Questions About Reviews

My contract for my first book states that the publisher will send the book to 3 sites for review. In my naivete I assumed this meant the book would actually be reviewed, but unfortunately not. It looks like I will have to send it out myself, but I was wondering if it is too late as the book was published in mid October?

Do reviewers only look at new releases or can I send my books to them at any time?

I know there are many review sites out there and that the only worthwhile ones are those with a lot of traffic, but overall how important are reviews for selling books? Are these sites frequented mostly by other writers and those in the 'biz' or do they genuinely attract a lot of readers?

"I once had a December release reviewed the following August. And it was a Christmas-themed book. It's only the beginning of November. Reviewers are busy; it might be they just haven't gotten to your book yet."


Thanks Dee, it seems my impatience has gotten the better of me again! With so many books being released each week I was under the impression reviews would come out at the same time as the book.

It's really good to know they can come out at any time, although from browsing these boards I'm aware that good reviews don't automatically translate into sales. I can understand why so many readers don't bother too much with reviews because they give the story away before you've even read it.

I'm a bit of an obsessive review reader myself but AFTER I've read a book or watched a film. One of my guilty pleasures is reading the reviews for things that i hated and revelling in the nasty comments! I know this is really bad karma for my writing career but i just can't help myself!