Why do we respond to people who leave comments on our blogs, and yet we ignore comments from our readers on Amazon? Isn’t this exactly the opposite of what social media is all about?
- It’s all about connections and forming relationships.
So why do we ignore our readers, those who spend precious hours, days and months reading and reviewing our books? This makes no sense to me.
Some of the reviews I’ve received on Amazon are better than any synopsis I could have written myself. The language, descriptions and summaries target the message and essence of my memoir in such a way that I’m envious of the reviewer.
- “Why couldn’t I write that?” I ask myself.
I’ve heard editors say that it’s easier to have someone else write your synopsis for you, and after reading most of my reviews, I agree.
- Why aren’t we putting in the effort to connect with our readers?
- Should we simply ignore them?
Bonnie Kassel a “My Gutsy Story®,” contributor introduced me to Ionia Martin, one of the top 500 Amazon reviewers. I contacted her and she not only gave me an amazing 5 star review on Amazon, but also wrote about Freeways to Flip-Flops on her blog which I am so grateful for.
Ionia Martin is a book reviewer, mother of four and a Ph.D. student in the field of brain and cognitive Science. She has a passion for books, music and photography. When she doesn’t have her nose buried in a book, she likes to spend time working on her charity, dedicated to animal welfare, which should be in full operation late this year. You can find her at http://readfulthingsblog.com or at Twitter via @readfulthings
I asked her a few questions about whether or not to respond to reviewers and she mentioned there are varied opinions about whether or not an author should respond to comments at all.
The main reason why authors don’t respond is that they’re afraid:
- I might look too “indie” if I respond to my Amazon reviewers.
But Ionia said that many big name authors respond to her reviews, and that simple variations on comments such as : ” thank you so much for taking the time to read my work,” show that you value the readers’ time.
- Be polite, even to those who leave negative comments, and don’t say too much.
I think it boils down to “connecting” with your readers and as we know with blogging, the more comments, the better.
So from now on, I’ve decided to respond to my reviewers on Amazon. How far back should I go? Not sure, but I shall start slowly and see what happens.
What about you?
(I added this after writing the original post.)
Guess what I did? I called Amazon Author Central and asked them if it’s OK to respond to reviewers’ comments, and to thank them, or if they consider this “spam” or self-promotion, as Suzy mentioned on my blog post. They said, “Sure you can respond to reviewers’ comments.” I asked if they had stats on how many authors respond to comments; they don’t.
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Interesting. I responded to some of my Goodreads readers, thanking them for their reviews and interest in my books, and I received the following warning from Goodreads:
“Several of your recent messages to Goodreads members have been flagged as self-promotional in nature. Please note that it violates our Terms of Service to send such messages on Goodreads. Even if someone has shelved your book, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they will appreciate a message. Nearly all of our members consider unsolicited messages from authors or their representatives to be spam, so not only is it against our rules, it can also be a poor marketing strategy.”
Since Goodreads thinks a thank you note is self-promotional and since Goodreads was just bought by Amazon … I guess that means I won’t be taking the chance of sending my beautiful readers thank you notes (though I do hope Amazon will change that Goodreads policy).
BTW, contrary to what Goodreads told me, I did get a few responses back from my readers thanking me for my thank you and happily amazed that an author would take the time to email them.
Yes, I do love my readers, even though Goodreads won’t allow me to tell them that.
Suzy recently posted..“Wages of Sin” Goes Championship!!
Suzy,
How confusing! I’m happy you jumped over to let us know. Ionia did mention some well-known authors responding to their readers on Amazon. I hope we can start doing that as I wish to connect with my readers.
Interesting post Sonia, I never really thought about it. If I had a book on Amazon, I would certainly like to connect with some of the readers and reviewers.
Jotter Girl recently posted..30 Second Story……Mother McNeal suggests you cross your legs
Yes, I find it strange that we don’t really think about this and yet it’s so important to “stay in touch” with our readers.
Sonia Marsh recently posted..Should Authors Respond To Amazon Reviewers?
I hadn’t heard before that goodreads did that. I find it silly though that they would consider a simple thank you to be self promoting. Isn’t that the point in putting your book up for sale in the first place? 🙂 Maybe if you were spamming the people through emails or something, but come on. Thank you is a nice thing to hear, at least for me it is anyway. Lovely post. That looks like a great bookstore!
Ionia Martin recently posted..Character building–how do you handle it?
Ionia,
Everything you say makes sense to me.
