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Blog • Book Marketing

Last updated on Feb 07, 2023

How to Get Book Reviews in 5 Steps (2024 Update)

Imagine the day of your book launch. You’re sitting in front of your computer, blissfully imagining all the five-star book reviews that will soon be yours. Yet the days pass... and the reviews don't come.

Needless to say, you'll want people to buy and read your book ASAP so they can leave you some good reviews. But you may see the Catch-22 here: in order to make your first sales, you’ll need to display positive book reviews. So how do you get the chicken before you’ve got the egg (or vice versa)?

Enter book bloggers , who are your new best friends! For this post, we asked our top Reedsy publicists to share their best tips on how to get book reviews from book bloggers — and we've condensed their advice into these five essential steps, plus a few bonus tips at the end.

You can also check out this Reedsy Live on how to get your first book reviews, with advice from author and book marketer Debbie Drum.

Those who prefer their tips in written form, let's dive right in with the very first step of the review acquisition process!

1. Identify your audience

A quick preliminary note: you want to start the review-gathering as early as possible. If you can, plan your book review campaign 4-6 months in advance of your publication date. Because if you want your reviews to be in place by then, you’ll need to give people time to actually write them!

Now, using the "5 W’s of Storytelling," let's talk about the first thing you should be asking yourself: who? Who will be reading your book, and who is best positioned to promote it to that audience? The following tips will help you answer these questions.

Build a questionnaire

Here are a few more specific queries to help you clarify your "who":

• Who reads in my genre?
• What magazines, websites, forums, or blogs do they frequent?
• Where might they find reviews of my book that will entice them to buy it?

Indeed, publicist Jessica Glenn recommends building a full-length questionnaire to identify your audience and where you might find them on the Web (or in real life!).

“Most, if not all, publicists and publishers send authors a very long questionnaire to fill out when they start their marketing plan ,” she says. “That's so we can dig into any useful piece of bio, community, or regional info to figure out who and why people will be interested in your book.”

Your questionnaire will direct you to your target audience and help you create a  proto-persona.  This is the "ideal reader" of your book, so to speak — a perfect blend of the traits you'd expect them to have. (For example, if you've written a YA paranormal romance novel, your proto-persona might be a 14-year-old girl who's obsessed with Twilight .) And whoever they are, you'll keep them in mind every time you make a marketing decision.

Think about comp titles

Another great way to get a handle on your target audience is to figure out your comparative titles — books that are a) similar to yours and b) share the same general readership. When pitching to book reviewers, these are the titles you'll use to sell your own  book . For instance, "My book is  Normal People meets The Incendiaries ."

According to Jessica, you should have at least 15 potential comp titles for your book, ideally a mix of bestsellers and well-reviewed indie titles. “Many first-time authors balk at this," says Jessica, "as they believe there is no true comp for their book — but dig deep and you'll find them!”

Comp titles are critical because they act as a compass, pointing you towards a ready-made audience that enjoys works in the same mold as yours. This is a huge help in determining your target readers, as well as which reviewers will cater to them. Speaking of which...

2. Find relevant book blogs

Now that you’ve got a strong sense of your audience, you're ready to find blogs that will provide the best exposure to that audience. We recommend starting with our directory of 200+ book review blogs , but feel free to do your own research as well!

As you dig into book review blogs, check on these two things first:

• Is the site active? Has the blogger published a post within the last month or so?
• Are they currently accepting queries? If they're closed at the moment, it could be months before your book gets a review — if at all.

And if you want to confirm your book marketing strategy when it comes to book review blogs, we recommend first taking this quick quiz below!

Which book review site is right for you?

Find out here! Takes one minute.

Once you've confirmed that a book review blog is both active and open to queries, think about whether it's right for your  book. Here are some important factors to consider:

• Genre . Don't waste your time on blogs that don't review books in your genre. "Be very mindful of a publication’s particular audience and target market when pitching for review. If their readership is science-fiction, do not pitch a commercial crime novel!” says publicist Hannah Cooper .
• Traffic . High-traffic book blogs might seem like your highest priorities, but this isn’t necessarily true. “Don't shy away from the smaller blogs,” says publicist Beverly Bambury . “They can sometimes foster a real sense of community and starting off small is just fine."
• Posting frequency.  Another consideration is how often the blogger in question actually publishes reviews. Too often, and your book will get lost in the shuffle; too seldom, and they're likely to lose readers. Try to strike a balance with about 1-2 reviews per week — no decent reviewer can turn them out faster than that, anyway!

Track down your comp titles' reviewers

Remember those comp titles you came up with earlier? You can use them not only to pitch your book, but also to find potential reviewers , as they will correspond perfectly with your genre and target audience.

“Once you have your 15-or-so comps, you can research where each book has been reviewed,” says Jessica. “With luck, you will find at least a couple of book reviews per title, which will give you many more outlets to investigate further.”

Now, as an author, you might be wondering: “How can I begin to find all the places where a given book was reviewed?” Don’t forget the power of Google! Try searching the following terms to find reviews for a given title:

• [Title] + book review
• [Title] + review
• [Title] + Q&A

And here's one last tip to give you a boost — sign up for a "Mention" account and/or set up Google alerts to get a notification every time these titles appear online.

Once you’re armed with a bundle of suitable book review blogs, you've arrived at the third (and perhaps most crucial) step in this process. This is, of course, creating the pitches you'll send to reviewers.

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3. Write pitches for them

Pitching a reviewer is pretty straightforward. All you have to do is a) keep it short, and and b) personalize it as much as possible. However, before we get to our publicists’ actionable tips on pitching, there’s one more thing that you absolutely HAVE to do. And that thing is...

Read the review policy!

Before you pitch any blog, make sure you read the blogger’s review policy. Some blogs will have a form to fill out; others might ask you to email them directly. Still others might not welcome any queries from self-published authors . Whatever they say, make sure that you follow it to a T.

“There are two main benefits to reading and following the review policies closely,” says Beverly. “First, you show the reviewer that you respect and appreciate them when you follow their instructions. This is important when asking someone to do you a favor.

"Second, you may find that even if the site is closed for review queries, it's open to publicity queries — where you might be able to place an excerpt or do a Q&A or occasional blog post. You'll never know if you don't take the time to read the review policy first.”

More tips for pitching reviewers

Now that you’re clear on what the blogger wants, you can start pitching them with confidence. Here are three more key tips for pitching book reviewers:

1. Never send out bulk pitches. "When you pitch each outlet individually, specifically write that you read their positive book review of your comp and what that comp title was,” says Jessica Glenn. Or if you didn't find them through a comp title, mention other  aspects of their blog and why you think they would be great to review your book!

2. Be concise and direct. “Include your title, publisher, date of release, and genre in the first paragraph,” notes Beverly Bambury. “Then you might want to include the cover copy or a brief description of the book. Finally, be direct and ask for what you want. If you want a review, ask for it! If you want an excerpt placed, ask for that.”

3. Appeal to their commercial side. “All reviewers want the opportunity to discover the next 'big thing’ — particularly with fiction — so make them feel as though they have the opportunity to get the word out first," says Hannah Cooper. Indeed, if you can convince a reviewer that you are doing them  a favor, you're practically guaranteed to get a review.

Basically, try to get reviewers to think, “Oh, if I enjoyed [comp title], I’ll enjoy this person's book too,” or “They've done the research to know that I’m a good fit for their book.” If you can do that, you’re already much closer than everyone else to obtaining high-quality book reviews !

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4. Send out your book

This is the step before the moment of truth (the review itself), so it's extremely important to get everything right. To ensure you're complying with each reviewer's guidelines, review their policy again before you send them your book. Some bloggers might prefer digital copies of manuscripts, while others might want a physical ARC — be prepared to accommodate.

Also, as you begin sending your book to various outlets, you should track your progress in a spreadsheet. Record which blogs you’ve submitted to so far, which blogs have responded, and which blogs you plan to submit to, so you don't accidentally double-submit or skip over anyone.

Formatting your book

Other than double-checking the review policy, the most important thing to do here is to format your book in a professional manner . After all, you want the presentation of your content to match the quality! Even though it shouldn't technically matter, reviewers will definitely judge your book by how it looks, inside and out.

The good news for self-formatters that you probably won't need to send physical proofs, and ebooks are much easier to format than hard copies. Digital copies also cost next-to-nothing to produce, so you can easily send multiple copies of your book out to different reviewers. You may want to check out apps like Instafreebie and Bookfunnel , which make it easy to generate individual ARC download links that you can send to the reviewers.

Pro tip : If you’re searching for a good book production tool, the Reedsy Book Editor can format and convert your manuscript into professional EPUB and print-ready files in a matter of seconds!

5. Follow up after a week

A week or more has passed since you queried a book blog, and so far… crickets. What do you do now? Why, follow up,  of course!

When it comes to this stage, keep calm and follow Hannah Hargrave’s advice: “Don't bother reviewers for an answer daily. I will usually chase again after a week has passed.

"If you receive a decline response, or no one responds to your third chase-up, assume this means they are not interested. Any further follow-ups, or aggressive requests as to why your work's not being reviewed, will not be viewed kindly. Above all, be polite and friendly at all times.”

That said, someone rejecting your book for review is a worst-case scenario. Best-case scenario, the blogger responds favorably and you’ve bagged yourself a review!

What comes next, you ask?

The reviewer will post their review of your book on their blog — and on Amazon, Goodreads, and any other platforms that they’ll name in their review policy. This is yet another reason why it's vital to read that policy carefully, so you know exactly where  the review will be seen.

If all goes well, the reviewer will publish a positive review that you can use to further promote your book. Maybe you'll even get a decent pull-quote for your book description ! Not to mention that if you ever write a sequel, you can almost certainly count on them for a follow-up review.

Pro-tip: Want to write a book description that sells? Download this free book description template to get a headstart. 

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But what if you don't get any bites from book bloggers, or — horror of horrors — one of them gives you a negative review? Fortunately, the next two sections should help you deal with each of these possible dilemmas.

Bonus ways to get book reviews

Though book bloggers are the most reliable and professional source of reviews for independent authors, you may want to try other avenues to maximize your chances! Here are three more ways to get book reviews  for your work, so you can bolster your Amazon profile and start making some serious sales.

1. Tell your followers about your book

Though Amazon prohibits reviews from close friends and family , you're free to tell your random social media followers about your book and hope they leave good reviews. It obviously helps if you have a large following on Twitter or Instagram, even more so if some of those followers are fellow authors who appreciate the significance of reviews.

That said, NEVER offer "review swaps" or any kind of promotional enticement for customers to leave reviews, as this would also be against Amazon's terms. Simply let your followers know you've got a book out and that you'd love for them to read it; the rest is in their hands. However, when it comes to reviews, any amount of awareness is better than none.

2. Submit to Reedsy Discovery

Finally, for a professional review option that's a bit less time-and-effort-consuming on your part, you can submit your book right here on Reedsy Discovery! The platform allows authors to share their books with readers who are right up their alley, plus get the chance to be reviewed by one of our Discovery writers. If they leave a good review, you'll be featured in our newsletter, which goes out to thousands of subscribers every week.

Sounds pretty sweet, right? And it only takes a few minutes to submit .

Is your book ready for Discovery?

Take our quiz to find out! Takes only 1 minute.

How to deal with negative reviews

Once your work is out there in the world, you can’t control other people’s reactions to it. “Remember, by submitting your book for review, you're accepting that some people might not enjoy it,” says Hannah Hargrave. “It can be very tough after you’ve spent months or years crafting your novel, only for some reviewer to tear it apart. But you need to be prepared."

In that vein, here are some final tips on how to deal with bad reviews:

1. Have someone else read them first . This might be your agent, your friend, or your mom — anyone you trust to pre-screen your reviews. They can inform you whether each negative review is a worthwhile (if humbling) read, or just too nasty to stomach.

2. Ignore unreasonably hateful reviews . Easier said than done, yes, but really try to tune out these people! For example, if they're clearly not your target audience, but insist on pretending like they are. Or people who pick apart your sentences word-by-word, just for the "fun" of it. There's no sense in agonizing over readers who are determined to hate you, so block them on every platform and refuse to read anything else they write.

3. Address valid criticisms . You're only human, and your book won't be perfect. If someone points this out in a constructive way , acknowledge it and do what you can to fix it. This may be as simple as editing a misleading blurb, or as complex as restructuring your entire series. But if you're the author we know you are, you'll be up to the task.

Every author's book is different, but the process for getting book reviews is reassuringly universal. To recap: identify your audience, find relevant blogs, pitch them, send out your book, and don't forget to follow up! On top of that, feel free to try alternative strategies, and remember not to take the bad reviews too personally.

Yes, marketing a book may be madness, but the process of getting reviews lends method to that madness. So go forth and get your reviews — you deserve them! 🙌

Special thanks to book publicists Jessica Glenn , Hannah Hargrave , Hannah Cooper , and Beverly Bambury for their input and suggestions throughout this article. If you have any more questions about how to get book reviews, let us know in the comments!

2 responses

Elena Smith says:

25/09/2018 – 22:33

Excellent Write up. I have thoroughly gone through the article and according to my personal observations you have done a great job writing this Article.Being associated with writing profession, I must mention that AcademicWritingPro are quite helpful nowadays.Furthermore, quality is also an important aspect.

Team Golfwell says:

11/12/2018 – 05:38

We do free book reviews if your book interests us. We are a group of retired people in New Zealand who play golf, read books, write books, and do free book reviews if we like your book. We write books too, so we like to see what other authors are currently doing and it is amazing to see what writers are creating. We try to post our reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes & Noble and our social media. See our book review page for more info > > https://www.teamgolfwell.com/free-book-reviews.html #bookreviews #kindlebookreviews #amazonbookreviews #indiebookreviews https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/4ad92dde2f70456000bf5c44af3489ee638dae511be91f7b8cb1545acb388cdb.jpg

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The Ultimate Guide to Getting Book Reviews

• March 30, 2020

In this post, we cover:

• The different types of review
• How to get reviews and editorial reviews
• How to make the most out of your reviews
• How to deal with negative reviews

Ultimate Guide to Getting Book Reviews: Main Types of Review

There are many different kinds of book reviews and publications, each one having evolved separately from one another for different purposes and different kinds of audiences.

1. Reviews in mass media

Mass media reviews in newspapers and magazines were traditionally the only way to let people know about books and are still highly influential, especially the Review sections of major publications like the New York Times, The Guardian, for example. Also influential are radio and TV book review and interview programs, like the Oprah or Richard and Judy book clubs.

2. Reviews in book trade publications

People connected with the publishing industry read book trade publications. Publishers, agents, booksellers, librarians, marketing agencies, and book reviewers all read publications and associated websites like Publishers Weekly, Foreword Reviews, Kirkus Reviews, and Library Journal, among others.

3. Reviews by book bloggers

Book bloggers are avid readers who have developed often significant online followers. They can be very influential in creating fan buzz about books.

4. Reviews by readers given an advance copy for review

Advanced Reader Copy shortened to “ARCs,” describes the process of providing a copy of your book, prior to publishing, to a select group of readers with a request that they write a review once you publish. A

5. Online customer reviews

Customer reviews appear on a book’s sales page on online retailers. Readers who have purchased a book, or who might have received advance copies of the book, write online customer reviews. Reviews on sites such as Amazon, Goodreads, and Audible can be very influential. A reader can, on the spur of the moment, choose to buy or not to buy a book based on online customer reviews.

There are many good reasons why online book reviews have become front of mind:

• Research indicates they influence readers’ decisions to buy.

• They are public and perpetual: posted for all the world to see and they don’t go away (unless the online retailer decides to remove them.)

• They are relatively accessible and democratic—anyone with an account for a particular online retail store, or with their own blog, may post a review.

• More online reviews equals greater visibility within online stores and on search engines.

6. Editorial reviews (paid and unpaid)

Let’s clarify what we’re talking about when we say “editorial reviews.” Editorial reviews, also called endorsements, are those glowing comments you find on front covers, back covers, inside in the front matter, and on your book’s page with the distributor/retailer (e.g. Amazon).  These endorsements are often from people working for big-brand media outlets (New York Times Books Review, The Guardian Review); other famous, notable or clued-in authors, or others who have lots of credibility with your target reader.

Authors, both indie and traditional, can pay for editorial reviews–though you don't have to, you can also put the leg work in to build your network and reach out to influencers. It very much depends on your budget. If money is tight, there are more effective things you can do for booksales. But if time is tight and you have the money, paying for an independent review on one or more of the editorial review sites gives your book a start.

Among the most reputable fee-for-review services are ALLi Partner Members 
 Foreword's Clarion Reviews , BlueInk , Kirkus Indie Reviews , and Publishers Weekly’s BookLife .

As with every other aspect of publishing (and indeed of life) there are disreputable review services out there. For more on this, connect with ALLi Watchdog Desk. Sign into the allianceindependentauthors.org and then navigate to SERVICES > WATCHDOG DESK.

Ultimate Guide to Getting Book Reviews : The Principles

Depending on the type of review you're after, the principles of reach-out to reviewers are generally the same: research, well-structured pitch,

Principle 1: Research 

For advance reviews, customer or blogger reviews:

• Make sure the people you're contacting do actually post reviews regularly. Are there reviews on their social media? Photos of books? Shout outs to authors?
• Check they review in the same genre your book is in
• Search for their name and contact details. Reviewers with websites often have quirky titles like: Books and Coffee or I Love Books.com. These regular reviewers often get swamped with requests. Most requesters won't bother searching for their name and reach out with something like this: Hey, Books and Coffee, I'm the author of… will you review my book . That's not going to work. Take the time out to find their name on their about page or social media and you're way more likely to get a response when you email them. And take time to craft a pitch that explains to them why your book is a fit for them.

Principle 2: Create a Template Email

The structure of a good endorsement review email (or letter or social media message if you are reaching out via a method other than email) goes like this:

• subject line
• intro tailored paragraph (Hi Mr. Tom Hanks, I know you have a keen interest in World War II history and I think you’ll be interested in a book I’ve just written titled [title]. I’m hoping you’ll agree to provide a review.)
• what the book is about – this can be a modification of your blurb
• links where they can access their ARC (advance review copy). Consider using a service like Prolific Works or BookFunnel and consider providing two options: an excerpt with a few sample chapters and the full manuscript. If you also have a website or webpage provide that link as well.
• your requested deadline – this should be at least four weeks, and six to eight is probably better.
• a line explaining that reviews received before the deadline will be considered for front or back cover treatment, and, acknowledging they are busy and that you’ll gladly accept their review even if they are unable to meet your deadline.
• Some authors will attach their book cover too.
• Sign off thanking them for their time

Principle 3: Be Organized

Find a method to organize the information you've collected about potential reviewers however suits you: word, excel, something more fancy like Trello or Asana. You'll want columns for name, company, email address, social media handles, mailing address, which book(s) they’ve reviewed, and a column or space to add notes about your communication. Like, when they tell you they’ll be happy to provide editorial reviews for your self-published book, and they’ll get back to you in two weeks.

Ultimate Guide to Getting Book Reviews : Influencer and Editorial Reviews

If you want review, blurb or praise quote from influencers or any kind of influential review e.g. in a mass-media newspaper or review outlet, here are some tips:

• Leave a longer amount of time for contacting potential influencers. They have busy schedules and will likely need a longer period of time to review the book.
• Make sure they do review books. You can always check their website to see if they have a no review policy. Also check that they review in your genre.
• If you write nonfiction, you'll need to research influencers and leaders in your sector. Make sure whoever you're asking to review is actually relevant. Also if you've quoted an influencer in your book, consider asking them to review it. Most people are honored when they're quoted, so this is a great way in.
• Expect a lot of no's. Influencers are busy people and will often get asked to review or praise dozens of books a week. You are not going to get 100 % yeses, but likewise, you're unlikely to get 100% nos. But when you purposefully go out and ask for editorial reviews for self-published books, good things happen. You might get an invitation to write a guest blog on a high-traffic blog site, or to be a guest on a podcast, or something else you already had on your book marketing to-do list anyway. It’s a win-win.
• Resist the temptation to follow up with them, except perhaps once if you haven’t heard within two to three weeks. Be polite, don’t badger, never make them feel like you assume they have an obligation to do anything. A simple outreach to tell them you’re just checking to be sure they received your original message, and that’s it.

The Ultimate Guide to Getting Book Reviews : How to Get Reviews

We've already mentioned the better paid review outlets: 
 Foreword's Clarion Reviews , BlueInk , Kirkus Indie Reviews , and Publishers Weekly’s BookLife .

Do a Google for ‘ book review bloggers ‘ you'll get pages of listing and reviewers. These listings are fabulous, yes. But to actually get the reviews, you're going to have to do the work and pitch the reviewers.

Search for Book Reviewer Listings: such as this huge list of review sites from Reedsy . Or what about this one from Dave Chesson at Kindlepreneur. Check out the list by genre. One more: Top 100 Book Review blogs

Free Downloads: Over time, doing selective giveaways will increase the amount of reviews you get. Estimates reckon that for every 100 completed reads, .06 people will review. Not even one. Tough stats. Giving away copies to the right people (not willy nilly) and asking for an independent review in return will help.

Newsletter swaps: If you have a mailing list you have the ability to swap recommendations in your emails with other authors. Your mileage may vary, and always make sure the person you're asking to read and review your book is reputable and trustworthy.

Ask on social media: If someone tells you they've read your book, politely ask if they would leave a short review. You may find this uncomfortable, but it works.

Schedule messages, memes and posts: how many times have you posted on your Facebook page or instagram story asking for reviews? If you feel uncomfortable ask indirectly. Put up memes about how much they mean to an author, or how important they are in general rather than asking directly, though the latter works better! Point is, schedule a reminder in once a week for the next year and I bet you see a huge increase in reviews.

#Bookstagram: Bookstagram is a movement on Instagram uniting all book reviewers and social media users. Typically a Bookstagrammer will post a gorgeous picture of your book and / or leave reviews. Some double up as book review bloggers. This is a time-intensive method of getting reviews, but it does pay off as you often get stunning photos of your books in the process. And if you ask whether you can repost them or use them, they'll often say yes.

To find bookstagrammers:

• Go to Instagram
• Search for #bookstagram #booklover and or any other variation of ‘book' something in the search bar.
• Go to each profile, and check if they have an 'email me' button OR a link to their website on their bio. If they do, bingo!

The Ultimate Guide to Getting Book Reviews: What if You Get a Negative Review?

Negative reviews – we will all get them at some point, no matter how great we think our books are. Indeed, some writers even see it as a badge of honor to get a savage 1*, because it demonstrates to the world that your reviews aren’t all from your friends. But that doesn’t stop it hurting, at least for a little while – especially if the reason for the review feels unfair.

Don't respond. Ever. Professionals don't get into public spats about things that are opinions. You'll come off looking worse and only antagonist the reviewer. walk away, get a cup of coffee, and move on with the more important things in your day (which is everything else).

Put a positive spin on it. If you've received a number of reviews all saying the same thing, such as: needed more worldbuilding. use it as a learning opportunity to develop your craft. It's a gift really, to be told where to direct your attention so you can focus your development in the right areas.

If you're getting predominantly one-star reviews, then you've either marketed to the wrong genre or the quality of your book isn't what it should be.

Remember reviews aren't for authors, they're for readers. Though it's nice to see praise of our work, reviews aren't for the author. Reviews are there to help other customers decide whether or not they would like to purchase your book. Don't be afraid of bad reviews either. If someone wrote, “didn't like it, far too Steampunk heavy” don't worry. That's going to be a steampunk lover's dream. So just as much as you might lose one reader, bad reviews help other readers buy books. If they’re a serious potential customer for your book, they won’t be put off by the odd crazy, and they’ll be smart enough to realize which reviews are credible.

Ultimately, if reading reviews—be they positive or negative— affects you or your mental health or your motivation to write in any way, then you should probably stop reading them. Lots of authors do this. The alternative response–if you can do it–is to read, learn if there's any learning in it, then forget about it. This means treating the good reviews as dispassionately as you treat the bad.

The Ultimate Guide to Getting Book Reviews:  H ow to USE Your Reviews 

Once you've got reviews, use them! So many writers secure a review and then do nothing with it. If you've managed to get ARC reviews or reviews from influencers, use them.

Great one-liners also lend themselves well to:

• Endorsement quotes for your book covers. Have your designer add the quotes to the cover.
• “What Readers Say” pages at the start of your books. Go to a bookstore and have a look inside the cover of a few books to see how these are styled and laid out and how many quotes you might need.
• Information sheets  for booksellers if you're trying to sell selective rights.
• Social media graphics for potential new customers. Here's one I've created for an upcoming release:

I used Canva to create the graphic and the elements in my book cover to create the background and colour scheme. Canva is a free program and you can upload your own book cover images to their site.

