Why You Should Review Cozy Mystery Books

One question I get from Cozy Experience readers frequently is,

I want to review cozy mystery books, but I’m not sure how to begin. How do you get started as a book reviewer?

Reviewing cozy mystery books is quite simple and not as overwhelming as it may sound. Over the next couple weeks, I’m going to share with you how to start reviewing cozy mysteries, where to find all the best new releases, where to post your reviews, and more. But first, why would anyone want to take the time to review cozy mystery books anyway?

It Helps Your Favorite Authors

The publishing world is a crazy place. It is always changing and you never know what is going on behind the scenes at a given time. Publishers are using metrics as part of their equation to determine what authors and series will continue on. By taking a couple minutes to post a review online, we are helping our favorite authors gain visibility and showing their publisher we enjoyed the book and want more. Increased numbers of reviews can also help authors stay higher in Amazon searches, help their books make it onto online retailer’s emails, and more.

It Helps You Keep it all Straight

Have you ever picked up a book and tried to remember if you’ve already read it? Or what you thought of previous installments of the series? Book reviewing can be a great way for you to track your own personal reading and know what you’ve read and what you thought of it. I go back to my Goodreads book lists frequently to check what I thought about a particular book.

It is Fun!

Reviewing books is just plain fun. It allows you to put your thoughts down on paper, talk about those thoughts with other readers, and let your favorite authors know what you thought of their work. The conversations I’ve had through book blogging have been amazing. I’ve met some interesting people and it’s always a thrill when the author reaches out to say thank you or share your review with their followers.

You don’t need a blog to review cozy mystery books.

Blogs are great and if you are interested in starting one, I’ll be the first person in your corner to cheer you on (I’ll actually teach you how to set one up by the end of this series), however, they are not a must for a book reviewer. If you are interested in reviewing books, start simple. Pick a book you like, read it, and write down your thoughts. It doesn’t have to be fancy. Just a simple, “Great book – I loved it!” is a great start.

Want to Know More?

When I sat down to discuss the topic of cozy mystery book blogging, I realized I had more to say than could be contained in one post. Thus, I’m going to break my thoughts into a series that will be rolling out over the next couple weeks. Topics I’ll cover will include:

• Why You Should Review Cozy Mystery Books (this post)
• How to Write a Good Book Review
• Where to Post Your Book Reviews
• Places to Find Books to Review (and get all the best new releases)
• How to Start a Cozy Mystery Blog

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Have a question on book blogging that you don’t see on the list? Tell me in the comments so I can be sure to cover it.