Find Reviewers For Your Book With These 8 Steps!

Rachel Thompson

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Find Reviewers For Your Book With These 8 Steps!

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Find Reviewers For Your Book With These 8 Steps!

 

I get a lot of people…I mean A LOT of people…on my stream every day asking (or, if they dare, telling) me to read their book, endorse their book, blurb their book, review their book.

I’m sure you do, also.

The thing is, i’m not a book reviewer! I don’t have a book blogger blog. I’m just a writer, like you.

Sure, I’m an avid reader and always have been. I still read a book every few days. And I read a lot of indie authors — not just because I am one and want to support other indies — but because some of the best writing I’ve ever read has been from indies.

But this isn’t a book blog, so I’m not gonna tell you what or who to read or what I like. Instead, I’m going to tell you some review tips I’ve learned.

Let’s deconstruct.

  • Don’t cold call. What does this mean? Don’t hit reviewers or other authors up on their Twitter or Facebook with a spammed message you’ve sent to 200 other people to read, review, or endorse your book. Not only is it rude, but when reviewers see that you’ve sent the same canned message to hundreds of others, that’s a guaranteed block, not to mention that you are spamming. Same with generic emails. Personalize it. Do you want to be approached in a spammy way? Remember the Golden Rule.

 

  • Be polite. I’ve been hassled and even scolded for not reading/reviewing someone’s book. Listen, I’m an author, too, but I’ve learned to approach reviewers and other authors privately and respectfully. We’re all very busy, so when you ask someone to take the time to read your book, expect nothing. Life happens. Most reviewers have a TBR pile a mile (or virtual mile) high. What makes you stand out is your approach. Send it off and hope for the best.

 

  • Be smart. Don’t randomly approach reviewers to read your sci-fi fiction if they’re a romance author. You’re wasting your time and theirs with the back and forth. Do your homework.

 

  • Have realistic expectations. Not every person you send your book to will read it. Not every person you send your book to will like it. If you expect the reviews back in a few days, you’re high. Same with expecting all 5-stars. Not gonna happen. Additionally, I’ve worked with authors who give their book promotion one month, and then whine about how disappointing their sales are. Remember, book promotion is a long haul. It took me nine months to reach bestseller status with A Walk In The Snark.

I personally have never approached Top 100 Amazon reviewers, though two have approached me to review my books. Most successful indie authors will go after these top reviewers. Again, be polite!

 

  • Man up. You will get bad reviews. So what? Some people will absolutely hate your work and I think that rocks. No, I’m not crazy. If you elicit an emotion, you’ve won. That said, take responsibility for your work. Have you had it edited, proofread, and formatted by pros? If not, and you get slammed for errors, take it. It’s your own fault. Do better.

 

  • Have an offense, not a defense. My company, BadRedhead Media, focuses on helping authors increase their virtual footprint, be it social media, blogs, sites, ads, interviews, etc. You don’t have to hire me — just create a plan. How are you going to go about making your book stand out? Become known? Get read? If you’re not sure, check out book marketing and social media books on Amazon (I recommend Lori Culwell’s How To Market A Book) or read my BadRedheadMedia.com blog, Facebook, and Twitter timeline for tons of free tips.

 

  • Virtual Book Tour: Remember, you should NEVER pay for a review, however, it’s fine to set up a book tour (where there’s an administrative fee to the organizer), where book bloggers will review your book as well as feature you. There’s no guarantee of a positive review (see #5 above). If you’re in a Facebook or LinkedIn group, offer to trade reviews with others you trust to be honest and helpful.

 

  • Search. How do you find reviewers or authors who want to read your books without the help of fancy programs like the complete local reputation management solution? Use the Twitter Search (they even have an advanced search option) key for terms like #bookbloggers #bookreviewers or even genre, like #nonfiction or #paranormalromance. Find reviewers and look at their LISTS or see who they follow.

