Since many readers here may be small publishers, and/or book reviewers, it may be useful to get the gist of Amazon’s latest book review policies. Here, so far as I can fathom and without reams of legalese, is the current state of play…
* To post any Customer Review, “you must have spent at least $50 on Amazon.com using a valid credit or debit card in the past 12 months”.
* No Customer Review can be posted for any unverified Amazon purchase, unless it’s a book or comic.
* Publishers sending “free or discounted copies of their books to readers”, for review, should not explicitly state that they require an Amazon review. The same goes for online giveaways to your fans.
* The book reviewer chosen should not be an employee, close friend, family member, or similar. Nor should the reviewer promote other items by such people (e.g. “If you like Smith’s work, also check out Jones!”).