I hope the data in the screenshot answers this question well enough. This is just the 7th day of the campaign, and the conversion rate is more than 19%. Hear me correctly: I do not mean to say that reviews are not important. Quite the opposite, I am sure reviews are essential for success. But do not let the absence of reviews (yet) stop you from actively promoting your book. And next, to get a very good deal for the BookVillage review platform, use the link https://bookvillage.pub/?via=guild Have you had experience with good book sales without reviews, or with a minimal number of them?

Just a quick update: we have a new leader for image generation - GPT Image 2 (ChatGPT). It's not a small improvement but a huge leap forward. Have you tested it already?

This is by no means an idle question for the year 2026. If you want the answer right away, there is a detailed plan published today in the Classroom. Briefly, we need to use the most underutilized method: our contacts. Sure thing, you must comply with Amazon rules. Amazon “Customer Reviews / Community Guidelines” page guided who may not review your book: “We don’t allow a review by someone who has a direct or indirect financial interest in the product. We don’t allow a review by someone perceived to have a close personal relationship with the product’s owner, author or artist.” Another passage from Amazon’s self-publishing guidance: “You may provide free or discounted copies of your books to readers, as long as you do not require a review in exchange or attempt to influence the review.” Here is the simple rule: anyone who benefits from your success should not review your book. Anyone who has no stake in your sales can review it. People you CAN ask for a review: • Readers you know casually who did not work on the book. • Members of your email list who subscribed willingly. • Colleagues who have no financial or personal stake in the book. • Followers from your social media audience. • Beta readers who did not get paid and did not contribute editorial work. People you should avoid from asking for a review: • Close family. Amazon often blocks these reviews automatically. • Close friends when Amazon can see a strong connection. • Anyone you paid. This includes editors, designers, ghostwriters, formatters, and marketers. • Business partners or employees.• Anyone you trade reviews with. Amazon treats that as manipulation. • People who received compensation of any kind beyond a free copy. A safe pattern is this. Give people an easy path to read your book. Ask for a review only if they want to leave one, and never guide what they say. Amazon looks for bias, and bias usually shows up in relationships or incentives.

From a results standpoint, November was awful for me. Royalty increased by only 9% from October to November, reaching $1,458, while operational profit was $843. A lack of preparation and an absence of new books dramatically limited my results. Lesson learned. What were your results?

On tools, softwares, something that could really be a worthwhile investment? Not that I am actively looking to spend money, but just curious...