What holds you back from making a book or product review? For me, it’s that I’m in a hurry or busy, and I just can’t say something without thinking about it first. I never know what to say on the spur of the moment. I hate writing even a line or two rushed. Why? Because I don’t like writing words down without having some structure to them. It takes me a few minutes to form my thoughts.
I’m sure people don’t review my books on Amazon for the same reason. So, to help my fellow Christian authors and myself, I thought I’d take the time to help you say what you think. When it boils down to it, a review is just an honest opinion of a book that someone has read or a product that someone used. A review is what we think of something.
I thought I’d share some of the things I’ve learned about making Christian book reviews online after purchasing. Basically I’m talking about giving reviews for books on Amazon, but these things work elsewhere as well. We will be concentrating on non-fiction Christian books.
First, before making a review of any book read the book first.
That means read the entire book. That’s common sense. Right? I glance through the reviews on Amazon from time to time and I know that many people make book reviews without reading the books first and also make product reviews without ever using that product.
Reading an entire book in the Christian realm before reviewing is even more important. You need to know if that author strayed from the truth of God’s Word. That’s important.
Questions to think about when writing a review for a non-fiction Christian book:
You don’t need to answer ALL of these questions in a book review, but these are some of the things I like to mull over first. Maybe they will be helpful to some of you who struggle when that little note pops up or you get an email to review a book. Sometimes just concentrating on one thing for your review is all you need. Book reviews are not big long reports, they are just simply a glimpse of what you thought about a book.
These are some things to think about in preparation to write a book review on Amazon. Take a few or just one thing and concentrate on it for a review if you struggle with what to say. I never try to tackle all of them. It depends what kind of mood I’m in as to which one(s) I focus on in a single review.
These are for reviewing non-fiction Christian books. For fiction, you would need to add other things concerning the characters and plot.
I’m sure this list could have other things included. These are just things that I like to think through myself before writing a review. If you have other things you weigh before doing a book review, please leave a comment on this post.
Think about it…
- How did you hear about this book?
- What kind of book is it?
- How did it affect you?
- What valuable lesson did you learn by reading it?
- Did it help you grow spiritually in some way?
- Did it cause you to want to serve the Lord more vibrantly?
- Did it cause you to praise the Lord?
- Did a particular chapter or prevailing thought change your view about something?
- What can you say about the writing style?
- Did the book progress in a logical fashion?
- Is it biblically sound in it’s conclusions?
- Have you read other books by this author?
- Can you recommend this book to others?
Practical Tips
- Mention the author by name in your review.
- Mention the book title in your review.
- Use some adjectives throughout your review.
As you know, adjectives are describing words, and when you write a review you are describing something. Adjectives not only help you describe the book as a reviewer, but helps other customers evaluate the book a little more clearly. It also allows the author to get a picture of how you received the book. For example, was it inspiring, moving, humorous, boring, engaging, uplifting, compelling, weak, depressing, entertaining, dull, thought-provoking, insightful, etc.? - Sum up your review in your last line, such as
- “Overall, I thought this book…”
- This book is special to me because…”
- “I would (or wouldn’t) recommend this book because…”
- “I’m glad (or not glad) that I read this book because…”
- “This book would make a good gift for someone who…”
- The most valuable lesson I learned from this book is…”
- I would recommend the author of this book because…”
Things not to do in a Christian book review:
- Don’t write a report instead of a review.
The biggest thing to remember when writing a book review for anyone is that you are not writing a book report. You are not doing this for a grade in school or to include all those things that a book report might include. - Be careful not to quote something from a book out of context.
If you want to call attention to something, refer to it by a subject, chapter, or page if there is the least possibility that it could be taken the wrong way. When you quote something in a review, others reading your review may jump to conclusions because quotes by themselves may convey a different meaning and can easily be taken out of context than what the author intended. - Don’t call attention to grammatical or spelling mistakes within your review.
Use a contact email or mailing address for that. While I’m sure any author would appreciate the heads up, there is no need to do it publicly. That’s kind of like the opposite of being tenderhearted and kind. Isn’t it? If you can’t find a contact through their author page on Amazon, search them online. You’ll probably find a Facebook or blog to contact them. - Don’t mention your relationship with the author.