Not on Twitter? Fine. Search Google or Bing. Amazon forums or the Kindle Boards. There are tons of terrific articles out there on the Internet about how to              find reviewers. I like using Twitter because I can see who has followed whom — the work is already done for me. And guess what? People who have visited your blog or stream are excellent review candidates — DM, private message, email or Facebook them with a polite, individual request.

 

Bottom line: Remember that reviews are just one small part of your book-selling pie. You also need to optimize your site/blog, have a consistent social media presence, be interesting and engaging, provide good info that’s not just your own book, and above all, use your manners.

Make your mom proud.

 

What have I missed? Please share you experiences and comments below!

Did you know I host guest writers here every week to two weeks? They share their personal, real-life experiences and I’m continually blown away by their candor and wisdom. Don’t miss it! 

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Comments

  2. Great post. I agree that reviews are important, but like you said, you have to work hard to get them. I probably spend an hour a day doing something to get reviews, talking to people, sending polite requests to reviewers, etc, but it does pay off. And no matter what, you will get some people who don’t like your book. Fact of life.

    Reply

  28. I am reviewer for http://www.awritergoesonajourney.com and occasionally for http://www.boomerangbooks.com.au. Being asked to review something can be a delight. It can also be a less than nice experience if it is not a good book. I don’t like being unkind as I am also a writer and know what it feels like to have a reviewer really can something.

    The thing that has me most concerned with reviewing is this trend to ‘buy’ reviews – pay someone bucks to post a set number of favourable reviews all over the place. I strongly recommend people stay away from those. They have zero credibility and can only damage your own credibility as an author. I have read some of the reviews-for-cash and they were complete crap anyway. Once your reputation is damaged, it’s damned hard to get it back again.

    Then there is the matter of writing your own reviews under other names. Novelist RJ Ellory is currently copping serious flack from doing just that.

    Reply

    • I agree with you completely, Ross. I advise authors to NEVER pay for a review (as I mention in my blog) or create sock puppet accounts (as discussed in David Vinjamuri’s excellent Forbes article). Be sure to read the comments, as one of the ‘outed’ authors shows up in a fightin mood. 🙂

      Regardless, the consumer-based review system has inherent flaws and while Amazon now requires verified purchases to leave a review, bogus reviews still slip through. As authors, it’s best to just keep writing IMHO.

      Thanks for your insights, Ross!

      Reply

      • Rachel, actually, Amazon does not require that a reviewer purchase the item being reviewed. See Amazon’s review policy, which says an account must have made a purchase (ANY purchase) before posting a review. And thank goodness, or bloggers who give free reviews would be out a lot of money. At Indie Kindle Blitz, we offer free and honest reviews for indie authors. Plain and simple.

        Here’s what Amazon’s policy says:
        “Before you can post a review, you’re required to have an Amazon account that has successfully been charged for the purchase of a physical or digital item. Free digital downloads don’t qualify. You don’t need to have purchased the product you’re reviewing. There’s a 48-hour waiting period after your first physical order has been completely shipped, or your digital item has been purchased, before you’ll be able to submit your review. If your first ever purchase was a digital gift for someone else, the 48-hour waiting period doesn’t begin until the gift has been redeemed.”

        Reply

    • I agree Ross, I’m a reviewer for http://chaptersandchats.com as well as http://suspensemagazine.com. It’s always nice to be approached by a respectful author looking for a review. The problem is I’ve also been approached by some who are pretty demanding and who try to push me to purchase their book so I can review it for them, AND expect me to give a favorable review. Fortunately this isn’t a regular occurrence or I would stop doing what I love.

      I would absolutely, unequivocally, never charge for a review. Period. I would absolutely never write a false review. Reviewers that can be bought give those of us who are honest a bad name.

      Reply

      • Thanks for commenting Jodi, and sharing your thoughts and experiences. I never advise an author to pay for reviews — that’s a slippery slope, for sure. Part of the responsibility of being an author is accepting that there are flaws and not everyone will enjoy our work. I’d much rather receive an honest, thoughtful critical review that a 5-star that’s paid for (not that I’d ever do that).

        Appreciate your comments!

        Reply

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