Writing a book is a huge endeavor filled with many exciting milestones and decisions, and the work doesn’t stop with a finished manuscript. Putting a book out into the world brings a whole host of new opportunities and challenges for authors as they work to get their books into the hands of readers.

A recent New York Times article about review bombing on Goodreads created quite a stir in the publishing community and left authors feeling uncertain about setting up giveaways for their new books. However, reviews are a vital component of any book marketing campaign, and a lack of reviews can be much more detrimental than a lukewarm or negative review.

The reality of publishing a book is that bad book reviews happen. Even the most acclaimed writers get bad reviews, whether it's from the New York Times Book Review or an anonymous reviewer on Amazon. Evaluating a book is a subjective process, and personal preferences won’t always match the book. The important thing is to take negative reviews in stride and to not engage with negative book reviewers. Trying to defend your book typically only brings more attention to the bad review.

That being said, reviews are instrumental in providing social proof, particularly for debut authors. Generating reviews leading up to and around your book’s publication date builds momentum, word of mouth, and discoverability and can also influence a new reader’s purchasing decision. Thoughtful reviews that not only address positive but also negative responses to the book create engagement among readers.

Greeenleaf’s CEO, Tanya Hall, spoke with Mimi Chan, Senior Marketing Manager at Goodreads, in Published Podcast Episode 60 on “How to Promote Your Book Successfully Using Goodreads.” In this episode, Mimi shares best practices for authors looking to engage with readers in the Goodreads community. She discusses the importance of developing a presence on the site, fostering conversation, and encouraging reviews. She also addresses authors’ reservations about receiving negative reviews, stating that “92 percent of the reviews on the site have three stars or higher,” and, based on community research, “when a book on the site has a mix of reviews, both one star all the way up to five stars, readers really start to trust the reviews and the ratings for that book.”

While it’s understandable for authors to be concerned about negative reviews, ultimately the benefits of creating awareness for your book, generating interest, and driving authentic engagement with readers makes giveaways a worthwhile endeavor.