The Difference Between Editorial Reviews and Reader Reviews

Two Types of Reviews — Completely Different Purposes

If you ask most authors what they want for their book, they will say "more reviews." But not all reviews are created equal, and understanding the difference between editorial reviews and reader reviews is essential for building a book marketing strategy that actually works.

These two types of reviews serve different audiences, carry different levels of authority, and belong in different places in your marketing. Using them strategically — rather than treating all reviews as interchangeable — can dramatically improve how your book is perceived and how well it sells.

What Are Reader Reviews?

Reader reviews are written by members of the general public who have read your book. They appear primarily on:

• Amazon (star ratings and written reviews)
• Goodreads (the dominant reader review platform)
• Barnes and Noble's website
• Apple Books
• Personal book blogs and social media posts

Reader reviews reflect the genuine experience of your target audience. They are written in the language of readers, not critics, and they tend to focus on enjoyment, emotional response, and personal relevance. "I couldn't put it down" and "This book changed how I think about X" are the kinds of things reader reviews say.

What reader reviews are good for:

• Building social proof on retail platforms (Amazon algorithm rewards books with more reviews)
• Reassuring fence-sitting buyers that real people enjoyed the book
• Organic discovery through Goodreads recommendations and word-of-mouth

What reader reviews cannot do:

• Establish credibility with book clubs, librarians, or media
• Function as press materials
• Provide the kind of authoritative endorsement that signals professional quality

What Are Editorial Reviews?

Editorial reviews are written by professional reviewers, book industry critics, or credentialed services. They appear in publications like Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Booklist, Library Journal, and through professional review services like Accessory to Success.

Editorial reviews are written by people who read professionally and evaluate books against genre conventions, craft standards, and market context. They use the vocabulary of publishing, they reference comparable titles, and they provide the kind of contextual analysis that helps booksellers, librarians, and media make decisions about a book.

What editorial reviews are good for:

• Press kits and media outreach
• Library and bookstore pitches
• Book club selection materials
• Amazon's "Editorial Reviews" section (separate from customer reviews)
• Author website credibility
• Pitching to foreign rights buyers and agents

What editorial reviews cannot do:

• Replace the social proof of many individual reader reviews on retail platforms
• Drive Amazon algorithm performance the way customer review counts do

The Authority Gap

One of the most important distinctions between editorial and reader reviews is authority. When a consumer sees five hundred Amazon reviews averaging 4.7 stars, they feel confident that real people liked the book. When an industry professional sees a Kirkus starred review or a Reedsy editorial review, they feel confident that the book has been evaluated by someone with professional expertise.

These are different types of confidence, and they work on different audiences. For your typical casual reader browsing Amazon, reader reviews carry enormous weight. For the librarian deciding which books to order, the book club leader selecting next month's read, or the journalist looking for a book to feature, editorial reviews are what matter.

According to Reedsy, many self-published authors underinvest in editorial reviews because they are focused on accumulating Amazon stars. This is a strategic mistake — it optimizes for one channel while leaving significant marketing value on the table.

Where Each Type of Review Belongs in Your Marketing

Your Amazon Page

Amazon has two distinct sections for reviews: the "Customer Reviews" section (reader reviews) and the "Editorial Reviews" section. Most self-published authors are familiar with customer reviews but overlook the Editorial Reviews section entirely. This is where you can place quotes from professional reviews, blurbs from credible sources, and excerpts from media coverage. It is prime real estate on your product page, and it signals professional quality to every browser who scrolls past it.

Your Author Website

Your author website should feature editorial reviews prominently — ideally on your homepage and on individual book pages. Reader review quotes can supplement, but a professional review quote from a credible source is what gives a first-time visitor the confidence to take you seriously.

Your Press Kit

Your press kit should include editorial reviews exclusively. A journalist or podcast host reviewing your press materials will not be moved by a collection of Amazon star ratings. They need to see that your book has been evaluated by credible professional sources.

Your Email Marketing

Both types of reviews have a place in email marketing, but for different purposes. Use editorial review quotes to build authority and credibility in launch emails and press-related outreach. Use reader review snippets to create relatability and social proof in general subscriber communications.

Social Media

Reader reviews often make better social media content because they are personal, enthusiastic, and written in the voice of your audience. "This book made me cry on the subway" is shareable. An editorial review excerpt is more appropriate for a LinkedIn post or a formal announcement.

How to Get More of Both

Getting More Reader Reviews

• Ask directly in your author newsletter — and make it easy with a direct link
• Include a review request in your book's back matter
• Run an ARC (advance reader copy) program through NetGalley or BookSirens
• Engage with your Goodreads author page and respond to reviews graciously

Getting More Editorial Reviews

• Submit to Kirkus Indie, Publishers Weekly Select, or Foreword Reviews before launch
• Use professional review services that provide credible, well-written editorial reviews
• Pitch independent book blogs that specialize in your genre
• Build relationships with book reviewers in your genre over time

The Timing Question: Which Do You Need First?

This is a question every author faces: do you prioritize reader reviews or editorial reviews when launching a book?

The answer depends on your goals. If you are launching wide to retail and want to optimize Amazon performance quickly, getting your first twenty-five to fifty reader reviews in the first few weeks is your priority. If you are planning a press campaign, pitching to librarians, or building toward a large formal launch, editorial reviews need to come first — ideally before publication so you can use them in your launch materials.

Ideally, you pursue both in parallel: submit for editorial reviews three to four months before launch, and plan your ARC program to generate reader reviews in the weeks immediately before and after release. By launch day, you have both — the professional credibility of editorial reviews and the social proof of reader reviews.

Professional Reviews That Work as Marketing Assets

Not all professional review services deliver the same quality. What you need are reviews that are genuinely well-written, specific enough to be credible, and positioned to serve as marketing assets across multiple channels.

Accessory to Success specializes in exactly this: professional editorial reviews that help your book perform in pitches, on your Amazon page, in your press kit, and in your email marketing campaigns.

Ready to add professional editorial reviews to your book marketing toolkit? Order a professional book review from Accessory to Success and get the credibility your book deserves.

Final Thoughts

Editorial reviews and reader reviews are not competitors — they are partners. Each one does something the other cannot. The most successful indie authors build both, deploy them strategically, and use them to open doors that neither type could open alone.

Start with a clear understanding of which type of review you need for your next goal, and build your review strategy around that. For more guidance on book marketing, launch strategy, and author platform building, visit the Accessory to Success blog.