Two Notes of Caution

If you are in any doubt that any reviewer may not be happy to see you share their review, then ask permission first. This particularly applies to bookbloggers, who are reviewing in their own space and under their own copyright – unlike Amazon reviewers, which Amazon actively encourages you to share (though reviewers may not realise this). Alienating a bookblogger by violating their copyright is a bad idea, especially if you are hoping they will review your future books.

• If quoting an extract  rather than the full review, the conventional – and ethical – practice is to indicate what you’ve omitted with an ellipsis […] to show that you’re quoting out of context, and alerts the reader to check the rest of the review, which may not be so flattering, if they wish to. (Most won’t.)

DON'T FORGET

How to get your first 50 book reviews: the guidebook.

Our Quick & Easy Guide to getting reviews is based on the experience of ALLi members and on ALLi’s Ethical Author policy.

ALLi’s latest Quick & Easy Guidebook focusses on how to get your first 50 book reviews (available for sale on the ALLi bookshop or free to members in the Member Zone: log in –>go to Advice –>Quick & Easy Guides). This is the ultimate guide to getting book reviews.

I did pay for membership. I may have used a different email: [email protected] or [email protected]

I gave my copy of my membership to my husband, the hoarder in chief and tax accountant. We live in PR. It is cold here now. That means I can wear long pants. Donna S. Cohen RN newest book: A Nurse’s Guide to Plastic Surgery—Loving Yourself While Loving Your Wallet. I would like someone else to handle the marketing!!!!

Very comprehensive and well done article on how to get your book reviewed. Thank you. Team Golfwell are retired people in New Zealand and they do free book reviews > https://www.teamgolfwell.com/free-book-reviews.html

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How to Get Book Reviews: 50+ Resources to Generate Book Reviews

Posted by Stephanie Chandler | Oct 8, 2015 | Blog , Nonfiction Book Marketing | 17

If you’ve been wondering how to get more book reviews, below you will find a comprehensive list of book review sources, including both free and paid options.

A note on paid options: We do NOT advocate paid services that promise to churn out X number of manufactured book reviews based on how much money you spend with them. However, we have included a listing of reputable services that offer quality reviews.

Free Book Review Options:

Amazon Reviewers – Reviews on Amazon are hugely important to the success of a book. Potential buyers look to reviews to help make a decision to buy, and Amazon’s algorithms factor in the number of reviews a book has generated. The more reviews a book receives, the better the likelihood of that book showing up higher in Amazon search results.

Each Amazon book reviewer has a public profile, and many include their email addresses and website information (many top reviewers are also bloggers—for even greater exposure). These reviewers WANT to be contacted and offered free review copies! Look for reviewers of competing titles, send an email and ask if he/she would like to receive a review copy of your book.

Book Review Bloggers – Bloggers have tremendous influence with readers when it comes to reviewing and recommending books. See the following directories to find bloggers who review books in your genre. Also try searching Google for <genre> + “book review.”

• The Book Blogger List
• The Indie View
• Blog Nation
• The Indie Bookshelf
• Reedsy’s List of Book Bloggers

Industry Bloggers – Seek out bloggers who cover topics of interest to your target audience or industry. See if they conduct book reviews, publish book excerpts or interview authors. Google searches should help you compile a list of bloggers to contact.

Major Media Bloggers – All of the major magazines and newspapers now host blogs (from The New York Times to Cat Fancy Magazine ), and many of those blog posts are written by unpaid contributors. Seek out freelance contributors who cover topics related to your target audience and offer up a review copy.

Email Subscribers – Periodically send a note to your mailing list subscribers gently reminding them that book reviews help sell books and that you’d greatly appreciate it if they would post a review for your book.

Midwest Book Review – A wonderful organization that supports indie authors, Midwest Book Review has been around for years and reviews printed books for free.

Smaller Publications – Don’t overlook trade association newsletters and magazines, plus smaller magazines and even hometown newspapers.

Your Website – Create a Review Copy Request form on your website. Ask visitors to provide you with details, including website link and size of audience, in order to qualify to receive a complimentary review copy.

Contest on Your Site – Consider using Rafflecopter , a simple program that you can plugin to your site to host a book give-away contest—it’s free! Gently ask (and remind) contest winners to post reviews after reading.

Online Groups – Announce that you are interested in sending out review copies to groups that reach your target audience. You can find all kinds of groups via:

Experience Project – This site features groups built around some very personal topics—from surviving abuse to living with addiction. Find topics related to your book and invite members to receive a complimentary review copy via Experience Project .

Book Clubs – Offering your book to book clubs for free can be a great way to generate reviews and buzz for your books. Search for book clubs by genre online and via Meetup.com . See also: From Left to Write , Book Club Reading List .

Goodreads Giveaways – More than 40,000 people enter to win books from Goodreads Give-aways each day. Authors can offer up books for free to this program and specify the number of days the promotion will run (they recommend 30 days). An average of 825 people enter to win these promotions, and Goodreads selects the winners at the end and sends authors a CSV file with addresses. When mailing copies of books to winners, be sure to insert a note requesting that the recipient write a review if they enjoy the book.

Other Giveaway Sites:

• LibraryThing

***Note that if your book is enrolled in Amazon’s KDP Select program, you will not be able to participate in the sites listed here that conduct free ebook give-aways (a major downside of the Kindle exclusive distribution clause).

Noise Trade – This site allows you to list your ebook as a free give-away for any length of time you choose. In exchange, readers provide their email addresses, which you can download for follow-up. They can also provide a “tip” for authors, resulting in small fees potentially earned for books listed on Noise Trade .

Social Media – Invite your audience to become book reviewers. You can share a link to your “Review Copy Request” form on your website or conduct a contest to give away several review copies. You can also start early and build a waiting list for reviewers well before you book is published!

Giveaways at Events – Whenever you donate copies of your book for raffle prizes or gifts, include a note asking the recipient to review.

Peers, Clients, Family, Friends – While you want to be careful asking family and friends to write reviews because you don’t want all of your reviews to appear biased, it certainly doesn’t hurt to ask the people you know to read your book and share an honest review.

Review Communities – There are numerous communities where writers can share their work and get feedback. This is a great way to build some interest and create fans before your book is published: Wattpad , WeBook , WidBook .

Book Life – Hosted by Publishers Weekly , submit your book for free for review consideration at Book Life .

Readers Who Contact You – As an author, you should expect that your readers will periodically contact you, either via email or social media, to let you know they enjoyed your book. When this happens, always reply with gracious appreciation and suggest that the reader could help you by posting reviews online.

Paid Book Review Options:

Reviewer Software – Book Review Targeter is a software program that we at NFAA love! This system allows you to search for Amazon book reviewers who have reviewed books similar to yours, and then export their email addresses and websites–or send them an email right from the software. While you can research reviewers one at a time by yourself, it will take you countless HOURS. Every author needs reviews and we highly recommend Book Review Targeter ! (Disclosure: affiliate link!)

NetGalley – For a modest fee, you can list your book in the NetGalley directory and make it available for their 300k + reviewers to choose from.

Kirkus – An established and reputable company, Kirkus provides professional-level reviews for a modest fee.

Foreword Magazine – Reputable reviews for indie authors via Foreword .

BookBub – The top service for paid email campaigns to promote books via BookBub . Also BookSends .

Author Buzz – Get book announcements out to libraries, bloggers, book clubs and more via Author Buzz .

Bargain Booksy – If your ebook is priced for sale between $.99 to $4.99, you can purchase an email promotion to members on Bargain Booksy . See also Free Booksy .

Facebook Advertising – You can take advantage of a number of advertising options via Facebook to promote your book is available for review. You can boost posts to your fans and their friends, target ads by various demographics and keywords, and even target ads to fans of a competitor’s Facebook page. Learn more about Facebook Advertising .

Do you have another option for getting book reviews? Feel free to share in the comments below!

Did you know we host an annual Nonfiction Writers Conference ? Check it out!

About The Author

Stephanie Chandler

Stephanie Chandler is the founder of the Nonfiction Authors Association and Nonfiction Writers Conference , and author of several books including The Nonfiction Book Publishing Plan . A frequent speaker at business events and on the radio, she has been featured in Entrepreneur, BusinessWeek, and Wired magazine. Visit StephanieChandler.com to learn more.

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17 comments.

I didn’t see Story Cartel in this list. Is that one you’d recommend for a non-fiction book? Thanks!

I’m glad you mentioned Story Cartel. It’s a great resource for fiction writers, but at this moment there are a grand total of 8 nonfiction titles listed on the site! Five in General Nonfiction and three in Biography. No other nonfiction genres are currently offered there. On the flip side, the low number of competing titles could possibly work to your advantage. I’m just not sure how many nonfiction readers are looking for titles here. Since there is a fee involved in participating, I’d proceed with some caution.

Thank you very much for this list. Reviews are so important and finding reviewers isn’t easy.

Thanks for sharing these resources! I’m glad you mentioned that fees aren’t always a red flag. Many resources advise authors to never pay for reviews. What they’re usually referring to is paying someone to write a positive review of your book. However, bloggers and other site owners have to spend a lot of time reviewing a book, from reading it, to writing the actual review, and on to promoting it on social media, etc. Expecting them to do so for the price of the book is unreasonable. Some will because it’s a hobby or they monetize in another way, but many will charge an administration fee for an honest review. Like any other form of advertising, it can’t always be free.

There is indeed a fine line when it comes to paying for reviews. The real problem is that there are services out there that promise to generate reviews for books, but they aren’t at all reputable. It is also against Amazon’s policies to allow paid book reviews. Fortunately, there are plenty of free reputable book review options, and a few paid services (Kirkus, Foreword) that are worth consideration too!

Great resource. I’m working on my second book. I found that reviews were helpful with the first one but it was hard to find reviewers. (A google search helped but not all reviews led to traffic, much less to sales.) Thanks for spelling things out!

We’d love to hear back from you about your success in getting reviews this time around. Good luck!

The task of marketing books is daunting. Thanks. I am completing your list this week! I sent my first book to family and friends. Their encouraging reviews gave me courage.

It’s nice that we can count on family and friends to cheer us on!

Dear Stephanie: Your posts are always relevant, readable, and in-depth. But, this post is even better. It resonated on several personal levels:

The success of my Looking Good in Print: A Guide to Basic Design for Desktop Publishing, was due to my original publisher–Joe Woodman of Ventana Press–investing heavily in making review copies as easy to obtain as possible.

Although many traditional publishers thought he was out of his mind, Joe was placing **open cartons** of Looking Good in Print in the press rooms at large personal computing and publishing trade shows. Anyone with a press pass could just walk in and pick-up a copy.

So, whereas, other publishers were distributing press releases, Joe was handing out actual copies!

His nontraditional/review-oriented approach paid off; Looking Good in Print went on to sell more than 375,000 copies around the world.

2. Another part of his strategy which paid off was providing an accompanying press release that was contained numerous, detailed “review-like” phrases and text which sounded more like reviews than a press release.

Many of these paragraphs were included, verbatim, in published reviews. An easy tactic to implement–many reviewers in fast-growing publications appreciate the “Cliff Notes” assistance the press releases contained.

3. Finally, I currently review business and marketing books for the Content Marketing Institute, a round-up of 3 years of these reviews is available here: http://www.slideshare.net/CMI/the-essential-bestbooks-reading-list-for-content-marketers .

Even though I am established as a reviewer, it surprises me at how responsive some authors and publishers are regarding review copies when I request one, and how unresponsive others are. Even when I’ve established a track record with some publishers, it can be difficult to obtain copies in a timely fashion.

Worse than being turned down for a review copy is when there is no response to a request. The takeaway lesson: a prompt “yes or no” response and immediate follow-up go a long way to project a professional image.

Anyway, Stephanie, congratulations on a meaningful post with lots of relevance to nonfiction writers self-published or traditionally-published. Roger

Thank you for the compliment, Roger, and for an excellent response that illustrates why review copies are so powerful. I can’t begin to imagine why anyone would turn down the opportunity to send out a review copy, though I have seen a “scarcity” mindset among some people who may not yet grasp why it’s better to get your book into as many readers hands as possible!

Thanks for such a thorough and timely post. Although new indie authors are entering publishing at a rapid pace, too many of them are mystified about marketing, especially about getting book reviews.

I look forward to using the wealth of sources you’ve shared for getting reviews for my upcoming book, as well as sharing this post with my tribe.

Thank you for this excellent resource.

I skimmed the article [I’m saving it for more intense reading], but didn’t notice a reference to author-reviewing. Sorry if I simply missed it. As an author, I know how important book reviews are. When I read a book I enjoy, I write a review. If I start a book I don’t like, I quit. There is too much good stuff out there to waste your time on garbage.

I just got a recommendation to use Debbie Drum’s Book Review Targeter. ANY COMMENT?

We use and recommend Book Review Targeter–it’s a great tool!

I am an Italian book promoter and created a book promotion and review site some years ago, to promote foreign authors and books in Italy and Europe. I also offer a professional service of honest and unbiased book reviews in a double language: Italian and English, to give books an international exposure. I explained how this service works at this link: https://www.advicesbooks.com/paid-book-review-services/ . I hope this will be helpful to you.

Thank you Stephanie for this. It is a great article and very comprehensive. FYI Team Golfwell does free book reviews too > https://www.teamgolfwell.com/free-book-reviews.html

Thank you Stephanie for this excellent article and this information. FYI Team Golfwell does free book reviews for non-fiction as well as almost all genres especially children’s books, women’s fiction, Y/A, and humor. It doesn’t hurt to ask https://www.teamgolfwell.com/free-book-reviews.html #freebookreviews #bookreviews #childrenbooks

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Weekend Workshop at Omega Institute in New York

Join NFAA CEO Stephanie Chandler for an in-person weekend workshop on how to write and publish your nonfiction book. July 26-28 at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York. Learn more here.

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Promoting Your Book: How To Get Book Reviews and Awards

Once you write a book, it’s likely you’re looking for effective methods for promoting your book to readers. One of the most effective ways to promote your book is by leveraging book reader reviews and industry awards.

What Are Book Reader Reviews?

Book reader reviews are critical to a strong book launch campaign and influence how, when, and where the Amazon algorithm recommends your book to buyers. It also gives potential buyers the social proof they need to feel confident that your book will meet their expectations.

The most impactful source of early reader reviews is your author network. These individuals can purchase your book early and post a review for others to see. This method allows your book to appear well-reviewed even from the earliest days of its publication.

Your author network may include:

• Work colleagues
• Fellow business leaders
• Leadership at your business

When you work with a professional promotion team, your Book Promotion Manager will advise you on best practices for seeding books with your network for potential review.

They may also provide:

• Appropriate timing for posting reviews
• Suggestions on review copy
• Support for questions
• Education on the ins-and-outs of the Amazon algorithm
• Support understanding of the consumer review system

What Is a Book Seeding Campaign?

A book seeding campaign looks for opportunities to garner more reviews for your book. The first step is creating an account through Goodreads. The author can give a free ebook to reviewers who will then write an honest review.

NetGalley, with over 90 million registered members, is another ideal platform for obtaining book reviews. The same process mentioned above works here as well. This gives you two places to expand your book reviews and encourage business enthusiasts to purchase your book.

When you publish with Forbes Books, additional advertising opportunities are available to you.

This includes increased visibility with:

• American Library Association librarians
• American Booksellers Association bookstores
• Avid readers and reviewers with an expressed interest in your genre

How To Get Industry Reviews

An essential step to promoting your book is earning recognition from the publishing industry with a review or award. This supports your credibility while bringing you the visibility you need. Furthermore, it provides an opportunity to market your book to new readers, increasing interest with consumers, booksellers, and librarians.

You want your book reviewed by the most recognizable names in publishing. To accomplish this, we submit your book to the following magazines to secure a review:

• Booklife by Publishers Weekly
• Foreword Clarion
• Kirkus Indie
• Readers Favorite

A review from their editorial staff is guaranteed and you can choose to archive the review if you prefer it does not get published. This method offers a win-win solution for securing reviews without risking public-facing negative reviews.

If you publish the review, it can be quoted on book pages, marketing materials, author websites, and future book reprints. These reviews serve as testimonials that can be leveraged to promote your book and encourage readers to purchase.

Industry Rewards

The independent bookstore scene is also an important market to cater to. By targeting mainstream and independent bookstores, you can increase your book’s distribution. An independent book award can help secure greater favor within this sector.

Where to Submit for Indie Book Awards:

• IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards
• Porchlight Book Awards
• Foreword Indies
• Axiom Book Awards

You should submit your book shortly following its publication. Expect an announcement of winners early in the following calendar year.

For more information on book awards, read our blog, Indie Book Awards: Submissions and Benefits .

Write and Promote Your Book with Forbes Books

Securing reader reviews and industry awards are essential for increasing your name visibility and retail sales. When you publish with Forbes Books, you’ll receive top-notch book promotion support to make your book a success. Learn what Forbes Books can do for you and who qualifies to become an author with this exclusive imprint.

Lissie Kidd

Sr. marketing copywriter.

Lissie Kidd is a Sr. Copywriter with several hundred articles in her portfolio and even more edited and published under her supervision. Lissie holds a MA in Communications from Grand…

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Review options, kirkus indie, get reviewed. get discovered., the most trusted voice in book reviews since 1933, why kirkus.

As an unpublished or self-published author, it can be a relentless struggle to attract a significant amount of attention to your book or manuscript. By purchasing a Kirkus indie review, authors can have the opportunity to build some name recognition and get noticed by agents, publishers and other industry influencers. Kirkus has been an industry-trusted source for honest and accessible reviews since 1933 and has helped countless authors build credibility in the publishing realm ever since. Browse through some of our author success stories, and get a glimpse of what exactly an indie review from Kirkus can do for you.

Our indie reviews are written by qualified professionals, such as librarians, nationally published journalists, creative executives and more. While we do not guarantee positive reviews, unfavorable reviews can be taken as valuable feedback for improvements and ultimately do not have to be published on our site. With our most popular review option priced at $450, you can receive an affordable book review that could generously boost your writing career. Get started by following the steps below:

Request review

Click the "Get Started" link above, select your review option and pay for your review. When you submit your order, you’ll get an email from the Kirkus Indie team confirming receipt of your request.

Submit manuscript

After you place your order, you will be directed to a page with simple instructions to send us your book or manuscript.

Stand by while we review your book

Upon receipt of your book or manuscript, our editor will assign your project to a qualified reviewer who will read the complete book and write a full review. Our reviewers include librarians, business executives, journalists from national publications, PhDs in religion and literature, creative executives in entertainment and publishing industries as well as other professional reviewers.

Download review

Kirkus Indie will email you a link to your author dashboard when your review is ready. Simply click the link and download your review directly from our site.

Keep your review private or publish it for free on Kirkus.com

You may choose to publish your review on KirkusReviews.com where it can be discovered by industry influencers, agents, publishers and consumers. If it is a negative review, you can request that it never see the light of day by simply not publishing it on our site.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get to my author dashboard? -

Click here to go to MY PROFILE

Will anyone see my review if it’s bad? -

If you receive a negative review, you can choose NOT to publish your review and it will never see the light of day.

What happens after I publish my review? -

After reading your review, you will be able to publish it on Kirkus.com simply by clicking a button. At that point, the review will be considered for publication in Kirkus Reviews magazine and in our email newsletter, which is distributed to more than 50,000 consumers and industry professionals.

How do you choose a reviewer? -

A Kirkus editor analyzes your book and considers elements such as content, style, genre, and sub-genre. We then match your book with a reviewer who is a content and genre expert, has experience with similar styles, and enjoys books like yours.

Since I'm paying for the review, will it be positive? -

Kirkus Indie reviewers are experienced professionals who honestly and impartially evaluate the books they receive. The resulting reviews can be positive—even earning a Kirkus Star, one of the industry's most revered designations—negative, or anywhere in between. What we do guarantee is a fair, unbiased assessment of your work and its potential in the marketplace. No matter the outcome, you will have the option of keeping the review private and simply using the assessment as feedback to improve your craft. Otherwise, you can publish the review and use it to market your book to consumers or to catch the attention of a literary agent or publisher.

Does my book’s publication date affect my ability to get a review? -

In the interest of introducing consumers and industry influencers to self-published books they might otherwise never discover, Kirkus Indie does not put any restrictions on publication dates for submissions. You may order a review for a book that's been on the market for 10 years or for a book that doesn't even have a publication date yet.

How does Kirkus decide which Indie reviews get published in the magazine and in the email newsletter? -

Our editors select about 40 reviews to feature in each issue of the magazine, which we publish twice a month. The selections are 100 percent at the editors' discretion, and they typically choose the strongest reviews in a variety of genres. They also choose one Indie review to feature in each edition of our email newsletter, which is distributed each week to more than 50,000 industry influencers and consumers.

How much summary will be in my review? -

Summary content is a fundamental element of Kirkus' reviews, because Kirkus aims to help consumers, booksellers, librarians, publishers, agents, movie producers, and other influencers discover new books and authors. To achieve that goal, we offer enough summary content to give context to our criticism and help readers decide if the book will be of interest to them. Across all sections of our magazine, our reviews include significant summary content as well as professional opinion-based analysis of the work.

Will it hurt my chances of getting a positive review if I publish exclusively in e-book format? Also, will a cover design, marketing plan, or any other collateral information affect my review? -

No. Our professional reviewers assess merit based on the value of the content and reading experience alone.

How do I know if my book received a Kirkus Star? -

If you choose to publish your review on the Kirkus website, you will see whether your book earned a Kirkus Star. If your book does receive a Star, it will immediately be eligible for the Kirkus Prize.

Can I submit an updated manuscript after I have placed my order? -

Please submit a final version of your manuscript when placing your order. We will not be able to accommodate any manuscript changes once the book has been submitted.

My book is intended for a niche audience. Will that affect my chance of getting a positive review? -

No. We will assign your book to a qualified, professional reviewer who will assess the work's value to an audience who may be interested in reading your particular type of book. Our editors go to great lengths to match each submission with a reviewer who has deep experience or expertise with the book's genre.

Who is reviewing my book? -

Kirkus Indie works with approximately 200 reviewers. They include experienced professional writers, journalists, and academics in a variety of fields. Our editors assign titles based on a reviewer's professional experience, expertise, and reading interests, and they also consider elements such as content, style, genre, and sub-genre. We then match your book with a reviewer who is a content and genre expert, has experience with similar styles, and enjoys books like yours.

When will I receive my review? -

We calculate our due dates based on the date we receive your submission. If you order standard service, the review will be returned within 7-9 weeks of the date we receive your submission. If you order express service, you will receive the review within 4-6 weeks of the date we receive your submission. After we receive your submission, we will email you to confirm receipt and confirm your due date.

What genres, formats and languages do you accept for review? -

In our Indie program, Kirkus reviews everything from poetry and genre fiction to religious studies and specialized how-to books. We will assign your book to a qualified, professional reviewer who will assess the work's value to an audience who may be interested in reading your particular type of book. Our editors go to great lengths to match each submission with a reviewer who has deep experience or expertise with the book's genre.

Does Kirkus Indie review audiobooks? -

Our professional reviewers assess merit based on the value of the content and reading experience alone, so we do accept books in e-book format. However, we do not review audiobooks in any format at this time.

Does Kirkus Indie review foreign-language books? -

We review Spanish-language books, but we do not offer reviews of books in other languages at this time.

I'm not self-published, but my book did not get reviewed by Kirkus prior to publication. May I purchase a review through the Indie program? -

Yes. Even if you are not self-published, you may order a review through the Indie program. This is common for authors whose publishers missed the galley submission deadline, whose books did not fall into the categories reviewed through our traditional program, or whose books simply weren't slated for review due to the volume of submissions our editors receive.

How should I format my manuscript before submitting it? -

We will accept PDF and Word documents with any formatting. Formatting does not affect the result of the review, but here are our preferences:

• Font: 12-point Times New Roman
• Margins: 1 inch all around
• Spacing: 1.5- or double-spaced
• Page numbers: Bottom of page, centered

Please be sure to submit a polished, final version of your book (including illustrations, if applicable). Our reviewers will treat any title they receive as a finished work.

I have a series of books. Should I start by having the first book in the series reviewed, even if it is not my most recent title? -

We strongly recommend that authors submit the first title in a given series so that our Indie reviewers can have the full context for the story or subject matter.

I want to place an order for a second review. Can I request to have the same reviewer read my second book? -

Yes. If you were pleased with your first review, you may request to have the same reviewer read your next book. However, we can't guarantee that the same reviewer will be available.

My review refers to a previous title of mine and not the work in question. -

It is Kirkus’ editorial style to refer to an author's previous work. We include this information to give readers additional context.

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This site is secure for credit card payments. We prefer to process orders online to support an efficient workflow process. If you must pay by check or money order, however, you may email [email protected] for instructions.

I would like to have my review posted to Amazon and Barnes & Noble. How do I do it? -

It will also be included in our content feeds, which are sent to more than 20 licensees, such as BN.com, Google Books, Ingram, Baker & Taylor, and more. (Please note that the review will only appear on sites where your book is available.) Reviews are sent to the BN.com within two weeks of their publication on the Kirkus website; however, BN.com controls exactly when and if the review is published on their site. To post the review on Amazon, please contact an Amazon representative directly.

