Something that I see asked time and again is: “How do I get my book reviewed?”
Here are a few ideas to spur your book marketing reviews:
Provide advanced reader copies to relevant bloggers. Start getting reviews before the book launches. You can use tools like NetGalley or Edelweiss to find early reviewers, or reach out to relevant bloggers with a pitch on the book. While they can’t review books on retailer sites until release day, they can post the reviews to their websites, blogs, or Goodreads.
Offer free copies to Amazon top reviewers. Reach out to Amazon users with a “Top Reviewer” badge who’ve reviewed books similar to yours. They’ve proven themselves to be experienced reviewers — they know what makes a good review, they’re willing to take the time to write a truly helpful review, and they will likely have a quick turnaround on reading and reviewing.
Run book giveaways. Book giveaways can take various forms, including blog tours or contests on your blog or Facebook page. Providing free copies to your most loyal fans in exchange for an honest review can help a new book get traction, plus it rewards them for their loyalty.
Ask readers to review a book in the back matter. A high number of reviews makes a book more enticing to potential readers. We found that when a book has at least 150 five-star reviews on Amazon or Goodreads, including the number of five-star reviews in the copy increased clicks an average of 14.1%.
Submit a book for relevant editorial reviews. Many genres have publications like RT Book Reviews where authors can submit their books for editorial reviews. Some of these publications require submitting your book months before publication, so plan early!
Let me know if you try any of these ideas and how it worked out for you!
