How to post a review on Amazon

Hey guys, thought that this would be just about the right time to come up with this post since my mom's book is out. I posted about her book (German Grammar Guide) a few days back. In the same post I emphasized about the importance of having a review for the book. Also read this to understand how reviews can really make a difference to any book in general.

The only two reasons deducible for not posting a review are that some people are either completely unaware of the procedure or they find this task so wearisome that they'd rather not do it. Majority of them fall in the latter category though!

Keeping both types of people in mind, I have made this task a lot easier. Just click here and follow the steps below. This review is concerning my mom's book, however I would strongly encourage you to post a review for every book you read in future.

Don't have an Amazon account yet? Click here to create one.

Desktop Browser:

Step 1:

As soon as you click on the link one of these pages will appear depending on whether you're logged in or not. Log in with your credentials if you haven't already. Once logged in you'll see the page as per the second image below.

We have used a dummy account with the name 'Tanmay'. This name is only used for the purpose of illustration.

Step 2:

Hover your mouse pointer over the blank stars beside the book and they will start filling up with a small description text appearing just beside them. The image below shows how it will appear. The stars stand for the rating, where number of stars are directly proportional to the quality of the book. After choosing appropriate rating stars, click on it.

Step 3:

Your rating is now determined. The color of the stars changes to yellow and you'll be notified that your rating has been posted. Following that, a single text box will appear on the screen. This will be for your detailed review of the book. Once you start typing in it, a second text box will appear for the headline of the review along with the submit button at the bottom. Refer to the image below.

Fill in your detailed review. If you're not sure what to write, follow these guidelines. After that, fill in the text box for the headline. This will include the essence of your review. Keep it short, simple and clear. The headline for the review should ideally not be more than 5-6 words.

Step 4:

Hit the submit button and you're done! Amazon will process your review and it will take around 2-3 days for the review to appear on the book's sale page.

Phone and Tablet:

Step 1:

After clicking on the link, you'll either be prompted to login or navigated to the review page directly, depending on your log in status. If you don't have an amazon account yet, click here to learn about creating a new account.

Step 2:

Once logged in, you'll see the page with blank stars, two text boxes and two buttons as shown above. No hovering business here! The number of stars signify the your level of satisfaction with the book as explained previously in this post. Just touch the stars to determine your rating as shown in the image below. After that, fill in your detailed review and add a concise headline for your review in the two text boxes respectively. Check out this post to learn how to effectively review a book.

Step 3:

Hit the submit button and you're done! Amazon will process your review and you will see the following page.

Not that hard, right? So why hesitate to express your views which in turn will help thousands of other readers just like you, who are waiting to get their hands on the right book. Cheers! 😊

How to open an Amazon account

This post was on the request of few folks who thought there wasn't enough illustrative explanation available for creating a new Amazon account. No problem, I'm here to sort things out for you. It's very straightforward. Let's dive right into it without further ado.

Amazon will also ask you to create an account if you try to place an order without one. The process remains more or less the same. It's always better if you have an account beforehand. So, go to amazon.in now and follow these steps in order.

Desktop Browser:

Step 1:

Assuming you aren't a customer yet, you'll see a sign in button on the top towards the right end of the search bar as shown in the image below. Click on it once.

Step 2:

You'll see a window as shown below with a login prompt and a new account creation option. Click on 'create your amazon account'.

Step 3:

Fill in all the fields as per the description. The dummy name 'Tanmay Rathi' is only used for the purpose of illustration. Make sure the mobile number you provide is active since it will receive an OTP (One Time Password) for verification through SMS. Enter any string of your choice as password but bear in mind that you will need it every time you login or attempt to make a new purchase. Without the password neither of these is possible. In short, remember your password always. Finally click on continue to proceed.

Note: This step might also include a field for email address in some cases. Don't be alarmed. Just enter any of your existing email addresses and you're good to go.

Step 4:

Now you'll see a window for the verification of your phone number and thus the authenticity of your account. A one time password (OTP) as I mentioned earlier, will be sent to the mobile number you filled in on the previous page. Check your phone for an SMS and enter the code you receive in the box as shown below. Click verify.

Note: The code shown in the image is only used for the purpose of illustration. Do not copy. Use the code you have received!

Step 5:

If you enter the correct code, you should see the amazon website but this time with you name where earlier you could see 'sign in' just like in the image below. You have successfully opened an Amazon account and now you can look up for your favorite stuff in the search panel.

Phone and Tablet:

Step 1:

The steps here are exactly the same just that the user interface will be different. As soon as you go to amazon.in you'll see a page like this on your device.

Enter the details and create a password which you'll find easier to remember but difficult for others to guess. Don't set passwords which are too easy to guess like your mother's name or your favorite color. You certainly don't want anyone prying into your account stealthily. Touch continue to proceed.

Step 2:

The verification page will appear and you will receive a code via SMS as I explained earlier. Enter this code in the box and click verify.

Step 3:

If you entered the code correctly you'll be notified about the successful account creation. On the phone or tablet, you will be mostly directed to the official amazon shopping app for any purchases. Just type in an item of your choice in the search field and now you'll be able to buy it.

That's all. You have an Amazon account now. You can buy electronics, books, furniture and anything else you think of! I hope I made it pretty comprehensible for you. If you face any problem in either account opening or during purchase just drop a comment in the comments section below or message me. I will address it at my earliest. Till then, happy shopping!

How to write an objective review for a book and why

We often get our hands on a book, read it, finish it and then move on to the next. But wait, are we missing something? Yes of course, we are! Regardless of how satisfied we were with the book, we completely forget about it once it is over. Very rarely one thinks of leaving a review for the book once he turns the final page (yes I agree that some of you might not even think of reaching the last page!).

