Memoir Authors discussion
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Getting reviews for your book
Leila wrote: "Hi Everyone,What are you doing about getting book reviews? I discovered a great website where up to 5 readers can request your book for review and they will then post their review on 10 different..."
I am leery of reviews for hire, to be honest. It's caused a lot of distrust in the author community, because there are people out there who promise a 5-star review for a price -- it makes every good review questionable as a result.
That said, I offer up free eBook copies if people wish to write an honest review, and then I never hold my breath to see it posted. I do occasional promotions to groups that are interested in the subject matter, and I make sure that my works are readily available.
This is interesting!What I see at reviewthebook is a little different from "reviews for hire" because the fee is just for admin. Now, whether or not you get any quality in those reviews is a whole different thing. I would want to check that out.
I have had a little luck in searching for book blogs and then contacting the bloggers individually and asking if they want to review the book. Was totally psyched to get a **** review on Caribou's Mom, a top literary blog. http://www.caribousmom.com/2011/09/02...
Keep these suggestions coming. I will surely check the one Leila suggested.
Just visited the http://reviewthebook.com site in some depth. They have very few reviews posted so far and the quality is not impressive. I will wait and see whether they pick up speed.
Hi Jane, I did notice that too. No one has requested my book yet, although it's only been a few days. What I liked was that the reviewers are just avid readers who like to review books. And the reviews posted are honest, they are encouraged to be honest. I'll let you know if I have any luck there. I need to spend some time searching for blogs who may review my book. I'm busy moving house and city so it's not the best time for promotion, but it must be done. I move in 3 weeks!Kindest,
Leila
Hi Leila,I'll be eager to hear what comes of the review site. Meanwhile, take care. Yes, promo needs to be done, but it is also a bottomless pit ( I can tell you!!) and I hope you'll get on with your life, as well. Bit by bit.
I've found Twitter pretty useful for finding people.
J
Thanks Jane... I'm trying to do both (o:Has anyone approached any of the Amazon top reviewers to request book reviews? I have made a list of the reviewers who do memoir, and when I get time, I'm going to message them.
That is a fine idea. How do you find the top reviewers on Amazon? And are they rated merely by quantity?
Jane wrote: "That is a fine idea. How do you find the top reviewers on Amazon? And are they rated merely by quantity?"This will be my third attempt at answering this question; hopefully Goodreads will be cooperative. I'm using my own profile as an illustration here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile... . I'm part of Amazon's Vine Reviewer team, which means that Amazon has asked me to be part of their internal cadre of reviewers. Those reviews are clearly marked. Now, if you look at the stats, you'll see that I have written 316 reviews, with a helpful rating of 83% based on customer votes. That's the metric that determines someone's reviewer ranking. There is a new system (as opposed to the "classic" system), for which my rank is 2,844. If you click on that number, it will take you to the reviewer listing and you can then find the Top 100 reviewers, Top 500, or whatever you're looking for. It's not broken out by genre.
Leila wrote: "Hi Everyone,What are you doing about getting book reviews? I discovered a great website where up to 5 readers can request your book for review and they will then post their review on 10 different..."
I decided to have a look at this site in depth. I tend to distrust a review site that is full of misspellings and grammar gaffes, just as a start. I also don't see how demanding an upfront payment from you, regardless of their disclaimer, is anything *but* buying a review. It is questionable at best that it costs more than $10/month to maintain this website, IMO. "Processing" my foot. Someone is getting paid to read and review these books (they admit it right here: "Oh yikes, how we'd love to do all this for free! However, in order to provide this service to you, we need to pay our staff. We've tried to convince them to work for free but it just isn't happening.")
Furthermore, they admit that the books you send them (along with your upfront fee) become the property of the reviewer. That's an additional fiduciary consideration (believe me, as part of Vine I am intimately acquainted with what this all means ... I do not get one dime from Amazon for reviewing the books I choose, but I get to keep them).
