Getting a self-published or POD book reviewed is easy to do! Create a list of potential reviewers while you are waiting for your book to come back from the printer. Once you have your book in hand from the printer you are ready to send out review copies. So how do you develop a list of potential reviewers?
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Book Reviewers – Let’s pretend for a moment that you just wrote a book on baseball bats and you want your book reviewed. While your book was at the printer and in between writing sell sheets and press releases, you began to conduct research on the who’s who in baseball genre self-published book reviews. Your search starts by going to Google and typing in “sports” or “baseball” and “book reviews”. Why not add “bats”? Baseball bats are a highly specialized area and perhaps that would be too limiting of a search. Perhaps the reviewer who will give you the most glowing review will be the one who never read a book about the equipment related to the sport that is his or her favorite genre. Crafting the search for the list is important as you want it to be manageable.
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Reading Groups – Don’t just search for reviewers. Include reading groups and reviewing publications as possible sources for reviews as well. Reading groups and book circles can give great mileage to your book’s marketing campaign. Select those that are genre specific to increase your likelihood that they will select your book to read and review.
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Reviewing Publications – There are some publications that will accept unsolicited books for review. A little research on line and in some writing handbooks will expose a few potential sources. Your best luck will be genre specific publications that cater to your target audience.
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Reviewers on the Web – Some reviewers exist on the web independently. Some are found through host sites and social networking organizations related to books and book promotion. They are often thrilled to give you a review in exchange for a free book. A little homework will reveal what genre they prefer. Consider perusing the web for bloggers and ezine article writers who have existing reviews on the web.
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Writer’s Portals – What better person to review your book than a writer! Check out some of the writer’s sites on the web. There are now several social networking communities where some members offer review services. A peer review is a definite plus in your favor! A simple web search for author groups should reveal a sizeable list with potential reviewers.
Book reviews should always be free. You are sending them a free book and as such you do not control the time for turnaround and content. If a reviewer requires a fee of any sort (reading fee, handling, etc) do NOT submit a book to them. No reviewer worth his/her literary salt takes money for a professional review. NEVER PAY FOR A BOOK REVIEW.
