Marketing Basics - Getting Book Reviews

Book Reviews


Never, ever, ever, ever, ( I can’t say this enough) ever pay for a book review.

For starters, they’re never truly unbiased. If you’re paying someone to review your book there is an expectation of a great review on your part. No one wants to pay for a 1-star review, right? And if you take a look at the review-for-pay services out there, you’ll notice a trend of nothing below 3 stars. Other people will notice this as well and they will recognize that your book is being misrepresented as “great,” when it might not be. (I’m not saying your book won’t be great.)

So, how do you get your book reviewed?
Do some research and look for blogs geared toward your genre.
This is an excellent place to start.
Find out the review guidelines of each blog and shoot them an email politely requesting they consider reviewing your book. Be sure to include your:

Genre
Publishing date and publisher name (if it’s you, say so. Be proud to be an indie)
Word Count
Synopsis
If there is any adult-related material in the book (Some sites will not review anything with sex or foul language. Best to state it upfront)
Format available (print or ebook)
Book Cover Image (People often judge a book by its cover so let yours help sell it.)


You’ll be surprised how many bloggers are out there, willing to look at your book. And it will only cost you at most, the book plus shipping. At the least, it could be as cheap as emailing a PDF.

Many of these bloggers don’t just publish their reviews on their blog. Often times they also publish them on well trafficked sites like Goodreads, Shelfari, Library Thing, and on occasion, right on your Amazon.com book page.

Read more tips and tricks in my handy dandy little guide.

Available exclusively on Kindle!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great blog post Katie. I have loved this on-going series. I had just mentioned you as a writer to follow in my blog then when I returned to Twitter found this post and added the URL to my post. You are providing a great service to Indie Authors. Thank you!

Cheers,

Ardee-ann

Katie Salidas said...

I'm so happy to hear these post are reaching people and providing good information!!! And thank you for sharing and mentioning my site!!

Hugs

Christina Garner said...

Totally agree. My novel is a YA Urban Fantasy and The YA Book Blog Directory has been invaluable for finding prospective bloggers. A little research goes a long way.

About The Author

Katie Salidas is a USA Today bestselling author and RONE award winner known for her unique genre-blending style.

Since 2010 she's penned five bestselling book series: the Immortalis, Olde Town Pack, Little Werewolf, Chronicles of the Uprising, and the all-new Agents of A.S.S.E.T. series. As her not-so-secret alter ego, Rozlyn Sparks, she is a USA Today bestselling author of romance with a naughty side.

In her spare time Katie also produces and hosts a YouTube talk show; Spilling Ink. She also has a regular column on First Comics News where she explores writing from a nerdy perspective.