Caveat emptor, my friends.
Sharon, I think you are right. And there is no guarantee that anyone will request my book, so I may have paid the 'admin' fee for nothing... ah well, you live and learn. Should have asked you guys first!
Sharon, thanks so much for giving us the benefit of your savvy and experience. I will follow through on your suggestions about Amazon.
Here is a rough list I compiled of bloggers that will review self-published memoirs. I haven't done much in-depth research, so therefore can't recommend any of them personally, but it's a good place to start looking for reviewers for your memoir -http://www.whatthe4h.com/2009/03/guid...
http://www.capriciousreader.com/?page...
http://myreadingroom-crystal.blogspot...
http://books4linda.blogspot.com/p/rev...
http://awornpath.blogspot.com/p/revie...
http://asiturnthepages.blogspot.com/p...
http://booknaround.blogspot.com/2009/...
http://bookdiscovery-jeanne.blogspot....
http://letsbookit.blogspot.com
http://www.chaoticcompendiums.com/
http://rachelrmrblog.blogspot.com
http://www.curlingupbythefire.blogspo...
Leila, Thank you so much. This list is a gold mine!
Pleasure Jane! I sent off requests to some of them and they all got back to me, most of them requesting my book. The only thing I'm not sure about is which of them will accept e-books. They all requested a paperback from me. x
Sharon wrote: "Jane wrote: "That is a fine idea. How do you find the top reviewers on Amazon? And are they rated merely by quantity?"This will be my third attempt at answering this question; hopefully Goodreads..."
Hi Sharon,
thanks for your post ~ it's very helpful!
I checked out your reviewer profile on Amazon and am very interested to find an Amazon reviewer for my book, "Great Space of Desire: Writing for Personal Evolution. How do I search for a potential reviewer / book match? And would you be interested in reading & reviewing my book? (www.greatspaceofdesire.com)
Dara
Hi Dara and everyone else...I sent out quite a few requests to Amazon reviewers, blog reviewers, and reviewers here on Goodreads. 15 came back to me saying they would like to receive my book for review and I sent off the paperbacks. So far 6 have posted reviews - 2 bloggers and 4 from Goodreads. The others have let me know that they will post a review once they get to my book. So what I am suggesting here, is that the best place to look for reviewers for your books isn't necessarily Amazon reviewers. They seem to be too busy! My best luck so far was here on Goodreads, by posting in the various author groups to find reviewers. I'd recommend that, as well as finding bloggers that review your genre. The other way I got reviews on Amazon, was to offer my book for free and some of those readers have posted reviews.
All the best, and keep sharing.
Hi Everyone, CHeck out my blog today on managing expectations as a published author. http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_...
Deborah, read and commented on your blog, great post!!
Need some more reviews for your book? There are many readers on Goodreads who are willing to provide an honest review in return for a free copy of your book. You can ask if they will review on Goodreads as well as Amazon. There are some reviewers who also have a book review blog where they will post an additional review. Check out some of these threads to find reviewers –http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/5...
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/4...
http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/5...
http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/4...
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/3...
Seems like members of the group can provide fair & honest reviews for each other. 2 of my memoir books lack reviews on Amazon & Goodreads. If anyone would please post reviews for "Light in the Mountains" and/or "India - Nepal Himalayas, in the Moment", I would be happy to reciprocate. Just let me know.
Jeffrey wrote: "Seems like members of the group can provide fair & honest reviews for each other. 2 of my memoir books lack reviews on Amazon & Goodreads. If anyone would please post reviews for "Light in the Mou..."I'll trade reviews with you, send me your email, and we'll work it out.
Thanks, June. My email is jrasley@juno.com.Anyone else who would like to trade, feel free to email me as well.
Hopefully you mean trading books, reading them and writing honest reviews, not just trading reviews :)
Good article on getting book reviews - The Secrets to Getting More Book Reviews (Even if Your Book Is Already Out)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/penny-c...
