What file formats does FirstReader accept?

.docx, .pdf, .txt, and .md files. Most writing software can export to .docx, which we recommend for best results.

How long does a full manuscript analysis take?

Most manuscripts are analyzed within 24 to 48 hours. We use batch processing to keep costs low. You get an email when your report is ready.

Will FirstReader change my manuscript?

Never. FirstReader analyzes your writing. It never modifies, rewrites, or generates prose. Every finding is a suggestion with a cited source. Your voice stays yours.

How is FirstReader different from Grammarly or ProWritingAid?

Those tools check grammar and sentence-level style. FirstReader does developmental editing: story structure, character arcs, pacing, dialogue, POV, and showing vs. telling. Editor-level feedback, not proofreading.

What if I only want story structure feedback, not prose analysis?

The Story tier (a $24.99 platform fee plus $1.10 per 1,000 words, about $113 for an 80,000-word novel) gives you chapter-by-chapter developmental analysis and a full continuity check. Plot, character arcs, pacing, timeline consistency. No prose-level feedback unless you want it.

Is my manuscript private?

Yes. Your manuscript is stored securely. When you delete it, we permanently erase everything. Your writing is never used to train AI models.

What fiction genres does FirstReader support?

All of them. Literary fiction, mystery, thriller, romance, sci-fi, fantasy, historical fiction, and more. The craft principles are universal to storytelling.

How accurate is automated book critique?

FirstReader is built on the same craft principles professional editors use. Highly accurate, but a tool, not an oracle. Think of it as a knowledgeable alpha reader, not the final word.

Can I use FirstReader before sending my manuscript to a human editor?

That is one of the best ways to use it. A cleaner manuscript means fewer revision rounds with your editor, saving you time and money. Professional developmental editors are already using FirstReader on client manuscripts.

How do I get reviews before my book launches?

Build a launch team from people who already know the book, and line up ARCs (advance reader copies) for genre reviewers before launch day, so the reviews are ready to post the moment the book goes live.

Can I pay for book reviews?

No. Reviews have to be honest and unpaid, and they come from the reviewer's own buying account. Paid reviews and swap schemes can get you caught, which is far worse than launching with a few honest ones.

August 14, 2026

How to Get Reviews Before Your Book Launches

If you wait until launch day to start thinking about reviews, you've already missed the window. Early reviews and a cluster of fast early sales are the signal that tells Amazon's system to start showing your book around on its own. You build that pipeline before you publish, and most first-time authors learn that timing the hard way.

Why the first few matter so much

The pattern that keeps showing up in the data is simple. Even one or two reviews in the first week lift how many browsers actually buy, because a book with zero reviews feels like a risk. And getting to ten or twenty in the first month can tip you into a tier where Amazon does some of the selling for you. So the whole game is having reviews ready to post the day you go live, not scrambling for them after.

Build a launch team before launch day

Your launch team is just the people who already know the book exists and want it to do well. Your newsletter list, your beta readers, the friends who've been asking when it's out. Line them up before launch and ask them to post an honest review the day it goes live. That head start is the thing most debut authors simply don't have, and it costs you nothing but the ask.

Send ARCs to the right people

An ARC is an advance reader copy, a free early version you hand to reviewers before launch so their reviews are ready when the book goes live. Who you send them to depends on your book:

For adult fiction: genre reviewers, the bookstagram and booktok accounts in your lane, and book bloggers who cover your genre.
For children's and middle grade: parents, teachers, and school librarians. They review, and more importantly, they recommend you to other buyers, which matters even more than the review itself.

Use the editorial reviews field

KDP gives you a separate spot for quotable blurbs from credible readers, on top of customer reviews. Gather these from anyone respected who reads the book early, and they show up as endorsements right on your page.

Concentrate it

One more thing, and it's the part people miss. Don't just collect reviews, concentrate them. Aim to have them landing at or near launch, bunched into a tight window rather than trickling in over months. The concentration is the signal Amazon reads, more than the raw count.

A word on the rules

Reviews have to be honest and unpaid, and they come from the reviewer's own buying account. Don't buy reviews, and don't run swap schemes that Amazon can pattern-match. Getting caught is far worse than launching with a handful of honest ones.

The short version

Build your launch team and line up ARCs before launch day. Send them to the reviewers and recommenders who fit your genre. Use the editorial reviews field. And bunch it all into a tight launch-week window, because velocity is what Amazon rewards.

Reviews are one lever in a longer launch. The free playbook walks through all of it, genre by genre.