How do I excerpt lines from my review? -

According to the Excerpting Policy : all reviews acquired through the Kirkus Indie program must be published in their entirety on Kirkus.com before any portion of the reviews are published (online or in print) for any use. For a full list of our excerpting guidelines, click here.

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How to Get Book Reviews: The Definitive Guide

So you’ve written your book for the world to enjoy. You know it’s the best thing since chocolate brownies, and heck so should everyone else right?

But how are they going to know unless they read it?

How do they know it’s worth their time?

In this comprehensive guide we’ll cover these questions and how reviews sell books, how to get book reviews (free template), should you pay for reviews and dealing with bad reviews.

So if you’re looking to get more book reviews, you’ll really enjoy this guide.

And today I’m going to show you ways we do it, and what some of our Lab members do to get them…

…and what you can do to get more book reviews too.

Table of Contents

It’s about reducing the “risk”

Before setting out to promote your book on Amazon, or execute your release campaign, make sure you’ve already reduced your buyers’ risk and provide indicators that your book is worth reading.

What do I mean?

When a potential book buyer (who doesn’t know the author) sees a book on Amazon (or any other online store) and observes that there are no reviews for the book at all, the buyer’s confidence is diminished.

Unfortunately, this is what occurs for many authors who don’t give reviews a thought.

Do reviews help sell books?

You see reviews help serve as, what’s called in the business marketing world, ‘social proof’.

Book reviews, endorsements, testimonials and awards, improve your book’s perceived value, that it has been tried and tested by other readers.

Related: Social Proof: Rocket Fuel for Your Author Brand

Your book is seen as being more credible, trustworthy and having a higher perceived value. These things amount to what’s called ‘social proof’ which is what helps potential buyers feel like the purchase is not a risky one. A sound purchase.

That’s the purpose of book reviews.

Example of Ricky the reader

Let’s say we have two medieval adventure novels. Both set in the same period, offering pure escapism. The first novel has 15 reviews and the second novel has none. Ricky the reader visits the online book store and sees both novels. They both suit his taste in adventure, both covers look compelling and they’re the same price.

Which one does Ricky the reader choose?

Which one would you choose?

Yes, the one with the reviews. And that’s how reviews sell books to readers, librarians and bookstore buyers.

The key here is to get early reviews before you announce your book’s availability and start your main launch campaign. Get as many reviews as you can before you drive traffic to your book’s Amazon page.

Okay, so how do we get those early reviews to increase the social proof of our book?

How to get book reviews early

First, you need to have your print book and eBook finished months in advance of your official book launch.

The majority of self-published authors launch their book the moment it’s complete before the ink is even dry!

If it’s your first book, I understand the excitement. If you’re onto your second or tenth book and want to gain more traction you need to be more intentional about how you release your book.

The ideal strategy is to plan ahead and be aware of the law of percentages. What I mean by this, is that when seeking early reviews understand that you’ll need to contact many potential reviewers and may only have a fraction of those potential reviews come through.

People are busy.

If you want 15 reviews, be prepared to contact around 45 people. It’s just the way it works.

Get at least 10 reviews

This is a very attainable amount of reviews. I think most people can obtain this with some planning and effort. Getting at least 10 reviews is a good start because this clears you of the minimum review requirements of a lot of the bigger book promo websites online. Many won’t accept books that don’t meet their minimum set number of reviews.

Getting book reviews

1. the big boys.

These are the top respected review sites that carry a lot of weight with librarians, bookstores and readers. The thing is, you’ll need to plan ahead as some submission guidelines require a book copy months in advance of the book release.

• Self-publishing Review
• RT Book Review (Romance)
• Foreword Reviews
• Library Journal
• School Library Journal
• Kirkus Reviews
• Publishers Weekly
• Magpies Magazine   (Children’s)
• BlueInk Review
• Locus Magazine (science fiction/fantasy)

2. Notify your email list, first in best dressed

People on your email list have already given you permission to email them. They want to hear from you. You can send out an email to your list stating you have 10 free signed copies of your new book you’re happy to give them in exchange for a review.

3. Ask for a review at the end of your book

Include a call-to-action in the back of your book asking for readers to kindly review the book. Make it super simple for them to do so, by directly linking to your book website page or to your book on Amazon.

Remember, you’re only asking for an honest review, not just a positive one.

4. Your personal social circles

Start by giving away free copies to friends and other writer colleagues in exchange for reviews. Make sure you are specific in stating that this free copy is in exchange for an honest review. If it’s positive, they are to post their review on Amazon, Goodreads or another website of your choosing.

5. Facebook groups

If you’re a member of writer or reader Facebook groups, post an announcement seeking reviews in exchange for a free print copy. I would highly recommend considering any other incentive you can provide to get them over the line.

Free round of coffee anyone? Perhaps a free copy of the audio version?

6. Story Cartel

This is a review marketplace where authors and readers can connect allowing authors to provide their books for free in exchange for honest reviews. Story Cartel also allows authors to “pay it forward” by supporting their peers with a review. It’s worth noting that the site mainly attracts authors and readers of nonfiction and fiction, not children’s picture books.

7. Goodreads

This is the largest reader specific social website in the world. Goodreads has millions of users who are all passionate readers. You can enlist members and reviewers to review your book and run giveaways to drive interest and increase reviews. There are free and paid options available.

8. Book bloggers

This segment of passionate bookworms has grown over the last five years. There are book bloggers for every topic and genre with some having a considerable audience size and influence. Just like established review websites, book bloggers require time in advance to schedule and review.

You need to follow their review guideline policies which are available on their website, and be very specific and targeted on who you contact. Make sure the book blogger deals with your genre, as not all of them read everything. Also, be sure to personalise all your email queries to them by name.

You can search Google using your ‘genre’ and ‘blog’ when you search.

9. Amazon reviewers

You can find them on Amazon. They’re avid readers that are listed as official Amazon reviewers who are ranked. Amazon reviewers in the top 50 are more highly regarded but harder to get hold of. There’s even a top 1000 rank for Amazon reviewers, which is nothing to sneeze at.

Some of our authors have received reviews from Amazon top 50 and top 1000, so it’s achievable.

You can also consider other bonuses to show your appreciation such as a free audiobook or guide to increase the value to your readers for taking the time to read and review your book.

To make it easier for you to get started, here’s an email template example for requesting a review from friends or colleagues.

Download Template

Should you pay for reviews.

Oh boy, now this a point of contention between some groups.

Is it ethical or not? Is it worth it?

In today’s noisy world, I think that paying for someone to give you an objective, unbiased review is fine. Paying for a guaranteed positive review does cross the line.

There are many respected, high profile review companies out there such as Kirkus , Foreword and Self Publishing Review that offer reviews for a fee. This simply offsets the time for someone credible and professional to spend many hours reading a book. It sometimes expedites the turnaround time for an author to receive a review, but these websites do not guarantee a positive review.

Is it worth getting a paid review from one of these sites?

If it’s in your budget, sure. Reviews like these provide higher social proof to book buyers and librarians. These industry people know of all the reputable, credible sources that provide reviews so they take notice of these.

So having a review or two from well-respected authorities can help sell your book above others that don’t have reviews at all.

Don’t be a bugbear

The last thing a reviewer wants is to be nagged by impatient authors. Reviewers are busy and you should feel proud and appreciative if they review your book. If a reviewer has given you a time-frame for when you can expect to hear from them, give them that time to respond. They’re busy people.

What if I get bad reviews?

It’s going to happen at some point. Not every honest review will be five stars. That’s the reality of it. Someone will read your book and find it’s not exactly to their liking or doesn’t fully resonate with them.

That’s okay!

We all have different perspectives and views and it’s what helps colour this world.

What you don’t want to do is race out the house, track the person down and scream at them stating how silly they are and that they just didn’t “get it”. This won’t do any good and just deter that person from ever reviewing another one of your books.

Just accept the bad review for what it is, and move onto reading the next favourable review. Ideally, you may learn something interesting from the bad review you can take with you for the next book.

Don’t do this, please!

The process of getting book reviews requires some patience. You need to allow time to contact reviewers and for them to respond back to you. Try not to be impatient and please don’t bombard reviewers with emails trying to hurry them up. That will only result in one thing.

Annoying the person and blowing your chance of getting that review for good.

If you’ve planned ahead, this shouldn’t be an issue.

So before launching your next book, start thinking ahead of time how to get book reviews. It could make all the difference from launching with a bang or a fizzle.

Now It’s Your Turn

And now I’d like to hear from you:

Which method for getting more reviews from today’s guide are you excited to try first?

Or maybe you have a question about something in the article?

Either way, let me know by leaving a comment below.

14 Responses to How to Get Book Reviews: The Definitive Guide

Thank you very much for this article on reviews. You have helped dispel my complete ignorance about this topic. Very clear and useful.

You’re welcome Lindsey, glad you found it valuable!

As I near completing my first book, questions are keep coming up about the logical order of getting it “out there.” I know reviews are important but WHEN do you ask for the review? Do you wait until it is published? If so, there is nothing for a book shopper to view about the book. Do you ask for reviews before it goes to the printer/publisher? Do you send them an email pdf before it is published? For instance, how do you get the publication listed, say, on Amazon with the book and the reviews at the same time? Would appreciate your input.

To get early reviews you’d prepare a digital copy or print copy to send to reviewers months before the book is released. The bigger your book the more time you should allow.

Once they have read the book (in advance) how do they post their review on Amazon when the book has not yet been released?

When the book is on Amazon publicly, reviews can be left. Perhaps make your book free for a few days to allows for those reviewers to download and then post their review.

That was very helpful, thank you. I received several good reviews from Indie Reviewers, a paid service that does NOT guarantee a favorable review. I am hesitant to post them because Amazon’s policy seems rather rigid on this. As for the Amazon reviewers you mentioned,

I looked at the list but they don’t offer categories. You need to go through each name individually to see if they review your type of book – or have I missed something? Fran Paino

You’re welcome Fran. A quicker way would be to check out other similar books in your desired genre/topic, then connect with the Amazon reviewers of those books.

I am so appreciative of the information you share with authors. I am excited about what I am learning from your posts, and it is igniting my own love for creative brainstorming. My list of potential reviewers is growing because of the information you shared. Names of professional people I already know are coming to mind. Thank you Anthony. I’m getting excited to get on with this process. By the way, my website is only now being developed. I don’t have a name for it yet, and I’ve not yet published it. I intend on studying your 10 best websites and your comments, for this is a new venture for me, and I want to do it well.

Yes, anything worth doing, you might as well do 100% or not at all. Great to see you’re allowing lead up time to gather your tools and resources including building your reviewer list. Love it!!

Thanks for the listing! Cate, SPR

Welcome Cate!

Hi. Still unsure about getting reviews before launch. If I receive reviews before the book is launched how exactly can these be posted on Amazon? Do I do it myself on their behalf? Not sure about this.

Your reviews can be added to the editorial or description sections of your Amazon book listing. Example: if you received a review from Foreword Reviews, the editorial reviews section would be a great place to add it.

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Amazon Book Reviews: How to Get Book Reviews on Amazon for Free

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The proven path from blank page to 10,000 copies sold.

When it comes to Amazon book reviews, they are necessary to proactively market your book.

There’s almost nothing as important as Amazon book reviews when it comes to generating consistent book sales month after month and creating an effective book marketing strategy.

It’s not enough to publish your book and hope reviewers will find you. They almost certainly won’t. You need to work hard to find them and convince them to review your book.

But even that isn’t enough!

If you go about getting Amazon book reviews the wrong way, you risk incurring the wrath of Amazon. Your book will sink before it ever stood a chance of succeeding.

Related: Amazon Self-Publishing

So how can you get the Amazon book reviews you need in an ethical and effective way?

We’ve gathered together everything you need to know.

This guide to Amazon book reviews covers:

Why are amazon book reviews important, how many book reviews do i need on amazon.

• How to get your book reviewed on Amazon

Can I review my own book on Amazon?

Book review services , can i contact the top reviewers on amazon.

• Does Amazon support editorial reviews

Guidelines for Amazon reviews

Why does amazon remove book reviews.

If you’re new to the world of self-publishing , it might be unclear why there is so much importance placed on getting Amazon book reviews.

After all, if you create a good book, produce an attractive cover, and write a catchy description, shouldn’t that be enough?

As much as we might see our book as special, Amazon won’t.

At least, not at first. And neither will the vast majority of book browsers.

While the benefits of self-publishing are well-known, there are also some challenges you need to overcome in order to experience success.

One such challenge is the abundance of books released on Amazon.

The vast majority of books are lost amidst the noise. New titles are added to Amazon every few minutes, and there are endless titles already available. 

What does this mean for you?

If you want to see your book reach the right readers, you need to do everything in your power to get it in front of them. 

One of the most powerful ways to do that is by ensuring your book has reviews.

A lack of Amazon book reviews harms your book’s prospects in two ways. 

First, a book without reviews is unlikely to even get noticed by the vast majority of book browsers.

Second, even if people do somehow stumble across your book, they are unlikely to borrow or buy it without a credible number of Amazon book reviews.

Here are the benefits to make your reviews worth it:

• Trust. Book reviews are especially important when you’re just starting out as an author on Amazon . Put yourself in the shoes of a customer. Why should they trust your book? They almost certainly haven’t heard of you. Reviews overcome this problem. When people see that others have been helped or entertained by a book, it gives them the confidence they will experience the same result.
• Algorithm. Amazon is famous for having one of the most powerful and effective algorithms out there. The company explores and experiments with every possible way to get customers to spend more. Reviews are a huge signal to Amazon that your book is worth promoting. Without a respectable number of Amazon book reviews close to the time of launch, your book will miss out on the immense power of Amazon’s promotional machinery.
• External promotion. There are plenty of promotional services out there willing to help introduce your book to readers who are likely to benefit from it. However, most of them require you to have a certain number of positive reviews before they will even consider your book. You can also promote this on your author platform .
• Feedback. Reviews are also a valuable source of feedback on your work. Yes, even the negative ones! You can get a sense of what readers did and did not like about your book and take this feedback on board for your future releases. 

When it comes to success on Amazon, it’s almost impossible to overstate just how important reviews are.

Now that you know the benefits of reviews for your book, let’s take a closer look at exactly how to get them.

Getting people to take the time to review your book isn’t always easy, especially when you’re new to the self-publishing scene.

Given the difficulty of getting reviews, it’s natural to wonder just how many you need. 

No matter what people might say, there is no magic number that you need. It varies from book to book.

However, there are some proven principles and guidelines you can use to inform the number of reviews you aim to get.

• Check competing books. Take the time to check out other books that your ideal reader might be interested in. For example, which books rank for your keywords? Which books are selling well in your intended categories ? Try and look for books of similar stature to your own. How many reviews do they have? How many would you need to seem respectable in the eyes of a buyer choosing between your book and a competing title?
• Aim for 10 minimum. 10 reviews seems to be the number that starts to move the needle for a lot of authors. When you’re putting together your initial strategy, make 10 book reviews the minimum number you aim for. 
• 20 is ideal. If you’re capable of proactively getting 10 people to leave an Amazon review of your book, you’re more than capable of getting 20! Just double down on what you’re doing. We’ll explore exactly how shortly. 
• Don’t go overboard. After a certain number of Amazon book reviews, you’re unlikely to experience much extra benefit. The effort needed to seek out reviews is not commensurate to the benefits you will experience. Also, after getting a large number of reviews, buyers are likely to review your book of their own accord. You won’t need to seek them out. 30-50 reviews is a good guideline here, but a lower number may suffice depending on the books you are competing against. 
• Your promo strategy. Many authors make book promotion sites or services an integral part of their Amazon book marketing strategy. If you have a particular promotional site you want to be featured on, you’re probably going to need a certain number of Amazon book reviews to be eligible.

Even though there isn’t a particular number of Amazon book reviews that’s right for every book, there’s definitely a number that’s right for yours.

Use the above ideas to find it and make this a target you strive to hit.

Sadly, no. Some authors might think it's a good idea to review their own book to get some initial momentum going for their Amazon book reviews, but that's against the rules specified in Amazon's Guidelines .

How to get Amazon book reviews

So how should you go about getting the reviews you need for your book to succeed?

Seeking out Amazon book reviews in the right way isn’t just a matter of doing what’s likely to get results.

It’s also a matter of respecting Amazon’s rules and regulations. If you fail to do so, you run the risk of having your reviews removed.

If you’re unsure of how to get the reviews your book needs, here are some effective techniques.

• Set up a review plan prior to launch. A lot of authors learn the hard way that you can’t leave Amazon book reviews to chance. You need to have a clear plan in place way ahead of your book launch . This should involve a clear approach to hit your review target number as close to the time of your book going live as possible.
• Reach out to existing readers. Do you have an email list of readers? Have you written anything in the past? Even if you don’t have books out, do you have a blog with readers? Could you leverage your author network to promote your book to another writer’s fans? Existing readers, either your own or another author’s, are a great potential source of Amazon book reviews.
• Use social media. While social media is a valuable source of potential reviewers of your work, you should approach it with caution. If Amazon’s algorithm deems you to have a close connection with people on social media, their reviews of your book may be removed. In spite of that, it’s still worth utilizing options such as Facebook reading groups, relevant hashtags on Twitter or Instagram, visual platforms like Pinterest , and even Tik Tok if you have a younger audience, to seek out people who might be interested in your book. 
• Consider offline readers. Most authors will focus their review approach on the online world. By seeking out book clubs, library groups, and other interested communities offline, you open the door to a rich source of potential reviewers that many other authors aren't aware of.  
• Create a launch team . One of the easiest ways to get reviews at launch is to have a big launch group on your side before your book ever drops on Amazon KDP. I recommend having a team of around 100 people who will reach an advanced reader copy in exchange for their authentic review. That way, when your book launches, you can have tons of Amazon book reviews straight away. If you aren't sure how to build a launch group, there are companies that will help you put one together. At selfpublishing.com, our Elite Package guarantees your first 100 authentic Amazon book reviews.
• CTA in your book. There’s no harm of asking for Amazon book reviews within your book itself. You can also include a link in the ebook version to make it as straightforward as possible.

Be aware that by asking for Amazon book reviews in any of the ways mentioned, you are seeking something of value from them. To make them want to take the time to help you, you need to frame your request in the right way.

Related: Amazon Book Description HTML: Making Words Look Better

Instead of coming across as self-serving or even desperate, why not base your review request around:

• Feedback. If people respect your work they are likely to want to help you out as an author. If you make them feel like their feedback is valued, you are more likely to get a review.
• Helping other readers. Another angle to take is appealing to a sense of community among readers. Rather than making your request for Amazon book reviews about yourself, make it about informing fellow readers about a book that might benefit or entertain them.
• A promotional price point. It’s human nature to love a good deal. By emphasizing your book being offered at a low price point for a limited time, you tap into the psychological appeal of both value and scarcity, making it more likely that people will see it as worthwhile to review your book.

Combining the right sources of potential Amazon book reviews with the right type of request is the best way to get your book the review score it needs.

As well as seeking out relevant readers by yourself, a range of professional book review services exist.

While this can form a valuable part of your overall approach to Amazon book reviews, you need to be careful.

Amazon is known for being incredibly strict about people selling reviews. Many people on Fiverr have experienced this firsthand!

The Amazon review guidelines are elaborated on a little later in this guide, but as a general principle, always avoid paying for a review directly. That includes offering a gift of some type.

Instead of paying for a review on Fiverr, consider using one of these services:

• Goodreads book giveaways
• Rainbow Book Reviews

If you’re considering paying for a review service, make sure to check both of these two things before investing your money:

• Compliance. Ensure any review service you’re considering is compliant with Amazon’s rules and regulations. Otherwise, you risk losing your money, having the review removed, and possibly even worse consequences if Amazon feels you’re being particularly underhanded.
• Results. Check out what kind of results a review service promises, and what kind of success they’ve had in the past. Have they produced good results for books similar to yours? What kind of ROI can you expect?

Book review services can be a valuable way to help your book get the momentum it needs. Just make sure you’re dealing with a reputable and effective service provider.

No, the top Amazon reviewers are no longer available.

In the past, a popular way of seeking Amazon book reviews involved trying to find and contact the top reviewers on Amazon.

This may have worked well back in the day, but it’s not really something to pursue in the here and now. 

The top Amazon reviewers no longer have emails available to reach out to. Even when they did, the odds of having a top reviewer take the time to check out your work was pretty slim. 

Does Amazon support editorial reviews?

What exactly is an editorial review, and why does it matter for your book?

So far, we’ve talked about customer Amazon book reviews, which are exactly what they sound like. A customer reads your book and leaves their opinion. If they purchased it from Amazon, this would count as a verified review. 

The other type of review to utilize is the editorial review. This involves a trusted source such as a magazine or publication giving their take on your book.

While editorial reviews aren't included in your book's review score and don't show up with the customer reviews, this is actually a good thing. 

Some of the main benefits of editorial reviews are:

• They won’t get lost in the middle of the (hopefully) large number of customer reviews your book has
• You can add them to your Amazon Author Central page
• You are allowed to leverage your connections as Amazon can’t remove these in the way that they can remove customer reviews
• A reputable publication or individual may carry more weight in the mind of a potential book buyer than an unknown customer reviewer

There’s no denying the value of editorial reviews, but think of them as icing on the cake. 

Make customer reviews your priority, at least initially, as they will move the needle in terms of the Amazon algorithm.

Spend some time around the indie author community and you’ll come across some fairly angry writers.

A common source of frustration is the seemingly ever-changing Amazon review rules.

In reality, the Amazon review guidelines aren’t as bad as you might have heard.

You can check out the full picture here , but some basic principles include:

• You can’t pay for Amazon book reviews. It’s absolutely prohibited to exchange money for a review of your book.]
• You can’t ask for conditional reviews. Although it’s completely fine to ask for someone to review your book, you cannot request they review it in a certain way. Asking for an honest review is the best approach.
• You can’t review a rival book. If Amazon feels someone is negatively reviewing a rival product of any type, they will remove that review.
• You can’t rely on friends and family. Amazon states that reviews from close personal connections are not allowed. This can involve being friends with people and interacting on social media.
• You can’t offer gifts. It’s not permissible to over an Amazon gift card or anything else whatsoever in exchange for a review. You can offer an ARC of your book but that’s all.

While it’s definitely worth respecting the Amazon review guidelines, try not to worry too much. As long as you’re operating from a place of good faith, the worst that will happen in the majority of cases is Amazon will remove some of your reviews.

Amazon can remove reviews for violations of any of the guidelines mentioned above. 

However, some of the most common reasons for a review to be removed are:

• You have reviewed your own book
• Someone with the same address as you has reviewed your book
• A reviewer has attempted to leave multiple reviews of your work
• The review is obscene, defamatory, or otherwise unacceptable
• The reviewer is a customer who has spent less than $50 on Amazon
• The reviewer appears to be a spammer who leaves too many reviews in a short space of time
• You have reported the review to [email protected] and Amazon agrees it is unacceptable

Having some Amazon book reviews removed is a fact of life for most authors. Although it might seem frustrating, try and see the system as being in place to preserve the integrity of the entire process. 

We hope you’ve found this guide to the dos and don'ts of Amazon book reviews useful. 

If you have any tips on getting Amazon book reviews ethically, or warnings about Amazon’s rules and regulations, feel free to leave a comment and help your fellow authors out. 

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How to get book reviews: Max visibility in 9 steps

Knowing how to get book reviews is crucial for building visibility for your book releases and trust in potential readers. Read 9 steps to get more reviews.

• Post author By Jordan
• 2 Comments on How to get book reviews: Max visibility in 9 steps

When authors go indie and publish a book, how to get book reviews is a common challenge. For Amazon to take notice and start spotlighting your book, you typically need at least 50 reviews. How can you convert readers into reviewers and boost your book’s visibility? Read on for nine steps:

9 steps to get book reviews

• Build your author brand and audience
• Create an advance reader team
• Prepare and distribute ARCs
• Pitch relevant book review blogs
• Alert your mailing list and contact networks
• Offer giveaways for honest reviews
• Use a call to action in your book
• Use social media to drive reviews
• Evaluate ethical paid review services

Let’s dive into getting the feedback your book needs to build potential readers’ trust.

1. Build your author brand and audience

It’s never to early to begin building your brand as an author so you can grow your audience.

Having a platform to market your releases to will make it much easier to acquire the initial reviews that encourage others to follow suit and leave feedback.

In marketing, ‘conversion rates’ refer to the percentage of people who perform a desired action from a larger group. For example, if one in ten readers reviewed your book, you’d need a hundred readers at your conversion rate of reader to reviewer to earn ten reviews.

Because conversion rates to reviews can be low, growing your overall audience is a key part of building your actively reviewing base of readers.

How can you build your author brand and audience?

