4 Strategies for Getting Book Reviews of Your Christian Book

As Christian writers, we’ve spent months—maybe years—working on and praying over a manuscript, and we excitedly hit publish and watch the sales and reviews ever so slowly trickle in.

Without some strategy for getting reviews, many won’t come in naturally. Most authors say on average they get one book review for every 100 sales organically. If it takes you six months to sell 100 books, that means you’ll be getting two new reviews a year without doing any work for more reviews.

But more reviews help with increased sales. More reviews provide more credibility with potential readers, who rely on reviews before making a purchase. And consistent reviews coming in help the Amazon algorithm show your books to more people.

So how do we get those important new reviews coming in consistently, without constantly pestering our friends, family, and followers?

Here are four strategies to consider to help you get more reviews for your books:

1. Build a Launch Team or “Street Team”

The most effective way to launch your book with a strong start is by assembling a dedicated group of supporters to read and review your book. By providing a PDF of your manuscript or Advance Review Copies (ARCs) to a select group of readers, you create a wave of momentum for your launch week. Having those initial reviews ready for potential readers on or just after launch day significantly lowers the “risk” for a stranger to hit the buy button.

Don’t forget to follow up! I’ve found that on launch day, only about 10% of your launch team will actually review your book on Amazon. The rest will need more time or reminders. Life gets busy, but your gentle reminders and providing them a link to make reviewing the book easier for them will help them out.

I’ve also found that even with reminders, about half of your launch team actually follows through and reviews the book, so plan your launch team accordingly. If you want 25 or more reviews within the first month of your book launch, you’ll want to have over 50 people on your book launch team, etc.

If your book has already been launched, no need to fear, you can plan a book relaunch. Update or add a chapter of your book, fix any typos you’ve discovered, add a resource at the end of your book, and/or get a new book cover designed. Whatever you feel led to update on your book do so. Reach out to your email list and followers and ask them to be part of your relaunch. Send them a PDF or ARC of your updated book, update your files for your book on your Amazon/KDP account and you may just find some fresh reviews trickling in (and new sales too!) with your relaunch announcement.

2. Leverage Your Social Media and Email List

Don’t be afraid to ask your existing community for help. Your email list and social media followers already like your words and are likely to want to see you succeed. Periodically sharing a review you received with a gentle reminder about why reviews matter can go a long way. A simple, heartfelt request once a quarter or so keeps your book—and the reminder to review it—fresh in their minds.

3. Add a Review Reminder at the End of Your Book

One of the best times to ask for a review is the exact moment a reader finishes your last page. Include a brief, personal note in the back matter of your book. A simple statement like, “If this book touched your heart, would you consider leaving a brief review? Your words help other readers find this message,” acts as a gentle nudge. Most readers want to help but often forget. You can add a direct link at the end of your ebook to your Amazon review page, which makes it as easy as possible for them to give your book a quick rating and a review.

4. Turn Compliments into Reviews

As an author, you will occasionally receive encouraging emails, DMs, or face-to-face comments from people telling you how much they enjoyed your book. When someone takes the time to reach out to you and praise your work, thank them warmly and then kindly ask them if they wouldn’t mind writing a quick review of the book on Amazon. Many of the people that reach out to you never even thought about writing a review but they are often happy to help support you by writing a review.

While there are many other paths you can take to garner book reviews, I hope that at least one of these strategies sparked a few ideas you can implement today. While it can be easy to focus on the numbers, remember that every sale and every rating and review represents a real person whose life was touched by your words.

It’s easy to get discouraged in this writing journey, but remember that ultimately you are writing for an audience of one: Our Heavenly Father who gave you this message to share. While you are being obedient and a good steward of the message He has given you, ultimately the results are up to Him.

Be patient with the process and keep planting those seeds. Your work is too important to stay hidden—so pick one review strategy this week, take that first step, and watch how God uses your words to encourage others!