Leila wrote: "Good article on getting book reviews - The Secrets to Getting More Book Reviews (Even if Your Book Is Already Out)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/penny-c..."
I just located this thread and it's already been helpful. For example, the great article you posted. I'm going to follow up on it.
Just out of sheer frustration (and with certain audacity),I began writing query letters to people who write books somewhat similar to mine. I just got a wonderful review from Linda Hasselstrom who's a pretty well-known western woman writer. She posted her review on amazon, and I've posted it to my blog. I will also link it on my Website with retweet buttons people can use to bring their twitter friends to the page.
I've also asked a woman who has edited a number of anthologies of western women's works and she says she'll do a review if I tell her where I want her to send it. So now I'll be looking at the newslink posted earlier to find some place -- and I'll send her a book.
Thanks to everyone who has joined this discussion. There are some good ideas here that I will follow up on. I hope my experiences will help someone as well.
Thanks Faith, I'm just writing an article on getting reviews which I'll post on my blog soon. I do think that the real gold is to get a review from someone who is a 'celebrity' of sorts. I'm still working on that :) The closest I got was I connected with a NY Times bestselling author after reading her book and offered her a copy of mine. She accepted! Then she tweeted me to say it was on her bedside table and I haven't heard from her since. But... I live in hope that she will read it, like it and spread the word. Have other celebrities on my list, but it's not always easy to find an email address for them. And it's kind of scary to approach them too! In the meantime, book bloggers are the best bet, especially ones with lots of followers. I'll let you know when my article with all the links is up.
Okay, you got me going. I have finished and posted my blog post on getting reviews for your book with lots of tips and links. http://www.spread-the-word.co.za/gett...Hope it helps,
Leila
Leila wrote: "Okay, you got me going. I have finished and posted my blog post on getting reviews for your book with lots of tips and links. http://www.spread-the-word.co.za/gett...Hope i..."
Great post. I saw some things I've already done and some I didn't think of. Now all I have to do is find time to the "undone" things.
This is such a helpful page! Thanks to all of you for posting such helpful content. I don't think I've seen a page like this!
I have just written a blog post on how to market your free book promotions, which is also another way to get book reviews :) If you haven't signed up on my blog, do so as I'm about to offer some giveaways to members including a free book trailer.http://www.spread-the-word.co.za/goin...
Hi Fellow Memoirists: I truly value this page, as it richly shares some excellent resources, and is so very supportive of our journey as authors. Somehow my long row to that once distant shore seems a little closer.Thank you, each and every one, for raising the bar. This is such a fine exemplar of caring and professionalism.
All the best to us, Myra W Darwish
I have started devoting Thursdays on my blog, www.widowsphere.blogspot.com to interviews with memoir authors or excerpts from memoirs and would also be open to trading reviews. You can send me a message through goodreads.
Leila wrote: "Here is a rough list I compiled of bloggers that will review self-published memoirs. I haven't done much in-depth research, so therefore can't recommend any of them personally, but it's a good plac..."Thank you Leila, for sharing this list
Please add my blog to the list. www.widowsphere.blogspot.com. I trade reviews--yours for mine--also do interviews or excerpt of memoirs each Thursday. Anyone who is interested should send me a private message.
If anyone would like to review one of my books that was just released as an audiobook, let me know and I'll send the download. "Monsters of the Midway: The Death, Resurrection, and Redemption of Chicago Football"http://www.audible.com/pd/ref=sr_1_1?...
It's not just about football; there's also romance.
Reply or email me at jeffrasley@gmail.com.
If it's a memoir, I'd love to. It obviously isn't about the Texans but I can make an exception for the Bears. I trade reviews so you'd have to review mine which is a grief memoir. Give it some thought and let me know.