Think about reader personas

Who would love your books? What demographics do they fit? Which hashtags are they using or following on social media? What language do they use to rave about their favorite reads?

Create a rough reader persona that matches who your target audience is as an author.

Tailor your social media pages (and the content you share) to speak to this kind of reader. Find the overlap between similar reader groups your books may appeal to.

Brand your online presence visually

Your social media author pages present many opportunities to establish who you are and what kind of books you write. What banner might a fantasy author use on Twitter, versus a crime/mystery writer?

Look, for example, at the header for Neil Gaiman’s twitter. The banner advertises newer paperback editions of his books (all designed for strong visual continuity).

The author’s image is a painted portrait – fitting in its expressionist mood for the kind of dark fantasy Gaiman writes. Gaiman’s bio conveys his typical self-deprecating wit.

NY Editors offer excellent author branding advice if you’d like to read up more around building your platform.

Creating a good Goodreads author page provides yet another way to connect with passionate readers and answer their questions.

See, for example, indie pubbing sensation Colleen Hoover’s Goodreads page where she (or an assistant) has answered 270 reader questions.

2. Create an advance reader team

An advance reader team or ‘street team’ is a select group of readers who get perks in exchange for providing honest reviews and other useful feedback.

Author Kerry Lonsdale makes a crucial point about ARCs or advance reader copies (pre-publication copies you share in return for reviews and/or publicity):

It is NOT a free book. There’s a very specific reason publishers print advance copies for an author, and/or the author’s publicist, to distribute: TO OBTAIN EARLY REVIEWS TO INCREASE READER AWARENESS. Basically, it’s to build book buzz. Kerry Lonsdale, ‘How to be an Advance Reader’, accessed June 2022.

So how can you create an advance reader team who help you build pre- and post-launch buzz for your book?

Canvas your mailing list or social network to become advance readers

You could create a Google Forms survey to qualify potential advance readers.

Ask questions such as, ‘would you be willing to leave fair, honest Goodreads reviews in exchange for advance copies of my books?’

Remember to include an input field where potential advance readers can leave their email so you can follow up with those whose answers suit your needs best.

Another good place to find potential reviewers is your critique circle, if you belong to one. Offer to swap generous book reviews with other members come launch day.

Create an exclusive Facebook or other group for advance readers

In the article linked above, Lonsdale references a ‘secret’ group for her advance readers called the ‘Tiki Lounge’, where the author shares news about upcoming releases and more to do with her writing with select readers.

Use advance reader services

There are reputable sites and services where you can list digital advance review copies of your books and get connected to book reviewers and bloggers in your genre.

NetGalley is an example of such a service for authors (with the tagline ‘we help books succeed’). Keep in mind that these services can be costly (at time of writing, to list one digital review copy with NetGalley for six months costs US$499). Edelweiss by Above the Treeline is another book review platform connecting booksellers and publishers to professional reviewers, librarians and others.

Prepare to launch your book

Join a course led by multi-published authors and learn how to publish and promote your book..

3. Prepare and distribute ARCs

If you’re preparing advance review copies to generate book buzz, there are several things to include in your digital copies:

• Prominent statement ‘Advance uncorrected proof / not for sale’ on front and/or back cover
• A brief description/blurb on the back cover (if distributing physical copies)
• Publishing information such as key publicity person to contact (yourself if you are doing everything DIY)

IngramSpark offers a guide to prepping your ARC books , including the above and more.

Who should you share advance review copies of your books with?

4. Pitch relevant book review blogs

If you’re wondering how to get book reviews on websites rather than directly on a platform such as Amazon, book review blogs are one option.

It’s important to pitch relevant book review blogs whose readers are likely to be within your target audience. Bigger media sites, the likes of The Guardian , likely have their reviews lined up long in advance so it’s worth approaching mid-weight sites that may not have as high competition for features.

How can you determine whether a book review blog is worth pitching?

• It reviews similar books in genre and/or subject matter
• Reviews on the blog are fair and detailed (no brutal hatchet jobs)
• The site owners state they are open to review copy submissions

The Book Review Directory has a useful list of book review blogs , including what genre(s) each site specializes in.

You could also Google ‘book reviews’ + ‘your genre/subgenre’ (e.g. ‘book reviews’ + ‘dark fantasy’) to find sites that regularly review similar titles.

How to pitch book review blogs successfully

Pitching blogs to review your book is similar to querying. Make sure you:

• Have a succinct query that addresses the editor who would be reviewing your book or the blog editor by name
• Reach out to blogs that do regularly review your genre and are open to being sent review copies
• Track who you’ve pitched your ARCs to for review in a spreadsheet so you don’t duplicate effort (or have the embarrassment of pitching the same person twice – easy to do)

5. Alert your mailing list and contact networks

When you’re preparing to publish , draft copy for emails to send your mailing list and social media posts to share to any social media platforms you have created author pages for.

When your book is live on your chosen platform, you could even create a direct link to review to send readers in an email, as Dave Chesson of Kindlepreneur suggests here . LinkedIn is another great platform for sharing your publishing news, as are private social platform groups like Kerry Lonsdale mentions in the linked article above.

The Write Life put together a list of Facebook groups for authors , and you can Google to easily find many more. Just make sure you read a group’s rules and terms for posting before sharing any book promo or review requests.

6. Offer giveaways for honest reviews

Another strategy for how to get book reviews is to offer giveaways in exchange for reviews.

The caveat with this method is you can’t run giveaways that break your review platform’s user terms .

For Amazon KDP, for example, this means you can’t incentivize the review itself (you can’t offer a prize in exchange for a review).

You can, however, send a link to review and incentivize following the link to Amazon, as this is not considered the same as ‘buying’ a review.

If you have written a series, you could offer your first title for free in exchange for a review for a limited time, or use other giveaway strategies while showcasing the most important message: That you would value your readers taking the time to share honest, generous feedback.

BookBub has a list of 24 ideas for prizes for book promo giveaways that may be useful for deciding what you’ll offer potential reviewers.

7. Use a call to action in your book

Another way to get more book reviews is to use a call to action in your book.

Traditional publishers may be leery of this (and will likely have their own publicity teams for getting reviews into the public domain). Yet in an indie release you can do as you please.

You could include an author’s note, asking your readers to review your book on Goodreads and Amazon (and connect with you on these or other platforms), in the front or back pages.

A call to action to a reader who has already voted with their money to support your writing is a powerful way to ask directly for the public, trust-building feedback you need.

This is something both Dave Chesson and Joanna Penn suggest in their linked articles on ways to get more reviews for your books.

We directly ask Now Novel members we’ve built great relationships with for reviews, which is how we get five-star feedback such as Jim’s below:

Just finished the first draft of my memoir, with the help of my wonderful NowNovel coach Hedi. … Thanks so much for the wonderful services you provide! — Jim

8. Use social media to drive reviews

Conversion rates from social media may be low. Especially on platforms where users tend to hang around and not click through to websites much ( such as Pinterest , where clicks from impressions can be as low as 0.20%).

There are several ways to use social media to drive reviews, though:

Ask for reviews directly

You will find many indie authors and aspiring writers using hashtags such as #writingcommunity and #writerslift on Twitter. Learn what hashtags authors helping other authors are using on social media. Join the conversation.

If someone is running a ‘free promo’ thread inviting people to share their books, don’t be afraid to share links and request reviews. You may gain followers and writing buddies in the process.

Ask for reviews in social ad comments

If you are doing paid social media promotion of your author page or for a specific book release, you may get comments from readers who read and loved your book. Don’t be afraid to reply in the comments and ask for reviews on platforms such as Amazon or Goodreads, as Joanna Penn suggests.

Remember, most of all, that social media is a conversation, not a monologue .

Spend a little time for each thing you post about yourself and your publishing journey resharing others’ good news, questions, memes and other content (but also check that it is likely to resonate with your own audience and the reader personas you’ve branded your author pages to speak to).

PublishDrive has a helpful beginner’s guide to launching your book via social media .

9. Evaluate ethical paid review services

When you have editing, cover design and other costs to consider, you may not have much budget to spend on getting book reviews.

The whole idea of paying for book reviews may also seem unethical to you. But a proper paid review is not a lying shill for your book. It’s a service offered by a reader or service provider that knows your genre – a qualified reader who is more likely to be kind in how they word their feedback than ‘DNF’ (did not finish) Goodreads reviewers are.

If you really need a boost to reviews of your book, paying for reviews is an option, but making sure you go the transparent, ethical route will ensure that non-paid readers/reviewers don’t smell a rat (nor your publishing platform).

Kirkus book reviews and similar services provide a transparent process where you submit your manuscript to qualified reviewers who are carefully vetted.

You can choose whether to keep your reviews private, manually excerpt positive reviews when you share snippets elsewhere (such as in book descriptions on publishing platforms), or post your reviews publicly on the platform.

Platforms connecting reviewing readers with authors such as Reedsy Discovery also provide ways to get your books in the hands of the right readers who are passionate not only about reading but sharing detailed, eloquent feedback too.

Learn all about publishing, book promo and everything you need for a successful launch on our course, How to Publish and Promote your Novel .

Related Posts:

• Now Novel Reviews
• What will help me write a book? 7 steps
• How to start drafting a book: 7 steps
• Tags how to get book reviews

Jordan is a writer, editor, community manager and product developer. He received his BA Honours in English Literature and his undergraduate in English Literature and Music from the University of Cape Town.

2 replies on “How to get book reviews: Max visibility in 9 steps”

I don’t want keep commenting but thus far your articles are being a true asset to my writing wheelhouse on story techniques & business side.

Hi Crawford, please do keep commenting. We really appreciate feedback from readers of the Now Novel blog, and are always glad to hear we’ve helped writers. Here’s to the expansion of said wheelhouse 🙂 Thanks for reading.

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Empty Mirror

a literary magazine

10 places to find reviewers for your self-published book

But before we get to that – and before you start to contact reviewers – it’s important to understand how to contact them.

What to do:

1. Do your research. Only contact reviewers who are interested in reviewing the type of books you have written. (See below for some good places to find the right reviewers.)

2. Read their review policy. Do they only want e-books, or printed books? What genres are they currently interested in reading? Are they currently accepting new books for review? Check out their rules, and follow them.

3. Write a personalized email to the potential reviewer. No one likes to get a form letter, or spam. Use a salutation, and their name – not just “Hi” or “Dear reviewer,” but rather, “Dear Jane Smith” or at least “Dear Jane.” If there’s no personal name listed, use their username.

Tell the reviewer who you are, how you found them, a little bit about your book, when it will be published. Tell them that if they’re interested, you’d be glad to send them a copy. Specify what format the book will be in (which ebook format, printed book, or if they will have a choice). Thank them for their time and consideration, and say that you look forward to hearing from them. Then sign it, with your full name.

Don’t forget the subject line, either: emails with the subject “Review Inquiry” or “Review Request” will get a better response as they make it easy to identify what your message is about.

Here’s how to write an excellent review query.

4. Before sending your email, spell-check and proofread. Errors leave a poor impression and make the reviewer less likely to accept your book. They’ll figure your book is full of typos, too.

5. The ultimate purpose of a review isn’t to please you. Books with reviews do tend to sell better. However, it’s important to understand that reviewers ultimately aren’t written for the author’s benefit. They’re written for the potential reader to give them enough information so that they can make a purchasing decision.

What not to do:

1. If they do accept the book, don’t expect the reviewer to guarantee a review. Reviewers don’t accept books they have no intention of reviewing, but sometimes they may not be able to – or wish to – eventually review it. That’s OK. They’re not the only reviewer out there. Move on.

2. Don’t expect, or ask for, a positive review. No reviewer can promise this. Any reviewer worth approaching has integrity and will always post an honest review, whether one star or five. (As people’s opinions will naturally vary, there’s often something fishy when books have only five-star reviews, anyway.)

3. Don’t ask the reviewer to promise a review to be published on or near a particular date. (Do feel free to tell the reviewer the date of your book’s publication.) Please understand that most reviewers have a big stack of books to review. Reviews take more time than you might think. The reviewer reads the book – maybe more than once – takes notes, then writes and posts the review. You’re asking them to do at least several hours of work for you, on their own time, for free. And they’re not doing it for money, but rather for the love of books, and of reviewing.

This is why you can’t expect a promise of a review by a certain date (or even at all). It’s understandable that you’re anxious for the reviews to start rolling in, but just hang tight, keep soliciting reviews, and one day you’ll have a bunch of them.

4. Never offer payment for a review. All an honest reviewer will accept is the book itself. Don’t offer a bribe! Paid reviews are not allowed on any reputable websites and can get the reviewer – and sometimes yourself – in a world of trouble, and banned from review websites.

5. Don’t expect an answer to your query. I know – that almost seems unreasonable, doesn’t it, not to expect the reviewer to reply. The reason that some don’t reply is that many reviewers – especially popular and highly-ranked ones – get so many review queries that it takes too much time to reply to them all. So, they wind up only replying to those they have an interest in reviewing.

6. If a potential reviewer declines to review your book, take it graciously. Don’t ask why, try to change their mind, or pester them. Stay on good terms – reply briefly with thanks for their time and consideration. Who knows, perhaps they’ll review your next book.

7. After a review is published, don’t comment on the review . Not even if you disagree with it. Even if the reviewer says something terribly wrong, even factually wrong. Even if they say it’s the best book they’ve ever read. Or the worst! Commenting can make you look petty, overbearing or argumentative, and can turn potential readers against you, ensuring they never read your book. Just. Don’t. Do. It. Ever. ( Here’s why. )

10 places to find reviewers for your books.

OK. Now that you understand how to approach reviewers, how do you find them?

1. Amazon’s “Meet Our Authors” Forum

Amazon has “Meet Our Authors” forum where you can introduce yourself, and also ask for reviews. There are various genre-specific threads too.

Update: Amazon has shut down all of their forums. They suggest that you visit Goodreads instead, where it’s easy for authors to interact with readers. (Amazon owns Goodreads.) See #4 on this list for more about Goodreads.

2. Amazon’s Top Reviewers

Amazon ranks its reviewers according to a variety of criteria and publishes the list. You can go through the list to look for those reviewers who review books in your genre. It will take some time. Those reviewers who include an email address or website in their profile are usually open to being contacted regarding potential reviews. (Some are not.) Before emailing, read their reviews of books in your genre. Pay close attention to any review guidelines which are included in the reviewer’s profile.

TheCreativePenn has a great blog post on getting Amazon reviewers to review your book .

3. Peruse the Amazon book pages

Check out other books similar to yours, and see who’s reviewed them. Look on these reviewers’ profiles to see if they’re open to review offers, as described above. If so, contact them.

4. LibraryThing & Goodreads

On LibraryThing , people catalog, review, and discuss books. The site also functions as a social networking site and is a great place for authors to connect with potential readers. There are lots of things you can do to get the word out about your book here. One of them is to find reviewers.

LibraryThing offers the “Member Giveaway” – where you can give out your own books. Ebooks and printed books are equally welcome. You set a number of available books to offer, and people will enter a drawing to win them. Usually there are more people who sign up than available books, so there is a drawing at the end of the giveaway period.

Though those who receive your books are not required to review your book, you can let it be known that you hope they do. LibraryThing reviewers can post their reviews on that site, but some often post their reviews elsewhere, such as Amazon.com and Goodreads.

Goodreads is similar to LibraryThing, but bigger. Only publishers can give away books for free there, but you can still find potential reviewers through their groups , some of which are dedicated to connecting authors with reviewers. (Use the group search box to find them.) Before posting review opportunities, be sure to check that the rules of the particular group allow it.

5. Social networking sites

Search for people who review your genre of book on Twitter, Facebook, and other social networking sites, and start making connections. Much has been written elsewhere on how to connect with people on these sites, so that’s all I’ll say about it here.

Turn to Google to find bloggers who review books similar to yours. Try various searches such as the name of your genre (e.g. YA, poetry, American history, vampire fiction) followed by one of these phrases: book blog, book blogger, book reviews, book review blog, book review blogger. Try various combinations and think of some of your own, investigate the results, and you’re bound to come up with some good ones.

7. Services which connect authors and reviewers

There are quite a lot of specialized websites which will make your book available to reviewers. Here are a few we know of:

The Bookbag . Publishes book reviews on their site, with links to the books on Amazon.

4226 Spruce St . Makes it easy for authors of Kindle books to connect with Amazon reviewers. Free.

8. Reviewer directories and lists

The Book Blogger List . A categorized directory of book reviewers, organized by genre, which makes it easy to locate potential reviewers for your book. Free.

Book Reviewer Yellow Pages (formerly Step By Step Self Publishing). Offers an online directory of book reviewers. It’s free, but they also offer paid Kindle and paperback versions.

List of literary / poetry review publications (many print-based)

9. Ask other authors

Ask other authors you’re acquainted with – either on or offline – who reviewed their book, and who they think you should get in touch with. Most authors are very willing to share their experiences and recommendations. When writing to a reviewer, be sure mention that your fellow author recommended that you contact them.

10. Look close to home & offline

There are plenty of local, offline sources for reviews, too:

• local daily or weekly newspapers
• school newspapers
• organization and company newsletters
• contact local indie bookstores to see if they know of any local reviewers

11. (yeah, forget 10 – we’re turning this baby all the way up to 11!) The Indie View

The Indie View has a great list of reviewers in a number of genres. They also spotlight reviews and authors. Check it out.

don’t forget us

You know, if your book is arts-related nonfiction, or has anything to do with the Beat Generation, you might check out our very own review policy . We don’t accept many books for review – but you never know until you try! We also sometimes publish author interviews and book excerpts.

Summing up…

That’s all for now. If you have suggestions about getting reviews, please leave a comment. And stay tuned for more articles about promoting your self-published books!

Empty Mirror publishes new poetry, criticism, essays, book reviews, and art every Friday.

You might also like:

Pat Sutton says

March 4, 2020 at 11:53 am

Denise, thank you, Your comments and explanations will save me time on how to find a reviewer and what to expect.

Antonio Chevalier says

October 11, 2020 at 3:47 pm

You need to pay for The Bookbag. Publishes book reviews on their site, with links to the books on Amazon.

Empty Mirror says

November 8, 2019 at 4:50 pm

There’s also a directory of over 300 reviewers, sorted by posting frequency, at https://indiestoday.com/reviewers-list/ . Thanks to Dave Allen for pointing out this resource!

Derrick Washington says

October 31, 2019 at 7:13 pm

Hi, Denise, I just want to say thank you for sharing this information. I have been searching online where to find book reviewers, and your blog answered, pretty much, all of my questions. Once again, thanks.

Bruce Miller says

October 16, 2019 at 2:36 pm

Excellent article and we enjoyed reading it. It is very comprehensive and useful. Well done!

We review books. We are retired people in New Zealand and we are amazed at the creativity and original ideas people have. It’s like sitting in a school class with students raising their hands and announcing amazing creative ideas! We love it. But we only review books we like. No erotica, but most everything else. We’ve done hundreds of reviews. Check us out > https://www.teamgolfwell.com/free-book-reviews.html

Julian Hardy says

July 1, 2019 at 8:44 pm

Denise Thank you for your insightful website. I have recently self-published a book on KDP/Amazon. After doing some research about reviews/reviewers, I found the Artisan Book Reviews website. Is it worthwhile using such services as those provided by Artisan Book Reviews (as they are quite costly). Also, I’m assuming such paid reviews do not contravene Amazon’s review rules. Is this true? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Regards Julian

Denise says

July 29, 2019 at 11:07 am

It’s true that paid reviews are forbidden by Amazon and can’t be posted there by the reviewer.

However, you can post them yourself with your book information on your book’s page. They can also be useful for use on your website and promotional materials.

Thomas Juarez says

May 4, 2019 at 8:16 am

Thank you for the quick reply! While searching through other parts of your website I found someone I made a connection with. Finally gaining some traction (I think).

Awakening Cocijo will be making a book tour to test its worthiness!

May 3, 2019 at 9:24 am

I have recently self published on Amazon, currently Amazon is having an issue tracking my book sales and I am falling in the ratings. I made them aware of some of the recent purchases, they know there’s a problem and they are looking into it…I have faith in them!

In any case, it has been very difficult to find reviewers that are available in the next 3-4 months. It’s been frustrating to say the least.

I paid for the editing of my book so that I would have a polished product. I was hoping this would make my book more attractive to buyers and/or reviewers. I would be more than happy to provide a pdf or kindle copy to potential reviewers.

The book is called Awakening Cocijo and is available only on Amazon. It is a metaphysical fiction book centering on the Zapotec empire and a current attempt (fictional, of course), to awaken Cocijo…the god of lightening and rain.

May 3, 2019 at 2:13 pm

You might try getting reviews via Goodreads (you can even give away free books/ebooks in Goodreads’ Member Giveaway). That might give you some reviews in shorter than three or four months.

If you’re on social media, you could try giving some copies away for review that way.

Celeste says

April 26, 2019 at 10:55 am

Thanks Denise! I’m going to network as best I can, which means helping other authors with their efforts, too. I joined Goodreads so I could post reviews and hopefully boost the sales of books that I enjoy reading.

April 22, 2019 at 7:57 pm

Denise, thanks for the quick follow-up.

I believe it’s far too time-consuming to find reviewers on Amazon, considering that many of them don’t have contact info available. It’s probably better to invest time and effort in building a network, e.g., through Goodreads and Bookbub. I’m an introvert, so it makes me cringe to think of having to actively pursue getting followers. Otherwise my novel is likely to die on the vine after it’s published, no matter how good it is.

April 25, 2019 at 11:40 am

That’s certainly a valid objection and there are other methods of getting reviews. I wish you success with your novel!

April 21, 2019 at 4:28 pm

This article is dated March 6, 2014, so perhaps something has changed as far as finding book reviewers on Amazon. I went to the Amazon Top Customer Reviewers listing. There are 10,000, with zero indication as to what they review. To find that out, you have to click on each name one by one, then scroll through their reviews to see (1) if they even review books, and (2) what genre of books they review. With 10,000 reviewers, you may be able to go through that list in, oh, let’s say a year. And of course it changes daily so you’ll need to keep a list of whose reviews you looked at.

If someone knows of a better way, I’m all ears. Otherwise, I think Amazon is doing its best, as always, to make things difficult.

April 22, 2019 at 1:34 pm

Yes, you do have to look at each reviewer individually — there’s no list with email addresses included. So, it’s usually best to find books similar to yours, see who’s reviewing them, and get in touch those with contact information (email, website, or even a Google-able name) on their profile. It does take some detective work, for sure.

Diane Fadden says

April 10, 2019 at 6:12 pm

Indiebook review is a scam operation. Buyer beware.

roy tawes says

August 25, 2018 at 10:43 am

Denise- Iasked for a personal review. Never heard back, but I see you’re using my complimentary comments for this website. Just give me a simple yes or know

August 29, 2018 at 10:53 am

Congratulations on the publication of your book! It sounds fascinating.

EM’e review guidelines are here: https://www.emptymirrorbooks.com/empty-mirror-review-policy

Guidelines in short: Due to time constraints, I’m only able to accept very few books for review. I’m looking for specific types of non-fiction and am unable to review fiction, poetry, or memoir.

Unfortunately, due to the volume of book review requests received and that fact that I’m the only one here, I’m only able to reply to those I intend to review. I regret that I’m not able to respond to all.

Comments are voluntary and are not “used” for anything. They can be deleted by request. I did leave the link in your previous comment so that others could check out your book!

best wishes, Denise

Tyrell Perry says

August 19, 2018 at 12:13 pm

Great intel. This newly published author will be putting it to use.

Wilburson says

July 2, 2018 at 6:30 am

This is such useful information Denise, which I have added to my growing information pile on getting reviews. Thanks for taking the time.

Vishal Sharma says

April 6, 2018 at 11:14 pm

Hey Denise, Thanks for sharing such awesome tips loved it. It was very useful for me.

Roy lawson tawes MD , FACS says

January 10, 2018 at 2:22 pm

Very helpful information for INDIE authors.Thank you. I like your considerate style.

It’s a long shot to request a personal review, but you mentioned an interest in the Beat generation that spawned the hippies in the ’60s. I just published my sixth novel, RECALL that deals with the topic . Returning to San Francisco from Vietnam where I served as a flight surgeon, I witnessed the cultural revolution up close and personal. I tried to capture that turbulent era in my historical narrative. You might find it interesting and enlightening. I’m getting good early reviews , but not from anyone of your professional stature. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.So why not ask you?

If you have any interest, please consult my website: RLawsonauthor.com. All the information you require to make a decision is available there, including blogs. Maybe we will find an intellectual connection. Life never follows a straight path, Stranger things have happened. I love writing and hope someone influential in the literary field will promote my work.

Thank you for your consideration. You sound like a nice person in your responses above, trying to help aspiring writers. We need guidance, It’s a maze to navigate.

Brad Foster says

January 3, 2018 at 4:06 am

No worries, Denise – thanks anyway and careful of that perilous tower of books! :)

January 2, 2018 at 6:48 pm

HI Denise – thanks for this post! I noticed that the link to Amazon’s “Meet Our Authors” is defunct – this is what I get: “Our Discussion Boards feature has been discontinued.

