Gas Giant Gambit has been out for over a year, and in that time it has received a number of accolades.
First, it got a glowing review from Kirkus, complete with the coveted Kirkus Star.
Then it was named a finalist in the American Writing Awards for Fiction: Sci-Fi.
Next, Kirkus named it one of the Best Indie Books of 2025.
And finally, Chanticleer Book Reviews named it a Laramie Awards for Western, Pioneer, & Civil War, Americana Historical Fiction Novels, and First Nations Works winner in the category of Adventure/Caper.
Despite this, however, I have struggled to get many reviews on sites like Goodreads or TheStoryGraph, or even Amazon.
So, in addition to simply asking any of you who have read Gas Giant Gambit and have not yet left a review to do so, I thought it might be a good time to talk about why it’s so important.
Why Book Reviews Matter
Book reviews are a critical element of any book life out in the world and every author’s career.
Visibility & Discovery
Writing and publishing has never been so accessible in all of human history. While this is wonderful news for aspiring authors, it also means getting noticed among the flood of titles is harder than ever.
Reviews help books overcome this obstacle. The more reviews a book has, the more favourably algorithms on platforms like Amazon or Goodreads treat them. They show up higher on search results and recommendation lists.
Visibility like this is especially important for new and indie authors and presses.
Credibility
If you’re anything like me, you’ll take a look at the average review–as well as the number of reviews that yielded that average–before you buy a product online.
You want to know a fair number of people have had a positive experience before you commit.
The same is true of books and book reviews. Any book with a good number of positive reviews is more likely to be trusted by new potential readers. This kind of trust is important for each individual title, but also for an author’s brand and career as a whole. Consistently high ratings can bring in new readers who may be sceptical to try out an author they’ve never read before.
Marketing
Because book reviews offer trust and credibility, they are also a wellspring of marketing material. Authors can pull quotes from positive reviews (and even negative ones, if they’re clever) and push the message out in the form of book blurbs, social media marketing, book trailers and more.
If you follow me on social media, you may have noticed I share reviews on Fridays:
Sales
There’s no way around it: there is a direct connection between book reviews and sales numbers. Positive reviews act as a social proof that the book is worth buying and reading, which leads to more sales.
Even mixed reviews can lead to a sales bump, as they can offer more nuanced opinions on the book, and may appeal to readers looking for something specific.
In fact, the mere existence of reviews, regardless of their opinions, can imply the book is interesting enough to elicit discussion.
Community Building
Finally, reviews can create a feeling of community among the readers of an author’s work. Authors can interact with reviews by replying to comments, participating in Q&A or AMA sessions, offering prompts for books clubs, and more.
This kind of interaction not only helps build and maintain a loyal reader base, but builds a positive feedback loops of reviews, interactions, and interest.
Please, Review
So, now, I ask you, please, if you have read Gas Giant Gambit, Rare, or Other Tales Vol. 4, please leave a review on your preferred platform, and help me reach more people who may enjoy my stories.
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