How to write a non-fiction book review on Amazon.

I have to admit this is an unusual post for me. It's not about you.  It's about me.  Or more precisely --- my book, "Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters".  Which, when I think about it is really about you and your job search.  

Quite a few people have asked me lately how to write a review for my book on Amazon, so today I'm going to walk you through the steps. 

The mechanics for posting a review are the same for ANY book you read on Amazon. 

As an author I'm telling you that there's nothing more gratifying than seeing a 5-Star book review on Amazon. Barnes and Noble or where ever.  It means I've connected and helped you. And that puts a huge smile on face!

So without further delay... here’s what Amazon readers are looking for in terms of information and commentary to help thme decide if a particular book suits their interests. ( i.e. will they actually read and get value from your recommended books).

 

How to write an amazon book review

• 1st a few suggestions on what to write to get you thinking
• 2nd understand the mechanics for writing a review

Suggestions on what to write in a non-fiction book review

Think about the person reading your review.   Take my last book for example; the person reflecting on your review is very likely:

• Looking for a job themselves;
• Looking for information for a friend or relative that’s in job hunting mode; and/or
• A career or guidance counselor who’s adding to their library of job hunting, resume writing and cover letter books.

The potential reader likely wants to discover a better way to write their resume, find job leads faster or network using social media tools like LinkedIn, Facebook and MySpace.  Perhaps they need to know how to build a blog for job hunting, use Twitter, or discover what the best creative new ways to get in front of a hiring manager are – without being blocked by gatekeepers or getting stuck in human resources. 

In short, they’re seeking an edge. 

So with that in mind the first question you have to ask yourself is, "what where the “take-aways?” or the “Ah-Ha” moments in the book for you personally.  What did you learn?  What made you uncomfortable BUT you tried it anyway and were successful?  Next, would you recommend the book to your best friend if they were job hunting? 

Now, you just tell the reader.

Here are some possible ideas to start you off:

• Did you like the book?  --- I liked this book because... 
• Was it written in a style you liked?  --- I liked the way the author writes... 
• If it was highly technical were there examples?  Were they good examples?  Were there references or links to additional information? 
• Is the author credible?  Did they know the subject matter?  Did they bring anything new to the discussion or body of knowledge?

Example

For example, if you wanted to write a book review for "Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters 2.0", here are some questions which you might reflect on in order to help you write a review which will be meaningful to those people who will read the review: 

1. What was your personal situation?  Where you employed and looking?  Unemployed? How long had you been looking?
2. Did the ideas in the book accelerate your progress? 
3. Did the ideas help you get interviews?
4. Did you find a job? How quickly?
5. Think about the type of job you were looking for – which of the 1001 tips, tricks and tactics worked best for you? 
6. Did it force/challenge you to change old habits?
7. How did you apply the personal branding section?
8. Did your Guerrilla Resume get an employers attention?
9. Did you engage in eXtreme Networking activities, create a LinkedIn profile or start a blog?
10. Did the chapter on interviewing {Hand to Hand Combat} help prepare you?  How?
11. Was there a chapter/vignette/antidote that struck a chord with you?
12. What was your favorite part of the book or what was the most useful section for you?
13. Did the book spark your creativity and led you to develop fresh ideas on your own which lead to interviews?
14. How did the book affect you?
15. Were any previous ideas you had on the subject changed, abandoned, or reinforced due to this book?
16. How well has the book achieved its goal?
17. How did you originally hear about the book: friend, networking event, or counselor?
18. Did you like the author and contributing co-author’s styles?
19. Did you like the War Stories?  Anyone in particular? Why?

 

Another  suggestion

I suggest you write a first draft in your word processor and then when you’re comfortable with it, cut and paste it in to the text box [step 5 below] BUT mostly I suggest you write it from the heart and not just your logical mind. 

 

The mechanics for writing an amazon book review

To create a book review please follow these exact steps:

1. First and most importantly, you have to have bought the book and read it. Don't write a review for a book you haven’t read.  It does no good for anyone.
2. Find the book you want to review on Amazon and find the "Product Details" section.   This is the section that details how many pages the book has, who the publisher is and the average customer review.[For example - Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters-  http://amzn.to/gJx2wa ]
3. Click on the "Write a review" link located right next to the "Average Customer Review" information.
4. Rate the book on a scale from 1 to 5 stars, with 1 being worst and 5 being best.
5. Enter a title for your review.  That could be an overall statement about how you felt about the book.
6. Enter the full text of your review in the provided text box There are no length requirements or restrictions.
7. NOTE: If you're a friend of the author say so.  If you received the book from the author to review it - say so.  People don't mind those types of reviews but you need to tell the reader or your review has no credibility OR worse someone buys the book and feels "had", which destroys the review process Amazon has set up. 
8. Certify that you are over the age of 13 (and thereby allowed to contribute a review) by checking the appropriate box.

That’s it.  If you followed these steps your review will appear within 24 hours on Amazon. 

David Perry

PS A lot of headhunters read Amazon reviews looking for possible candidates to recruit.  This is especially true for highly technical books that are written for a very focused audience for example in engineering, medicine or leadership.  Take advantage of that fact and also review books that will get you found by headhunters in your industry.