Goodreads vs. Amazon Reviews: Why Authors Need Both

You know reviews matter. But as soon as you start researching where those reviews should appear, suddenly the advice gets complicated:

Should you focus on Amazon because that’s where people buy books?

Does Goodreads matter more for reaching dedicated readers?

And if Amazon removes a review, does that mean something went wrong with your strategy?

The good news is the decision about Goodreads vs. Amazon reviews doesn’t need to become an either-or one. Both platforms support parts of the reader journey, and authors benefit when they understand how to use each.

Amazon reviews appear close to the point where readers decide whether to purchase a book. Goodreads reviews live in a community built around discovering, tracking, discussing, and evaluating books. Together, they give prospective readers more opportunities to encounter your work and hear what other readers think about it.

When you understand those differences, you can build a book review strategy that feels much more manageable.

Amazon and Goodreads reviews do different jobs

Is Goodreads or Amazon better for book reviews?

Neither platform is universally better. Amazon book reviews primarily help readers evaluate a book when they’re already considering a purchase. Goodreads book reviews support reader discovery, community conversation, and early awareness, including before a book officially launches.

Think about the reader’s mindset on each platform.

That distinction matters because a reader doesn’t necessarily buy a title as soon as they discover it. Someone might first see your book on Goodreads, add it to a shelf, encounter early reactions from other readers, and later find the book again while shopping.

A strong review presence supports both moments. That’s also why you should think beyond review quantity alone. Factors that matter include where readers encounter those reviews, what they learn from them, and where the readers are in their decision process.

If you’re still considering different ways to build that foundation, our guide to free and paid review sites provides additional context on the options available to indie authors.

How Amazon reviews support the buying decision

Why are Amazon book reviews important?

Amazon reviews give prospective buyers another source of information while they evaluate your book. Readers compare the description and other listing details with reactions from people who have already read the book. With this info, they decide whether it matches their interests, expectations, and reading preferences.

That makes Amazon an especially important review environment because reviews appear so close to the transaction itself.

Imagine a reader who has already clicked through to your book page. Your cover caught their attention. Your description sounds promising. The topic or genre feels right. They’re interested, but they haven’t quite decided whether to buy.

Reviews help fill in information the book description can’t provide on its own. A memoir reader might want to know whether the story feels emotionally honest. Someone considering a business book might look for evidence that the ideas feel practical. A fantasy reader might want other readers’ opinions about the world-building, pacing, or characters.

Those perspectives create social proof without requiring every review to say the same thing. In fact, thoughtful reviews often build credibility precisely because they reflect individual reading experiences.

Amazon itself explains customer reviews help readers understand what others think about a book so they can make a more informed purchase decision. Authors should keep that purpose in mind rather than chasing an arbitrary number of reviews or assuming a particular review threshold guarantees rankings or sales.

The most sustainable approach focuses on genuine feedback from people who actually read your book. If you want a deeper look at the distinctions among paid, fake, and organic feedback, our guide to building an authentic review strategy explains what authors should consider.

How Goodreads reviews support discovery before and after launch

Can readers review a book on Goodreads before release?

Yes. Goodreads allows prepublication ratings and reviews from readers who receive advance copies, provided those ratings and reviews reflect an authentic reading experience. That makes Goodreads especially useful for authors who want readers discussing and evaluating a book before its official release.

The platform’s role extends beyond reviews alone. Goodreads gives readers a place to track books they want to read, record what they’re currently reading, share reactions, and discover titles through a community centered on books.

For an author preparing for launch, that creates an opportunity to establish awareness before readers ever reach a retail page.

An advance reader, for example, might receive an ARC, read the book, and share an honest Goodreads review. Another reader who discovers the title can then see that feedback while considering whether to add the book to their own reading plans.

Goodreads has also strengthened its expectations around authentic prepublication activity. Its current Goodreads review guidelines encourage ratings and reviews based on genuine reading experiences and specifically permit prepublication feedback from readers with advance copies. The guidelines require disclosure when someone receives a free book in exchange for a review.

Authors should avoid trying to influence what those readers say. The value comes from authentic reactions, even when readers respond differently to the same book.

That variety helps your presence feel like what it should be: a real conversation among readers.

Goodreads also remains useful after publication, as new readers continue encountering ratings, reviews, and community activity long after launch week ends. This gives your book another place to maintain visibility over time.

Why Amazon reviews sometimes disappear

Why did my Amazon book review disappear?

A missing Amazon review doesn’t automatically mean you or your reviewer did something wrong. Amazon says reviews sometimes remain unpublished while checks are completed, and existing reviews disappear because they conflict with Community Guidelines, the customer removed the review, or the review became associated with an unrelated product.

Seeing a review disappear still feels discouraging, especially when you’ve worked hard to build early reader feedback. But one removed review doesn’t invalidate your broader strategy.

Amazon moderates reviews because readers need to trust that the feedback on product pages reflects legitimate customer experiences. According to Amazon’s review guidelines, the company checks submitted reviews against its Community Guidelines before publishing them, and those checks take several days.

Amazon lets authors provide free or discounted copies of books to readers, but authors can’t require a review in exchange or try to influence what that review says. Other forms of compensation, such as gift cards, invalidate the resulting review.

That means your most productive response to review-removal anxiety is to focus on the parts you control: Invite honest reader feedback rather than requesting positive ratings. Work with readers who genuinely engage with your book. Follow each platform’s current requirements. And resist the temptation to treat a single missing review as evidence your entire approach has failed.

Reviews will fluctuate. A sustainable strategy builds authentic reader feedback over time and across more than one platform.

Build a review strategy using both platforms

Should authors ask readers to review on both Amazon and Goodreads?

Yes, when appropriate. Authors can encourage readers to share honest feedback on Amazon, Goodreads, or both, as long as those requests follow each platform’s rules and don’t pressure readers toward a specific rating or opinion.

Timing helps.

Before publication, Goodreads gives advance readers a natural place to begin sharing reactions and helps other readers become aware of the book. Around and after launch, Amazon reviews add reader perspectives where prospective buyers are actively considering a purchase. Goodreads continues supporting discovery and conversation after release as well.

You don’t need every reader to post everywhere. You also don’t need to build both review profiles overnight. Focus on creating steady opportunities for authentic feedback and give readers simple choices about where they’d prefer to share their experience.

That approach protects the value of the reviews themselves. Readers want useful opinions from people who actually engaged with the book, and platforms want feedback that reflects genuine experiences. Those interests align with an author’s long-term goal: building trust around the book.

Most importantly, remember what each platform contributes. Goodreads helps your book participate in reader discovery and community conversation. Amazon puts reviews close to the moment when a shopper is deciding whether your book deserves a place on their shelf.

Together, they create a stronger foundation than either platform offers alone.

If managing that process feels like one more complicated part of publishing, you don’t have to handle every step yourself. Elite Authors’ book review services connect authors with real readers and support a thoughtful review presence across the platforms where readers discover and evaluate books.

Your goal isn’t to collect reviews simply for the sake of having more stars—it’s to help the right readers find your book, understand what other readers experienced, and feel confident deciding whether your book belongs on their reading list.