Guess what I did? I called Amazon Author Central and asked them if it’s OK to respond to reviewers’ comments, and to thank them, or if they consider this “spam” or self-promotion, as Suzy mentioned on my blog post. They said, “Sure you can respond to reviewers’ comments.” I asked if they had stats on how many authors respond to comments; they don’t.
Thanks for helping us with this dilemma.
Sonia Marsh recently posted..Should Authors Respond To Amazon Reviewers?
I respond via email when I can find the reviewers email (not too often!) but have been nervous about commenting b/c I thought it might be frowned upon. So thank you Sonia, and I’m going in to comment b/c people who take the time to read and review are most appreciated!!
Yes, I think it’s best to leave the response comment on Amazon. That’s another question for Ionia. I don’t search for the reviewer’s personal e-mail.
Sonia Marsh recently posted..Should Authors Respond To Amazon Reviewers?
This was great info. I just published my first book on kindle and my second one is in the queue. I’m eager to learn more about it all. Thanks so much. Blessings, Amy
Amy Hagerup recently posted..When You Need Help Losing Weight, Try This Tip: Visualizing Your New Size
Amy, Good luck with your book(s). It will be interesting to see what happens when we leave comments to thank our readers.
Sonia Marsh recently posted..Should Authors Respond To Amazon Reviewers?
I think writers have to tread carefully in that arena. I’ve had one of those Goodread warnings and I wasn’t even ‘replying’ in the context of a review. So I guess their algorithms or whatever picked up that I have an author profile and, therefore, belong to a different ‘tribe’ than readers. Also, book reviewers who have blogs usually screen responses before publishing them, and I’ve not been very successful in trying to connect with some of them that way. There have been some unpleasant interactions between readers and writers on Goodreads, and I know it was in a specific context (nasty reviews), but it’s just made me weary. Having said all that, I don’t think it’s entirely off limits, so I’d love to hear your feedback, Sonia.
Belinda,
Sounds like a fairly “bad” experience. Have you tried Amazon responses to reader comments? I’m not commenting on Goodreads as I prefer to focus on Amazon. My mistake perhaps. Anyway things are always changing with the new Amazon-Goodreads merger.
Sonia Marsh recently posted..Should Authors Respond To Amazon Reviewers?
Agree entirely that some readers’ reviews are so much better than my own synopsis, and it’s obvious when a great deal of time and thought has been spent in writing a comprehensive review. Frankly, whenever one of mine receives even a one liner “enjoyed this book”, I feel I’ve made a new best friend & want to ‘hang out’ with them – but resist – simply because as a reader, when I post a review, it’s to share with other readers my own experience of that particular story. Just my point of view, I’ve seen other authors commenting on reviews left for their books – even with just a simple ‘Thank you’ and agree with you Sonia, that this is social media, and the rules are changing!
I’ve seen some authors connect beautifully with the kind folk who’ve left reviews, and in one case (wish I could remember the guy’s name) even change a negative to a positive. A good point, well debated, and some excellent advice from Ionia, thanks to Dody for pointing me to this excellent post.
Julia x
Julia Hughes recently posted..Dody’s winning name will be drawn today – look snappy!
Julia,
So glad you came over to share your thoughts. I noticed on Elizabeth Gilbert’s Amazon page, how readers interacted with one another on the comments section. I wonder if Elizabeth Gilbert joined in. I haven’t researched this yet. Good luck with your novel and all the wonderful promotion you’ve done. Dody certainly helps all of us, doesn’t she?
Sonia Marsh recently posted..Should Authors Respond To Amazon Reviewers?
Some readers’ reviews are so eloquent and appealing that they are the best promotion for a book. I’ve certainly bought books on the basis of outstanding reviews. I’m sure that authors like you would like to respond to their reviewers and send a simple one-liner or thank you. I can’t see how that would be considered promotional and it’s a way to connect with your readers.
However, as a reader I would find it disconcerting to see a review with an author’s thank you/comment under it. I don’t think the author should be making comments of any kind in what is essentially an area for reviews. The author’s presence – or intrusion – might even make me question the objectivity of the review.
Penelope J recently posted..Never Give Up on Your Dream
Pennie,
I understand your point, however it seemed like you were saying, “Yes, go ahead and say thank you to the reader, but I wouldn’t buy a book if the author was present in the comments.” Did I understand you or not? Just want to get it clear in my head.
Sonia Marsh recently posted..Should Authors Respond To Amazon Reviewers?
