World, Writing, Wealth discussion
All Things Writing & Publishing
>
Entering the land of book review blogs...
In the fall I will be using Goddess Fish to get some review blogs. They charge about $55 or so for a blog review tour. I have used them in the past for a blog tour and I thought they were great - very professional and thorough. Everything went off without a hitch. Many people opt to contact bloggers on their own and this is a great way to save money and develop important relationships but I chose to go with a promoter because bloggers often don't want to bother with non-fiction and the mommy bloggers always want to charge. No thank you lol.http://www.goddessfish.com
I write historical fiction. Some are genre specific, some have a lot of reviewers who all have different preferences. Review sites:
Reader's Favorite: Submitted in April but still pending. There is an "express service" option where you can pay to have your review expedited. I have not done this.
Historical Novel Society: Sent paperback in April and got review in August
Kindle Book Review : Waiting to hear back from the reviewer. There is a long list of reviewers who tell their preferences and you can contact only one at a time. If they decline, you can contact another.
Submitted and reviewed by these amazing bloggers:
Riley Amos Westbrook
Lil Book Lovers
Peachy Keen Book Reviews
Lana Kortchik
Chantal Gadoury
Red Raven Reads
More bloggers:
Ana Review It All: blogger/author. she does a lot of indie books and indie films too!
Knockin' Books: romance preferred
Good, Bad, Bizarre: submitted but did not hear back
Whether they decide to review our books or not, I think it is important to show our support and follow these bloggers :) They are doing a great service to indies! <3
cool.how do book bloggers fit into the marketing strategy; they are an indirect sales tool, right? in comparison to promo sites, which are direct sales.
book bloggers give you exposure, correct?
@ Awesome Alex: Well, I've only started looking into book bloggers, errr, today haha! But I think they're pretty fantastic for a number of reasons...1. The review itself
Reviews are elusive little buggers. Personally, I've found that < 3% of readers leave one. Sooo, I'll be pretty happy just to get that, eh?
2. Eyeballs
Some bloggers have MAJOR traffic on their sites. They have a trusted following of readers. Yeah, I wanna be recommended by them and to be featured on the front page? Pick me! Pick me!
3. More eyeballs
Social media is huge nowadays. These bloggers have thousands upon thousands of followers.
So, yes, they give you exposure. Annnd depending on the blog's "influence", I would argue that a review could serve as a direct-ish sales tool as well.
♬° ✧❥✧¸.•*¨*✧♡✧ ⒽⓤⒼ ✧♡✧*¨*•.¸✧❥✧ °♬
Ann
They also do wonders for your author/title SEO.
Annie wrote: "3. More eyeballs"...depending on the blog's "influence", I would argue that a review could serve as a direct-ish sales tool as well.
Tara wrote: "They also do wonders for your author/title SEO."
Great points! thx!
Annie wrote: "♬° ✧❥✧¸.•*¨*✧♡✧ ⒽⓤⒼ ✧♡✧*¨*•.¸✧❥✧ °♬"
you do that just to annoy me, right?
Alex G wrote: "you do that just to annoy me, right? "Yes
@Awesome Alex: You keep on quoting my emoticons. Just saying (๑•◡-๑)
Yes, everything Annie said in her list and what Tara mentioned with the search engine. Blog reviews were the very first reviews of my book!! I have met some wonderful people and even made friends from reaching out this way. That support has meant a lot to me. If I was still waiting for reviews strictly from sales, I might have thrown in the towel by now. Once I saw how difficult it is to get reviews...yikes. Let me put it this way. As of now for my books, combining free downloads, paid downloads, and books read on Kindle Unlimited, I've had 7,000 books go out, and...drumroll...I have 37 Amazon reviews. On Goodreads I have 94 ratings and 40-something reviews. Thank goodness for review blogs and reviewers! But yikes on the read to review ratio!
Annie, thanks to your list I submitted to Haddie, who responded right away and will review all 4 of my books!! Very nice lady! I also submitted to tdc and aestas. Somehow those 3 emails took me at least an hour. It is a lot more homework than it sounds to determine who might be willing to accept your book and maybe even like it, then follow through with their preferences in a custom email. I get so nervous sending in review requests!
