Why is it so hard to get reviewed?

[Mary]

Karl wrote: "Don,

As others have pointed out, and you yourself have noticed, reviewers are simply slammed with requests for reviews. It's a fact of life, and we all have to deal with it, because there are way ..."

Karl, so well put. A solid review (not fluff, just the real stuff readers want and deserve) takes plenty of time. I edited a friend's novel, but when she asked me to a review it, I went back and re-read her book.

Everyone's scrambling for time(Don), so really, it's important to be patient when you approach us and ask for the review. Also, you can post a request on Twitter and usually get someone's interest in doing a review. Stay patient.

[Elliot]

Steven wrote: "Same problem here. I can't remember the author and I'll have to paraphrase but the quote (having to do with poetry but I think it apt)is:

'Writing poetry is like dropping a feather into the Grand Canyon and waiting to hear the echo..."

HA! You said it.

On the other hand, why do any of us write anything, but for the single person standing at the very bottom of the canyon who delights in the miracle of the lone feather that floats down into his hand.

[J. Aleksandr]

" 'Writing poetry is like dropping a feather into the Grand Canyon and waiting to hear the echo...'

HA! You said it.

On the other hand, why do any of us write anything, but for the single person standing at the very bottom of the canyon who delights in the miracle of the lone feather that floats down into his hand."

Very eloquent, Elliot. Well responded.

[J. Aleksandr]

So, there's an unfortunate misconception that digital self-publishing (DSP) sets books and writers "free" from traditional-publishing shackles - but that image isn't really accurate.

What's really happened is this: we've cut out the middleman.

As a result,

We gain: near-absolute creative control, double or triple per-sale royalties, tremendous flexibility.

We lose: creative oversight from experienced story-development editors, professional manuscript proofing, access to a high-resource marketing engine, protection from financial risks, and the well-established industry reputation of NY publishing houses.

(Of course not all traditional authors, and not all traditional authors' books, benefit from every one of those resources every time, but the potential at least is there.)

That leaves us DSP authors with a lot of slack to pick up. We've got to manage or arrange our own editing, proofreading, art, financing, and reputation.

We've also got to do all of our own marketing, and securing reviews is Job #1.

I got my initial reviews for Her Unwelcome Inheritance from my beta readers, but I also got several though hanging out on the BookBlogs community, following links back to individual members' blogs, reading their review policies, and submitting requests according to their individual specifications. About half of those I contact indicate interest, and about half of those interested (so far) have posted reviews - so about 25% success overall. I'm still holding out hope for the other 25%, but more importantly, I've established relationships with those first reviewers and they're all looking forward to my next book. As someone said earlier in this thread, I'd much rather have 100 super-fans than 10,000 lukewarm connections.

The point I want to make is that "going indie" doesn't mean DSP authors can ignore the established best practices of traditional publishing.

For example: there are no conventions, and not many resources, for writing review requests. But there's tons of readily available advice on writing query letters to literary agents and traditional publishers. Those skills and core concepts are directly transferable to the DSP reviewer world, and authors who neglect them do so at their peril.

For more on understanding reviews from the reviewers' perspective, I recommend reading Evie Woolmore and my guest post for Lisa Pottgen.

Also, if you've found this at all helpful/interesting, you might want to follow my blog, where I'll shortly be posting a blog series on DSP.

[Stephen]

June wrote: "I suggest seeking out reviewers outside of Goodreads... Book Bloggers will usually post reviews both on their sites and on Amazon and Goodreads. I can tell you though... one of the biggest reasons it is hard is because book reviewers are SWAMPED with requests..."

I've been fairly successful getting book reviewers/reviewing sites to feature me as an author to talk about my book. But not too many of them review the actual book. Well, none, actually. But--it's a request, not a demand, and it is a free service offered by the reviewers, so I respect that completely. I've met very few people in this business who are actually hard to deal with. Most of them are just ordinary people with ups and downs like the rest of us, trying to do their best.

Every so often I'll get an unsolicited review which astonishes me in its thoroughness and appreciation. It makes me happy that someone else liked the book. Not just because I like being praised, but because they had those moments of enjoyment, and those moments came from my book.

[Meglena]

Hi guys. I will review any book in exchange of the same for my book - The Legend of The Moonstone. :) Happy to do that for everybody :)

[Jeni]

I love to read indie books. If anyone seeks an honest review please feel free to PM me. I will notify you when I start reading your novel. It should take me 7 days to post a review. Thank you.

[J. Aleksandr]

Jeni wrote: "I love to read indie books. If anyone seeks an honest review please feel free to PM me. I will notify you when I start reading your novel. It should take me 7 days to post a review. Thank you."

Jeni, if you (or anyone else on this thread!) would like to read mine, you can get it here: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/343707

[Wendy]

Jeni wrote: "I love to read indie books. If anyone seeks an honest review please feel free to PM me. I will notify you when I start reading your novel. It should take me 7 days to post a review. Thank you."
Sending a message to you Jeni!

[J.H.]

Hey everyone. I don't have any advice, but just wanted to say thanks to all the people before me who left tips. Much appreciated.