Every book is different, but there are common factors that might affect your review scores, with some more easy to fix than others. Here are a few.

• Weak story – obviously you want a good book, and this is the hardest thing to change. But if the story is boring, cliché or filled with flat characters or plots that don’t make sense, your reviews will reflect it
• Poor editing – ARC readers will often overlook a few typos or grammatical issues, especially for a book that isn’t yet released. But if your manuscript is filled with typos, character names that change from chapter to chapter, and plot holes that you can drive a truck through, your reviews may reflect it
• Misled readers – Readers reserve copies of your book based on information you provide on your order form, such as the cover, genre, length, sub-categories and blurb/description. So if you mislead them with your blurb, or gloss over controversial elements, you might end up with the wrong readers. For example, if your Romance book is dark and full of BDSM, but your blurb makes it sound like a light and funny RomCom, you can probably expect unhappy reviews. There may have been plenty of reviewers that would have loved the book, but they passed on it based on the description, and others that don’t like that sort of thing reserved a copy instead! Be upfront with your readers without giving away the whole plot. Examples of things to include in your blurb:
  • If there are controversial or trigger elements in your story
  • If there is or isn’t an HEA or a cliffhanger ending (especially in Romance)
  • If the book is part of a non-stand-alone series
  • If the book is very short, or very long

Remember – the more you tune your blurb to attract readers that like your type of book, and the better the quality of your product, the more likely you are to get positive reviews!