The truth about Amazon KDP's review algorithm!
Most of us self-publishers know what it’s like to compulsively refresh the KDP dashboard and Amazon listings, hoping to see sales and book reviews start rolling in. We also know how disappointing it can be when nothing shows up. But don’t panic! There’s usually a reason for that. Sometimes, Amazon just needs a few days to sort through things on their end and authenticate the reviews or refresh their data. We’ll discuss their process a little bit below.
If you're new here, this is the segment of our blog post where we answer real questions by real students inside our growing community of tens of thousands of AIA students from all over the world. This particular self-publishing FAQ post was inspired by an AIA student of ours named Bobbie.
Here's what he posted:
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So, what's the answer?
Amazon outlines its KDP review policy, but the gist is that they’ve really started cracking down on reviews to make sure they’re coming from real people who are interacting with your content or product in good faith.
The process is typically automatic on their end, using their secret algorithm to detect bots and bias. But sometimes, reviews are flagged and have to be checked through a manual process instead. It might be annoying, but this is in the best interest of all the authors, publishers, and readers.
That’s why you might not always see your reviews show up on your book page right away.
Pro Tip: Where we’ve seen students go wrong is to have people who share their addresses review their books. This raises flags at Amazon and can even get the reviewers’ accounts banned because it looks like potential fraud. Having distant relatives and colleagues provide honest reviews is one thing. Having your husband or wife automatically give you five stars is another. Beware! Amazon takes this very seriously.
This might not be the answer you’re looking for, but the truth is that there’s not much you can do about a negative review. Unless you have distinct proof that the review is fake or against Amazon’s terms of service, it will likely stick to your book page. If you do have proof, you can email it to their support team; otherwise, it’s best to move on! Focus on providing as much value as possible, and the rest will follow.
Besides, a negative review can actually be a good thing! It adds credibility to your positive reviews, showing readers that all the feedback you're getting is real and not just filled with overly positive fluff. So, this way, a mix of reviews can make the good ones seem even more trustworthy.
Plus, negative feedback gives you a chance to improve your work and make all your future books even better (and if it's not constructive feedback, then is it really worth spending any time hyper fixating on anyway?).
There’s an entire lesson dedicated to reviews in our AI Publishing Academy, which walks through three of the best ways to gather book reviews on Amazon:
We tell our students to aim for an absolute minimum of 50 reviews per book. But quite honestly, you’re going to need double that to start seeing traction. Once you hit 100 reviews, that’s typically when the organic sales for your book start rolling in, and you’ll see a nice jump in your royalties (but don’t get complacent just because you hit 100).
Focusing on just one book at a time and nailing the pre-launch, launch, and post-launch is the best thing you can do for yourself.
Who is AIA right for? It’s right for you if…
Here’s what some of our Trustpilot-verified students have to say:
Visit our Student Success Hub for more motivation or check out our no-cost webinar to see how the #1 Amazon publishing model works!
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