Amazon would like to thank the members of this community for contributing to the discussion forums. As we grow and evolve, we encourage you to explore Goodreads Groups for book discussions and Spark for other interests. For device questions and help, please see our new Digital and Device Forum.”

I will try the other tips, though I haven’t had much luck so far with the Amazon Top Reviewers (reminds me of my dating years, when I got completely ignored! ). Say, if you wanted to review my newest e-book, I’d be happy to send you a free copy. No pressure – thanks again and I hope one — if not more — of your points help me out!

January 2, 2018 at 9:08 pm

Hi Brad — Thanks for the update about the Amazon forums. I’d heard about that but had forgotten to update this list. I really appreciate the reminder.

Top reviewers are tough — you really have to find the ones who are into your genre, and Amazon has begun making it tougher to find contact information for them (although email links still appear on individual profiles).

Wish I could help with your book, but I don’t typically read e-books, and my reading stack is perilously tall. But I wish you much success with it!

Cristina G. says

October 21, 2017 at 3:02 am

Gold dust. Thank you so much. I am working on a few new books and I need reviews. Blessings to you and to those who invest their valuable time reading and reviewing our lifetime work.

August 8, 2017 at 8:31 am

Thanks, Denise, for your helpful information.

June 12, 2017 at 3:55 pm

This site looks nice but there are two issues with it: – The reviewer lists can’t be accessed without completing a third-party offer. – Kaspersky shows a warning about a phishing link when the site is loaded.

If you would like to talk about this, please email me. Denise

May 15, 2017 at 6:51 pm

Thanks Denise for a cohesive listing of what to do. It’s early days for me in the world of marketing my children’s mystery novels, so it’s really helpful. Many thanks.

May 15, 2017 at 7:34 pm

Cathy, I’m so glad to hear that you found this article helpful. I wish you much success with the novels!

Indira Sahay says

April 9, 2017 at 9:54 am

Thank you for your reply. I shall certainly take up some of your suggestion

April 8, 2017 at 11:42 am

I was looking for interested reviewers for two Sociology books written by my late husband which remained unpublished when he passed away last year.the first one is already printed and the second one is being got ready for printing. this will take about three months. As the books are academic I would like to send them to academics with similar interests. What do you suggest?

Layla Rose says

March 20, 2017 at 7:03 pm

What a great find. I did some freelance publicity work for an author recently, and as a writer myself, it was sobering to see what it takes as an indie author. So much work. And having a disability which is difficult to manage really slows me down. So I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me.

Walter Stoffel says

March 3, 2017 at 1:23 pm

In part helpful ,in part confusing. Denise, you suggest steering clear of Amazon Top Reviewers(they’re touchy) yet you link to Creative Penn article that outlines process for contacting those same top reviewers.

Lanre Ayanlowo says

February 28, 2017 at 1:41 am

Hello, i have two self published books. Can you please help me publish them traditionally?

March 3, 2017 at 3:13 pm

I wish I could help, but Empty Mirror is just an online magazine; we don’t publish books. I may be able to answer some questions for you, but can’t recommend any particular publishers.

Tom Turkington says

February 21, 2017 at 7:16 pm

Thank you, Denise, so much. As a first-time author and technophobe besides, I’ve despaired of generating any sense of direction in my efforts to get my book into the hands of unbiased readers. Your suggestions are clear, concise and orderly, and likely the jumpstart I’ve needed. Were my book concerned with the arts or the Beats, I’d try to hoist it upon you, but no: it’s a 120,000-word chronicle of the first eighteen years of my life. Trying to make an asset of living in the past. Thanks for your push in the right direction(s).

Marcus De Storm says

January 1, 2017 at 2:36 pm

Thank you Denise for this information useful as a Self Published Author. As it is difficult to find genuine information and where to go to get my book reviewed. This has helped me very much.

January 1, 2017 at 2:37 pm

I’m glad you found the article useful, Marcus! I wish you much success with the book!

Mdu Rohtak says

November 18, 2016 at 5:33 am

Excellent tips, and thanks for the shout-out.

Sheree W. Davis says

November 17, 2016 at 7:52 am

Denise, Thanks for this wonderful check list! I’m a new self-published author and am grateful for the wisdom you are willing to share! God Bless! ~Sheree W. Davis

Johnb9 says

June 8, 2016 at 5:18 am

Thanks so much for the article.Much thanks again. Great.

ferris robinson says

May 2, 2016 at 5:11 am

Denise, Thank you so much for this informative and detailed post! So helpful! And I really appreciate the heads-up on commenting on reviews – I had no idea! I feel like I should be writing them a thank you note for taking the time to read my book, and taking even more time and energy to review it! Thanks for all you do for writers!

January 13, 2016 at 6:56 am

Hi Denise, great article, thanks. Quick question – when do you suggest author start asking for reviews? How long before the publish date – or after the publish date? Thanks.

Alec Stone says

August 20, 2015 at 6:14 am

Hi, don’t forget about reviews-easy.com.

This service is doing all the work for you. You only have to register and search the Amazon the reviewers by categories, products they review or by personal details. Then, a list of reviewers with contact details will be generated and you can download it. Then you can send personalized emails to all of them or do what you want with that data.

August 20, 2015 at 7:25 am

Alec, thanks for the suggestion. I have mixed feelings about Reviews Easy. I haven’t used it myself, but from a brief look at their website, it certainly appears to make it easy to search for Amazon reviewers.

Maybe too easy. I don’t enjoy reading e-books and don’t review them. That fact is stated very clearly on my Amazon profile. And yet, authors very often email to ask me to review their e-books. Some of these authors have told me that they were referred to me by Reviews Easy, and they’ve been surprised that I have no interest in e-books.

It seems that somehow Reviews Easy is leading authors to believe that I want to read e-books. (But since I haven’t used the site, I am not sure how or why this is happening.)

The site may be a good resource. But authors who choose to use it should double-check the reviewers’ profile information and preferences!

Thanks again — Denise

Tim Williams says

August 2, 2015 at 5:06 am

after reading everything that i’ve read i find myself asking …why self publish it seems like more of a pain in the ass then what it’s worth . i mean is this he only way to to go ? i write because i like to write not to share. the only reason publishing has come up is cause everyone that reads my book won’t stop bugging me about it . anyone hit me up cause i don’t see the benefit . thanks

August 3, 2015 at 1:06 pm

Most authors self-publish because they want their work to be read. But there’s no sense in publishing if you don’t feel compelled to.

While most people who write never publish, some of those still have a few books printed for themselves, family and friends who have expressed an interest. It’s an option. And, in that case, you needn’t bother with arranging for reviews, or with other promotional methods.

Others wish to reach a wider readership so look into either traditional or self-publishing, and eventually spend time promoting their book.

If you fall into the latter category, then self-publishing may be for you. But if you don’t, just keep writing for the love of it — and ignore those who pressure you.

all best, Denise

Rena George says

April 10, 2015 at 11:35 pm

Thank you for such a helpful, informative post, Denise. Authors really do need to put in the work to find approachable reviewers – and be prepared to overcome disappointments. Most reviewers are so overburdened that they have closed their lists for the foreseeable future. However the more potential reviewers an author can contact, the greater the chance of success. Perseverance is the secret, I think.

April 11, 2015 at 3:44 pm

Hi Rena, Thanks for your comment. I’m happy to hear that you found the post helpful.

Unfortunately I’m one of those reviewers who is often full-up on books to be reviewed…but I try to make time if just the perfect book is offered. There just isn’t enough time, though, to read – and review – everything I would like to.

Thanks again! Denise

Erik D. Weiss says

March 9, 2015 at 5:47 pm

Thanks, Denise! This is a fantastic little guide, great for new writers like me, eager to get my two fiction books out there. This is great advice, and you’ve inspired me to get to work getting my books reviewed and more visible!! Erik

March 9, 2015 at 7:32 pm

Erik, I’m so glad to hear you found the guide to reviews helpful. Good luck in finding reviewers! – Denise

J Haeske says

January 20, 2015 at 1:56 pm

If I only had known then what I know now… Thanks for that, Denise.

Molly Gambiza says

January 11, 2015 at 6:49 am

Thank you very much for taking your time to share this helpful information. That’s very generous of you. I am after honest reviews for my book A Woman’s Weakness. Now you have given me the directions, the ball is in my hands.

January 11, 2015 at 11:07 am

Glad we could help, Molly! Good luck with the book reviews!

christynathan930 says

September 24, 2014 at 5:28 am

Thanks for the great information and also for great tips too, and now I also check my book reviews.

James Jean-Pierre says

September 8, 2014 at 10:58 am

Thank you for this post, this list will definitely boost up my reviewer count.

August 10, 2014 at 7:55 am

I published my book in may, overlooking the need for a review. Since the time I must have approached 200-300 bloggers/sites for review unsuccessfully. any advice to get a free review? regards, jt

Denise Enck says

August 10, 2014 at 8:43 am

Congratulations on the publication of your book! Getting reviews is definitely a challenge. Without having seen your book or query email, I’m not sure why you haven’t had positive responses to your review query. But a lot depends upon the particular reviewers contacted, and how they are chosen.

First, do your research to find reviewers who review the types of books you write, and who are currently accepting books for review.

For example, I’m a reviewer; I clearly state on my review page here on Empty Mirror that I review Beat Generation and art-related books, do not review fiction, and am not accepting more books for review for the next few months. However, almost every day I receive review queries from authors who didn’t bother to read that; they offer me books about knitting, fantasy fiction, memoirs, guitar chords, children’s books, cooking, and more. I receive a lot of these, and most of them are deleted without reply.

There are websites which categorize book bloggers/reviewers by the genres they review; those can be really helpful in finding the right reviewers. Or go to Amazon and see who has reviewed similar books to yours, and see if they have an email address on their profile.

Second, sometimes it’s in the way that you approach the reviewer. Many queries I’ve received have been very impersonal, had spelling errors (doesn’t bode well for the book), were poorly written, required me to click a link to find out about the book, or wanted me to download free from Amazon on a particular day. Make it easy for the reviewer – address them by name if possible, give a brief synopsis of the book, tell where and when it’s available and in what formats. Don’t require the reviewer to do additional work to find out the basics about your book.

(However, include a link to Amazon – or wherever the book’s sold – so they can investigate more if they want to.)

Your query should contain everything necessary for the reviewer to make a decision.

Also – make sure the book is in good shape and ready for review. Sometimes, before accepting an already-published book for possible review, I’ll read the sample on Amazon to see if it appeals to me. If I find excerpts full of typos, formatting errors, or awkward writing, I won’t accept the book.

It’s harder to find reviewers for some genres than others. For example, fiction, YA and children’s book reviewers are plentiful (though often overburdened); reviewers for non-fiction, art and poetry are a little trickier to find.

But some of it is just timing, and a little bit of luck. Most reviewers get lots of queries and have to turn down even books that sound really enjoyable to them due to time constraints. But following the tips above can give you better odds.

You might also take a look at our article, “How to write an excellent review query” – https://www.emptymirrorbooks.com/publishing/how-to-write-an-excellent-book-review-query

Good luck, JT! If you have further questions, just let me know – I’d be really glad to help. all best, Denise

November 27, 2014 at 1:10 am

Hello Denise, I have a question is that any website which can give all the details of ebooks like how much ebooks are sale and in which with reviews because if any tool provide all of these things in one place it will be really helpful for many publishers.

selfpubber says

April 22, 2014 at 6:06 pm

I’ve used https://www.selfpublishingreview.com/ and it worked out pretty well. It’s a paid review, but it wasn’t a shill review (i.e. overly nice).

February 26, 2014 at 9:13 pm

I’ve used easybookreviews.com a few times. If you are willing to review other books in return it is a guaranteed way to get some (honest) reviews.

I’m also going to try story cartel but my books are already in kdp so I can’t have them available for free anywhere else at the moment. Also, story cartel aren’t amazon verified purchase reviews.

February 27, 2014 at 11:40 am

Thanks for the tip, Emily!

Be careful though, if you’re posting those reviews on Amazon. Amazon doesn’t allow reviews by “reviewing circles” (groups of people who review each other’s books) and has been known to revoke reviewing privileges for those caught doing it.

Gerard Thomas says

November 6, 2013 at 1:02 pm

OMG! I’m so happy now you’ve mentioned everything from A-Z.

Lenita Sheridan says

November 1, 2013 at 9:49 pm

This really helped me. I already got one “yes.” You might tell people to put “Review Request” in the subject line, otherwise they might get ignored the way I did when I put “possible book review?” I learned the hard way, but one website fortunately told me what to do, so I changed my tactic from then on.

November 1, 2013 at 10:04 pm

That’s a great idea, Lenita! Thanks so much. I’ll edit the article to include that. I’m glad you got a good response!

@IolaGoulton says

July 7, 2013 at 6:05 pm

10 ways to find book reviewers (and some useful links) #writing #reviews

June 30, 2013 at 11:35 pm

https://storycartel.com/ is another resource for authors to connect with reviewers.

July 1, 2013 at 8:36 am

Thanks Iola. I hadn’t heard of this one before, but I just checked it out – great resource! – Denise

@marqjonz says

May 28, 2013 at 3:50 am

@Phaedra4Real says

April 2, 2013 at 11:09 am

Dan’s right, great write-up.

ChaoticReader says

April 2, 2013 at 11:02 am

Great article on how and where to find reviewers for your book. https://t.co/wtpNTZszk5

Vennie Kocsis says

March 27, 2013 at 4:32 am

This was so very informative. Thank you for providing these resources for us budding authors.

March 27, 2013 at 11:16 am

So happy to hear you found it helpful! I wish you all the best with your book! – Denise

Rinelle Grey says

March 6, 2013 at 8:38 pm

A very extensive list of resources, I’ll be trying some of these.

One you missed is Goodreads. There are several forums that have dedicated space to helping authors find reviewers. Make sure you check that this is OK though, some groups encourage it, some dislike it.

March 6, 2013 at 9:24 pm

Thanks, Rinelle. I’ll add it. Unlike LibraryThing, GoodReads’ giveaways are only through publishers rather than authors, which is why I left it off the list. But I forgot about the forums! So I’ll add it to the list. Gracias. – Denise

Established in 2000 and edited by Denise Enck, Empty Mirror is an online literary magazine that publishes new work each Friday.

Each week EM features several poems each by one or two poets; reviews; critical essays; visual art; and personal essays.

Recent features

• My Father’s Map
• Seeing Las Meninas in Madrid, 1994
• Visual poems from 23 Bodhisattvas by Chris Stephenson
• Historical Punctum: Reading Natasha Trethewey’s Bellocq’s Ophelia and Native Guard Through the Lens of Roland Barthes’s Camera Lucida
• Panic In The Rear-View Mirror: Exploring The Work of Richard Siken and Ann Gale
• “Art has side effects,” I said.

How to Get Book Reviews on Amazon the Quickest and Easiest Way

Book reviews and sushi restaurants have a lot more in common than you might think. Discover the secrets to getting book reviews on Amazon!

Would you risk getting sushi from a restaurant with a 1-star average and a dozen bad reviews talking about getting food poisoning? Didn't think so. 

The thing is, Amazon reviews function the same way. They warn readers about books that might not be worth their hard-earned money or precious time. So, how do you convince someone you've never met that your book is worth taking the chance?

In this blog post, we'll walk you through a ton of budget-friendly and compliant ways for how to get book reviews on Amazon, and skyrocket your sales (and royalties).

Are you tapping into all of Amazon's potential? Check out our free webinar that shows you exactly how one publishing method has already generated a collective $50 million in revenue for thousands of students of all ages all over the world with no publishing or tech experience required.

Why Do Amazon Book Reviews Matter?

A dozen 5-star reviews can usually offset a single bad review, but a single 5-star review won't always offset a dozen negative reviews. It's just the nature of the game and human psychology. We tend to gravitate toward what's safe and comfortable.

Here are some more reasons that a book's review matters:

Credibility and Social Proof

Let's knock the obvious one out of the way. When potential readers are browsing Amazon for a new book to read, they are more likely to choose a book that already has previous other readers. Positive reviews act as social proof and give credibility to your book. They show that others have enjoyed your book and that it’s worth reading.

Sales and Ranking

Amazon book reviews can also impact your book's sales and ranking. Books with a higher number of positive reviews tend to sell more copies. Additionally, Amazon's search algorithm takes into account the number and quality of reviews when ranking books in search results.

Momentum and Feedback

Positive reviews just feel good. They're a good boost to your confidence and can motivate you to keep publishing. Even a negative review can help you improve your work by providing constructive feedback to implement in your future work. 

A Breakdown of Amazon's Review Policy and Algorithm

Amazon's review policy is designed to ensure that reviews are genuine and unbiased.

That means they prohibit the following:

• Reviews that are fake
• Reviews that are incentivized or come from a bribe
• Reviews that are written by the author or publisher of a book or their family and friends
• Reviews that include profanity, hate speech, and personal information

Note: Violating these policies can result in the removal of reviews and even account suspension.

Amazon's algorithm uses various factors to determine the authenticity and relevance of book reviews. The algorithm considers the number of reviews, the rating, and the recency of reviews as well as the location that the reviews came from. They can typically tell when friends and family are leaving reviews by checking whether you've ever sent each other gifts through Amazon or shared an address.

Most people can get away with one or two close friends leaving a positive or leaving a review too, but is it worth it? For one, it’s unethical. And secondly, it throws off the algorithm. If you wrote a book about bulldogs and none of your friends even have dogs, then they wouldn't be your target audience anyway. Their data would then affect the types of readers Amazon suggests your book to, and this can skew your marketing plans. Just something to keep in mind!

How Many Reviews Is Enough?

When it comes to the number of reviews you need on Amazon, there's no magic number that will instantly turn your book into a bestseller. Good reviews can essentially sell the book for you, so the more positive reviews you have, the better.

A good goal to aim for (and what we teach our Publishing.com students ) is at least 50 reviews for every new book that you publish. This may seem like a lot, but we've found this to be the sweet spot for gaining traction, and this blog post is full of ideas to help you get started.

Another pro tip? The timing of your reviews can have an impact on your book's success. Ideally, you want to have as many reviews as possible around the time of your book's initial launch to help it get more visibility.

Identifying Your Ideal Readers

There's no use reaching out to people who won't get any value out of reading your book. Sure, they may leave you an honest review, but it might not be a good one. Here's what to consider when trying to connect with the readers who are most likely to leave you a positive review:

What genre does your book fall into? You can use Amazon's categories and subcategories to help you identify your genre. Maybe you want to target fans of romance or hobby books, or you want to tap into the children’s book market. These categories will help you when you're looking for various social media groups to connect with reviewers (more on that later).

Keywords are the words or phrases that readers use to search for books on Amazon. By including relevant keywords in your book's title, subtitle, and description, you can make it easier for potential readers to find your book. You can use tools like Google Keyword Planner or Amazon's keyword tool to find relevant keywords.

Demographics

Think about who your book is intended for. Is it for young adults or older readers? Is it for men or women? Is it for people who enjoy a certain type of hobby or interest? If you're publishing children's books, you'll need to remember that the parents are the ones who will be purchasing your book and deciding whether to leave reviews. 

How to Ask a Reader to Leave an Honest Review on Amazon

There are plenty of ways to get free book reviews, which we'll talk about here. The best strategy to find reviewers usually comes from a combination of these tactics. So, don't be afraid to experiment and see what method works best for you!

Let's dive right in:

Leverage Your Mailing List

One of the quickest and easiest ways to get reviews is by leveraging your mailing list. That is...if you already have one. Many authors and publishers take the time to create their own websites and collect readers' emails to keep them up to date with their latest book launches.

If you don't have a mailing list yet, you can start building one by offering a free sample chapter or some kind of bonus content in exchange for someone's email address. You can then follow up with emails that have the link to purchase and review your book. 

Pro Tip: The more steps something takes, the less likely people are to follow through, so you want to make it as easy as possible for them. Always include direct links so they don’t have to go searching for them!

Email Template to Ask for a Book Review

Need some book marketing inspo? We've got you covered.

Here's a handy email template you can tweak to your style and voice for launch day!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Email Subject Line: 🌟 It’s Finally Here! Want to Help Other Readers? 📖

Hey [Reader's Name],

Big news: “[Book Title]” is out today! 🎉 I’m super excited (and a bit nervous) to share this story with you. It’s been quite the adventure bringing it to life.

If you enjoy the read, I’d be over the moon if you could take some time to drop a quick review on Amazon. Your honest thoughts really help—both me and other book lovers.

Here’s how:

• Pop over to [Insert Link].
• Scroll to "Customer Reviews" and hit "Write a Customer Review."
• Share what you think about the book—there's no right or wrong answer!

That’s it! Short and sweet does the trick. 🌟

Thanks a million for your support. It means the world to me, and I can’t wait to hear what you think of “[Book Title].”

Happy reading and happy reviewing!

Cheers, [Your Name]

Connect with Book Bloggers and Top Reviewers

Book bloggers and full-time reviewers can help you get the word out about your book by engaging their audiences. 

Here are some tips on how to connect with them:

1. Do Your Research

Not all bloggers and reviewers are the same. You want to target those who are interested in your genre and have a following. Look for bloggers and reviewers who have already reviewed books similar to yours.

2. Personalize Your Pitch

When reaching out to bloggers and reviewers, make sure to personalize your pitch. Address them by name and mention why you think they would be interested in your book.

3. Follow Up

After you've sent your pitch, follow up with the blogger or reviewer. Politely ask if they've had a chance to read your book yet and if they have any feedback. Following up shows that you're interested in their opinion and can help build a relationship for future reviews. 

Just be careful not to cross into begging territory. If someone doesn't want to read your book, there are millions of other potential readers out there who might!

4. Be Genuine

When engaging with bloggers and reviewers, be genuine. Focus on their experience rather than the review itself. Be open to their feedback, even if it's not what you were expecting. It can help you grow and connect with future readers.

Pro Tip: The only real failure in the publishing world is giving up!

Create a Call-to-Action Inside Your Book

A Call-to-Action (CTA) is simply a marketing term that means giving your intended audience a very specific action to take. You've probably seen a ton without realizing it, like "click here," "sign up now," or "order now!"

Another simple way to increase reviews for your book on Amazon is to create a call-to-action (CTA) inside your book. This is a message that encourages readers to leave a review immediately on Amazon. By doing this, you're taking advantage of the fact that readers are more likely to leave a review while the experience is still fresh in their minds.

Here are some common locations for CTAs:

• Your author bio
• In the middle of your book, at a natural stopping point between two chapters
• The end of your book

Many authors and publishers include a QR code that takes the readers to a website. This website can be a simple landing page that thanks the reader for their support and encourages them to leave a review on Amazon. Make sure to emphasize the importance of honest reviews and how they help other readers make informed decisions about whether or not to buy your book.

Other CTA tips:

• Be clear and concise
• Focus on only ONE action you want the readers to take
• Use strong action verbs
• Offer up your gratitude even if they choose not to take the next step but still took the time to read your work

Create an ARC Team

An ARC Team stands for an Advance Reader Copies Team or Advance Review Copies Team. The idea is simple: You build a dedicated team of people who are ready to give all your new books an honest customer review.

To build an effective Advance Reader Team, start by reaching out to your email list, social media followers, and other fans of your work. Let them know you are looking for readers who are willing to read and review your book before your book is live. Be clear about what you expect from them, including the timeline for reading and reviewing the book.

Once you have built your Advance Reader Team, provide them with a full copy of the book of your book in a format that is easy for them to read, such as a PDF or Kindle file. Follow up with them to make sure they have received the book and are on track to finish reading it by the agreed-upon deadline.

Note: Participating in ARC review methods isn't against Amazon KDP's terms; however, posting your full manuscript online would be if you were planning on making your book available through Kindle Unlimited.

Take Advantage of Social Media

One effective way to use social media is to create a Facebook page for your book. This page can be used to share updates about your book, interact with readers, run ads, and, most importantly, request book reviews. You can also join Facebook groups that are specifically designed for authors and reviewers.

Goodreads is another social media platform that can be used to request book reviews. Goodreads has a large community of readers and reviewers, making it an ideal platform to promote your book and request reviews.

Pro Tip: No one likes spam, so stick to the golden rule. Treat readers how you would want to be treated.

Leverage Free or Low-Cost Book Review Sites

Some popular free or low-cost book review sites include Goodreads, Pubby, and Online Book Club. These sites have large communities of readers who are eager to discover new books and provide feedback.

When submitting your book for review on these sites, be sure to follow the submission guidelines carefully. Some sites may have specific requirements for the format of your book or the information you need to include in your submission.

Remember : Amazon doesn't allow incentivized reviews. 

Here's how these platforms tackle compliance:

Pubby operates on a book review exchange model. Authors who join Pubby agree to review other authors' books in exchange for reviews of their own books. This peer-to-peer system is designed to increase the number of reviews without direct financial incentives or specific demands for positive reviews.

