How to get reviews in a language you cannot read

You get the first reviews in a new language by hand: real readers in that language who received a copy in advance and were asked for an honest opinion. There is no shortcut, and the shortcuts offered to you for money must not be taken — that is not a matter of taste but of law and of store policy.

The problem is real: a book page with no reviews puts readers off, and readers are the source of reviews. The way out of that circle is to start before launch.

What is forbidden, and why it is not a debate

The US Federal Trade Commission adopted a rule banning the buying and selling of fake reviews, and expressly banning payment or incentives conditioned on writing a review expressing a particular sentiment — positive or negative.

The rule also covers insider reviews where the connection is not disclosed. Which means a family member writing a review without saying who they are falls into that category too.

Beyond the law, stores delete such reviews when they spot them. It also does not work: a reader who notices a row of hollow reviews in clumsy language concludes exactly the opposite of what you wanted.

Where the first readers come from

By hand, from four places.

Reader groups in the target language devoted to your genre. These exist for almost every genre and language, and their members read a great deal.

Accounts and blogs that write about books like yours in that language. A personal approach explaining why this particular book suits them works; a copied one does not.

Readers you already have who speak the language. If you have a mailing list, there are people on it who will be glad to.

And local libraries and reading groups, which are sometimes more open than an author approaching from outside expects.

How to ask properly

Give the book with no conditions, and ask for an honest opinion. The wording that works is simple: I have sent you a copy, if you want to write what you thought I would be glad, and it is completely fine if it is not a good review.

Do not ask for a positive review, do not offer anything in return, and do not send reminders. The line between a legitimate request and a breach sits exactly on the word "conditioned".

What to do before you ask

One thing, and it is the most important: make sure the book really is ready in that language.

A first review saying the text reads like a translation sits on the book page forever, and it cannot be removed. So the right order is to have a native speaker read a chapter before launch, not after. We explained how in how to review a translation in a language you cannot read.

How long this takes

Longer than it seems. Between sending a copy and a review appearing there are usually weeks, because the reader has to read a whole book.

So you approach early readers before launch rather than after, and you decide in advance: how many copies you are willing to give away, and how many people you approach.

And prepare yourself for modest numbers. A large share of the people who receive a copy will write nothing, which is entirely normal and says nothing about the book.

What to do once you have a few

Use them. One sentence from a real review in the target language, inside the book description, is worth more than a paragraph of praise you wrote about yourself.

And remember that the book description in the new language is not a translation of the old one but marketing text written again for this reader. We wrote about that in titles and blurbs are rewritten, not translated. The rest of the questions are collected in our frequently asked questions.