, no matter if they're looking for something specific or just a vibe.

Reviews Can Offer A Heads-Up

Just as reviews can help you find your next read, they can also provide vital information like content warnings to help readers determine if a particular book could be unsuitable for them.

My experience reading The Lost Bookshop is a prime example of this. The promotion I saw around the novel touted it as a charming, cozy-mystery-adjacent read with a bit of magic sprinkled in.

It was far from that. It was bleak, dismal, and a slog to get through at times.

There were also a lot of sensitive topics that I felt weren't at all covered in the blurb or setup, including domestic violence and familial and marital abuse experienced by all three protagonists to varying degrees on-page.

Many reviewers, however, did mention these aspects of the story, and that can be incredibly helpful for readers who wish to avoid books featuring them.

Reviews Can Be Your Personal (Or Public) Reading Log

Throughout elementary and middle school, we'd often be tasked with logging our reading, whether it was on a bookmark, a worksheet, or a journal entry that equated to a mini book report. And let me tell you, I loved flaunting how many books I read in a semester.

There's a reason reading journals remain popular among grown-up readers!

Posting reviews can function like a reading log. Some readers might use them to track a reading goal they set at the beginning of the year or to jot down their feelings towards their reads; the latter can be great to reference if you're in a reading slump because you can circle back to past reviews, see which books you really loved and look for something similar (or something you'd be up for re-reading).

Reviews Can Help You Connect With Other Readers

If there's one thing people love, it's getting together to yap about the things they love, be it in casual conversation or at a fan convention, raving or ranting about the media we consume.

Engaging with reviews and posting your own can be an avenue to connect with like-minded readers. We're in an age where so many friendships start out online, so why not put yourself and your bookish opinions out there? You never know where one comment will take you!

Reviews Can Provide Feedback (However...)

Here's the thing: reviews are for readers. The purpose of a review isn't to give the writer feedback. Reviews are to help readers find their next read and see if a particular book will be a good fit for them.

It's also advised that writers don't look at reviews for their own books once published. Once a book is out in the wild, it's done. There isn't really any way to make additional changes (apart from releasing a second edition or updating the eBook, but even then, it can be a hassle and it may not be well-received depending on the extent of the changes like we saw with Elisabeth Wheatley removing the spice from her published novels).

Although, for what it's worth, the Wheatley conversation was also part of multiple larger discourses happening at the time, not limited to the ownership of digital media. Either way, be advised that altering the eBooks your readers have already published may not go over well. Thanks for coming along on this tangent, back to the post...

That, and hey, people on the internet suck sometimes.

However, some writers do give in to curiosity and temptation and read their reviews, or have a trusted friend read them on their behalf and report back.

Again, I do advise against reading reviews about your own book because it can descend into brutal self-loathing and hyperfixating if you're not in the right headspace (and even if you are when you open that tab, it's easy to be knocked out of it). Even if you're only looking at the five-star reviews to quote in your marketing.

With that caveat, I do think reviews can be helpful to writers in some cases. If you're looking for comp titles, reviews of books with similar elements to your manuscript can give you a starting point. If you're struggling with something like weaving in historical context without it feeling like a textbook, reviews of can help you find examples of what to do and what to avoid. Similarly, reviews can also help you get a feel for what readers want to see more of or expect from your genre; this isn't about catering your WIP to match their tastes, though.

I go more into this here, but the point is that under some circumstances, reviews can be beneficial to writers. As a reader, these reviews aren't meant to be critiques or roadmaps for writers, but you might just be unknowingly helping to shape the books you want to read someday!

Reviews come in all lengths and media, but they're all important. Readers and writers alike benefit from them in different ways. They're what keep the bookish ecosystem alive and well.

What books have you loved or loathed lately? Any favorite reviewers you'd like to shout out? Drop it all in the comments!