Looking for a Book Review?
Getting a book review is a great way to get your writing out to the public. If there are reviews of your book visible in print or online, your work gains more exposure. While not every reviewer likes every book, have enough confidence in your work to be prepared for criticism or praise, for that matter. Here are some tips on getting reviewed.
Target the Right Reviewers
You’ve written your book and it’s now time to get some reviews. Where do you start? While you may have dedicated a lot of time to contact reviewers, your time is not endless. Make sure to contact the right reviewers. If your book is science fiction, try looking at sci fi websites that do reviews. Do online searches for sites which are relevant to your work. You are more likely to get your book reviewed by someone with a history of reviewing your genre.
Use Social Media
The reviewer you might be waiting for could be on Twitter of Facebook. Start looking for them online. Do searches to find people who might be willing to review your book. When you are self-published you have to use as many avenues as possible to gain momentum behind your work. You can also use social media to gain attention if you get a good review.
Read Review Guidelines
Some reviewers have strict guidelines for applying to have your book reviewed. Adhere to them. If your book is an eBook, make sure the reviewer isn’t someone who only accepts printed books. Make sure to send a personalised email to the reviewer. If you want them to review your book at least have the courtesy not to send them a stock e-mail. Tell them a little about yourself and why you want them in particular, to review their book. This usually produces a better chance of you being taken seriously. Remember that not everyone will reply to you, so don’t feel too disheartened. Reviewers can be swamped and they do not get to accede to every request for a review.
When to Send a Copy of Your Book
This may sound obvious but some authors spend a lot of time and money sending review copies of their book to people who may not open it. If you have gone to the trouble of self-publishing, it’s important to only send copies of your book to reviewers who express an interest in reading it. Contact them before you send them a hard copy of the book. If you send the book, it’s vital not to hassle people afterwards. If they love your book, they will let you know.
Start Local
If you fee a little at sea about where to send your book, try connecting with people locally first. Is there a book club in your local library or area, who would be willing to review the book? Have you a local radio station or paper who might be interested? They are always looking for new stories of local interest, so may do a feature on a local author.
Don’t Pay
Don’t pay for a review. The thing about a good review is that it is usually impartial. As soon as money changes hands the relationship changes. Decent review sites never ask for money. Some people think it could also damage the reputation of your book if there are paid reviews online.
Where to Find Reviewers
There are a number of sites internationally who review books. Check out other sites depending where in the world your but here are some which you need to know about.
- Amazon – the obvious place to start. Get people you know to review the book. Books that are reviewed sell more. Check out the Creativepenn article on getting top Amazon reviewers to review your book or go straight to http://www.amazon.com/review/top-reviewers to browse reviewers.
- www.goodreads.com is widely regarded as a place to grow your book, through review or recommendation.
- www.indiereader.com is a growing resource, as the name suggests, for self-published or independent authors.
- www.librarything.com is like a giant book club and can be a good place to get your book noticed.
These are just a few places to start when thinking about getting reviews of your book. As you go along, build up a list of reviewers based on genre, where you have been successful and where you think you should contact next. Spend some time in writer’s forum pages or talking online to writers and writing communities. Other writers are always willing to give useful tips and advice and for free. If you are planning to go down the self-publishing route, the team at Selfpublishbooks.ie will be glad to help you on your way.
