As humans, in order to survive, we need a few essential items—like water and nutrients, clothing and shelter, and some kind of social support system, usually made up of friends, family, and community.

As a writer, I have similar needs. I thrive on ideas, creativity, and readers who validate my efforts. But in today’s marketplace environment, there’s something else I need in order to survive—social proof.

What’s your buying behavior?

Think about how you shop online. Before I click the buy button, I read the reviews, and so do most other online consumers. Products live or die by the quantity and quality of social proof they can provide.

It’s no different with books. In fact, readers pay a lot of attention to those little yellow stars and from a writer’s perspective I can tell you reviews are hard to come by.

One minute makes all the difference

That’s why I appreciate it so tremendously when a reader takes the time to post an honest review of my work. It helps other readers choose to give my books a chance and the more people who purchase my books, the more time I can devote to writing new ones!

It may only take a minute of your life to compose and post a review, but it makes a world of difference to me and provides a guidepost for other readers, too.

If you’ve read and enjoyed any of my books, please accept my invitation to leave a review on Amazon, Goodreads, BookBub, or elsewhere.

Thank you so much to my readers who show their support and appreciation by reviewing my books. Gold stars all around!

How about you? How often do you post a review after reading a book? Do you read reviews when purchasing a book? Tell us about it in the comments!