Confused about this whole book reviewer thing?

I have been a book reviewer for over five years now and have only recently gotten serious about my writing. I am learning quickly that a lot of writers don't know much about the world of book reviewing. So, bottom line, it's the best way to get your book noticed without paying lots of money on advertising. You should never offer a book reviewer money, the only thing it cost you is a copy of your book and postage if you're mailing an actual book. Many book reviewers do e-books though and that can cut down on some of the cost. Most reviewers post their review in many places and have a following. Remember, even if they only have 300 followers, that's a different circle of people than you can market to.

Another fun thing to do with book reviewers is work out a blog tour. A blog tour is when you plan for this week or weeks you will have a reviewer or blogger post something about your book or you each day. You can have them do book reviews, interview you (the author), allow a guest blog post from you, interview a character or whatever else your creative writer brain comes up with. It's a lot of fun. So you have a schedule on your blog of all the places for your readers to go each day of the week or post it to social media sites, and the blogger tells them where to go the next day. For example: Book Reviewer A adds to the end of the blog post to go see Book Reviewer B (with link) tomorrow to learn more about this exciting new book. Or something like that. Then it's this big event that lasts for a few days or weeks and is totally fun!

So, we talked about why to get a book reviewer, now how. Well, there are lots of databases. You can go to places like The Book Reviewers Directory or The Indie View. You can also go through book publicists where you pay them to do all the work of finding a book reviewer. You can use places like Word Slinger. You can also just try googling "Book Reviewer" and you'll get many databases, publicists, and individual blogs. There are so many reviewers out there!

Now that you've decided on the book reviewers you want to use, how do you approach them? Here are some things to keep in mind as you do. There’s also a sample pitch at the end.

1. Know your genre! Not all book reviewers are going to want to read your genre, so don't get offended if a reviewer turns you down. Just move on to the next. Most have a review policy on their site and tell you the types of books they accept. Even then, it doesn't mean they're going to be able to review your book. Trust me, you'd rather have someone who wants to review your type of book because if they like that genre, they'll be more likely to like your book and give you a better review.

2. When you send the request, some reviewers put in their review policy that they want a synopsis or they want the first chapter to help them make a decision. Again, check the review policy. I don't have this in my review policy. If I want more information then I request it, but most people send me a synopsis anyways.

3. Do not offer money! You don't pay the book reviewer. You are giving them a book for an HONEST review.

4. Remember that not everyone is going to like your book. Do not argue with a book reviewer about a negative review! Accept it graciously and move on. There may be something in the review that can help you improve as a writer... or there may not be anything. Just smile, accept that one person didn't like your book - but there are many other people out there - and move on! :D

5. Do NOT stalk the reviewer!

6. Do not expect the book reviewer to pay for his or her copy of the book. They are giving you FREE publicity so you can send them a free copy of the book.

7. Don't send an unedited manuscript to the reviewer, because those errors will probably be mentioned in the review. No one wants to read a novel full of typos and grammatical errors and you don't want future readers thinking your writing has so many mistakes in it because you gave a reviewer an unedited copy of your book.

8. Want to host a giveaway through the reviewer's website? That's great! That will be fun! However, the author should pay for the prize and the postage. The book reviewer can ship it out and the author pay him or her back via paypal or the author can send out the books him/herself. Either way is fine, let the reviewer decide. Oh, and if the reviewer hosts a giveaway on their website, actually send out the books to the winners. Don't be a flake.

9. Please don't bug a reviewer endlessly asking where your review is. If it was part of a book tour, then you probably settled on a date at the beginning. That isn't what I'm referring to. I'm referring to a regular book review. If the reviewer is anything like me, then there is a stack of books on their nightstand just waiting to be read. At this point, there is about a two month waiting period for me. However, there have been times where it has been much longer.

10. Finally, I love making friends with the authors I review for, so follow the reviewer on different social media sites. Also, if you're willing to be a guest blogger or do an author interview, feel free to include that you are willing to participate in these in the email you send.

Throughout the years, I have received many pitch emails - some have been good and some, well, not so good. Let me show you an example of a good one and explanation of why I think so....

Dear Linda

My name is John Smith and I just self-published my debut novel, Book Title. It was released on Aug 14, 2016 through Publishing Company. I am including the cover image and a brief synopsis. [Brief Synopsis]

I am looking for reviewers and wondered if you'd be interested in receiving a copy for review. I have all ebook formats available or paperback, if you'd prefer. The link to my book on Amazon/Goodreads is below my signature. If you have any questions, then please contact me. I am available for interviews and guest posts if interested.

Thank you for your time,

John Smith

So, my name was used in the greeting. I have gotten many requests that are addressed to "Reviewer" which immediately puts me off because they didn't take the time to personalize it a tiny bit. The rest of it may be copy and pasted, but at least include my name. The author introduces himself, and is polite with lots of information on the book so I know if I want more information. Also, it's readable with minimal typos. YAY! I love when the emails are proofed. If there are lots of mistakes then I can only assume the book will have them too, and I don't want to put myself through the torture.

I hope this helps in some way.