I often give you links to reviewer directories. Do you know what to do with these great resources once you have them at your fingertips? Here’s what I suggest:
• Study the listings in each directory. If the reviewers are not listed by category (mystery, romance, memoir, science fiction, chic lit, etc.), you’ll need to check each listing or visit each reviewer’s website to determine their reading preferences. Do not send your erotic romance to a reviewer who prefers Christian inspirational stories. You’ll be wasting your time—or worse yet, get a bad review.
• Follow each reviewer’s guidelines. Some read only e-books, others want print books and most have fairly long lists of books to wade through before they can get to yours. Once you send your book to a reviewer, don’t bug them to read it.
• Keep track of the reviewers you have contacted and their responses. Log the date you sent your book.
• Once the review is posted at Amazon or the reviewer’s site, for example, thank the reviewer for taking the time to post the review. If the review was negative, you may choose not to thank the reviewer, but I suggest that you do not challenge him or her. We all get mixed reviews—some are good and some are not so flattering. Remember, you asked for the opinion of the reviewer. Anytime you do this, you risk a bad review.
• Directories are not the only way to locate reviewers. You can check at Amazon and at author websites to see who has reviewed books like yours. Contact those reviewers. However, I warn you, Amazon reviewers are sometimes difficult to locate.
• Also locate reviewers through Internet searches using keywords, “book reviewer” and “true crime” or “reviewer of travel books.” Contact bloggers who feature books on your topic or in your genre—animals, trains, historical novels, etc.
What good are book reviews? In some cases, positive reviews sway people to purchase your book. But the main reason for soliciting reviews is for the exposure. Reviewers often post your reviews at their websites. Most post them at Amazon.com and other sites. You can use the new review as a reason to talk or write about your book. For example, you might place an announcement in your club and affiliation newsletters and websites about an excellent review or a flurry of good reviews. You can write about the good reviews in your blogs, your newsletter, etc. You can post them at your website.
I tell authors—Get reviews and get noticed.
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Update on Catnapped
I got a couple of good reviews overnight for Catnapped, the first in my Klepto Cat Mystery series. I’m still planning to launch the second novel, Cat-Eye Witness, in October. It’s with the proofreader and random pre-publication readers as we speak. The third book—title not set—is waiting in the wings for editing. Check out the array of reviews for Catnapped and order your Kindle copy here: http://amzn.to/14OCk0W
I still spend a good part of each week involved in promoting Catnapped. And my efforts seem to be paying off. When you are a Kindle Direct Publishing author, you have access to your sales figures and I check mine every once in a while. Lookin’ good! In case you’re considering this program for your upcoming novel, I recommend it. Amazon does quite a bit to help you succeed.