I am glad you contacted Knockin Books. I follow them on facebook and I had a feeling they would love your book :)
Can't vouch for their current availability or interest in your genre, but I had positive experience (despite not always flattering reviews) with the following bloggers and list them here with many thanks (hope I haven't omitted anyone, but I might return with more names). The reviews were free at the time and I was only honored to provide a free review copy, but the policy might've changed since:https://athrillaweek.com/
http://rakhijayashankar.blogspot.co.il/
http://whisperingstories.com/
http://diamantelavendar.com/
https://peachykeenbookreviews.wordpre...
http://novelideareviews.blogspot.co.il/
http://seraphinasworld89.blogspot.co.il/
http://anaemeyer.blogspot.co.il/
http://col2910.blogspot.co.il/
http://onlinebookclub.org/
TDC already mentioned by Ann
@Miss Marie: Well, thanks to YOUR list I submitted to Knockin' Books and pretty much received an instant reply from Jennifer.Me: "Holy lightning fast reply, Batman!! Thank you!!"
Her: "Hey, when I see a well-written blurb and query letter, I don’t mess around!!"
While I was nowhere near as diligent as Miss Marie (10 emails took me about 30, maybe 45 mins?) I definitely made sure to include ALL the requested info. Annnd I formatted it to look all pretty too *giggles*
So, yeah, I'd definitely recommend treating a review request like the cover letter for a job application. One time, I had this girl come in applying for a position and hand me her resume rolled up like a freakin' newspaper. Needless to say, she did not get the job. I don't even know what was on her resume *smiles innocently*
@Mr Nik: Thank you oodles for sharing! ^_^
@Miss Tara: I'm stoked to see how your blog tour via Goddess Fish goes!!
Hugs,
Ann
Annie wrote: "WHY BLOGGERS AREN'T REVIEWING YOUR BOOK+1"
Definitely made the dryness mistake with a couple of my early requests... like literally an otherwise blank e-mail aside from Name, Title, Page Count, E-mail Address... yikes!
It was then that I knew I had to be more saucy in life.
@Mr EM: I think I have the opposite problem hahaha!!Maybe I'll paste one my of emails in here to give you guys a laugh ^_~
Please do, Annie! I'd love to see it!
Marie wrote: "Please do, Annie! I'd love to see it!"In Penn's How To Market A Book, which I'm reading right now, she says you could say something like "I saw your review of X by X [and] I have a book that is similar." and then include a short pitch and sales description. you could also attach a flyer or include the book cover as well as a link to the free ebook (or ask if they'd be willing to review it and send a link later).
Doing this from my phone. My annoyingly little phone. So basically, I love Miss Marie...[You're too late to see the awesomeness. Muhahahaaaa!!]
Annie wrote: "Doing this from my phone. My annoyingly little phone. So basically, I love Miss Marie..."
LOL - yes!
Nice literary foreplay, Ann -:)Just encountered a reviewer here on GR charging around 60 pounds for a review, wrapping it in some other disguise. And before that, she's reported enticing authors with free review ad and asking money once their books arrived...
Some people come here to use author's despair and make a quick buck. These things are also in the blog land.
Annie wrote: "WHY BLOGGERS AREN'T REVIEWING YOUR BOOK+1"
Um...
"If you’re an author who has confused a blurb with a synopsis of your story, you’re more likely to have your review requests rejected."
I thought these were the same! No? *cries bucket of tears*
Awww, Miss Marie!1. ❤ⒽⓤⒼ❤ⒽⓤⒼ❤ⒽⓤⒼ❤
2. Nooo...
They're totes different haha!!
Blurb = book description
Synopsis = "Coles Notes" version of your book. Includes the ending *GASP*
@Mr Nik: Thank you, sir! I try to keep it semi-professional but whatevs. If they don't like my email they won't like my book, eh? So muhahahahaaaa!!!
Hugs,
Ann
Oops. Well, I loved your screenshot :) thank you for going through all the trouble of posting it! I will be on the lookout for when bloggers ask for synopsis vs. blurb from now on. Most of them say "book description" though. Is this the blurb? *sigh*
@Miss Marie: Haha, yes, book description and blurb are synonymous.Hmm. Actually, I don't think a blogger would ever ask for a synopsis. That's something a publisher typically requires for submissions, along with a cover page and first chapter.
