In this post, an excerpt from The Sane Person's Guide to Self-Publishing. Links to sites referenced in this post can be found under the resources tab above.
There’s not much you can do to get readers to review your book aside from politely asking them, which you should do. There are, however, lots of ways to pay for reviews.
Thanks to the culture of online reviews, high profile reviews no longer have the power they once did. It seems to matter more that you get lots of reviews than it matters who wrote them. This is good news since the New York Times probably isn’t going to review your book.
Basic options for paid reviews:
1. Fiverr, as discussed in the post “Planning Your Book Launch”
2. NetGalley. Ever wonder how some books have hundreds of reviews as soon as they hit shelves? NetGalley is a key factor. This is a tool traditional publishers use, and they have the resources to do so. Also, there are discounts for listing multiple titles. If you have only one title, pricing starts at $399. If you have the budget, it really might be worthwhile.
3. Kirkus. Kirkus is a trusted book review magazine. They now offer a service for indie authors to purchase reviews. The pricing starts at $425. They are TOUGH critics. If your book gets a starred review, it could be a serious boost to sales. Very few books do, though. I tried Kirkus, and I talk about my experience in the next chapter. Foreword is a similar journal that offers similar services for a similar price. I haven’t personally tried them, but you might want to check it out.
4. IndieReader. IndieReader is a book review and book news website. They run the annual IndieReader Discovery Awards. You may have already guessed that I think getting reviewed by them is a good idea, as my second book won an IRDA. Well, I used to be a fan, but recently, they’ve changed their ways. Used to be for the price of entering the contest, you automatically got reviewed on IndieReader. Not any more. Now a review costs $225, and if you also want to enter the contest, you have to pay $100 more. Honestly, winning the award did almost nothing for my book’s sales. The review was what mattered most to me. I’m not sure I think the new price tags are worth it.
5. Kindle Book Review. This high traffic site accepts submissions of books to review and reviews them for free. There’s no guarantee they’ll pick your book, but it costs you nothing to submit. Also, they have a great list of resource. I have included that website on my resource page for this book. They also run an annual contest with the low entry price of $25 (based on the 2014 rate).
6. Blogs and webpages. A google search will turn up blogs and websites that accept books for review. They usually post submissions procedures. Some will review for free, others charge fees. I paid for a review at BestChickLit and had great results. They even included ongoing marketing once the review was published.
I’m sure there are other ways, but these are the ones I’m most familiar with. I do think most indie authors will pay for some reviews at some point in their marketing process, and I know it feels icky at first, but as long as you’re paying for an honest review, it’s nothing to feel bad about.
There’s not much you can do to get readers to review your book aside from politely asking them, which you should do. There are, however, lots of ways to pay for reviews.Thanks to the culture of online reviews, high profile reviews no longer have the power they once did. It seems to matter more that you get lots of reviews than it matters who wrote them. This is good news since the New York Times probably isn’t going to review your book.
Basic options for paid reviews:
1. Fiverr, as discussed in the post “Planning Your Book Launch”
2. NetGalley. Ever wonder how some books have hundreds of reviews as soon as they hit shelves? NetGalley is a key factor. This is a tool traditional publishers use, and they have the resources to do so. Also, there are discounts for listing multiple titles. If you have only one title, pricing starts at $399. If you have the budget, it really might be worthwhile.
3. Kirkus. Kirkus is a trusted book review magazine. They now offer a service for indie authors to purchase reviews. The pricing starts at $425. They are TOUGH critics. If your book gets a starred review, it could be a serious boost to sales. Very few books do, though. I tried Kirkus, and I talk about my experience in the next chapter. Foreword is a similar journal that offers similar services for a similar price. I haven’t personally tried them, but you might want to check it out.
4. IndieReader. IndieReader is a book review and book news website. They run the annual IndieReader Discovery Awards. You may have already guessed that I think getting reviewed by them is a good idea, as my second book won an IRDA. Well, I used to be a fan, but recently, they’ve changed their ways. Used to be for the price of entering the contest, you automatically got reviewed on IndieReader. Not any more. Now a review costs $225, and if you also want to enter the contest, you have to pay $100 more. Honestly, winning the award did almost nothing for my book’s sales. The review was what mattered most to me. I’m not sure I think the new price tags are worth it.
5. Kindle Book Review. This high traffic site accepts submissions of books to review and reviews them for free. There’s no guarantee they’ll pick your book, but it costs you nothing to submit. Also, they have a great list of resource. I have included that website on my resource page for this book. They also run an annual contest with the low entry price of $25 (based on the 2014 rate).
6. Blogs and webpages. A google search will turn up blogs and websites that accept books for review. They usually post submissions procedures. Some will review for free, others charge fees. I paid for a review at BestChickLit and had great results. They even included ongoing marketing once the review was published.
I’m sure there are other ways, but these are the ones I’m most familiar with. I do think most indie authors will pay for some reviews at some point in their marketing process, and I know it feels icky at first, but as long as you’re paying for an honest review, it’s nothing to feel bad about.
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