Tips on Get a Book Review

Every author wants glowing book reviews with quotable sentences to use as testimonials. A good review makes readers flock to the bookstore to buy the book.

Online book reviews are becoming standard, and your book’s review will reach a wider audience on the Internet. Online reviews level the playing field for self-published authors.

How do you get reviews? The first step is contacting book reviewers, and the best way to find reviewers is to go online. Once you find a reviewer:

Do:
1. Look for and read the guidelines thoroughly provided by the review site. Each one is different.
2. Check the site for other reviews. Does it look like the book was read or a review written just from the supporting documents that were sent with it? You decide whether or not you want to send your book for a potential review based on what you see.
3. Check the site to see if they review the specific genre your book is in.
4. Autograph the book. Reviewers appreciate it.
5. Send the book with a postal tracking number so you know the book arrived safely. (See #3 in Don’t.)

6. Indicate what genre/category your book is in if it’s not indicated on the book. Reviewers often have no idea where to place the book if it has no BISAC code.
7. Include your contact information with the book. Yes, there are people that just send in the book – no contact info, no supporting documents.
8. Thank the reviewer for the review. They have given you a service and an acknowledgement would be very appropriate.

Don’t :
1. Deface the book by stamping “review copy” on it. Reviewers love to keep the books in their personal libraries.
2. Stamp “requested material” on the envelope in hopes your package will get opened and the book reviewed. This is a turn off. Reviewer’s do keep a list of books they request.
3. Ask the review service if they received the book. They get hundreds of books and do not have the time to hunt for your book. Get a postal tracking number to confirm your book has been received.
4. Publish a book without the BASIC code on the back. Don’t have the reviewers guess the genre of your book.

5. Ask the reviewer to contact your publisher or publicist to have the book sent. It is your responsibility to get the book to the reviewer.
6. Send in your sell sheets, press releases, and “stuff” to the reviewer without knowing whether or not they will even read it. Most reviewers don’t ask for books basic on the “stuff” they receive because they get hundreds of books sent into them on a weekly basis.
7. Think that your book is the best book on the market and get upset with the reviewer if they didn’t like it.
8. Expect a raving review because you think you have the best book on the market or your friends/family said it was. No, no, no. Consider the reviewer as your reading audience. Not everyone will like your book, not will everyone not like your book. Every person has a different preference and you have to accept that. Sending a nasty note to the reviewer is totally unacceptable. If you can’t accept another person’s opinion, then don’t send the books out for review or even attempt to sell them. You can’t control your audience.

Irene Watson is the Managing Editor of Reader Views, http://www.readerviews.com where avid readers can find reviews of recently published books as well as read interviews with authors. Her team also provides author publicity and a variety of other services specific to writing and publishing books.