*shrugs*
Annnd, for you? Any time!! ^_^
@Mr Nik: Oops! Missed your comment about she-who-shall-not-be-named!!Nah, I jest. I'm sure she's not a terrible person. My guess is that she just got a bit defensive and went down a slippery slope. Meh.
٩(๑•◡-๑)۶ⒽⓤⒼ❤
Be cautious of "hard copy" only blogs with few reviews. Might be just personal reading preference (and easier to remember/organize review schedule from a stack of physical copies than invisible files on a device). But, could also be someone getting a steady income selling the books. It isn't a paid review if they offer to ship book back when you pay for return shipping,; you are just reimbursing shipping costs.Reader's Favorite reviews cannot post on goodreads or in with Amazon customer reviews. They can be quoted in the editorial description of Amazon.
(Last I knew of Reader's Favorites: While they offer free (and pay) services to authors, their reviewers are paid from a pool of funded services. They set a minimum 4-star rating for public posting (no, that doesn't take into account that goodreads rating scale is one star less than Amazon's; yes, even though only allowing a posted 4 or 5 star rating they still say that's out of a 5-star scale rather than having a 2-unit scale). On U.S. consumer/reader review sites that do permit the commercial reviews, the ones from Reader's Favorites are only legal if disclose reader was paid a fee plus a free book and had to be given a 4 or 5 star rating else only sent privately to requesting author/publisher/publicity-firm. If you see any here on goodreads, staff just haven't found or been notified about them yet.)
Goodreads and Amazon both are fine with reviews paid only by a disclosed free review copy/book complying with site policies and relevant* laws. If a blogger charges a fee or asks for anything else -- or if you set conditions on a review -- has to be disclosed when posting in with U.S. site's consumer reviews (and probably won't be allowed on goodreads and Amazon).
*"Relevant" laws for U.S. sites/blogs means disclosing anything about the review not readily apparent to general public including but not limited to any conditions like minimum star ratings and payments (including products, advertising considerations, services -- even the service of getting reviews on your own book by writing a review, sweepstakes entries, gift cards, etc.) if posted in with consumer / customer / reader reviews or what appear to be to the general public. Goodreads also falls under California's consumer laws; Amazon under state of Washington's (I think).
ETA: typos. And to add that if a blogger cross-posts a review to Amazon that Amazon later removes as against TOS, likely you can still quote it in the editorial description section with blogger's permission.
Debbie's Spurts (D.A.) wrote: "Reader's Favorite reviews cannot post on goodreads or in with Amazon customer reviews. They can be quoted in the editorial description of Amazon."Ooooh! I didn't pay for anything so I thought it was A-okay. Thanks for this!!
Hugs,
Ann
EDIT: And they have an A+ rating with the BBB (I actually checked on BBB too haha!)
Annie wrote: "@Miss Marie: Haha, yes, book description and blurb are synonymous.Hmm. Actually, I don't think a blogger would ever ask for a synopsis. That's something a publisher typically requires for submiss..."
b/c a publisher has a crapload of submissions to wade thru and they want to see if your plot would be appropriate for their markets--and if your plot is quality--w/o reading the entire novel. furthermore, a synopsis of a novel could run for 2-3 pages. (i wonder if "big" bloggers would ever start asking for synopses.)
Debbie's Spurts (D.A.) wrote: "Be cautious of "hard copy" only blogs with few reviews. Might be just personal reading preference (and easier to remember/organize review schedule from a stack of physical copies than invisible fil..."
great insight. we need to be cognizant of the scams and laws and be ethical. any links to more info?
there's Editors & Preditors
and SFWA's Writer's Beware
Annie wrote: "...And they have an A+ rating with the BBB (I actually checked on BBB too haha..."RF has a good BBB rating possibly because their customers are authors who do successfully get reviews (so what could they report them to BBB for? That the author failed to read all the fine print to figure out that the resulting review could not also be cross-posted on the sites they wanted?)
Authors certainly aren't doing anything wrong or even ethically questionable using Reader's Favorites (well they are wrong if expecting those will be posted on goodreads and Amazon reviews). Nor are all of them paying for reviews, expediting or any other services RF offers. Reader's Favorite generally presents to authors as if just a site to get free reviews from readers sent a review copy (not as upfront about the readers being paid and the reviews not being allowed on Amazon and goodreads).
