Getting your book reviewed

June 10, 2009 | Comments: None Yet - Post a Comment

Categories: Authors, Books, Web Marketing

Anyone who has written a book will tell you that it can be difficult to get the “holy grail” review (ie: Oprah or the NYT), but when you’re self publishing, especially when it’s your first book, where do you even begin?  Whether you’re a seasoned veteran of book publishing, or just starting out — represented by a big publishing house or representing yourself — here are some great resources for getting your book reviewed.

Luckily, there are lots of great websites out there dedicated to reviewing books (and occasionally author interviews) & you’re just an email away from submitting your book for their consideration.

NOTE: I’ve started a new regular feature on the blog called “Ask a Reviewer” where some of the editors of the blogs/journals/podcasts mentioned here tell us what their biggest do’s and don’ts are when it comes to getting your book reviewed.

I’ve also another list of review blogs in my post about long term book promotion.

Be sure to follow their submission guidelines, and target the ones that you think will benefit you the most (eg: it’s your niche audience).

If you are interviewed or featured on a blog, be sure to offer a free book as a giveaway to their visitors! Then blog/tweet/facebook a link to it with a thank you – that way both you and the blog owner get a benefit.

And don’t confine yourself to the written word, often your book can be featured in a podcast – here are a series of podcasts related to book reviews & here’s another one! And here’s a site that is a compilation of podcast directories you can search through, or, use to find places to list your own podcast for free!  If you’re not finding what you want in the aggregators, here’s a list of specific book review podcasts:

If you are interviewed on a podcast, be sure to offer a free book as a giveaway to listeners!

And don’t forget about your local public radio station(s) – they love to support local talent, so get in touch and ask about book reviews!

In addition to the above-mentioned websites/blogs, both libraries and bookstore buyers also base ordering decisions on the following journals:

Libdex – Check this comprehensive list for even more available journals.

Make sure when you get a review that you include a short snippet of it on your website, link to the full version, and ask the reviewer to link back to your site in the review. Many times book websites tend to have a page that compiles all reviews together on one page, and that can sometimes be useful for the press, but most “ordinary” people don’t often visit those pages — you’re better off sprinkling key review snippets throughout your site. If you want to compile all reviews and make them available to the press, then create a PDF document and make it available for download on your website’s Press page.

Related posts:

  1. Don’t let your book’s promotion momentum wane
  2. 8 Communities for Book Lovers
  3. Client Spotlight: Book Shepherd & Marketing Specialist
  4. Selling your book online
  5. Are you leaving money on the table?

Your Comments are Welcome!