I’m saying it would be a nice gesture from the author to thank the reviewer, but not on the review page. If, as a reader, I saw a 5-star review for an indie writer’s book with a “thank you” from the author underneath it might make me question its objectivity. I’m not saying I wouldn’t buy it. I think reviews should be impersonal, and an author comment would personalize it. Anyway, from the comments above Goodreads and probably Amazon may not allow an author to leave a comment of any kind when referring to a review of her/his book.
Penelope J recently posted..Never Give Up on Your Dream
Pennie,
I don’t know if you saw this comment. I added it later.
Guess what I did? I called Amazon Author Central and asked them if it’s OK to respond to reviewers’ comments, and to thank them, or if they consider this “spam” or self-promotion, as Suzy mentioned on my blog post. They said, “Sure you can respond to reviewers’ comments.” I asked if they had stats on how many authors respond to comments; they don’t.
I think it’s nice to keep things simple. If some traditionally published authors do it, why can’t we?
Sonia Marsh recently posted..Should Authors Respond To Amazon Reviewers?
My first thought on seeing the title of your latest post was, “How do you keep up with it all?” The 2nd was,’ I’ll learn something, it’s Sonia!’ So I got home from my class, did some quick reposts, saving my read. You not only write with heart, Sonia; your heart and mind connect in such a way as to invite others to connect with their own. Thank you. My mom’s last clear words were ‘Thank you.’ My heart usually feels gratitude for my Amazon reviewers; my mind, though, apparently got lost in its shuffle. So agree.
Dody recently posted..A Wild Announcement Day!
Dody,
If anyone keeps up with social media, and knows how to promote other indie authors it’s YOU. I don’t spend enough time forming connections on Twitter. Anyway, I was also touched by what you said about “writing from the heart.” Thank you Dody, and I am glad others feel like opening up as well.
Sonia Marsh recently posted..Should Authors Respond To Amazon Reviewers?
Sonia, I really admire your initiative going ahead and getting information on the subject of responding to reviewers’ comments.I consider myself fortunate to learn from authors like you.
Penelope J recently posted..Never Give Up on Your Dream
Pennie,
There are so many changes going on all the time with Amazon, Goodreads, indie-publishing, that I feel like we are all pioneers. I attended a conference yesterday, and even agents didn’t know how to answer questions about the future of publishing.
Sonia Marsh recently posted..Should Authors Respond To Amazon Reviewers?
Sonia,
A good way to describe indie authors as pioneers. Precisely what we are, exploring and opening new territories for books. I think agents must be confused as to their changing roles. In the future they may be wanting to represent self-published authors rather than the other way around.
Penelope J recently posted..Never Give Up on Your Dream
Excellent post, Sonia. When my book is published, I want to do everything I can to let my readers know I appreciate them but I wasn’t sure if it was appropriate to reply on Amazon, Goodreads or the others. So thank you for this clarification. As Penelope said above, I admire your initiative. Have a great weekend.
Grace Peterson recently posted..Renewal
Grace,
Thanks for your comment and I have to say, it seems there are still conflicting views on this topic. All the best to you with publishing your book. When will it be out?
Sonia Marsh recently posted..Should Authors Respond To Amazon Reviewers?
Very interesting discussion. I hadn’t thought of responding to reviewers on Amazon, it feels a shame that we can’t. I appreciate that maybe it would put future readers off. Anyway, thanks for blogging about it.
Della, thanks for your comments. Even Ionia, an Amazon top 500 reviewer said she appreciates a “thank you” from the author.
Sonia Marsh recently posted..Should Authors Respond To Amazon Reviewers?
this reminds me that i need to write a review of your fabulous book for amazon!
Amanda recently posted..i love the smell of jetfuel in the morning
Amanda,
Whenever you have time Amanda. I seem to take forever with my reviews. How is everything going for you?
Sonia Marsh/Gutsy Living recently posted..Should Authors Respond To Amazon Reviewers?
This was such a great idea and a good read. Really impressed with how proactive you are getting in touch with Amazon too.
Gosh it’s about time I wrote a Gutsy story for you. I think that’s a few years overdue now!
Loving what you’re doing here and how your blog is growing with you. Keep it up and let me know more about all those book signings too. I am so impressed with those 🙂
x A
Annabel Candy, Successful Blogging recently posted..The Beauty and Business of Blogging with Top Blogger Nikki Parkinson
Annabel,
I would love to read your “My Gutsy Story®.” Please send one soon as I need a few more. Thanks.