This differs from review swaps, where both parties leave a "5-star" review regardless of their true opinions about the work.

Goodreads is a community platform for book lovers. It allows users to leave reviews, rate books, and engage in discussions about books. Reviews on Goodreads are user-generated and are not part of a paid or incentivized system.

Although Goodreads is owned by Amazon, the review system on Goodreads operates independently of Amazon’s review system. Reviews on Goodreads are generally not subject to the same strict guidelines as Amazon's product reviews, but there are still ways to go about asking for reviews ethically and unethically. 

Consider Ethical Paid Services to Get Reviews

While it's always best to get book reviews on Amazon organically, sometimes it's necessary to use paid services to get your book reviewed with the attention it deserves and to scale your publishing business more quickly. Ethical services offer legitimate ways to connect with reviewers and get more reviews on Amazon without violating any rules.

A quick word of caution: Some UNethical services may violate Amazon's terms of service by offering to buy reviews directly, so always be sure to do your own research!

• Authentic reviews for their services
• A proven track record with the genre you're publishing in
• Transparent pricing and policies
• Access to support (whether through email, chat, or phone) in case you ever need it

Some legitimate services offer a variety of a la carte options, such as running a review campaign or connecting authors with reviewers who are interested in reading their books. Some services may also offer to promote your book to their audience, which can help increase visibility and generate more sales.

Overall, using ethical paid services to get reviews can be a great way to boost your book's visibility on Amazon and get more readers interested in your work. Just be sure to choose a reputable service and always follow Amazon's publishing guidelines to ensure that your book stays in good standing on the platform.

What Are Editorial Reviews on Amazon?

Editorial reviews are essentially "bonus" quotes and reviews housed on your Amazon book page through your Author Central Account . They may be written by professional reviewers, such as book critics and editors, or they may simply be quotes you want to highlight about your books from others.

To get editorial reviews for your book, you can submit your book to publications and websites that review books, or you can hire a professional reviewer to write a review for you. Once you have an editorial review, you can then submit it to Amazon to be published on your book review page.

Editorial reviews can be a great way to get exposure for your book and build credibility with potential readers, but customer reviews are just as important for building out your review page.

Avoiding Fake Reviews and Ensuring Genuine Feedback

Your reviews set the stage for your reputation as a self-publisher.

Here are some tips to avoid fake reviews and ensure genuine feedback:

Seek Verified Purchase Reviews

Amazon marks reviews from customers who have purchased your book on their platform with a “Verified Purchase” label. These reviews carry more weight as they are more likely to be authentic. You can encourage your readers to leave such reviews by reminding them to buy the book directly from Amazon.

Aim for Balanced Reviews

Genuine reviews often provide a well-rounded perspective of your own book. They don’t just heap praises or pile on criticism; instead, they offer a nuanced view, discussing various aspects like plot, characters, writing style, formatting, and pacing. Be on the lookout for reviews that offer specific, balanced insights into your work.

Stay Alert to Fake Reviews

Be cautious of reviews that may not be legitimate. These can be overly effusive or excessively negative, exhibit repetitive language or phrasing, or appear in an unnaturally large number within a short span. Amazon allows you to report suspicious reviews by using the “Report Abuse” option.

Sabotage is rare, but it does happen. If you suspect that a competitor has given you a false review, flag it and keep moving forward. You can rest easy knowing that you’ve put in the work and you’re running your publishing business from a place of integrity. 

Foster Authentic Engagement

Encourage genuine feedback by interacting with your readers. Express gratitude for their reviews and engage with their comments. Addressing their thoughts and concerns not only shows your appreciation but also demonstrates your commitment to putting out quality content.

Although you cannot respond directly to Amazon comments, you can interact with your mailing list and social media following. 

Optimize Your Book Launch for Reviews

Getting book reviews on Amazon is crucial for book sales, traction, and visibility.

Here are some tips to help you get the most reviews from your book launch.

1. Set a Launch Date

Setting a specific launch date helps you plan your book launch, coordinate your promotion plan with your publishing team (if you have one), and start your PR campaign two to three months before the launch date. It also enables you to coordinate book signing events with local bookstores three to four months before the launch or publication date.

Pro Tip: Some niches are more profitable during particular times of the year. See what your competitors are doing to get a better idea of what works and what doesn't.

2. Create a Pre-Launch Checklist

Creating a pre-launch checklist helps you explore your book launch to-do's at a glance. It might even include a marketing and PR plan tailored to each social media platform.

3. Stay Up to Date with Amazon's Review Guidelines

It doesn't hurt to check Amazon's guidelines every quarter or so to make sure there aren't any updates that might impact your plans. The truth is this industry is constantly changing—especially as AI becomes more and more common!

4. Don't Be Shy Asking for Reviews

Asking for reviews can be uncomfortable at first, but this is just another one of those skills that take time and practice, like strength training and weightlifting.

5. Think Outside of the Box

You're in charge when it comes to marketing your Amazon book , and within reason, the sky is the limit. Virtual events like Q&As can help your audience get to know you, but there are thousands of other ideas out there to help your book stand out in a crowded market.

Here are just a few:

• Collaborative Storytelling Event : Host an online event where readers contribute to a live, interactive storytelling session based on your book's universe.
• Interactive Web Series : Produce a short web series or interactive videos that explore your book's characters or setting, inviting audience participation.
• Flash Fiction Contest : Organize a writing contest where participants create short stories inspired by your book, with the best entries featured on your website.
• Podcast Series : Launch a podcast discussing themes, background stories, or characters from your book, possibly including guest speakers or experts.
• Themed Cook-along or Craft Workshop : If your book involves unique cuisines or crafts, host a live cook-along or crafting session teaching these skills.
• Charity Event Partnership : Tie your launch to a charity event, where aspects of your book's theme help raise awareness or funds for a relevant cause.
• Book Playlist Release Party : Curate a playlist of songs that captures the mood of your book, hosting a listening party with discussions about how each song relates to the story.

Publishing.com's Student Reviews

Which of the following types of people have found success with publishing?

A) Grandmas and grandpas who weren't necessarily tech-savvy but wanted to find a way to supplement their retirement

B) Stay-at-home moms and dads who wanted to find a way to make money without missing out on any of their children's milestones

C) College students who wanted to find a way to stop drowning in student loan debt

D) All of the above

The Publishing.com team has earned a verified review average of 4.8 out of 5 stars on TrustPilot , and the answer is D! All of the above!

Here's what some students had to say:

If you're looking for a sign to take that first step, it's this! 

Just head over to our free beginner-friendly webinar to see the exact formula that can completely transform your schedule and income and bring you the freedom you crave!

Happy publishing!

FREE WEBINAR

How to Get Book Reviews for Self-Published Authors

Picture this: You’re shopping for a new product online. While deciding exactly what you want to buy, what do you look at? A product description, images, customer reviews?

Our guess is that customer reviews are most meaningful to your shopping process. Why? Because reviews give proof of other people’s experience with a product.

When readers browse for their next eBook purchase, the process is no different. People want proof that they’re getting exactly what they’re paying for. This assurance frequently comes from reader recommendations – in the form of reviews – that a particular title is high quality and on-genre.

For authors, the process of getting book reviews isn’t always easy. If you don’t already have a spot on the New York Times Best Sellers list, you may be struggling to piece together reviews for websites like Amazon or Kobo. This doesn’t mean you should give up on getting new reviews, though. The value of book reviews is undeniable; they can build name recognition and legitimacy for authors. Reviews can also help your title climb the charts on Amazon, Goodreads, and more.

When it comes to receiving book reviews on Amazon, please note that there are minimum spend amounts required . Site users need to have spent at least $50 USD on Amazon.com to participate in the community – this includes leaving product reviews.

If your book has been vetted and edited, chances are that it’s ready to start gaining reader reviews. Below, we break down five easy and approachable methods for getting book reviews – as well as the pros and cons of each. Keep in mind that these shouldn’t be attempted until your book is in its finest form. While bad book reviews can’t always be avoided, having a well-written product that is free of errors is more likely to result in that 5-star review.

• How to get book reviews with advance reader copies
• Get book reviews by promoting your eBook on Freebooksy
• Contact Amazon Top Reviewers for book reviews
• Seek out the help of paid review services
• Email your reader list for book reviewers

1) How to get book reviews with advance reader copies

If you’re still prepping your book for publication and have a base of readers familiar with your work, a great tactic to gain reviews is to send out Advance Reader Copies . ARCs, the acronym commonly used in the indie publishing community, can be defined as “copies of a book that are given out to reviewers prior to the publication date.” Readers are often excited to participate in an ARC program, in which they receive an advanced copy of a book in exchange for feedback or reviews.

While some sites like Goodreads or Kboards offer forums to request ARC book reviewers, many independent authors go to their social media platforms for this.

Below, you can see a giveaway that romance author Nicole Snow ran for her book Office Grump. Some authors will request that readers leave a review in exchange for the early copy that’s won in the giveaway.

Sharing a tweet or Facebook post advertising your ARC giveaway can quickly reach a high number of followers. In your post, you can link directly to Amazon and give away Kindle books from there – or you can even send out manuscripts to your giveaway winners via email. In Nicole’s tweet, she linked to a website landing page for her giveaway and gathered email addresses from that page.

Although ARC giveaways can reach many excited readers, you should remember that you can’t guarantee (or demand) that a reader will leave a book review in a particular time frame – or at all. It’s good to approach ARC giveaways with the mentality that you’ll get a review from a small portion of the readers who snag a copy.

2) Get book reviews by promoting your eBook on Freebooksy

As an indie author, you’re likely familiar with Freebooksy : a popular promotional website that shares free eBook deals in a daily newsletter. The power behind Freebooksy is its reader count. At the moment, there are more than half a million registered readers signed up for these emails. Freebooksy’s readers provide one way to get your next book review.

The best way to promote on Freebooksy is if your book is permafree or enrolled in a KDP Select promotion. With available genres ranging from Cozy Mystery to Adventure/Travel, you’re likely to find a Freebooksy feature suitable to your genre. Be sure to include a polite, personalized review request at the end of your book when you use Freebooksy. This can give readers a nudge to follow up their reading experience with a review on Amazon, Kobo, and other retail sites.

By paying between $30-$230 (promotional pricing is in relation to the email list size), your book goes out to readers who are interested in your exact genre. Just like providing ARC giveaways to social media followers taps into a motivated reader audience, purchasing a Freebooksy feature connects you to people who are already looking for their next read.

While Freebooksy, and other promotional services, cannot guarantee that you will receive book reviews from one of its features, it’s important to remember how large the subscriber base is. There are over half a million people anxious to snatch up freebies that catch their eye! Watch Freebooksy’s effects unfold in real time as your book begins to climb the charts on Amazon. After your promotional date, it’s likely that some readers who downloaded your book may go on to leave a review.

Other book promotion sites can put you in touch with potential book reviewers who are interested in downloading Kindle books, Nook books, and more. Short of paying for a book reviewer service, promotional sites (particularly for freebies) are one of the best ways to start pulling in reviews. 

3) Contact Amazon Top Reviewers for book reviews

If you aren’t familiar with Amazon Vine , it’s a program that invites Amazon’s top reviewers to share their opinions on certain items. There is a list of thousands of these top Amazon reviewers that work with the Vine program and are able to publicly list their contact information online. While it can be challenging to successfully get in touch with an Amazon Top Reviewer, it isn’t an unheard of method for gaining new book reviews.

As many authors will tell you, this method is anything but a sure bet for getting a review on your book. It can also take considerable time. However, if you land a Top Reviewer then this can result in an esteemed level of review often seen as “the holy grail” on Amazon.

If you’re interested in pursuing a Top Reviewer, you can do so by checking out their profile and looking at past books they’ve reviewed. It’s important to seek out a reviewer who is “on-genre” for the type of book that you write. You can then see if the Top Reviewer has contact information included in their profile, which may just be a website or social media information. From there, you’ll need to contact the reviewer and wait for a reply.

This certainly isn’t a guaranteed method, and does only apply to books published on Amazon, but it has a high reward for any success stories out there.

When seeking out Amazon Top Reviewers, keep these guidelines in mind:

• Be patient. It can take quite a while to hear back from these Top Reviewers, if you do at all.
• Don’t be afraid to move on. If you aren’t hearing back, pursue another method for getting a book review.

4) Seek out the help of paid review services

If you have money to burn in your marketing budget, pursuing paid review services may be an option for you. While some of these services have gotten a bad rap for illegitimacy, there are also websites that do exactly what they’re paid to do: read your book and leave an honest, impartial review on it. 

Keep in mind that the top book review services aren’t going to come cheap. Some sites, like Kirkus Indie Reviews , can charge for their name recognition. The benefit of requesting reviews from companies like Kirkus is that the process is spelled out easily for you:

• Submit a request for a book review.
• Submit your manuscript to the site.
• Wait for the service to review your book.
• Receive your review!

Once you receive your review from services like Kirkus Indie Reviews, you can publish it on Nook, Google Books, and other retailers. To post your review from Kirkus on Amazon, you’ll need to contact an Amazon representative.

If you’re not so keen on paying hundreds of dollars for a review, there are still options at your disposal. Reedsy’s list of book review blogs provides an easy sorting tool to narrow review services down by book genre, and by services that accept indie books. From here, you can find a world of readers who enjoy leaving book reviews. Some options are relatively inexpensive – like Reedsy’s Discovery review program , coming in at $50/review.

BONUS TIP: You’ll need to keep an eye on the review publishing options for these programs. If you need your review published on Kobo.com, make sure that specific retailer is included in the fine print.

While paid book review services can be a controversial conversation in the indie community, there are legitimate and honest options out there for authors who have the cash to spend on it. The best rule of thumb is to seek out professional services from big-name companies with great reputations . Paying for illegitimate reviews from non-professionals can result in the review being banned on sites like Amazon.

5) Email your reader list for book reviewers

Many indie authors already have an active reader email list set up. Email lists can be a great way to alert readers of upcoming releases or provide writing updates. It’s also a great option for those wondering how to get book reviews. If you don’t already have one, you should start to build an email list. After all, email marketing strategies are 40 times more effective than social media .

Whether you keep track of a reader list on Gmail or Mailchimp, you have a platform for contacting a large number of readers in one single message. Some indies may automate email outreach on a weekly or monthly cadence to keep their lists “warm.” Regardless of your current email strategy, be sure to balance the types of messages you’re sending when it comes to requesting book reviews. You don’t want to overwhelm your readers with emails. That’s especially true if you’re asking them for something. 

Ultimately, think of your emails as being occasional treats that should delight a reader. Start sending too many emails asking something of them, and you’re going to see far fewer readers opening your messages. Maintain your balance between giving readers something (like sought-after info on an upcoming release) and very occasionally asking for a review.

Below, here’s a template for what a polite review request may look like. If you’re emailing your reader list to ask for this, be sure to make it easy for them. Include links directly to review pages on sites like Apple Books or Goodreads. Provide as much information as the reader would need in your message so that their job is easy. All they’ve got to do is read your book and leave a review if they’re so inclined!

BONUS TIP: Combine this email strategy with an ARC giveaway! Incentivize your reader list by offering them free early copies of your next book – along with a polite request to follow their reading up with a review.

Our recommendations on how to get book reviews

Ultimately, there’s no one tried-and-true method for getting great book reviews. What we’ve found is that having a strategy with several approaches is the best way to increase your chances. We hope that out of our five tips, you’re able to find at least one that brings in honest reviews for your book.

If you’ve had luck with one of our recommendations, we want to hear from you. Let us know in the comments below! 

Get more articles like these!

13 comments on “ how to get book reviews for self-published authors ”.

A problem never addressed in articles such as this is that people can only leave reviews on Amazon if they have spent at least $US50 on books alone on Amazon in the last 12 months. If your potential reviewers haven’t done that, they are barred from leaving reviews. In Australia, that’s about $A120 just on eBooks (because Amazon only offers eBooks in Aust and the cost of postage from the US means not many people buy print books from Amazon US). That massively diminishes your options for obtaining reviews to promotional sites, and you have little or no control over that process. It would be great if this problem was 1) acknowledged and 2) addressed.

Hi Debra – thank you for mentioning this. That’s a great point and is worth addressing. We’ve updated our article accordingly.

Kirkus and other editorial review sites are fine, but it is against Amazon’s terms and conditions for authors to pay for customer reviews. Authors can have their Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing accounts terminated for this. Not a good recommendation.

Using editorial review sites is acceptable in KDP, you add them to your author page, which then adds them to your book page under Editorial Reviews. Customer reviews you cannot pay for.

it is mind bellowing information’s THANKS FOR SHARING WITH US https://thebookroom.in/home/

Not quite true Cherise. These services are fine if they are listed in your editorial reviews section. You are correct, that you should not pay for customer reviews. A subtle, but important difference.

Robert: I am afraid I am having trouble parsing your comment. If they are paid services, and you should not pay for customer reviews, then having them listed in your editorial reviews section means you paid for a review, does it not? Are you saying it is ok to “list” them but not display the reviews? Trying to figure out exactly what you are saying. At any rate that is a terrible policy.

Robert: a brief follow-up: I COMPLETELY glazed over the word “customer” in your response to Cherise, and in Cherise’s initial post. Yes, paying for editorial reviews from Kirkus, Booklife (mine, and a rave review too!), Midwest Book Review et al., are fine–paying a private person like your friend Sarah or an anonymous person on his own, OTOH, is obviously improper and is grounds for revocation of your agreement. Sorry for the confusion.

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How to Get Book Reviews (15 Places Free)

Whether you realize it or not, you likely use reviews in your day-to-day life. they can help you make decisions about the things you’re curious or unsure about. It’s why we listen to our friends when they recommend a movie, or why we scroll through Yelp before we try a new restaurant. Before you invest your hard-earned time and money, you want an idea of what you’re about to get yourself into. Book reviews are no different, and this is why the information we are covering here will help you find where to look.

Sure, you know your book is amazing, but what about everyone else? Readers are on the search for reliable and trustworthy people to review the books they may be interested in reading. Unfortunately, as the obviously biased author, they’re not interested in hearing from you. That means you need someone else (hint: you need a book reviewer!).

The fact is, book reviews are a necessity for every author looking for an unbiased opinion on their book baby. So, if you don’t think you need book reviews, think again. Book reviews boost the credibility of your book. Not to mention that reviews are a great way to bring in new readers through word of mouth.

Often, the success of your book will depend on the reviews you receive. Think about it: if your friends keep recommending the latest book, TV show, or movie, aren’t you more likely to check it out? That’s why you can’t afford to ignore the power of getting reviews for your book.

Table of Contents

How to Find Book Reviews

As much as we’d love for readers to come flocking to our books on their own, the reality is that usually, we have to spread the word ourselves in order to bring in new readers.   Still, don’t stress too much about finding readers! In most cases, readers are more than happy to review your book and eager to read something new.  If you scour the internet for reviewers, you will find that some of the best places to easily find book reviewers are on sites like Goodreads, Amazon, and different social media.

But here is a word of caution: most of the reviewers have stipulations when it comes to reviews so here are some dos and don’ts for you to be aware of:

Dos and Don’ts of Getting Book Reviews

There are a few rules when it comes to asking for and receiving book reviews. Think of these dos and don’ts as helpful guidelines that can make the process simpler for both the author and book reviewer.

Do understand the reviewer’s specifications. Learn what they accept and what does not interest them. This will save both you and the reviewer any future frustration. 

Don’t waste their time. Reviewers are busy people, so get straight to the point in your query message. Don’t forget to share how your book can benefit them. Do send a free book copy. It’s a courtesy to send the book to your reviewer for free!

Don’t be unprofessional. It’s okay to be friendly, but remember not to overstep your bounds. Instead, include your full name and your website and social media links.  

Do be considerate. Learn about the reviewer by reading their website or past reviews. If you want them to make time for you, it helps to know a little about them. 

Don’t request that the reviewer purchase your book. This looks bad and inconsiderate to the reviewer, who is already taking the time to read your book. 

Don’t assume a reviewer will accept your book based on a quick conversation on social media. They may have liked your Instagram or Twitter post, but that doesn’t mean they’re interested in your book. 

Follow these tips and you’ll be on your way to a promising relationship between author and book reviewer!

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Where can i get book reviews.

A few years ago, I wrote an article, where I discuss the dos and don’ts of requesting reviews in more detail. Having written several reviews and sent many requests to reviewers, I know how hard it can be to get them.

As I worked on my first non-fiction, Book Reviews: Understanding the Psychology Behind Them and How to Get Readers to Leave a Review , I went deep to curate a list of legitimate ways to get book reviews (in the manuscript, you will get access to a bonus 200+ websites).

When researching the review outlets, I focused on places where indie publications have a voice—although this list may serve traditionally published books as well.

Some of these outlets may be familiar to you. Others may provide a broader perspective on how to approach reviews. The choices range from free editorial reviews to paid reviews and social media. Whatever the case, I hope this can be a starting point for you, indie authors, in different genres.

With that said, let’s get down to business.

You may also like: How to Self-Publish Children’s Books Without Crushing Your Spirits (A Comprehensive Guide)

Free book review sites, affaire de coeur.

Affaire de Coeur is a bi-monthly literary magazine that has been around for 34 years. Based in the San Francisco Bay area, it reviews works from a variety of genres, including historical, contemporary, paranormal, erotica, young adults, non-fiction novels, and more.

Accepted reviews might be featured in the next available print issue based on the book release date. Keep in mind, though, that availability is limited. Here are Affaire de Coeur submission guidelines .

American Book Review

The American Book Review is a bimonthly publication that has been around for more than 30 years. It reviews disregarded works of poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction from small presses. It gives strong emphasis to literary and cultural pieces. And although it critiques non-fiction pieces, it does not review self-help and how-to books. Here are ABR submission guidelines .

Booklife by Publishers Weekly

The “Booklife” is the section of Publishers Weekly dedicated to self-published authors. Submission is competitive because it evaluates submissions for traditional and self-published books following the same standards. Here are the Booklife submission guidelines .

Compulsive Reader

This is a must-check. The Compulsive Reader has been around the block since 2001 and counts on an extensive portfolio of prolific reviewers. For the most part, it emphasizes works of poetry and literary fiction but also features in-depth reviews on a variety of book genres and music. Here are Compulsive Reader submission guidelines .

Rain Taxi Review of Book

A quarterly print committed to championing high-quality literature, Rain Taxi Review of Books reviews work neglected by the main media, including fiction, poetry, nonfiction (except self-help, business), art, graphic novels, and on occasion, children, young adult, and audiobooks. This one is worth consideration. Here are RTRB submission guidelines .

Readers’ Favorite Book Review and Award Contest

Readers’ Favorite is another must-see resource. With more than 1,000 reviewers, it reviews published and unpublished books, ebooks, and other manuscripts in more than 100 genres. Once you submit your book, it is uploaded to a database where reviewers can choose what they want to read. There is no guarantee that all books will be picked for review, but for the author that needs a guarantee, it offers a service called “expedited review,”  for a fee.

Authors also have a chance to participate in the book giveaway program and other neat and exclusive features from the site.

Furthermore, different from other services, Readers’ Favorite doesn’t give reviews below 4 and 5 stars. If reviewers read a book they feel is not worth an outstanding rate, they write a constructive note to the author. The idea is to help the author improve their craft, instead of bringing down the book.

Here are Readers’ Favorite submission guidelines .

The Los Angeles Review of Books

The Los Angeles Review of Books is a non-profit organization, with a mission to recreate a new concept of book reviews for the digital era. It welcomes any long-form of authoritative, captivating writing and accepts works of poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction.

Here are LARB submission guidelines .

The New York Review of Books

The New York Review of Books is an independent literary magazine that has been around since 1963. Highly regarded for bringing a critical and substantial perspective of the arts, the journal counts on a diversified roster of writers, and it reviews books in multiple genres.

Here are the NYRB submission guidelines .

Celebrating art and authenticity, The Rumpus showcase reviews of the most diverse genres as well as essays, interviews, music, film, and comics. It also champions the work of unknown authors or those overlooked by the mainstream media.

Here are The Rumpus submission guidelines .

Barnes & Noble Review

The Barnes & Noble Review is an online magazine that evaluates works of fiction and non-fiction and gives voice to a wide range of essays, interviews, and other topics. Here is the B&N Review information .

Paid Review Sites

Kirkus reviews.

Kirkus Reviews has been around since 1933, and it is possibly one of the most regarded review services around. This magazine covers reviews from big houses to small presses and indie authors in all genres and gets millions of impressions a month on its website.

The best about Kirkus’ process is it gives the same attention, respect, and unbiased review regardless of which way you published your book. The reviews are done by professional reviewers and writers in diverse industries including librarians, journalists, and literature experts, among others.