I am an avid reader myself and I make it a point to post a review about every book I read. It is a mechanism to convey your thoughts to the readers as well as to the author. Didn't you go through the reviews for the last book you bought on Amazon? Well, the answer is certainly yes! For every book out there, posting a review accomplishes the following primary objectives:

1. It helps new readers to deal with their indecision to buy the book
2. It helps the book to reach a wider audience across the world.
3. It gives a feedback to the author

That's it! So why not support these three basic objectives for a decent book? Because if you don't, thousands across the world are being deprived of a great book. Besides this, there's a greater likelihood that the author comes up with much more exciting content if you acknowledge his/her present work. Reviews can make a real difference since every other reader like you who is looking to buy a new book goes through the reviews before making a decision to buy it.

What if you don't like a book? I can sense that question ringing in some of your heads while you patiently reached this point in the post where I finally address it! And the answer is that you still have to leave a review but definitely not a nasty one. Try to contain your impulsive instincts and be balanced while you write a review since it leaves a lasting impact on the reputation of the book.

Here are few Do's and Don'ts of writing an effective review:

Do:

1. Be concise and comprehensible in your description.
2. Mention what you liked about the book and what you disliked.
3. Write a few lines about how the book helped you in your improvement.
4. Take a stand and mention how likely you are to recommend the book to others.
5. Finally summarize your views in the headline in maximum 5-6 words.

Don't:

1. Don't go on too long. Be relevant.
2. Never use abusive or harsh language. Be gentle but clear.
3. Avoid snide remarks and sarcastic comments.
4. Don't trash any book. It might not be the right book for you!
5. Don't spoil the plot, especially if it is a work of fiction.

It's not so difficult to put your thoughts into words if you have them clear in your mind. Remember that in this age of internet where anyone can be a critic, reviews are of paramount importance to the success of a good book. One might not judge a book by its cover but definitely does by its reviews! Long story short, read books and write reviews.

Deutsche Grammatik!

When I look back in time, I remember attending a German class in the living room. Yes you read that right! Staring at the white board in front of me, completely unaware of the attention I was getting as a 11 year old kid amidst a classroom (living room to be precise!) full of 12th grade students, all I could notice was seven uppercase letters which read 'Uhrzeit' and six figures of slightly distorted round clocks with all three hands pointing in various directions for each clock! The point that I'm trying to make here is, this is exactly how times change.

For a person who disliked teaching at one point of time, reaching such a big milestone today is an amazing feat. I probably might be sounding a bit absurd up till now but just cling on.

Her career as German language professor began back in the year 2000 when she initially taught students of 11th and 12th grade at junior colleges. After being implored frequently by many students at the college, impressed by her teaching skills, she was compelled to start tuition for German at home in the living room itself! Once taken up, she gradually grew fond of teaching, delivering lectures and similar jobs.

It is quite likely that you might have guessed the person I have been referring to all this time. If not, it's my mother, Pooja Dhamale. The milestone? Yes, I'm coming to it!

She published a book named German Grammar Guide recently which delivers the fundamentals of the building blocks of the language in layman's terms. And it is indeed simple to understand and helpful for a novice and expert alike.

I will strongly suggest you to take a look at it by visiting the link below. I think she has definitely done a brilliant job in designing and structuring the book. She indeed makes me proud today as always with her diligence and desire to help. Great job mom!

https://www.amazon.in/German-Grammar-Guide-Pooja-Dhamale-ebook/dp/B01M34368Z?ie=UTF8&keywords=german%20grammar%20guide&qid=1478116387&ref_=sr_1_5&sr=8-5

I would also urge you to post your reviews and rate the book according to your judgement. She will be more than happy to receive a feedback from all of you. 'No feedback' is as good as a bad review which might be unintentional on the part of many, but is certainly disheartening. Every valuable feedback will help her to rectify any mistakes as well as encourage her to come up with her upcoming work on German translation and composition guide, much more enthusiastically.

Kalmykia - Where chess is more than just a game!

For many of us chess is nothing more than a board game to be played as a pastime or in tournaments if you seek it professionally. I recently heard of a name Valery Ubuchaev. Valery is still learning how to tie his shoelaces and needs his father's help to zip up his tracksuit top but he has no trouble at all checkmating his opponent in under 40 moves. This 4 year old is from Kalmykia, a dusty country on the edge of the Capsian Sea with a predominant Buddhist population. The official language of the Kalmyks is chess! Yes and this is no joke. You're allowed here only if you know the language (though foreigners are thought to be a rather hopeless case!)

In Kalmykia, important matters of chess are debated and decided in the highest echelons of the society. Newspapers have an extensive coverage of the game and it is introduced as a compulsory subject in elementary schools.

The current FIDE president Kirsan Ilyumzhinov(there's no way I'm going to try and spell that by myself!) could be accused for many controversies during his 17 years as the President of Kalmyk but not for chess. After all he had the Kalmyk blood running through his veins! By the age of 14 he was already the Kalmyk chess champion. Now if by any chance you are thinking that's trivial job, go ahead. You probably could find me writing about you in my next blog!

At Elista's Central Square, the city has two asphalt chessboards with knee-high chessmen.

Chess and Buddhism are the twin pillars of the nation. Chess clubs here are as ubiquitous as football or cricket clubs elsewhere. The Kalmyks bare their soul every time they open the game. For them chess is not just a game, it's a religion, a way of life. So if you come across a plaster cast figure of a chess pawn in a broken eggshell here, you're certainly going to keep wondering: what came first, chess or the egg?