Hello Eggplant Lover, !
Important, please read this disclaimer, and review policy information.
It has come to my attention that Amazon has done some tweaking to their review policies and been cracking down on reviews, even ones that are legit and follow their policies! (Shock Face) They have been taking this out on reviewers and even suspending accounts!
What's new? The big guns keeping the little fries down and all that jazz, but I assure you all of my signup forms and being on this team are within their policies, as I have stated many times that being on my ARC/Street team does not require any one to review the book at all, there are many ways to support an author without reviews, including sharing the book on socials, or simply reading and catching typos, finding marketable quotes to help with my marketing efforts, and being an overall cheerleader/participant within my author journey.
Please be aware that if you do choose to review on Amazon, which is majorly helpful for reach and being seen by new readers, so a heart-felt thank you if you choose to do so, please remember NOT to use the word "EXCHANGE" anywhere in your review, even if you are mentioning the Alien-Human Exchange Trade. It is common for ARC readers to use the phrase "I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review." DO NOT use this phrase! It is now against Amazon policies.
It is a triggering word for Amazon bots to flag your review.
If you are going to say that you received the book for free, which is great for transparency, you must use the language "I received the book for free and am reviewing voluntarily." DO NOT say "in exchange, or for free for an honest review" Or anything that denotes that you are leaving a review BECAUSE you got it for free.
You are part of an ARC team of early readers, and I make it very clear throughout this process that being on my team is OPT-IN for every single book, and reviews are optional. I do not kick people off my team for not reviewing, the only way to be removed from my street team is by being inactive.
What does it mean to be inactive? It means not sharing the book in some form or another, or participating by catching typos and helping make the book better for the next reader!
Inactive has nothing to do with whether you review or not. If you are not reviewing, you can share the book by:
WAYS to be ACTIVE without Reviewing:
- Adding the book to your TBR on Goodreads, liking reviews of my books so that they show up in your reader feed.
- "Recommending" the book on Bookbub (That's right, you can recommend it without reviewing or adding a star rating, which places the book on your feed for other book lovers to see the book!)
- Share the book on Facebook reader groups by recommending it when a reader asks for something that matches the book!
- Create Social Media posts and share them!
- Share my Instagram posts with your socials.
- Tell a friend about the book that you think might love it!
Think of a way to boost the book and help out! <3 Every little bit helps in spreading the good alien peen word.
There are a few of you on my street team that are unable to review on Amazon, and that's okay, as reviewing is not a requirement for being on my team or receiving an ARC.
And of course, YES, you can review the book as it does help me reach new readers and help the book be more searchable by the algorithms on Amazon. (Again, not required to be part of this team, or to have received your ARC copy. So, there is no exchange for an honest review. If you want to review the book and help an indie author out, it is voluntary.
If you want to be transparent about having received the book for free, you can use this language, "I received a free copy and am voluntarily leaving an honest review."
Again, this addition to your potential review is not required, as receiving the book was NOT in EXCHANGE for anything, you were on my Street Team regardless, and actively "opted-in" to receive the ARC simply for being part of my team with no requirement to review. Even Beta Readers choose to read the book early to help catch typos so ARC readers can have a more enjoyable experience, they too were given the book for typo-killing, and not in exchange for any review.
Will I remind everyone when the book launches and is available for reviews to be posted on Amazon when the Paperback is launched? YES, I will, as I will try to make the process of reviewing easier by giving links, and encourage sharing your thoughts, but the process is always voluntary, and I always want your thoughts to be honest, and if you feel moved to assist an indie in making a splash at launch time, then YAY!
IMPORTANT NOTE:
If you are concerned about being flagged for reviewing the book early, please do hold on to your review until April 2nd 2024 for launch. If you have Kindle Unlimited, you may choose to read the book through the subscription service, or grab the book for 2.99 and support the universe by being a verified purchase.
I just received the paperback art back from my cover designer, and so I'll have the paperback up and running within the next 72 hours, so you are welcome to place your reviews on the paperback until ebook launch on April 2nd!
And YES, I LOVE getting emails from you all, so feel free to email me your thoughts on the book, it fills me with joy and fluffies that encourage me to keep writing the next book.
Around the launch of a new book, I always get anxious, and my self doubts about whether I'm a real author come in and all of your enthusiasm really makes me smile and pushes those dark thoughts into the sun to burn, and sizzle.
I'm always learning, trying to improve and make the next book more enjoyable for people. Hopefully I've given you a fun escape that can give you the strength to face the days! I find reading adventures and romance really help me reconnect with my life and give me a more positive attitude... excepting when I'm interrupted... It's like being unplugged before I'm charged up. haha.
There are no links or images to improve visibility of the email, and make sure everyone can read this.
If you voluntarily wish to review Her Alien Warrior, I will provide links to do so and share people's reviews and thoughts with my newsletter for promotion and sharing how lovely your words make me feel.
Also, keep in mind if reviews intimidate you, remember they are simply your thoughts on what you've read and it can be as simple as "This book gave me all the feels! I love alien romances and this was no exception!" I'm not the best reviewer. Sometimes, I have lots to say, and sometimes I don't.
Tips for reviews should you choose to:
Think about if you were talking to a friend and they asked, what are you reading? Or you know your friend likes alien romances and you want them to read the book, what would you say to them?
That's it, just be honest, and share what you're thinking! That's really the only tip I have for reviews, other than don't worry about if your review is good or not. There is no such thing as good or not. It's your experience.
I know that was a lot, hopefully it was helpful, but I wanted to make sure everyone was comfy and is being kept informed on new crack down policies.
~Sky
(no links, no images. Feel free to search your inbox for my email skyrobertromances if you want links and images for the ARC team.)
PS: It means the world to me that you're part of my team, and many of you have returned book after book, and I love you for it!
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