My February Book Experiment: Getting The First Review

15 Mar 2026 #experiments #bookwriting

Last February, I started a book experiment. It’s starting to pay off.

Two weeks ago, I launched 10 Surprisingly Simple Ideas That Changed My Life. It got its first sale, making it a success. But I’ve kept the experiment going.

For the last phase, I offered free copies as gifts to “advance readers” in exchange for an honest review.

As a fan of 10-idea lists, I wrote a list of 10 e-friends, ended up messaging 12, and heard back from 6. Two read it but weren’t eligible to review. (Amazon requires $50 in purchases within the last year.) Two managed to leave reviews. One was rejected, the other approved. A 5-star review. Hooray!

Here’s the review on Amazon:

One sale plus one review. Proof that the experiment is working.

“Short but sweet” shows you don’t need thousands of pages to write a book that matters.