Book Reviews: How to Earn Them for Your Book

The credibility and visibility to be gained through book reviews can be essential to an author's success. When it comes to how to promote a book, it's crucial to make sure your book is reviewed in places that your readers hold in high esteem. Therefore, if you're an author, you may be asking yourself: how do I get my book reviewed? The answer is there are many ways to obtain reviews, even if your book hasn't made its way to the top of a bestseller list. Coming up, we'll go over things you can do yourself to request reviews – and also, if your budget allows, you might work with a book marketing firm for help.

You can begin by requesting book reviews from members of your e-mail subscription list. Sending direct communication to your core audience is essential. You can also post a request on social media, but there is still no doubt contacting your e-mail list will produce the most results. People regard e-mail more personally and often feel more motivated to write a review when receiving a message from the author. It's also a good idea to include a simple request for book reviews in your monthly newsletter. If you mix the request in with other interesting content, it will be noticed by readers.

Bloggers can be an excellent source of book reviews, and holding a blog tour is an excellent idea. As a self-published author, you may be working on a limited budget, and book tours are costly. Going with a blog tour that you complete virtually is affordable and can take place from your home or office. Blogs today are increasingly prevalent and influential and can fill in for or take the place of traditional media coverage. Before you get started, do your research and select blogs that reach an audience that's right for your book. Reviews that reach potentially interested readers are the ones to spark book sales.

It's also an excellent idea to promote reviews from within your book. If you place a request at the end, you're reaching a prospective reviewer at the ideal time. The trick is to make sure that no one finishes your book without leaving a review. It works smoothly for people reading digitally because, at the end of the text, you can add a couple of links to online product pages for your book. Each of these has a section for reviews and comments, so it's a direct connection for your readers. If you're diligent in all of these methods, it won't be long before your self-published book gains an impressive number of reviews.