Plus, RF not doing anything actually "wrong." You definitely get a review unlike some swamped-with-submission or even outright scamming bloggers. Prolific reviews and generally good reviews from experienced reviewers -- although what do you expect if the only review that can post is a "★★★★☆ loved the book" or higher goodreads rating and a "★★★★☆ liked the book" or higher Amazon rating?
It's just that their reviews cannot be posted on goodreads because are paid reviews -- and many other sites including goodreads would also balk at the 4-star minimum rating.
Oddly, Reader's Favorites says in all the site fine print that the reviews can only post on Amazon in editorial section (not sure if done because Amazon kept removing or because Amazon threatened legal action) . They fail to mention that's because all U.S. consumer review sites including. but not limited to Amazon are required by law to prohibit RF's paid/conditioned reviews from posting in with reader reviews without everything fully disclosed and that many sites, including goodreads, won't allow even if disclosed.
Despite technically not "wrong" -- I do wish the BBB, FTC or someone would convince them to rephrase cannot-post-in-Amazon-customer-reviews to say "Reviews cannot post in with consumer/customer reviews on any U.S. consumer review site including but not limited to Amazon and goodreads. May be quoted in Amazon editorial descriptions. Some U.S. consumer review sites might allow but will be illegal unless the review discloses the reviewer was paid a fee, received a free book and had a minimum 4-star rating condition on their publicly posted review" payment" type of thing,
And to be more upfront that -- while one of the review options is free to the author -- the reviewers are paid reviewers.
It's not very clear to authors that those are paid reviewers without really exploring the fine print. RF does, IMO, present themselves to authors as a free review site and -- other than recent-ish added wording about Amazon not allowing in customer reviews -- as if their reviews will be cross-posted to sites like goodreads.
ETA: RF reviewers do perenielly try to post their paid reviews here for some reason (and in Amazon reviews) but both sites have gotten more vigilant and quicker to remove.
Alex G wrote: "Editors & Preditorsand SFWA's Writer's Beware."
Hi Nik, Ann, Tara: could we have a locked post, maybe in Author Resources, that lists websites that have good lists of scams and advice on avoiding them? we could start with the two aforementioned sites and the BBB.
Not sure we can call something a 'scam', basing on hearsay of someone else, because it might just be a libel, but we can have a list of 'beware sites'
SFWA's Writer's Beware also has pages listing additional resources, additional sites talking about sites and companies authors may need to be wary of, some decent info on self publishing and publishing industry in general ...Not uncommon for reputedly scamming companies, particularly the vanity publishers, to change names or add imprints -- Writer's Beware tends to stay on top of that.
Twitter hashtag #notchilled (rumored so named because a publisher was trying to get their unpaid authors to "chill" and not discuss it if they ever wanted to see their royalties) sporadically has some real legal experts posting about some contract wordings and other publishing issues to take into consideration. Admittedly, a lot of that advice too late for some of the #notchilled authors posting because now having issues.
Wow, this was just posted to another group. He lists 150 active blog reviewers who will review indies, and it was easy for me to find my genre and start browsing reviewers. Looks like a great resource. :) https://bookreviewdirectory.com/
@Miss Marie: OMGoodness! I'm actually perusing right now to see if it's worth posting here LMAO!!!#GreatMinds
Regarding the link I posted up there: Well I checked out about 10 blog links for my genre (historical fiction), but unfortunately some of them were no longer active (last activity early 2015) and the ones that were active were nearly all closed to submissions. So is the book review directory worth looking into? It will probably be a little faster than searching google since there are handy captions for each site that can give you a feel for what the reviewer is interested in, but it is not as current as I hoped. I still appreciate the work the author put into getting all these links into one place. Some of you may have better luck with your genres.
Marie wrote: "Regarding the link I posted up there: Well I checked out about 10 blog links for my genre (historical fiction), but unfortunately some of them were no longer active (last activity early 2015) and t..."I'm still trolling through the fantasy section and will report back. Good to know regarding historical fiction, considering that's my project being queried now.
If you try some out, we should start adding them to the author resources spreadsheet.
Bah! Sorry, guys!! I kinda got distracted by other shizz and totally neglected this. Shall try to take a look see sometime today and let you know my top-secret findings ^_^@Awesome Alex: Great idea!
