Members of Serena Choo’s Advanced Reader Circle, hi!
Thank you for being part of the team. This page gives you an overview of what to expect during the ebook release and review week. Please have a quick read.
Reviews are the lifeblood for books—not only does it help the book stay alive (if it deserves it), it also helps others discover it. I’m really hoping to get as close to 50 reviews the first two weeks. It’s not easy but I’m hoping it’ll get there, with your help.
Don’t worry if this doesn’t all make sense right now—I’ll be messaging you step by step along the way, so you’ll know exactly what to do and when.
Plus, I’m only an email away if you have any questions.
Summary of the Process
Key dates: Free Promo period: Friday April 25 through to and including Tuesday April 29 (starts and ends at midnight Pacific Time).
What to do during this period:
1️⃣ Buy and download the ebook using this link: https://mybook.to/monkey-zen.
2️⃣ Flick through the ebook on your Kindle app/reader, to at least 50% before posting your review.
3️⃣ Post your review: Log onto your Amazon account and search or find your order for The Monkey and The Way of Zen. Click on “Write a Review,” then enter your star rating and write a few sentences about what you liked about the book.
(Note. See (3) below if you don’t have an Amazon account or are not able to leave a review).
🌟 If you’d like a few prompts, here are some helpful reflections:
🌿 What did you enjoy most?
🌿 Was there a story or insight that stood out to you?
🌿 How did the book make you feel while reading?
🌿 Would you recommend it to others seeking a moment of calm or reflection?
Your honest thoughts are always appreciated — even a short review helps tremendously!
4️⃣ Let me know so I can personally thank you (and read your review, of course 😉).
(1) Missed the Free Promo period?
Reviews left on both free or paid ebook downloads count and are valuable. If you missed the free promo period, you can still download the book and leave a review, but only if you’re OK to buy the ebook for $1.99 / £1.50. Either way, you MUST download the book on Amazon please (if you have an Amazon account) even though you’ve already received an advanced copy. This is so Amazon doesn’t inadvertently think I’m posting fake reviews!
(2) Why flick through the book before posting your review?
Yes please—at least 50%. There have been some shenanigans going on over on Amazon, such that Amazon has been taking down reviews that it deems to be “suspicious.” 😳
It’s thought that this relates to Amazon figuring that some people have been leaving a review, even though they haven’t read the book, and deems these to be dishonest reviews.
You’ve already read the book in advance. But Amazon doesn’t know that. So we need to emulate you reading the book for Amazon, after you’ve downloaded it. To do this, once you’ve downloaded the book, please “read” the book again by flicking through it on your Kindle. You don’t have to go through the entire book, a little more than half is good. It’s not known exactly how much is “enough” but it has been noticed by many that at least half appears to be enough for Amazon to approve and show the review.
(3) Don’t have an Amazon account or not eligible to review?
If you don’t have an Amazon account or if you’ve followed the steps above to “Write a review” and Amazon says you’re not eligible, then please try this link:
If you’re in the US: https://www.amazon.com/review/create-review/?&asin=B0F5NTHGC2
If you’re in the UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/review/create-review/?&asin=B0F5NTHGC2
If you’re in Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/review/create-review/?&asin=B0F5NTHGC2
If you’re in Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/review/create-review/?&asin=B0F5NTHGC2
If you’re elsewhere: Please copy one of the links above and change the url to match your local Amazon marketplace, e.g. amazon.de instead of amazon.com.
Amazon only allows customers who have spent at least $50 / £40 on Amazon in the last 12 months to post a review, so if you are still unable to leave one using the link above, you could post your review on GoodReads, or please private message me and we’ll find a different avenue for your review.
(4) Please let me know
Please email me (hello[at]serenachoo.com) to let me know when you’ve posted your review and the name you used for the review. I will be reading every single review. You helping me with this and leaving a review means a lot to me and I want to know your thoughts. ❤️
Ebook Release Timeline
🌿 Free Promo Starts Today (Friday)
Only you know this is happening! The ebook is live. Please buy and download it today for free or in the next few days. After that, you can still buy the ebook, but it’ll be $1.99 / £1.50.
🌿 Free Promo continues (Saturday — Monday)
💖 Post your review now. The sooner the better, as Amazon likes to see a steady and ongoing increase in reviews and sales.
🌿 Last day of Free Promo (Tuesday)
This is the last day the book is available for $0.00 / £0.00. If you want to get the ebook for free and haven’t bought and downloaded it yet, please do it now.
🌎 Full Ebook Release (Wednesday)
The ebook price goes up to $1.99 / £1.50 and is available to the rest of the world. If you’re leaving a review and haven’t bought your copy, please buy it today..
🌎 Days following Full Ebook Release
Please leave your review as soon as you’re ready.
🥂End of Ebook Launch — We’ve Done It!
Two weeks on…Did we do it? Did we get to the 50? 🤔 I really hope so! 🎉🍾🥳 Thank you for your support. x