Book reviews are one of the absolutely required elements of success for an author. Without reviews, the probability of selling many books, especially online, drops precipitously. Whether you’re a new author or an experienced one, you need reviews.
At times, it can seem very challenging to get book reviews, especially positive ones. It’s worth remembering that one of the critical elements of marketing a book is to write a good book. Don’t skimp on proofing, editing, or design.
Now, you’re probably in one of two boats. Either you’ve already published your book and are struggling to get more reviews, or you’re getting close to publishing.
Fortunately, Sandra Beckwith of BuildBookBuzz offers 9 places where you can mine for readers to give your book those reviews it needs.
- Social media
- Your email list
- Online reader groups
- Public speaking audiences
- Free book offer newsletters and websites
- Services that send e-books to readers for reviews
- A request at the end of the book
- Bloggers
- Influencers
You can learn more about her recommendations by reading her post:
9 places to look for readers who write reviews
Best Book Monkey’s Insights
Without a doubt, you have to get book reviews. We wish it could be as easy as simply loading your book onto Amazon or any other platform. Unfortunately, if you do that, you’ll spend more time wondering where your reviews are than anything else.
In today’s competitive bookselling market, you have to be proactive about getting reviews. Sandra identifies some awesome ideas for places to find reviewers. We’d add one other idea. If you’re in a book club or writing group, don’t forget to ask your fellow members.
It’s well worth mentioning that you can get book reviews ready before your book is ready for sale. Having multiple reviews of your book appear on the day you publish can help push your book up the Amazon sales rankings. Check out our article on How to Write a Successful Book Marketing Plan for Your Book if you’re in the formative stages of planning to publish.
If your book is already published, you might want to look at some of our marketing ideas in Book Marketing Strategy: Tips for Self-Publishing.
The one rule that you should absolutely remember is that “if you want someone to do something for you, you have to ask!”
What’s the most effective place you’ve used to find more book reviewers? Let us know by commenting below and if you’ve found other places to find reviews, share that too!