People want to hear an honest review. If you say you are someone’s mother, sister, or best friend, your review kind of becomes pointless. Also Amazon doesn’t allow reviews by people related to a self-published author of KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing), so you could be hurting the author and setting them up to be penalized by Amazon, so please don’t do that to your relative and friend authors. - Don’t be rude.
I always say that Jesus knew the internet was coming. When He said to be kind and tenderhearted, He meant online too. Giving a review isn’t an excuse for bad manners and a chance to be unkind. You can give a truthful or even what is deemed a negative review without being rude and mean. Everyone should choose their words carefully when typing anything online, but especially Christians! - Don’t recommend a book on Amazon that you question the theology or doctrine of the author when it comes to Christian books.
As Christians, we really do have to be careful what we recommend. That’s why reading an entire book is so important. We have to know if what the author is teaching is contrary to the Bible. - Don’t be argumentative if you don’t believe that the author is biblically sound.
This kind of goes along with #5 of not being rude, but I’ll mention it anyway. You really can say something negative in a book review without resorting to argumentative statements. Personally, I think just stating that you disagree with a certain view in the book is sufficient, and you can even site a Bible verse reference if you want; however, just keep in mind that whatever you say publicly always reflects on the cause of Christ.
You can state your view logistically and methodically, but when you start an argumentative thread in a review, you cause others to jump in and argue too. That’s isn’t encouraging others in the body of Christ. It also isn’t showing the love of Christ to the world. If you want to say something more than a brief statement of disagreement with the author’s position, take that up with the author or their publisher through a different channel than in a book review on a shopping site such as Amazon.
From my point of view…
I know that we as Christians are supposed to expose false doctrines and false teachers. There is so much in the Bible concerning that, but I just don’t see an Amazon review as really the place to debate doctrine and theology, even if you don’t believe the same way as the author.
The problem is that argumentative reviews over what we think is biblical sometimes get a lot of comments and feedback because people feel so passionate about what they believe. In the end, that book and author may get more exposure because of those reviews, so you might end up doing the opposite of what you think you are doing. You may cause more people to be interested in the very book you don’t agree with biblically when you go about it in an argumentative way.
Unfortunately, many Christians that accuse other believers about something in an Amazon review aren’t really concerned with doctrine or theology anyway. They accuse other believers in areas that we have Christian freedom in, so I think so much of the arguing we see among Christians through Amazon reviews is over things that aren’t really doctrine or false teaching.
As Christians, we really do have to be responsible and not recommend those who tout teachings that are contrary to Christ. I’m definitely not saying that there aren’t authors and teachers promoting false doctrine. The internet is full of them. I just think most of the arguing among Christians online isn’t about false doctrine or theology at all. It’s about other things.
I know false teaching is a prominent problem, I just feel that we don’t have to bring our arguing online and fight among believers in such a public way. So, don’t get me wrong, I know there is a lot of unbiblical teaching out there. Many Christians are recommending authors and teachers just because those people are popular. I see it all over Christian women blogs and it hurts my very soul. So many Christian women promote Bible studies and women’s teachers that just are way off in their doctrine and theology.
I just don’t see how voicing your opinion and starting an argument about it in an Amazon book review does any good. I think there are other ways to deal with the problem. I do know that we do need to draw a line in the sand and not attach ourselves or promote those people. We do have to be careful about who we give God speed.
If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds. 2 John 2:10-11 (KJV)
It all goes back to those words we use a Christians. We have to choose them very carefully. When making a book review such as on Amazon, we not only have to make our summaries well thought out, but we have to bear in mind that we are representing Christ in whatever we do and say.
Thanks so much for stopping in. I hope these tips have helped you in some way, and I trust you will remember to not only write a review on any of my books that you have read, but help out other authors, especially those Christian ones, by doing the same if you have purchased and read their books. A book review is a gift to an author. You will be a blessing to them!
Have a lovely day,
Julia
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