Every author has heard the term Book Review. Many of them consider a book review to be an honor bestowed only on famous and lucky authors.
Some authors believe that you can get your book reviewed, but you’ll have to pay for it. No, no, no! Well, let me say that there are certainly a lot of review sites cropping up that require payment for reviews. But I have to tell you, they are not the only reviewers in town!
There are hundreds of FREE book review opportunities for books in all genres and topics. Here are my suggestions for getting your book reviewed many times over:
1: Write a book that reviewers will want to review. Now this sounds like a big fat no-brainer, doesn’t it? But think about it. What more could you do to make your book in progress more appealing to reviewers—more appropriate for a larger number of reviewers?
I advise authors to build promotion into their books—in other words, to add wider dimensions to attract a larger audience. This practice will also attract a greater array of reviewers.
2: Make the most of what you have. Okay, your book is a done deal. How can you maximize your book review options? Get personal with your book. Dissect it and jot down what you find. For example, what city is the story set in? Pursue reviews in regional magazines in that area. Do you have a section in your budgeting book for teaching children money-awareness? Parenting magazines might be a good secondary review option for this book. Is your book clean and honorable? Consider reviews in religious magazines. Maybe your novel has a séance scene. This may provide an opportunity for a review in a metaphysical or New Age publication.
3: Seek out magazine book reviewers. Not every magazine runs book reviews, but many of them do. Editors of some literary magazines and others that publish fiction, review books. Some genre fiction magazine editors publish book reviews—this might include science fiction, romance, horror, young adult and children’s.
Likewise there are hundreds of consumer and association/trade magazines that run book reviews on appropriate books. My book on presenting a Hawaiian luau on the mainland was reviewed in dozens and dozens of cooking and foods magazines. My writing/publishing-related books have been reviewed in numerous writing and publishing magazines and newsletters. There are magazines in every category imaginable—business, child-rearing, pets and animals, public speaking, finance, fitness and health, education, sports, hobby and craft and on and on and on.
Again, the more aspects you have skillfully worked into your novel or nonfiction book, the more potential you have for getting your book reviewed.
4: Locate appropriate publications. You probably have magazines in your genre or topic on your own book shelves. Start there. Scan magazines at your local library and bookstores. Study Writer’s Market to find additional magazines related to your book’s theme. Do a Google search to locate even more magazines and newsletters. Here are a few newsletter directories.
http://www.newsletteraccess.com
http://www.ezinehub.com
You can pay for lists of newsletters: http://www.mediafinder.com
5: Contact general online book review sites. While these sites are plentiful and it seems that a book could get lost among the multitude of others, most experts recommend that you try to get your book added to their list of reviewed books. The more exposure you get, after all, the better. I often list some of the book review sites in the SPAWN Market Update for members of SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) http://www.spawn.org
Book review site directory: http://www.acqweb.org/bookrev.html
You can do an Internet search to locate those in your genre/topic.
Or contact me. I am the Editor-in-Chief of eFiction Magazine and we love publishing reviews of indie fiction books. You can ask me on twitter @DougLance or send an email to editor@efictionmag.com for more information!