Get Your Book Reviewed

One author tells me that selling more books is a matter of getting them in front of more people. Reviews are an important part of that. They not only give your book's description to prospective readers, but also tell them how enjoyable it is. A good review from a trusted source can be what makes a reader decide to buy. I only touched upon this in my last post, so I want to explore it a little further.
The first thing you'll have to do is determine what books on the market are like yours. Check in the genre and read some of the titles until you find a few that are somewhat similar.
Next you have to discover who reviews books like these. It also helps to find good reviews. Someone who loved a book that's like yours may have good things to say about your book as well. You can search similar book titles followed by the word review to find the write-ups and see who wrote them.
There is also a tool available for premium members of the Author Marketing Club to help find them called the review grabber. The premium membership is $149 per year. Some authors claim the review grabber tool alone is worth the fee.
Then go to the websites of these reviewers and read their submission guidelines. Please note that some reviewers do not accept unsolicited contacts. Follow all guidelines to the letter and wait for a reply. Understand that reviewers are busy people so it may take several weeks.
Amazon lists book reviewers for authors. They suggest contacting 300 reviewers with requests in order to get 50 or less responses. They predict about 35 reviews after sending book copies to these 50, and consider that adequate. Note that Amazon does not allow reviews from anyone personally associated with an author for authenticity sake.
Goodreads has a reviewer group for connecting authors to reviewers. Authors can post a description of books and instructions on how to get review copies through a moderator. If your book is sold in the US, then send a copy to the American Library Association for a review. There are separate reviewers for each genre. Read the guidelines and send yours to the appropriate staff member. If your book is accepted, the review will be published in the ALA periodical Booklist, or Booklist Online.There are also paid promotions that send out press releases to reviewers. Book Buzz and Word Slinger Publicity include reviewer notifications in their paid services. These both offer reasonably priced press releases and various other types of advertising.
Another trusted reviewing agency is Kirkus, who promises an honest review that's industry respected. You can receive your review in 7 to 9 weeks for $429. Then you have the option of sharing it with the world, or keeping it a secret.
It is never advised to pay for a favorable review. This amounts to bribery. It's considered cheating the consumer out of an honest representation of your product. Paid reviews are often exposed as such, which discredits the reviewer and sheds a negative light on the author.
Doing a review of your own material is also not advised. Sock puppet reviews, or authors posing as reviewers under an alias, will leave readers with the wrong impression when they are exposed. It's best to accept what you get. Enjoy the good ones and learn from the bad. You would appear immature by responding to a bad review. Not everyone will like what you've written. Expect to get a few dissatisfied customers.

Thanks for stopping in
- Jonra Springs