Thelma wrote: "If it's a memoir, I'd love to. It obviously isn't about the Texans but I can make an exception for the Bears. I trade reviews so you'd have to review mine which is a grief memoir. Give it some t..."Thelma, There was a lot of grief as People Magazine called the team "the worst team in college ball." It is a "truthy fictionalized memoir". Read the Product Description, and let me know if you want to trade.
Sharing a great review I just received from "across the pond."http://www.amazon.com/review/14782054...
Jeffrey wrote: "Thelma wrote: "If it's a memoir, I'd love to. It obviously isn't about the Texans but I can make an exception for the Bears. I trade reviews so you'd have to review mine which is a grief memoir. ..."I don't know if it's a memoir or a novel. Tell me more.
Thelma wrote: "Jeffrey wrote: "Thelma wrote: "If it's a memoir, I'd love to. It obviously isn't about the Texans but I can make an exception for the Bears. I trade reviews so you'd have to review mine which is ..."Did you read the Product Description? It's strictly historical fiction, but based closely on (the typical phrase: inspired by) my own experiences.
I did read it. It sounds like "based on a true story" so let's go with it. I'll send you some questions in the next couple of days. I'm booking in August as of now.
Thelma wrote: "I did read it. It sounds like "based on a true story" so let's go with it. I'll send you some questions in the next couple of days. I'm booking in August as of now."Thanks, Thelma. Best contact is jrasley@juno.com
Let me warn you: Do not exchange 5-star adulations with other authors. I know two cases where authors of mediocre books who did this infuriated readers (who felt cheated) to the point that they retaliated with 1-star ratings and spiteful reviews, which the authors will never be able to get rid of.If you do exchange reviews, please make sure that you will be exchanging honest reviews.
Mind you, there is nothing wrong with saying that a glass is half-full instead of saying that it is half-empty, but giving a mediocre book an enthusiastic 5-star review is not a good idea.
If you know the author and cannot give him/her a rating of, at least, 3 stars, while keeping a good conscience, don't post the review and tell the author privately. He/she will still be sore, but this is the only right thing to do.
Exchanging dishonest, brilliant reviews is not the way to go.
Amazon has removed 5-star reviews, when it is obvious they have been exchanged. It hasn't happened to me (I won't guarantee a "glowing" review), but I do know of 2 such cases.
#1 I've not been too successful in getting reviews after giving away over 10 books here on Goodreads, but I'm always hopeful. Have you had success with Giveaways?#2 I recently received a Five Star review from Readers'Favorite. When I uploaded a revised book cover with their logo, I lost all my LIKES on Createspace.
Would you be so kind as to visit my page and LIKE? I will be happy to reciprocate.
https://www.createspace.com/3931179
Jeffrey wrote: "Amazon has removed 5-star reviews, when it is obvious they have been exchanged. It hasn't happened to me (I won't guarantee a "glowing" review), but I do know of 2 such cases."There are still tons of dishonest reviews on Gooodreads. This is a shame as this hurts honest authors and makes it difficult for reviewers. I know of a case where an exchange-reviewer received hate-mail for giving only 4 stars while she had received 5 stars. There is a lot more to say about this review problem, but this would be a topic for a longer blog.
Mirta wrote: "#1 I've not been too successful in getting reviews after giving away over 10 books here on Goodreads, but I'm always hopeful. Have you had success with Giveaways?#2 I recently received a Five S..."
Mirta, I just liked and posted it on Facebook. If you wish, reciprocate on http://www.amazon.com/Jeff-Rasley/e/B...
or any of my books.
Jeffrey wrote: "Mirta wrote: "#1 I've not been too successful in getting reviews after giving away over 10 books here on Goodreads, but I'm always hopeful. Have you had success with Giveaways?#2 I recently rec..."
done & done
;-)
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Memoir Authors
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What are you doing about getting book reviews? I discovered a great website where up to 5 readers can request your book for review and they will then post their review on 10 different websites, including Amazon. There is a $25 admin charge. The link is http://reviewthebook.com
Leila