Soliciting reviews from readers

[jcsalomon]

My client has requested I include a page just after the main matter that looks something like this:

Thanks for reading Book Title.

Please leave a review or share to let other readers know about this important book:

[ Amazon ] [Goodreads]
[Facebook] [ Twitter ]

where each [company] is that site’s logo, intended to be the appropriate link for that site. (Links to create reviews on Amazon & Goodreads; links to pre-populate Facebook or Twitter posts on those sites. I’ve worked out what those URLs need to be.)

My reading of the Kindle Publishing Guidelines (2019.1) §7.2 suggests this is allowed. If anybody knows different, please tell me and I’ll inform my client.

What’s the cleanest way to display this table of logos? Simple table? Complicated-code table? Does anyone have an example I can crib from?

[Tex2002ans]

Originally Posted by jcsalomon

What’s the cleanest way to display this table of logos? Simple table? Complicated-code table? Does anyone have an example I can crib from?

I just answered a similar one here:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...53#post3831853

I believe it's best to have images/logos + human-readable URLs below.

Not everyone is going to have internet-connected devices, not every device is going to have touch, and not every device is going to handle images within <a> tags.

[j.p.s]

Isn't this redundant to what amazon already does at the end of books?

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by j.p.s

Isn't this redundant to what amazon already does at the end of books?

Yes, certainly insofar as Amazon reviews go. Not to mention, the review links to Amazon frequently don't work or allow the review to be written.

Half of the Kindles don't have viable browsers, for one thing. Most people just ignore that or forget it. The outbound links in iOS device readers are deliberately disabled. Putting embedded links into ANYTHING is a bad idea, because those 50% of readers can't get there from here.

Not to mention, using images as a link is a bad idea, because the javascript that launches links also launches image zoom--first. Most people have no idea how to achieve the link, that's inside an image, on a Kindle.

So, other than all that, yeah, it's a wonderful idea. /sarcasm. You might wish to explain to your client that a simple paragraph saying something like "a review at" any of those places (only Amazon matters, FWIW) "would be greatly appreciated" or words to that effect.

Otherwise, you're just bouncing your head against the wall, aligning those, etc. for very little good effect.

Hitch

[jcsalomon]

Originally Posted by j.p.s

Isn't this redundant to what amazon already does at the end of books?

Probably, yes; and I said so. But I’m the typesetter not the marketing guy, so…

Originally Posted by Hitch

Not to mention, the review links to Amazon frequently don't work or allow the review to be written.

Half of the Kindles don't have viable browsers, for one thing. Most people just ignore that or forget it. The outbound links in iOS device readers are deliberately disabled. Putting embedded links into ANYTHING is a bad idea, because those 50% of readers can't get there from here.

Good to know.

Originally Posted by Hitch

Not to mention, using images as a link is a bad idea, because the javascript that launches links also launches image zoom--first. Most people have no idea how to achieve the link, that's inside an image, on a Kindle.

So, other than all that, yeah, it's a wonderful idea. /sarcasm. You might wish to explain to your client that a simple paragraph saying something like "a review at" any of those places (only Amazon matters, FWIW) "would be greatly appreciated" or words to that effect.

I got them to go for text links by pointing out that I could not determine whether use of Amazon’s logo for this purpose was permitted.

Originally Posted by Tex2002ans

I just answered a similar one here:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...53#post3831853

Thank you; I’ll take a look.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by jcsalomon

I got them to go for text links by pointing out that I could not determine whether use of Amazon’s logo for this purpose was permitted.

Ooooh, what a clever juggins you are!!! Well done.


Hitch