Be the Reason for Book Two

Hi Reader,

As a writer and a story geek, I love consuming people’s content. I also love supporting other writers. To get our work in front of and build an audience, we often work for free. Screenwriters and novelists write projects on spec. Bloggers and podcasters make content free before they monetize it. So, I look for ways to support creators’ work I like. I’m a Patreon of my favorite podcasts and I subscribe to online magazines like The Epoch Times.

One of the easiest ways to help authors is to write a review of their book on Amazon and Goodreads. Amazon is a giant search engine. And the more reviews and sales a book has, the higher up to the top of the page it pops up when a reader puts in search terms.

How to Write an Amazon Review

Some people are intimidated at the thought of writing a review. A review doesn’t need to be long or complicated. Two to five sentences are all you need. Write what you liked about the book as if you were recommending it to a friend.

Tip: Avoid spoilers.

How to write a two‑sentence review:

1) Sentence 1: Emotion + one specific thing you loved.

2) Sentence 2: Who it’s for + a tiny comp (e.g., “for fans of X and Y”).

What was your favorite thing about the book?
Who was your favorite character and why?
Did you have a favorite scene?

Use juicy adjectives:

Rollicking
Laugh out loud
Gripping
Moving
Compelling
Charming

The Headline: I like to write my review first and then pick one of the sentences to use as my headline. When I choose my headline, I think about what will motivate a reader to choose the book.

The 30-Second Headline Trick (pick one):

• Emotion-first: "Heartwarming and hopeful"

• Hook-first: "A small-town secret with big stakes"

• Trope-first: "For found-family fans"

End on a high note: If the book is part of a series, I always like to end with “can’t wait to read the next one!”

5 Stars: And finally, always use five stars. Five-star reviews are weighted much heavier than four-star reviews. So if there’s something that you didn’t like about the book which is why you want to rate it under five stars, understand that it will ding the author’s rating, which may not be your intention.

Be Positive: My goal in reviewing a book is to help readers find a story I enjoyed and support great writing. If I don’t like a book, then I don’t write a review.

Even if you don’t buy a book from Amazon, you can still review it there. As the biggest bookstore in the world, authors make a substantial part of their income from Amazon. So help them out!

Steal These Review Templates

Short & sweet: “A [rollicking/moving] read with a [favorite element—voice/setting/romance]. I especially loved [character/scene]. Highly recommend for fans of [blank].”

Character‑first: “I came for [premise], stayed for [character]. The [humor/tension/romance] kept me turning pages. Can’t wait for the next one!”

Trope‑love: “If you like [trope/genre], this hits the spot—[brief detail]. Charming and satisfying.”

Free Books Need Reviews Too

A permafree book is one that the author has set the price as free permanently. These books are usually the first in a series. It is a sales tactic to get you hooked on the series and buy more books. If I like the first one, I always review it and buy the series. I am a binge reader, and I enjoy reading a series in order back to back.

Why this matters:

Reviews of Book 1 build trust for the whole series—your single review can tip a whole row of dominoes for new readers.

Consider

If a book made you laugh, cry, or miss your bus stop, give it a review. In under a minute, a few lines and some stars boost visibility, unlock promotions, and help authors keep writing the stories you love. Your words matter more than you think.

While We’re Talking About Reviews

If How to Turn Your Screenplay Into a Novel helped you, would you leave a quick review? Two minutes on Amazon makes a huge difference for discoverability. A review tells the algorithms, “Hey, writers need this!” I’m so grateful for every single one.
👉 Amazon