If y'all are putting in requests to any blogs, would you keep track of the results like Mr EM and report back, pretty please?
Hugs,
Ann
Okay, I am not crazy! Not that this is any proof...but I really think that synopsis and blurb are used synonymously by reviewers and ebook marketing sites. Just today when sending in a review request, the reviewer asked for a "brief synopsis/blurb". Then I was filling out this page for an ebook marketing site, and this is what they ask for. These sites post the entries on their website, so surely they are not asking for a literal synopsis...right? Ugh this word is going to drive me crazy now because I see it on most of these marketing sites and review request forms.
from http://awesomegang.com/submit-your-book/
Some sites also equate "blurbs" to "quoted praises" because traditionally in book and movie industries "blurbs" are very brief text/ details / plot/ description/ themes/ summary/ genre used for promotions (traditionally used in marketing materials and frequently quoted or tagged on ads, movie posters, trailers, DVD covers, book jackets, book covers, etc.)I don't think every site expects "book synopsis" to include spoilers or even endings; most sites seem to expect a synopsis to be fairly general summary or outline of the book often used interchangeably with "book description."
Of course, I'm not sure without asking the site/blogger exactly what they mean unless it specifically wants "back of book description." I do know that goodreads, fictiondb and booklikes mean "back of book description" when completing the book description field--but many blogs are run by an individual so will have their own rules.
Plus, bloggers have vastly different backgrounds who might not have a clue what blurbs or synopsis means other than that those phrases are used a lot or a vague idea that's what you're supposed to ask.
@Miss Marie: Nah, I reckon they're not asking for a legit synopsis like what you'd submit to a publisher. But...Blurbs and synopses are still 2 different things. Some reviewers will actually include a short synopsis (written by them) in their reviews. Here's an example:
http://www.truestorybookblog.com/2013...
Btw, she just accepted my book for review today soooo if anyone has a romance, send her a request ^_^
Hugs,
Ann
Okay, I just took a peek at Awesome Gang and they are NOT asking for a blurb. They ARE asking for a short (semi-long, actually) synopsis.I'll be honest, I'd still stick my blurb in there even though it's not recommended. Becuase I think it's punchier than an actual synopsis BUT I wouldn't recommend anyone else do that. I'd recommend y'all follow the guidelines.
*innocent smile*
I have not written an official synopsis yet, so I have just been inserting my blurb in every box that looks like this (blurb, synopsis, book description). Awesome Gang (which looks like an amazing site, by the way) is the only one I have ever seen tell authors that long descriptions are okay. Some of these sites ask for a synopsis in 300 characters or less. Not words--characters. So it can be a bit of a juggling act complying with each site's guidelines.
Whoa! 300 characters?? I thought my blurb was short, but it's still 88 words & 477 characters (☉_☉)
And thanks for sharing about Awesome Gang...
Just submitted my book *smirks*
These are a couple of blogs I submitted to months ago and they put me in queue for the Fall:https://marriedtobooksreviewsandblog.... (contacted through goodreads- she is becoming top reviewer in UK)
http://www.littlebookowl.com/p/review... (YA, not taking requests at this time)
Thank you for the replies Annie and Debbie. Yes some sites only give you 300 characters so you have to be creative, haha. Sorry for derailing the thread on this blurb:synopsis business!
Marie wrote: "Sorry for derailing the thread"Are we ever REALLY on track to begin with...?
*crazy laugh*
Annie wrote: "Bah! Sorry, guys!! I kinda got distracted by other shizz and totally neglected this. Shall try to take a look see sometime today and let you know my top-secret findings ^_^@Awesome Alex: Great id..."
I'm through the first three on the fantasy page (Zen DiPietro, Starving Author, and Mad Tea Party), and all look to be active and responsive blogs, although one ("Starving Author") looks to have a pile of books in his queue. He's officially "closed", but as he says in his (rather funny) podcast, he's open to something that wows him.
I'm gonna start hitting up book review blogs for the next month-ish. Just making a thread so I can keep track of shizz. We can move them onto the Author Resources spreadsheet once they're "proven". Just FYI, some are genre-specific.
[list of blogs]
Please share your own as well. Teamwork makes the dream work!! Okay, that was corny. Just add your shizz ^_~
Hugs,
Ann
UPDATE: the blogs I've submitted to can be found on the spreadsheet