General Questions

Is BookRoar a reliable way to get reviews?

Yes. Our rules are carefully designed to follow Amazon’s Community Guidelines, which state reviews must be authentic, respectful, and honest, and never influenced by the product’s owner (or author). BookRoar's methodology ensures our reviews are legitimate and authentic.

Which Amazon marketplaces do you accept reviews from?

We accept reviews from the United States (.com), Canada (.ca), Mexico (.com.mx), the United Kingdom (.co.uk), Germany (.de), France (.fr), Italy (.it), Spain (.es), Japan (.jp), Australia (.com.au), the Netherlands (.nl), and Belgium (.com.be). You can expect to get reviews on any of these Amazon marketplaces.

Do you accept self-published and traditionally published books?

Yes. We accept all books available on Kindle. They must, however, be written in English as we don't support other languages.

I'm not an author. Can I use BookRoar?

Yes! All readers and BookTokers are welcome. Authors can also ask someone to read and review books on their behalf, as long as they share the same BookRoar account.

Do I need a Kindle to use BookRoar?

Ideally, yes, as your book selections should be purchased digitally. There is a free Kindle App on Android/iOS which you can download to a smartphone or tablet. The Assistive Reader is a really useful feature which reads books to you and can help you get through the pages quickly.

Review Guidelines & Quality

Can I use AI software to create my review?

Absolutely not. BookRoar is strictly an AI-free zone. We reject low-effort, fake, or AI-generated reviews instantly.

Do you have a minimum star rating?

Yes, a minimum of three stars is required on all reviews. Use Amazon's 'Look Inside' feature to get a feel for a book before choosing it.

What happens if I can’t award a book the minimum three star rating?

If you can, claim a refund on Amazon and return the book to the Review Pool without leaving the review. If you cannot claim a refund, contact us via our Contact Page and we will guide you through the private submission process. You will still get the Credit and the author can get your feedback without harming their book's public image.

Why do I need to purchase the book from Amazon/read it in full on Kindle Unlimited?

This is what makes BookRoar unique and the most effective review site around. Purchasing (or borrowing) the books directly from Amazon provides authors with royalties, a bump in the sales rankings, and often a "Verified Purchase" badge. You will always get some of what you spend back when you are selected for review.

Author Safety

What is a ‘review swap’ and why is it a bad idea?

A review swap occurs when authors directly review each other's books. The practice is (rightfully) banned by Amazon due to the lack of scrutiny and honesty in these reviews. BookRoar has numerous safeguards in place to ensure you will never enter into a review swap with another author, so you can have confidence that the reviews you leave and recieve through us are protected and secure.

I’ve seen an author on BookRoar who I have reviewed/been reviewed by before. How do I prevent a review swap?

Send us a message with their name and book details. We'll add them to your BookRoar "blacklist" so your books cannot be selected for review by them.

Why do you show each book individually? Can you not show me more than one book at a time?

Each member has a curated list of books which are available for them to review as we remove the books by authors who have reviewed them. As such, the Review Pool is constantly changing and updating, so showing multiple books at a time isn't an option. Showing books individually helps keep members safe from review swaps and ensures each book has the best chance of being selected.

How does BookRoar stop Amazon taking down reviews?

To safeguard your reviews, we firstly never share any Amazon hyperlinks. This stops the exchange of metadata which can tie two Amazon accounts together. We also focus on delivering quality reviews based on honesty and integrity, and never offer paid incentives to reviewers. This means we are never in breach of Amazon's Community Guidelines.

How do you stop ‘revenge reviews’?

This is luckily very rare. Members who post retaliatory reviews face a permanent ban from BookRoar. If you are concerned about 'revenge reviews', you can create an alias account on Goodreads to protect your identity.

Credits & Subscriptions

Is there a limit to how many reviews I can have ongoing at the same time?

Nope! As long as you have Credits assigned to your book, we will keep offering it out for review until they are all used up.

Can I hoard Credits in anticipation of my next book?

Yes. We strongly recommend building a stack of Credits as part of your marketing strategy for a new book launch or promotion.

Do you sell Credits?

We sell a limited monthly batch of Credits for $25 each. If we have run out, email in to join the waiting list. Priority access is given to Extra members.

How does the BookRoar subscription work?

A BookRoar subscription is only needed when you are reviewing books and building Credits. You can freely use any Credits in your account even when your subscription is cancelled or suspended, meaning you won't have to pay to get your book reviewed. You will need to reactivate your subscription again in order to gain access to the Review Pool.

Is there a limit to how many reviews I can acquire?

Nope. You can use BookRoar as often as you like. Just set yourself a goal and don’t stop until you reach it!

I have more than one pen name. Do I need a separate BookRoar account?

No, please use only one account for all your books and pen names. It is the only way we can protect you from engaging in a review swap.

Processes & Problems

I really don’t like the book I have chosen or I have been misled on its price. Can I put it back?

Of course! You can return a book at any time from the main Dashboard. You will, however, have to make your own inquiries with Amazon to get a refund.

What is the earliest I can notify BookRoar that I have left a review?

You can submit a review to BookRoar 48 hours after the book was selected. This is to ensure the reviewer engages with the book and gives thoughtful and constructive feedback to the author. We will allow early submission for fast readers or those who have selected children’s books or novellas.

I submitted a review to BookRoar - when will I get my Credit?

Reviews go to the author for moderation and they will release the Credit to the reviewer when the review is visible on Amazon and Goodreads. Amazon can, on occasion, take seven days to make the review Live, so we allow the author the same amount of time to approve a review. If they do not approve the review when the timer expires, the Credit transfer will happen automatically.

Amazon are taking forever to publish my review. Can you help?

We wish! Amazon sometimes take a while to process a review and there is nothing we can do to speed them along. Once you have submitted the review, leave it alone and patiently wait for the confirmation email to arrive.

How do I locate reviews left for me on Amazon?

Head to the Amazon marketplace your reviewer left the review on and sort reviews by "Most Recent". Don't panic if you cannot see the review straight away - it can take some time to appear.

Can I just get reviews on a specific Amazon marketplace?

BookRoar works by connecting authors from around the globe, therefore any reviews will be posted on the reviewer’s local Amazon marketplace (i.e. Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.jp). A review is still a review, no matter where it is posted, and there are still thousands of customers around the world who will read it.

Community & Support

I haven't received any e-mails from BookRoar. What’s going on?

We send e-mails out regularly with important updates and notifications. If you do not recieve these e-mails, check your Junk folder and mark them as 'Not Junk'.

I have further questions or need assistance.

We are always on hand to help. Please email us at support@bookroar.com.