How To Rate a Book- Comparing Star Rating Systems
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Star Ratings for Books
Wondering how to rate a book? What do the stars actually mean? Well there doesn’t seem to be a universal answer. You may be surprised to find that not all star ratings are equal and each website or app often has it’s own system.
I’ve collected together guidelines from popular book websites to give you an idea of where to start and how to come up with your own rating system.
What is a book rating/ star rating?
Star rating is a system using five stars to rank a product from good to bad. In the case of books, it gives potential readers a gage an idea of how many people liked the book, and how many didn’t.
Popular Book Websites Star Rating Systems
Amazon Star Ratings
5 Stars - I love it
4 Stars - I like it
3 Stars - It's OK
2 Stars - I Didn't like it
1 Star - I Hate it
Goodreads Star Ratings
5 Stars - It was amazing
4 Stars- Really liked it
3 Stars - Liked it
2 Stars - It was OK
1 Star - Did not like it
NetGalley Star Ratings
5 Stars - Strongly recommend
4 Stars - Yes, I recommend
3 Stars - Maybe recommend
2 Stars - Not really recommend
1 Star - No, don't recommend
Bookbub Star Ratings
5 Stars - I love it
4 Stars - I like it
3 Stars- It's OK
2 Stars- I Didn't like it
1 Star - I Hate it
My Star Ratings
5 Stars - Loved it, will recommend
4 Stars - Liked it a lot, may recommend
3 Stars - Liked it, it’s OK
2 Stars - Meh
1 Star -Didn’t like it
How to Rate a Book
Make your own star rating system using the ones above as a guide and stick to it. Ask yourself what each star rating means to you. You might find yourself more harsh or more lenient than others, and this is fine. The key is to stay consistent with yourself.
Tips for rating books
Go with your gut- as soon as you finish a book select a rating while it’s fresh in your mind. It’s harder to remember how you felt later on.
Always be honest- Give the rating you think the book deserves. Don’t worry about what everyone else is rating it or if it’s a super popular book you didn’t like.
Half star ratings- If you want to give a half star ratings you can round it up to next star. Eg 3.5 stars goes up to 4. In the review say you gave it 3.5 stars and give a few reasons why. Always round up not down.
1 or 2 star ratings- Don’t be afraid to give low star ratings. It helps if you write a review with a few reasons why you didn’t like the book. This can help the book find it’s way to the right readers. Just be kind in the way you write it.
5 star ratings- You don’t have to be stingy with 5 star ratings. If you loved it, it deserves five stars.
The 6th star- This is my own bonus star. I mentally award books that are above and beyond five stars with my own 6th star award. This gives me the freedom to award 5 stars to other books, but I still hold my favourites on their own special pedestal in my mind (and on my list of favourites).
The main thing to remember is to have fun reading!
Do you have your own star rating system? Let me know in the comments, I’d love to hear from you!
