While I make it my business to keep up with publishing news and trends, sometimes something slips through the cracks. (How’s that for using clichés right off the bat?)
I subscribe to several publishing newsletters. I scour the Internet frequently for information. When I speak at a conference, unlike some of the presenters, I attend sessions and always pick up new tidbits. And, of course, I listen to other authors at all stages of their projects.
Well, yesterday I was working on a book revision and stumbled across information I was not aware of—about Kirkus Reviews. In December of 2009, I reported that this seventy-seven-year-old library review journal had closed. What I didn’t know was that, in February of this year, Herb Simon bought it and revived it. Kirkus Reviews, one of America’s oldest and most respected prepublication review journals lives on.
Kirkus Reviews is one of six prepublication review journals read religiously by librarians and booksellers who are seeking new books to stock. And, as far as I know, it is the only one that offers self-published and pay-to-publish authors review opportunities.
This is not to say that self-published and pay-to-publish authors are exempt from inclusion in any of the prepublication review journals. But it is a rare occasion when a book published outside of the traditional realm is accepted for review by any of them. Kirkus, however, started Kirkus Discoveries—a program whereby authors can pay to have their book reviewed by Kirkus staff. It will cost you, though—from $425 to $575, depending on how soon you want your review to appear. Here’s the link to the sign-up page: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/discoveries/add.
Do reviews in the Kirkus Discoveries program sell books? I would do some research on my own, if I were you. If you read the testimonials at the Kirkus website, you would be convinced that it is worth the money. But I’ve spoken with authors who say, “Don’t bother.” Kirkus lists some of the books they review through this program on their Kirkus Discoveries page. Contact some of these authors of books similar to yours and ask them if sales increased once their review appeared in the Discoveries newsletter. http://www.kirkusreviews.com/discoveries
By the way, the other prepublication book review journals are: Booklist, Library Journal, ForeWord Reviews, School Library Journal and Publisher’s Weekly.
Visit my websites to learn more about me, Patricia Fry, and my work and services.
http://www.patriciafry.com
http://www.matilijapress.com
Sign up for my FREE online Book Proposal course starting December 27, 2010. PLFry620@yahoo.com. Put “Free Course” in the subjectline. Learn more about the course here: http://www.matilijapress.com/course_bookproposal.htm. Space is limited, so contact me now.
You pay them to review your book? Is this the norm? I’d have to question their ability to give a fair and balanced review. If they slammed enough authors, word would get out and who would pay to get a bad review?
It’s a chance we take, isn’t it? But here, you are talking about the most prestigious review journals around. If you get a bad review, it could really hurt you, but this could happen whether you pay for the review or not.
Patricia