How I Rate Books
I didn’t understand the importance of book reviews until I became a published author. Since I've been posting my reviews on social media, I thought I would share some of my considerations when I rate and review books.
First of all, reviews are for readers, not authors, though authors may benefit. A review is optional, and reading is subjective. Authentic ratings/reviews—regardless of whether it's a "good" or "poor" review—may encourage a reader to pick up a book.
From an author perspective, more readers mean more sales, but also the Amazon algorithm recommends a book once it reaches fifty reviews. Websites like Amazon sometimes remove reviews without good reason so monitoring is necessary.
Quite honestly, other than occasionally marketing a positive review, the content of a review of my book(s) isn't my business. Of course I care, but I understand that art speaks to people in different ways, not always positively. I value the safety of the reviewer space.
Reviewing is also subjective. Rating systems and their interpretations differ. Some people write one line, others write multiple paragraphs dissecting every aspect of a story, and some write reviews like I do. And then there's mood. Sometimes it's difficult to get through a book that you would normally love but might not have been in the right mindset at the time. I recently Did Not Finish (DNFed) a book because I hated a seemingly innocuous one line in the first three pages and couldn’t take the story seriously after that. The line hit personal enough that I DNFed—subjective.
I tend to choose books I know I will probably enjoy. This includes indie books that have few indicators that I can see on its popularity. I diversify from time to time but now I usually enjoy the Science Fiction and Fantasy (SFF) genre. SFF typically starts at 4-stars then the pendulum can swing as I read. I tend to be patient with this genre because world building takes time, but if the book lacks clear focus or there's something significant I didn't like by the 20-25% mark, I'm bailing.
This might be the writer's mind, but in my reviews, I like to hone in on those overarching story elements like general themes, characters, tension, and writing style. Sometimes pop culture references pop into my mind but I keep these out.
I only rate and review books if I consider them a 4- or 5-star level. Yes, I know this goes against what I just said above about any rating or review being helpful. But I'm not a regular reader. I'm part of the publishing industry now, and I understand how much work goes into creating a novel. I want to keep things positive.
As for a 5-star rating…ooh, a story has to be amazing to get that! I am a picky reader and little surprises me. A 4-star means I had an overall great experience with a book, even if there wasn't anything overt that I didn’t like. A 5-star rated book has to knock my socks off into the next universe, even with any perceived flaws. Usually this happens in a novel's third act, where there is a greater sense of urgency or unexpected twists and turns. If I'm freaking out, the book’s getting a 5!
For your next read—any book—consider writing a review on Amazon or Goodreads, or even consider just providing a rating. Readers will find it helpful and we authors very much appreciate it. :)