Reviews get an extra boost when editors choose 40 of them to be featured in the bi-monthly issue of the magazine and one to the weekly email newsletter—potentially reaching more than 50,000 readers. All of this comes at a price, though. A standard picture book review (7–9 weeks) starts at $350, a standard review (7–9 weeks) in other genres costs $425- $575, and an express review (4–6 weeks) runs between $425-$725.

Here are Kirkus submission guidelines .

YourNewBooks

YourNewBooks is a book marketing website (a network site of Choosy Bookworm), providing a range of tools for authors. Among the services, it offers a popular reading and review program that abides by Amazon review standards. The books are reviewed by readers/subscribers of  YourNewBooks.

Once you sign up, you choose between standard ($149) and premium services ($299)—the packages include advertisement space on YourNewBooks’s site and newsletter—and submit your ebook file. Depending on the package you choose, your book is submitted to a certain number of “interested readers,” who will leave their honest opinion about the material.

The program is so popular that some of the features are fully booked for months. It is worth checking out because some genres are more popular than others, so your book might have a better shot of getting a fast turnaround. Also, it accepts both published and pre-released books.

Here are the YNB submission guidelines .

Reading Deals

ReadingDeals is another popular book-promotions site, and it is operated by Book Marketing Tools. It offers a book-review service starting at $79 (Classic), going up to $129 (Featured). Both packages include promotion add-ons through social media and/or special placement. The books are reviewed by members of its Review Club, and reviews comply with Amazon and FCC guidelines.

Here are Reading Deals submission guidelines .

Enas Reviews

Enas Reviews offers a more affordable option for your review needs. For a maintenance and listing fee of $29.99, you will receive a thorough critique of 400-500 words written by professional writers. The site currently accepts all genres.

Here are  Enas submission guidelines .

Additional Book Review Outlets (Free)

Looking for Amazon Top Reviewers is a smart way to get reviews for your book. Why? Because Amazon incentivizes reviewers who write quality, helpful reviews to customers—top reviewers receive special badges and Hall of Fame placement. The higher the rank, the better for the reviewer. And this will depend on the number of “upvotes” the reviewer receives. In other words, the more quality reviews they write, the higher the chances of upvoting.

When you go to the Amazon Top Reviewers page, you scroll through the list and look for the reviewers’ requirements. Many will have their information, including email or website, and what they review on the page. Although some only review products, many review books as well. As a side note, it is beneficial to focus on genre-specific reviewers.

As I mentioned in a previous post, get familiar with their requirements and reach out. Although it might be tiresome to navigate the list, you may find people who are sincerely interested in your genre who will become a fan and be willing to review your future releases.

Who doesn’t know Goodreads? This is might be one of the most obvious places.

According to Goodreads , its mission is “to help people find and share books they love.” In other words, it is almost a social network for books. There you find many readers, book lovers, and reviewers connecting with each other (and their favorite authors) and sharing their passion for books—through reviews, discussions, polls, and blogs.

Without mentioning that as an author, you not only have a platform to build relationships with readers and fellow writers but also receive plenty of tools to revamp your book marketing strategies .

Social Media

Social media is another powerful way to get book reviews because there are all types of readers interacting and discussing the latest on their readings or favorite authors.

I particularly find LinkedIn valuable to reach out to book reviewers and receive a quick response. Maybe because of the nature of the network (business-like), the probability of finding professional reviewers increases.

At the same time, you can be successful at finding reviewers in Facebook groups. There are groups where not only writers can promote their work, but there are also readers willing to give authors feedback. The more active groups you participate in, the better.

Twitter is another helpful source. If you go to the search toolbar and enter the hashtag for #bookreview or #bookreviewer, a list of entries will come up. You click on “people” and there you can find many to choose from, according to your genre.

The same principle you used on Twitter, you apply for Instagram. The difference is that on Instagram, you will have to click on each image that pops up in order to reach the user profile.

Tiktok has proved to be another useful choice not only for reviews but also for book marketing purposes. The hashtag # booktok is very popular among writers who want to market their books and bring visibility to their work.

Writing & Book Bloggers Sites

Reaching out to book bloggers and writing services is also an excellent way to get your book reviewed. Still, keep in mind that those people also receive a lot of requests and might have limitations with time (as happened to me). So follow their requirements closely and be patient with response time.

Mommabears Book Blog

This site focuses mostly on historical fiction, contemporary fiction, paranormal, dystopian, horror, thriller, steampunk, legends & mythology, and most fantasy.

Here are Mommabears submission guidelines .

XterraWeb Books & More

It accepts most genres except comic books, graphic novels, and textbooks.

Here are XterraWeb submission guidelines .

Bonus Book Review Website

Litpick book reviews.

LitPick is one of those hot book review sites I came to know and fell in love with. That is because the platform tries to get students involved with the literary world while improving their reading and writing skills.

As part of a mentoring program, students receive free copies of the books they want to read (middle grade, teen, and young adult) and write book reviews for free. Their work is evaluated by a staff of underwriters, who provide pupils with feedback. Once everything is set and done, the review is published on the website.

While in the beginning, LitPick used to review only kid lit, now it also reviews adult literature.

Isn’t it neat?

This is an excellent way for authors and publishers to get their books reviewed and out in the world through a wide unbiased audience—teachers and librarians also partake in the programs they offer.

LitPick Book Reviews offers packages ranging from $50-125, and some even include social media promotion. As an author of youth literature, it is so worth checking out.

Better yet, sign up to receive the newsletter and be the first to know about our updates .

Final thoughts on getting book reviews.

Please note that some of these places have distinct submission guidelines and given the high volume of requests, you might or might not get a response.

The silver lining is the selection is broad enough for every taste and some venues crave your craft.

What are your thoughts about this list? What other places do you usually get book reviews? Leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram .

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How to Get Free and Honest Book Reviews on Amazon

By c.s. lakin.

Imagine seeing an ad pop up on Facebook advertising your recently published book—an ad you didn’t pay for. Imagine seeing your book appearing first in a line of recommended books on the product pages of similar books, and you didn’t pay for a sponsored ad.

Table of Contents

Imagine hearing from readers that they learned about your book from an Amazon email blast that encouraged them to buy it. Wouldn’t it be great to get all that free promotion? You can—when you get enough authentic, approved reviews on Amazon.

Will Amazon Promote Your Book?

While Amazon’s algorithms are somewhat of a mystery, it’s a known truth that when your book accrues a certain number of reviews, or a lot of reviews in a short amount of (unspecified) time, Amazon kicks into gear multiple promotions for your book. Free promotion that would probably cost a fortune if you had to foot the bill.

The magic number to start the ball rolling in this free promotion is 50. Fifty reviews merits cross promotion and ranking your book higher than others in the same categories based on search terms. With 75 reviews, Amazon is triggered to send email blasts to customers who’ve bought similar books. Amazon utilizes customer data to provide relevant recommendations.

I get tickled when I’m reading a blog and suddenly one of my books pops up on the side—an Amazon-sponsored ad—suggesting I buy that book. No thanks, already have it. But it brings a smile to my face. Did I mention I love free promotion? I am sure you will too.

Every time your book is reviewed, the algorithms are updated, and your book’s internal ranking increases.

While Amazon isn’t the only site where writers need reviews, it’s where most customers shop for books. Reviews you get on Amazon can often be used on other platforms, but no other marketplace engages in free author promotion as extensively and generously as Amazon.

Getting numerous, honest reviews on Amazon should be at the top of your market strategy list. Having the best keywords might help your book turn up in search results, but if you don’t have a slew of reviews, your book will be overlooked or dismissed by a large number of potential readers. High numbers of reviews adds cred to your brand and your talent as a writer .

Amazon also allows authors to give away their book for free for 5 days over a 90-day period (when enrolled in KDP Select). Why is this helpful in getting book reviews? Because it gives you great exposure to potential readers who might pick up your book because it’s free.

This also increases your chances of ranking high in the Top 100 Free Books list, exposing your title to many more potential readers (readers who might very well write a review for it—but watch for my warning further down).

Want to sell more books? Click here to get your free copy of 8 Simple Secrets to Big Book Sales on Amazon

What are amazon’s rules on reviews.

Due to problems with dishonorable people, Amazon has developed tight rules regarding reviews. While these might seem annoying to authors, they serve to protect unscrupulous people from publishing gobs of fake or paid reviews to skew rankings and algorithms.

Here are some of the things Amazon forbids and flags (and may cause your book to be removed): paid reviews, reviews garnered through bribery (you offer something free in exchange for the review), and swapped reviews (arranging with other authors via social media sites to review each other’s books, which usually does not include actually reading said books).

What Are Verified vs. Unverified Reviews

While it can’t be quantified, it’s likely that some potential customers look at how many reviews are “verified” purchases as opposed to unverified. A “verified” purchase means the reviewer bought your book on Amazon, whereas anyone who acquired your book via some other means (purchased elsewhere, given as a gift, a free ARC) will have their review marked “unverified.”

As a potential customer, I don’t pay attention to that. I’m more interested in what the reviewer says about the book. I know that many authors—myself included—send out files of their books to people for an honest review, pre- and post-publishing. So some of those reviews are going to be unverified. But it stands to reason, having predominately verified reviews could positively influence some potential readers. I wouldn’t stress about this.

How To Balance Quantity and Quality

Getting book reviews takes work and time, and the last thing we writers want to do is waste time, spinning our wheels and getting no useful results.

However, it should go without saying that we don’t just want a lot of reviews; we want good reviews. Ones that are thoughtful, detailed, and personal. And that can take time to accumulate.

It stands to reason that having a lot of positive reviews for your book is social proof that you’ve written something worth reading.

If you want to get a lot of reviews fast, and you’re willing to pay, promo sites like Bookbub (there are many!) can help. I’ve gotten up to 50,000 free downloads in one week via a Bookbub ad offering one of my ebooks for free. And that led to a truckload of reviews (not to mention future sales of my book and other installments in my series as a bonus). However, it can also be hard to land such ads, as the competition for slots can be fierce. It’s worth repeated submission, though, for the book review payoff.

Another way to garner reviews is to do some legit giveaways (but, here, you again run the risk of getting some negative or not-so-great reviews because the winner may not generally read or like your genre). Some of the sites writers use to do giveaways are Goodreads , Bookriot , BookishFirst , BookDivas , FreshFiction , and  Kingsumo , to list a few.

While it can take some time, researching top Amazon ( Vine ) reviewers can net you some weighty reviews. You can peruse the list of these 1,000 reviewers and find ones who review books like yours (and if they leave a lot of negative reviews, beware). Even if you only get a handful of Vine reviewers to read and review your book, that can be super helpful and influential.

You can Google “free book review sites” and look for ones that promote honest, legal reviews, like OnlineBookClub . Reedsy has a list of 200+ book blogs, updated for 2020, that you can use to find reviewers of your type of book.

How to Get Book Reviews on Amazon: 3 Effective Strategies

You might utilize the above strategies to get a lot of book reviews quickly, but if you’re a writer hoping to build a solid, enduring, and stellar reputation, you’ll want glowing reviews to come in steadily that come across authentic and sincere.

Here are 3 aspects to focus on for the long run:

1. Develop Relationships

One suggestion that I never see mentioned but is one that has served me very well is to attend writers’ conferences. Not only I but many writers I know have gotten endorsement blurbs from some of the most successful blockbuster authors by attending conferences and creating genuine relationships.

Let me emphasize those last three words. If you go around conferences strong-arming famous authors [read: ingratiating yourself], begging them to spend precious hours of their life reading your book and write a glowing review, you are going to be labeled a pesky pariah.

Conferences provide opportunities to rub elbows with these authors, and engaging in sincere and considerate conversation could open the door to a generous and willing heart happy to help out. You may find only one, but that’s a great start!

This is also good advice for any effort to garner reviews—be it from friends, writing associates, or your coworkers at your job. Don’t be pushy or whiny. People who sense your humility and genuineness will be drawn to take you up on your request to read and review. Give it a try!

2. Build Your Mailing List

The best way to get quality reviews is to reach out to those on your mailing list, your social media contacts, and those you’ve sent advance copies to. Ask them in a friendly, non-pressuring way to leave a review, expressing gratitude for their taking the time to read and review your book.

Even if you haven’t finished writing your book, you should get a mailing list started and work on building it. These folks are going to be your most faithful fans and reviewers. Some authors set up street teams (a group of super fans) and get them enthusiastically involved in sharing news about their new release, and once the book is published , they’re usually asked to post their honest reviews right away. With a mailing list, you can share excerpts of your new release and offer an ARC to any who want to read and review. I do this often with my new releases.

Keep these tips in mind:

• Don’t bribe, coerce, or cajole.
• When you send a copy of your book to a potential reader, thank them and tell them: “Be sure that when you leave a review on Amazon for me, you state that you were given a free copy in exchange for writing an honest review.”
• DO ask them to give you an honest review. DON’T threaten them. You’ll make more friends this way, stay out of trouble, and have a clear conscience (reread above section on developing relationships).
• Be professional. Remember: there is nothing disgraceful about asking for reviews or blurbs of endorsement for your book.
• Provide a choice of epub, PDF, and mobi (Kindle) files. You can save a Word doc as a PDF, and there are free sites online that can convert from one file type to another. I like to put my cover on the first page, and it’s wise to test the file (send the mobi to your Kindle and download a program that can open an epub file (I use Adobe Digital Editions )

3. Encourage Readers to Leave a Review Right after They Read

While Amazon emails customers to leave reviews some days after they purchase anything on their site, a personal encouragement at the back of your book, along with a link (if an ebook), will probably persuade readers to leave that honest review.

This is what I write: “The best way to thank an author for writing a book you enjoyed is to leave an honest review! Click here to post your review of [book title]. Thank you so much for taking the time to let other readers know what you thought of my book.” I put a hyperlink in connected to the words click here (don’t show the very long URL).

If your book isn’t published yet, you will have to wait until you’ve at least got it up for presale (one good reason to use that feature) in order to get your Amazon book page URL. Once you have that, plug in the URL to your request for a review.

Once the book is published, you can use the link that directly goes to the book review page for your book. Here’s how you do it:

• Go to your product page once your book is live, click on the reviews button, then scroll down to the bottom and click on “see all __ customer reviews. Click on that link.
• Now, grab the URL in the search bar at the top.
• Only grab to the end of the numbers and include the forward slash. It should look something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Colorado-Hope-Historical-Western-Romance-ebook/ product-reviews /B00PIAD22K/

Notice that the URL includes “product-reviews” in there. That’s the nice, clean link to your reviews page.

So what happens when the reader clicks that link?

She gets taken right to the top of your review page where there is a nice button that says “write a review.”

Why You Should Never Stop Attracting Reviews

In order to stay ranking high and keep Amazon’s algorithm attention, you’ll need to get a steady stream of reviews over time. That’s why it’s not a great idea to tell all your fans or mailing list recipients to post their review on one specific day. It’s better if they flow in as a stream and not a tsunami.

Don’t run that free KDP promotion during launch week . Offer your book for free one or two days a month, and that will draw in new readers whose reviews will come in over time.

Consider using a free, reputable book review site—maybe one each month—to attract new readers. I recently did a NetGalley promotion (yes, I did pay for that), and netted a lot of readers who downloaded (for free) my book file. NetGalley reviewers are bloggers, librarians, booksellers, educators, journalists, and members of the media. Reviewers give your book a rating and offer feedback. My next step is to contact the reviewers who haven’t yet left a review and politely ask if they would post one on Amazon.

Keep in mind that any reviews you get, you can manually enter them through your Author Central account on Amazon so the reviews will show up on your product page. So no worries about pressuring readers to head over to Amazon to post it themselves. However, these reviews appear on your page’s Editorial Reviews section, not in the usual Amazon review pages (and so won’t be ranked by 1-5 stars or counted as part of your number of reviews).

Go back to your list of book bloggers and review sites. Consider contacting blogs on a weekly basis to accrue new contacts and get more reviews. Keep a chart of who you contact when.

How to Avoid Negative Reviews

Let’s face reality here: you will get negative reviews. But you’re in good company. The most famous, successful authors have plenty of negative reviews. Not everyone will love your book.

The few negative reviews I’ve gotten over the years have mostly been from readers who picked up my book during a free promotion. Some admit in their review “I never read this genre” or “this isn’t my type of book.” Meaning, they wouldn’t have bought my book (which makes me groan and mutter, “So why did you bother reading my book?”).

This is part of the tradeoff with doing free promotions. You will probably get reviews from those who don’t like or understand your genre, and, sadly, you can’t block or forbid them from leaving a review or remove said review. Good news is they probably won’t download your next book during a freebie period.

Here are some ways to fend off negative reviews:

• Have your book professionally edited and proofread.
• Better yet, have a professional critique of your book before editing to ensure it’s well structured.
• Make sure your formatting looks good, for both ebook and paperback. It’s not hard to learn how to format an ebook. Get Mark Coker’s free style book (Smashwords founder). I download Amazon’s templates for paperback and paste all my content in. Or you can hire a designer to help you. But do it right.
• Write description copy that accurately describes the genre and story—don’t mislead potential readers. Also, if your book contains “heat” (venturing into erotica) or descriptive violence, warn your reader. It’s the responsible thing to do. And, honestly, you want your target readers to be enjoying your book.
• Don’t make promises you can’t keep. This applies to self-help and other types of nonfiction. You might hope your readers will get healed, rich, happy, or successful by following your five-step secret method, but if you guarantee they will get these results, you are going to have some pretty angry customers leaving scathing reviews.
• Your book shouldn’t be a thinly veiled advertising platform for other books or services. It’s fine to list some of your other publications or resources at the back of your book, and it’s wise to include an excerpt of one of those other books to entice readers to buy it (and putting in a link to buy is fine). But don’t have promotions and special offers sprinkled throughout your pages. It’s spammy and off-putting.
• Did I mention you must have your book professionally edited and proofread?

Getting reviews on Amazon—honest, authentic reviews—will take time and effort, but it’s worth it. As the reviews pile up, you’ll see your sales ranking rise and your book will come up higher in search results.

But don’t forget the big picture: it’s about relationships. Build a fan base of happy readers who love your books. Take the time to master your craft, write the best books you can, take pride in them, and make sure they are professionally edited, with attractive covers and description that accurately describes your content. If you focus on those things and put out the effort, you will have a lot more than just reviews. You’ll have a joyful writing career.

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SPR has reviewed books since 2008, recommended by The Guardian , The New York Times , Writer’s Digest , and Publisher’s Weekly . We provide options for a starred review, so that you can boast a gold star rating when quoting your review.

A professional book review (also called an Editorial Review) from a renowned book review company can be used at points of sale for your book where customer reviews are not available, such as on the back of your book, your author website, social media, and the Editorial Reviews section on your Amazon book page, as well as for use in marketing and press campaigns for your book.

“The Editorial Reviews section is a feature of a detail page, and is intended to provide customers descriptive information about a title. Editorial reviews are different from customer reviews, as they are transcribed directly from reputable sources.” Amazon Author Central

Choose from four options starting at $99. Our reviews are shared extensively on social media to our 187,000 monthly views, and a permanent website link to your review, which will show in Google search results for your book.

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• 70+ Word Professional Review
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More Information about Editorial Reviews

What is an spr review for.

• An SPR Review is a professional reviewer’s opinion of your book.
• You can use an excerpt as a quote on your Amazon book page, and all marketing materials, including your author website and book cover.
• Editorial Reviews, such as SPR’s, are highly valued by readers as a reliable guide to the book’s quality and content.
• The complete SPR Review has a permanent page, which can be shared on social media.
• You can choose which part of your review to use, and you own the copy.

What is an Amazon Editorial Review?

• An Amazon Editorial Review is a professional reviewer’s opinion showcased on your Amazon Book Page. Every SPR Review comes with a condensed version of the review that can be used on Amazon and other promotional materials.
• Amazon Editorial Reviews are highly valued by both buyers and Amazon as a reliable guide to the book’s quality and content.
• Amazon regards an Editorial Review as more important than a Customer Review, and places Editorial Reviews high up on the page in a prime position.
• Amazon Editorial Reviews are highly encouraged by Amazon . They should not be confused with paid customer reviews, which are not allowed on Amazon.

The Review Process

• You will be prompted to upload your book to our secure Dropbox account after payment. You can submit a PDF, ePub, .mobi, Pages, or Word document. Books do not have to be currently published.
• Your review will be ready approximately 30 working days from the date that we receive a copy of your book, or 14 working days for Jump Start Reviews. Editorial Reviews take 7 working days.
• You can use this handy working days calculator to see when your book review will be ready.
• We will send the review to you for approval before it’s made public, via a private link, for Classic & Lead Story Reviews. If you bought an Editorial, Classic, or Lead Story you will also get your gold star rating at this time.
• Note: Jump Starts do not have a star rating, as our option for an unstarred review.
• When the review is published, we will email you the live link and other important info.
• All reviews come with a 70-word review summary that can be used on Amazon, Goodreads, author site, book jacket copy, and other promotional material.
• Reviews can be credited to Self-Publishing Review or SPR.

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How many readers will see my review.

• We have approx. 6450 Facebook likes with on average 20,500 views per week
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• Newsletter to approximately 7,360 publishing professionals, authors, libraries, and readers 6x yearly
• Tumblr and Instagram accounts will share Lead Story Reviews

= Over a quarter of a million potential readers will see your book

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Customized Services – PayPal Buyer Protection

Almost all services at SPR are created just for your book, which means our products are customized, that is, we cannot take the review or promotion back and resell it, because it only pertains to your book. Because of this, you are not automatically entitled to Buyer Protection at PayPal, and we will fight cases where clients file for a refund calling on Buyer Protection, as it does not apply in almost all cases on our services. The only exceptions are:

• Contest entries (before the contest is judged)
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Intangible items like services and custom made items are not eligible for PayPal Buyer Protection. Read more here .

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The 13 Best Book Review Sites and Book Rating Sites

Knowing where to buy books can be challenging. So, here are the best book review sites to help you avoid buying books that you'll regret reading.

Nobody likes to spend money on a new book only to face that overwhelming feeling of disappointment when it doesn't live up to your expectations. The solution is to check out a few book review sites before you hit the shops. The greater the diversity of opinions you can gather, the more confidence you can have that you'll enjoy the title.

Which book review and book rating sites are worth considering? Here are the best ones.

1. Goodreads

Goodreads is arguably the leading online community for book lovers. If you want some inspiration for which novel or biography to read next, this is the book review site to visit.

There's an endless number of user-generated reading lists to explore, and Goodreads itself publishes dozens of "best of" lists across a number of categories. You can do a book search by plot or subject , or join book discussions and reading groups with thousands of members.

You can participate in the community by adding your own rankings to books you've read and leaving reviews for other people to check out. Occasionally, there are even bonus events like question and answer sessions with authors.

2. LibraryThing

LibraryThing is the self-proclaimed largest book club in the world. It has more than 2.3 million members and is one of the best social networking platforms for book lovers .

With a free account, you can add up to 200 books to your library and share them with other users. But it's in the other areas where LibraryThing can claim to be one of the best book review sites.

Naturally, there are ratings, user reviews, and tags. But be sure to click on the Zeitgeist tab at the top of the page. It contains masses of information, including the top books by rating, by the number of reviews, by authors, and loads more.

3. Book Riot

Book Riot is a blog. It publishes listicles on dozens of different topics, many of which review the best books in a certain genre. To give you an idea, some recent articles include Keeping Hoping Alive: 11 Thrilling YA Survival Stories and The Best Historical Fiction Books You’ve Never Heard Of .

Of course, there's also plenty of non-reading list content. If you have a general affinity for literature, Book Riot is definitely worth adding to the list of websites you browse every day.

Bookish is a site that all members of book clubs should know about. It helps you prep for your next meeting with discussion guides, book quizzes, and book games. There are even food and drink suggestions, as well as playlist recommendations.

But the site is more than just book club meetings. It also offers lots of editorial content. That comes in the form of author interviews, opinion essays, book reviews and recommendations, reading challenges, and giveaways.

Be sure to look at the Must-Reads section of the site regularly to get the latest book reviews. Also, it goes without saying that the people behind Bookish are book lovers, too. To get a glimpse of what they’re reading, check out their Staff Reads articles.

5. Booklist

Booklist is a print magazine that also offers an online portal. Trusted experts from the American Library Association write all the book reviews.

You can see snippets of reviews for different books. However, to read them in full, you will need to subscribe. An annual plan for this book review site costs $184.95 per year.

6. Fantasy Book Review

Fantasy Book Review should be high on the list for anyone who is a fan of fantasy works. The book review site publishes reviews for both children's books and adults' books.

It has a section on the top fantasy books of all time and a continually updated list of must-read books for each year. You can also search through the recommended books by sub-genres such as Sword and Sorcery, Parallel Worlds, and Epic Fantasy.

7. LoveReading

LoveReading is one of the most popular book review sites in the UK, but American audiences will find it to be equally useful.

The site is divided into fiction and non-fiction works. In each area, it publishes weekly staff picks, books of the month, debuts of the month, ebooks of the month, audiobooks of the month, and the nationwide bestsellers. Each book on every list has a full review that you can read for free.

