Launch guides for indie authors
Short, practical and inside Amazon's rules. New guide most weeks.
- Amazon reviewsARC services
The 7 ways to get book reviews in 2026, ranked by what you actually pay for
ARC catalogues, send-out lists, subscriptions, per-review marketplaces, trade catalogues, author exchanges and your own list: what each charges for, who it suits, and the arithmetic.
November 6, 2026 · 9 min read
- Amazon reviewsAmazon rules
Verified Purchase vs unverified Amazon reviews: does the badge matter?
What the Verified Purchase badge means, why ARC reviews don't carry it, how Amazon weighs each, and why you should never pay anyone to buy your book.
November 6, 2026 · 5 min read
- Amazon reviewsBacklist
How to get reviews for a book you published months or years ago
Backlist books are not stuck with the reviews they launched with. A relaunch plan: fix the page, add recent reviews, then send traffic.
November 6, 2026 · 5 min read
- Amazon rulesAmazon reviews
Amazon's book review rules, explained for self-published authors (2026)
What authors may and may not do to get reviews, the difference between ARC copies and paid reviews, and the patterns that get reviews removed.
November 4, 2026 · 6 min read
- Book launchAmazon reviews
How to get your first 10 Amazon reviews with no mailing list
A debut author's playbook: five sources of early reviews that do not need a newsletter, what each one costs in time or money, and a two-week schedule.
November 4, 2026 · 7 min read
- ARC readersBook launch
How to make an ARC that readers actually finish
Formats, file size, the Send to Kindle trick, and the three mistakes that make advance readers give up before chapter two.
November 4, 2026 · 5 min read
- Book launchBook marketing
A $200 book launch budget, line by line
Where a small launch budget goes furthest: reviews first, then a cover check, then ads, and the two things not worth paying for at all.
November 4, 2026 · 6 min read
- Kindle UnlimitedBook launch
Launching in Kindle Unlimited: reviews, page reads and the first 30 days
How KU changes the launch math, why reviews matter more for borrows than for sales, and a 30-day plan for a Select launch.
November 4, 2026 · 6 min read
- Amazon reviewsAuthor mindset
You got a 2-star review. Now what?
Why a low review usually helps your listing, the one case where you can report it, and what never to do.
November 4, 2026 · 4 min read
- Amazon reviewsGoodreads
Goodreads vs Amazon reviews: which one sells books
What each platform's reviews do, why Goodreads ratings run lower, and where to send readers first when you can only ask once.
November 4, 2026 · 5 min read
- Book launchSelf-publishing
Launch-week checklist for self-published authors
A dated checklist from three weeks out to day fourteen: listing, advance copies, reviews, ads and the mistakes that undo a launch.
November 2, 2026 · 6 min read
- ARC readersPricing
BookSirens vs Booksprout vs ReadRipple: what a review really costs
The three pricing models for ARC services, worked out as cost per review that actually appears, with the questions to ask before you pay.
November 2, 2026 · 6 min read
- Amazon reviewsEmail templates
The honest way to ask readers for a review (with templates)
Where to ask, when to ask, what to say and what never to say, plus four copy-and-paste templates that stay inside Amazon's rules.
November 1, 2026 · 6 min read
- Amazon reviewsSelf-publishing
Why your Amazon reviews disappear, and how to keep them
The seven reasons Amazon removes or hides book reviews, how to tell which one hit you, and the habits that keep a review row intact for years.
November 1, 2026 · 7 min read
- Amazon reviewsReview swaps
Are review swaps safe? What Amazon actually enforces
Why swapping reviews with other authors is the most common way indie books lose their reviews, how Amazon detects it, and what to do instead.
October 31, 2026 · 6 min read
- Amazon AdsBook launch
How many reviews a book needs before Amazon Ads pay off
Why ads on a review-less listing lose money, the review thresholds that change shopper behaviour, and a launch order that makes ad spend work.
October 31, 2026 · 6 min read
- Amazon reviewsBook launch
How to get Amazon reviews for a new book without breaking the rules
What Amazon actually allows, the three ways indie authors get their first reviews, and how to do it so the reviews stay up.
October 30, 2026 · 7 min read
- ARC readersBook marketing
What ARC readers are, and where to find them in 2026
Advance reader copies explained for first-time authors: who ARC readers are, what they expect, and the four places to find them.
October 30, 2026 · 6 min read
See how ReadRipple compares
Per verified review vs listing fees vs subscriptions, side by side.