Make sure you also check out their Highlights tab to get book reviews for selected titles of the month. In Collections , you'll also find themed reading lists such as World War One Literature and Green Reads .

Kirkus has been involved in producing book reviews since the 1930s. This book review site looks at the week's bestselling books, and provides lengthy critiques for each one.

As you'd expect, you'll also find dozens of "best of" lists and individual book reviews across many categories and genres.

And while you're on the site, make sure you click on the Kirkus Prize section. You can look at all the past winners and finalists, complete with the accompanying reviews of their books.

Although Reddit is a social media site, you can use it to get book reviews of famous books, or almost any other book for that matter! Reddit has a Subreddit, r/books, that is dedicated to book reviews and reading lists.

The subreddit has weekly scheduled threads about a particular topic or genre. Anyone can then chip in with their opinions about which books are recommendable. Several new threads are published every day, with people discussing their latest discovery with an accompanying book rating or review.

You'll also discover a weekly recommendation thread. Recent threads have included subjects such as Favorite Books About Climate Science , Literature of Indigenous Peoples , and Books Set in the Desert . There’s also a weekly What are you Reading? discussion and frequent AMAs.

For more social media-like platforms, check out these must-have apps for book lovers .

10. YouTube

YouTube is not the type of place that immediately springs to mind when you think of the best book review sites online.

Nonetheless, there are several engaging YouTube channels that frequently offer opinions on books they've read. You’ll easily find book reviews of famous books here.

Some of the most notable book review YouTube channels include Better Than Food: Book Reviews , Little Book Owl , PolandBananasBooks , and Rincey Reads .

Amazon is probably one of your go-to site when you want to buy something. If you don’t mind used copies, it’s also one of the best websites to buy second-hand books .

Now, to get book reviews, just search and click on a title, then scroll down to see the ratings and what others who have bought the book are saying. It’s a quick way to have an overview of the book’s rating. If you spot the words Look Inside above the book cover, it means you get to preview the first few pages of the book, too!

Regardless of the praises or criticisms you have heard from other book review sites, reading a sample is the most direct way to help you gauge the content’s potential and see whether the author’s writing style suits your tastes.

12. StoryGraph

StoryGraph is another good book review site that's worth checking out. The book rating is determined by the site's large community of readers. Key in the title of a book you're interested in and click on it in StoryGraph's search results to have an overall view of its rating.

Each book review provides information on the moods and pacing of the story. It also indicates whether the tale is plot or character-driven, what readers feel about the extent of character development, how lovable the characters generally are, and the diversity of the cast.

13. London Review of Books

The London Review of Books is a magazine that covers a range of subjects such as culture, literature, and philosophy. Part of its content includes amazingly detailed book reviews. If you feel that most modern book reviews are too brief for your liking, the London Review of Books should suit you best.

You'll gain insight into the flow and themes of the story, as well as a more thorough picture of the events taking place in the book.

Read Book Reviews Before You Buy

The book review sites we've discussed will appeal to different types of readers. Some people will be more comfortable with the easy-to-interpret book rating systems; others will prefer extensive reviews written by experienced professionals.

Although it’s easy to be tempted by a gorgeous book cover, it’s always best to have a quick look at the book reviews before actually buying a copy. This way, you can save your money and spend it on the books that you’ll be proud to display on your shelves for a long time. And check out recommendations, as well, to help you find what's worth reading.

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6 New Books We Recommend This Week

Suggested reading from critics and editors at The New York Times.

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Monday is Memorial Day, when Americans pause to remember those who have lost their lives in the country’s wars, and if that somber occasion puts you in the mood to think about global politics and foreign policy, this would be a good weekend to settle in with “New Cold Wars,” in which my Times colleague David E. Sanger and his collaborator Mary K. Brooks evaluate the current state of tensions among China, Russia and America.

Elsewhere, we also recommend new fiction from Colm Tóibín, Juli Min and Monica Wood, along with a biography of the groundbreaking transgender actress Candy Darling and a book of photos by the incomparable Corky Lee, documenting moments in Asian American life. Happy reading. — Gregory Cowles

NEW COLD WARS: China’s Rise, Russia’s Invasion, and America’s Struggle to Defend the West David E. Sanger with Mary K. Brooks

In this compelling first draft of history, Sanger reveals how a generation of American officials have grappled with dangerous developments in great war competition, from the war in Ukraine to the technological arms race with China.

“Vividly captures the view from Washington. But, as Sanger makes clear, … the fate of the U.S.-led order rests more than ever on the ideas, beliefs and emotions of people far outside the Beltway.”

From Justin Vogt’s review

Crown | $33

LONG ISLAND Colm Tóibín

More than a decade after Tóibín introduced us to Eilis Lacey, the finely wrought Irish émigré heroine of his novel “Brooklyn,” he’s conjured her again, this time as a married mother whose suburban New York life is disrupted by a crisis that propels her back to Ireland once more.

“Eilis is hardly passive. She is an interesting and vivid character because she manages to make her destiny her choice. … In her own mind, and in the eyes of sympathetic readers, she is free.”

From A.O. Scott’s review

Scribner | $28

SHANGHAILANDERS Juli Min

Min’s debut is a sweeping story, told in reverse. The novel opens in 2040 with the Yangs, a wealthy family tense with frustrations and troubles. Then the novel gradually moves backward to 2014, revealing along the way the complex lives of each family member and how they got to their anguished present.

“Having knowledge of these characters’ futures before we know about their past makes stumbling on their bygone days all the more touching.”

From Jean Kwok’s review

Spiegel & Grau | $28

HOW TO READ A BOOK Monica Wood

The latest from Wood (“When We Were the Kennedys”) brings together three lonely people in and around Portland, Maine — a retired teacher, a widower and a young woman recently released from prison — for a dextrous and warmhearted tale of unlikely redemption and connection.

“A charming, openhearted novel, deceptively easy to read but layered with sharp observations, hard truths and rich ideas.”

From Helen Simonson’s review

Mariner | $28

CANDY DARLING: Dreamer, Icon, Superstar Cynthia Carr

Carr, an astute guide to the Manhattan demimonde, offers a compassionate and meticulous biography of the transgender actress, who flitted in and out of Andy Warhol’s orbit before dying of cancer at 29 in 1974, after being immortalized in a famous photograph by Peter Hujar and in the Lou Reed song “Walk on the Wild Side.”

“There wasn’t really vocabulary to describe the territory Darling was exploring back then … and her biographer extends a sure hand across the breach. To push her from the Warhol wings to center stage, at a moment when transgender rights are in roiling flux, just makes sense.”

From Alexandra Jacobs’s review

Farrar, Straus & Giroux | $30

CORKY LEE’S ASIAN AMERICA: Fifty Years of Photographic Justice Photographs Corky Lee; edited by Chee Wang Ng and Mae Ngai

Several years after his death from Covid at age 73, the famed photographer’s work remains enduringly relevant. This new book, a sort of survey course in Asian Americans’ decades-long fight for social and political equality, offers both intimate, atomized portraits of the everyday and galvanizing visions of a larger unified movement.

“A man with an intimate understanding of the invisible, turning his lens on behind-the-scenes fragments and people that the annals of history have largely ignored.”

From Wilson Wong’s review

Clarkson Potter | $50

Explore More in Books

Want to know about the best books to read and the latest news start here..

John S. Jacobs was a fugitive, an abolitionist — and the brother of the canonical author Harriet Jacobs. Now, his own fierce autobiography has re-emerged .

Don DeLillo’s fascination with terrorism, cults and mass culture’s weirder turns has given his work a prophetic air. Here are his essential books .

Jenny Erpenbeck’s “ Kairos ,” a novel about a torrid love affair in the final years of East Germany, won the International Booker Prize , the renowned award for fiction translated into English.

Kevin Kwan, the author of “Crazy Rich Asians,” left Singapore’s opulent, status-obsessed, upper crust when he was 11. He’s still writing about it .

Each week, top authors and critics join the Book Review’s podcast to talk about the latest news in the literary world. Listen here .

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5 Book Reviews You Need to Read This Week

“the novel draws on a long tradition of mystical writing that confuses sacred and secular desire.”.

Our feast of fabulous reviews this week includes Garth Greenwell on Edmund White’s Nocturnes for the King of Naples , Alex Preston on Richard Flanagan’s Question 7 , Blair Braverman on Kevin Fedarko’s A Walk in the Park , Chris Klimek on Steven Hyden’s  There Was Nothing You Could Do , and Grace Byron on Griffin Hansbury’s Some Strange Music Draws Me In .

Brought to you by Book Marks , Lit Hub’s home for book reviews.

“Edmund White’s Nocturnes for the King of Naples  opens with the most remarkable account of cruising I know. By cruising I mean a specifically gay male practice of organized promiscuity, a form of sexual sociality at once universal—existing, in remarkably similar forms, in rural American truck stops and among Roman ruins—and, as White chronicles it, specific to a particular time and place, the Chelsea piers in nineteen-seventies New York, part of the extravagant, unprecedented gay world that flourished between the Stonewall riots of 1969 and the onset of the aids crisis. In the nighttime scene that opens the book, men brush past each other in the dark, alert in their animal bodies, their senses sharpened by hunger; they send up cigarette flares, displaying themselves against the night sky; they pair off or remain solitary, unchosen—like the narrator, who lingers until sunrise, when finally he finds a man to go home with …

The novel draws on a long tradition of mystical writing that confuses sacred and secular desire, using the language of sexual pleasure to denote spiritual rapture. If nothing else, especially in the context of 1978, this constitutes a remarkable statement about queer lives: that they are possessed of a dignity and significance that can be adequately described only by the resources of the devotional tradition … Far from the heroic queers that populate much post-Stonewall cultural production, the narrator of Nocturnes is melancholic, diffuse, too wan for political action, ‘less a man in time,’ as he says of another character, ‘than a synchronous field of energy’ … White’s novel is best understood, I think, as adhering to an alternative, anti-identitarian queer tradition that has never been wholly congenial to North American readers … It is not merely a historic record, or an essential document of a crucial career, but a psychological study of complexity and depth, and a stylistic performance of an immaculacy seldom achieved.”

–Garth Greenwell on Edmund White’s Nocturnes for the King of Naples   ( The New Yorker )

“From the very first sentence of Richard Flanagan’s 12th book, Question 7 , the model for this extraordinary, hybrid work is clear. WG Sebald is there in the subject matter: the second world war and the ethics of mass bombing campaigns; the interweaving of personal and political history; the blending of truth, memory and a kind of hyper-real imagined past. Sebald is there in the deeper currents: a somewhat solitary, occasionally ridiculous middle-aged man seeking to come to terms with his place in the world, wrestling in particular with his complex love for a father whose own life was defined by his experiences in the war. It’s there even in the rhythms of the prose. The book begins like a Sebald tribute act, with its stateliness, its subclauses, its melancholy … the story of Flanagan’s attempts to understand his parents, both of whom have recently died, and through them the strange contingency of his own life …

There’s so much more in Flanagan’s beautiful, unclassifiable novel-cum-memoir. There’s the genocide of Tasmania’s Indigenous peoples (and a series of links to HG Wells); there’s the author’s meeting with one of the prison guards who tortured his father; there’s a section at the end in which Flanagan describes his own brush with the capriciousness of existence: an almost fatal kayak accident that reads like 127 Hours . This book already comes laden with praise from its Australian publication–Peter Carey said it ‘may just be the most significant piece of Australian art in the last 100 years.’ That it is a masterpiece is without question. Sebald himself would have been proud of the subtlety, the depth, the intensity of thought and feeling.”

–Alex Preston on Richard Flanagan’s Question 7 ( The Guardian )

“Maybe it’s when he’s extracting drinking water from damp sand with a syringe, trying desperately not to die from dehydration, but there came a point in A Walk in the Park , Kevin Fedarko’s memoir about walking the length of the Grand Canyon, that I thought: Wow, this hike is a terrible idea … He uprooted his life to volunteer for a tour company, handling raw sewage on rafting expeditions in the hope of one day being promoted to the driver’s seat of a dory. As he relates one grievous mishap after another, the reader faces a dawning realization. Wait: Is this guy going to walk the whole canyon because he’s not good enough to row a boat? Indeed—and outdoor literature is the better for it, because A Walk in the Park is a triumph. Fedarko doesn’t describe awe; he induces it, with page-turning action, startling insights and the kind of verbal grace that makes multipage descriptions of, say, a flock of pelicans feel riveting and new …

The book never shies from its paradoxes: I did this so you don’t have to; I did this because you shouldn’t; I shouldn’t have done this, but it’s good I did. By the time the men complete their yearlong hike, they’ve endured and overcome so much that they’re briefly mistaken for plane crash victims. But in truth, they, and we, are pilgrims on holy ground. Readers will be tempted to visit the canyon just to keep the book’s spell alive longer—and to feel Fedarko’s company in their awe.”

–Blair Braverman on Kevin Fedarko’s A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon ( The New York Times Book Review )

“There’s a reason ‘Bruce Springsteen’ is still a viable Halloween costume in 2024, and that reason is Born in the U.S.A. … The Boss’s red-bandanna-and-sleeveless-flannel-shirt phase was only a blip within a performing career that has now spanned more than half a century. More than a dozen Springsteen albums have been packaged behind portraits of his invariably careworn mug; only Born in the U.S.A. came swaddled in an Annie Leibovitz close-up of the denim-clad Boss-terior. But it was this synthesizer-heavy era that made Springsteen a permanent celebrity beyond the sphere of music fandom—and made it possible for the 74-year-old to continue filling stadiums even now, despite how profoundly the America beyond them has changed.

The disappearance of that metaphorical breadbasket, wherein the workaholic Springsteen briefly became an unlikely figure of national consensus, is the subject of ride-or-die Springsteen fan Steven Hyden’s new book … Hyden is an imaginative cultural omnivore, which means his critical examination occasionally takes the form of something like fan fiction … Your appetite for these kinds of fanboy thought experiments is a reliable gauge of whether this book is for you. If Springsteen’s red-headband, swole-arms incarnation is the only one you’d recognize at a costume party, it might not be. But if the sight of a bejeweled, haunted-looking man with slicked-back hair and a goatee makes your brain say, ‘ Tom Joad -era Bruce,’ it definitely is.”

–Chris Klimek on Steven Hyden’s  There Was Nothing You Could Do: Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Born In The U.S.A.’ and the End of the Heartland ( The Washington Post )

“Through this intimate examination of desire and destruction, Hansbury builds a careful tale of growing up in an age when mystery was the defining characteristic of the trans experience, opening up the untidiness of trans identity and the fractures that occur when navigating a world without mentors or father figures. Hansbury doesn’t attempt to offer a neat tale of representation or trauma, but instead digs into one particular trans man’s embodied experience and struggle to contextualize his childhood and unsatisfying adulthood. Through Mel and Max, Hansbury is able to explore trans identity at a curious slant, offering a story of the trans-masculine experience that evokes the dangers of a boyhood lived in the shadow of girlhood. If girlhood is about reckoning with a lack of bodily autonomy in Hanbsury’s novel, masculinity is about unfettered anger …

This is a curious formulation of identity, one that few novelists have dared to explore: the mirroring possibilities of trans men and women and our relationships and responsibilities to one another … By alternating between girlhood and manhood, Hansbury explores the jaggedness of identity and the lack of easy gendered delineations. This allows the reader a way into understanding Max’s bitterness at being read as only a man, or as someone incapable of perpetuating misogyny … Imperfect as he is, Max grows up by the end of this novel, becoming the mentor he so desperately craved as a child. Through him, Hansbury has created a character all too rare in the world of contemporary literary fiction: a man who is able to extend compassion across generations. His life, then, is more than a tense and moving story—it is also a puzzle formed by the spikiness of identity.”

–Grace Byron on Griffin Hansbury’s Some Strange Music Draws Me In ( The Nation )

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A revelatory look at the elusive Elaine May

Author Carrie Courogen couldn’t get the comedian to cooperate, but “Miss May Does Not Exist” is still packed with great material.

Elaine May tends to shy away from accepting awards, but when she does, she gives great acceptance speeches. It is a testament to her prolific creativity and tireless work ethic that when she received the Governors Award for lifetime achievement at the 2022 Oscars, the then-90-year-old said, “I do believe that for this award, you should add the words ‘for now’ at the end of it. Because it’s really scary if you don’t.”

Just three years earlier, she became the second-oldest recipient of a Tony Award for acting for her performance in Kenneth Lonergan’s play “The Waverly Gallery.” How May was lured back to Broadway as an actor, decades after her triumphant 1960-1961 run of “An Evening With Mike Nichols and Elaine May” is one of the exceedingly entertaining stories that Carrie Courogen chronicles in her splendid book, “ Miss May Does Not Exist .”

The first thing readers may want to know is if the author had access to the legendarily elusive multi-hyphenate whose name still commands hushed and reverent tones in comedy circles. There have been rare sightings. In 2012, May agreed to be interviewed by Vanity Fair alongside Nichols. A decade later, she made her one and (thus far) only podcast appearance on Phil Rosenthal and David Wild’s “ Naked Lunch .” This year, she co-hosted an evening of her films on Turner Classic Movies .

But as Courogen writes, “No one, and nothing, can convince her to do anything she doesn’t want to do,” and she did not want to cooperate on a biography of her life. Not that Courogen didn’t try: In an amusing prologue, she writes that she “mailed her postcards, messengered her cookies, established regular contact with her de facto consigliere, talked to some of her best friends. I spent $200 printing and mailing her 341 pages of museum scans of old family documents she hadn’t known existed, sent emails that bounced, cold-called numbers that rang endlessly, walked by her building hoping I’d happen to see her coming out of it, attended events she RSVP’d to, then ghosted at the last possible moment.”

An eventual offer from May to answer four questions in writing — with characteristic stipulations — was made and withdrawn.

But “Miss May Does Not Exist” is revelatory scholarship that gives full measure to this artist who despite obstacles and setbacks (some self-inflicted) is an exalted figure in the comedy pantheon, a distinct voice whose outlier creative life Courogen captures through original research, archival material and scores of interviews with those in the privileged orbit of the May-verse (the book contains 44 pages of footnotes).

Very little in May’s life, career and comedy is conventional. She had, Courogen writes, an erratic upbringing and eccentric family. She was born in 1932, the daughter of an itinerant player in Yiddish theater. It was at the University of Chicago where she found the best expression of her voice with improv pioneers the Compass Players, the forerunner to Second City. She also found Nichols, with whom she would collaborate on and off the stage until his death in 2014. But were they lovers or not? May’s response to that question: “We were lovers or not.”

Courogen does an excellent job of contextualizing May’s work with Compass and Nichols to convey just how game-changing it was. At a time when mostly male stand-up comedians were boffo with the wife and mother-in-law one-liners, May and her generation found comedy in fraught mother-son relationships, sex, adultery, sexual harassment in the workplace, corporate bureaucracy and other thoroughly modern foibles.

A refrain throughout the book is May being told, “You can’t do that.” Refuse to cut an overlong third act that would keep Broadway theatergoers in their seats till 1 a.m.? Write an ultimately censored sketch about network censors that contained the word “breast” for “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour”? Quit the act when she and Nichols were the toast of Broadway?

Well, in some cases, “they” might have been right, but her refusal to back down to protect the integrity of her work is part and parcel of what makes Elaine Elaine, and her creative battles comprise the most compelling portions of the book. “With every movie I have done,” she said, “I may just be a pain the ass.”

May directed a mere four: “A New Leaf” and “The Heartbreak Kid” were commercial and critical hits; the gritty “Mikey and Nicky” is an underseen critic’s darling; and “Ishtar” was an infamous fiasco. Had she been a male director, she would have been given an opportunity to bounce back.

But she was not a male director. When she made “A New Leaf” for Paramount in 1971, it was, Courogen notes, the first major studio film to be directed by a woman since Ida Lupino’s 1966 Hayley Mills comedy, “The Trouble with Angels” (that’s major studio; save your emails, Stephanie Rothman cultists), and the first made at Paramount since Dorothy Arzner’s “Merrily We Go to Hell” in 1932.

So, there would be no “second chances” for May as a director following the ill-received buddy comedy that has enjoyed something of a critical reassessment in recent years.

The stories behind “Ishtar’s” runaway production alone could fill a book, and Courogen separates truth from legend, such as the story about May supposedly ordering underlings to flatten desert dunes. When a friend asked her to confirm that piece of “Ishtar” folklore, May asked him: “Do you believe that?” To which he responded: “Well, no, but it’s such a great story.”

This book has a lot of them! One of the most famous of May at work concerns “Mikey and Nicky,” when the cameraman yelled cut after stars John Cassavetes and Peter Falk walked out of frame to end a scene. “Don’t ever cut,” May told him. “They may come back.”

May enjoyed greater success as an Oscar-nominated screenwriter (“Heaven Can Wait,” “Primary Colors”) and script doctor, who, uncredited, came to the rescue of such films as “Reds” and “Tootsie.”

“Miss May Does Not Exist,” like its subject, contains multitudes, and it captures the complexities and contradictions of the fiendishly funny and fiercely independent artist who once said, “The only safe thing is to take a chance.”

Donald Liebenson is an entertainment writer. His work has been published in the Chicago Tribune, the Los Angeles Times and Vulture, among other publications.

Miss May Does Not Exist

The Life and Work of Elaine May, Hollywood’s Hidden Genius

By Carrie Courogen

St. Martin’s. 400 pp. $30

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Book Review | ‘Total Garbage: How We Can Fix Our Waste and Heal Our World’ by Edward Humes

‘Garbology’ Author’s Latest Book Includes a Guide to What You Can Do Right Now About Waste

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In 2013’s Garbology: Our Dirty Love Affair with Trash , Edward Humes describes in detail the massive harm caused by America’s profligate production of trash. Garbology does look at some of the ways we can counteract our carelessness, but specific solutions to environmental problems are the central focus of his new book, Total Garbage: How We Can Fix Our Waste and Heal Our World . And while curbing the refuse that’s likely to end up in a landfill — or in our food and water — continues to be a concern of Total Garbage , this time around, Humes has plenty of other wasteful practices on his mind.

The first section, which shares its title with Garbology ’s subtitle, looks at issues like “reengineering plastics to make them more recyclable” and “fixing our broken recycling system,” familiar material for readers of the earlier book. However, later chapters in Total Garbage investigate everything from gas stove emissions to passive house design, renewable energy sources, food waste, industrial agriculture, smaller electric vehicles, and zero-waste packaging. Humes covers a lot of ground, but he does so with just enough detail to make his points convincing, and in prose that is friendly and, surprisingly, often funny.

Total Garbage is eminently practical, with “do-this” lists punctuating the book, and the author is not shy about borrowing, and acknowledging, good ideas from others. In “Stick a Fork in It,” for instance, he references tips from “Zero Waste Chef” Anne-Marie Bonneau for avoiding food waste. Among these are “shop your refrigerator,” meaning, look at what you already have on hand before you go to the grocery store; avoid overbuying at the store, especially fresh produce; be adaptable with recipes; and serve modest portions, making “vegetables the largest portion and animal proteins the smallest (to maximize health benefits and minimize environmental harm).”

Perhaps the most useful aspect of the book is the “master list” at the end: “What You Can Do Right Now about Waste.” Here, Humes summarizes everything he has covered in Total Garbage in bullet-pointed lists that are easy to remember, and often fairly easy to carry out. What a difference it would make it if we could all follow simple rules such as “Don’t accept plastic bags when you shop anywhere,” “Avoid all single-use plastic beverage bottles,” “Cook with the windows open” (to mitigate gas stove emissions), “Power down computers at night instead of letting them sleep,” “Make soup your main go-to dish on work nights,” and “Repair, rather than replace, when possible.” He makes rational behavior sound, well, rational .

Indeed, one of the most appealing aspects of Total Garbage is that while Humes is ultimately advocating for a change in our overall ethos and mindset, he’s not insisting that we undergo a complete mental makeover in a single day. That’s not to say that the book isn’t filled with a sense of urgency. Humes points out, “With a little more than 4 percent of the world’s population, Americans consume nearly 20 percent of the world’s energy output.” However, despite its depressing subject matter, Total Garbage is an uplifting read. It’s the sort of book we need if we are going to avoid the climate catastrophe that looms a little closer every day.

This review originally appeared in the California Review of Books .

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Ryan's twin sisters Emma and Kate get trapped in a comic book world. Ryan enters this realm to rescue them, facing adventures, battles, and mishaps while attempting to bring them back before... Read all Ryan's twin sisters Emma and Kate get trapped in a comic book world. Ryan enters this realm to rescue them, facing adventures, battles, and mishaps while attempting to bring them back before his parents discover their disappearance. Ryan's twin sisters Emma and Kate get trapped in a comic book world. Ryan enters this realm to rescue them, facing adventures, battles, and mishaps while attempting to bring them back before his parents discover their disappearance.

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