Getting your book Reviewed?

As far as I'm aware, publishers normally arrange reviews.

If your book is published, do you know if your publisher has sent your book to reviewers?

What genre do you write? While the publisher sends out a FEW, there are usually other places to send it.

By "released" do you mean through a print publisher like St. Martin's or Random House? There are plenty of venues like Publisher's Weekly, NYTimes Book Review, Romantic Times Book Reviews Monthly, MidWest Book Review, and other magazines that do reviews as standard fare. You can ask your editor about where they send review copies.

If you mean self-published, POD, vanity, or an e-publisher, there are still venues, but not as many, nor will they have as wide an audience.

http://girlondemand.blogspot.com/

www.greenmanreview.com

www.crescentblues.com

If your book is listed on Amazon, chances are someone will post a review, though some of those may be suspect.

I've seen glowing reviews posted by a writer's well-meaning friends--or by the writer herself. Those are known as "sock puppet" reviews and they're easy to spot. My fave is Lost Hunger, with lots of 5-star reviews for Angelina M. Robinson's AuthorHouse offering, but I suspect it has to do with admiration for the writer's looks rather than her literary talent.

An amusing take on how not to promote:

http://juliefortune.livejournal.com/32426.html

The blog comments...well...beverage alert. I mean that.
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And (in an appropriate purple hue) how not to write, excerpts from "Lost Hunger" by Angelina M. Robinson:

"Reaching the back door of the club the palm of my hand longs for the knob. <snip> I know that tonight is the night to end all days and my wanting hand twists at the chilled metal knob of the door."

Er-uh-just WHAT kind of "knob" IS that you're twisting, m'dear?

"Now gazing upward, his eyes ascend into the sparsely clouded sky."

What? Like tiny little balloons going Thwwwwwwp?

"My body arouses with excited passion as I stare intently into his enchanted, hypnotic, mythical eyes."

Mythical eyes? So they didn't go flying off after all and were just imaginary?

"His rigorous face, so pale and majestic, his strength, his power."

Do what? Are what? Finish that sentence, cupcake--I wanna KNOW!

The rest + her massive bio may be found here.

Good luck!

reviews

tommy_5219 said:

Does anyone know a good place to get your book reviewed?

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Your publisher should send out review copies, mine sends out roughly one hundred, but you can also send out copies yourself.

Meaningful reviews can be tough to get. Any good reviewer probably receives many, many more books than he has space to review. Gwetting your book reviewed, at least by any reviewer who can make a difference, is usually a matter of send out as many copies as possible, and hoping for the best.

Hi,

Gillhoughly, cheers man. Lost Hunger - that's the best laugh I've had for a long time. Hell, it might even be worth buying! Well...

And what a modest little soul - "ANGELINA ROBINSON … “Angel” to some, visionary to others."

This should have a thread of its own. What an excellent lesson for us all. Not just as a 'how not to' but, when the words just won't come and you're thinking you're a talentless ***, just one paragraph of Angelina's and your confidence will come flooding back.

I don't like ripping someone to shreds, but, hell, she deserves all she gets going public with something like that. I'd love to read an 'early' draft, if this is the polished stuff.

Cheers,
Steve

If you're just looking for little places to get reviews, you can try...

Midwest Book Review (only takes 'real' copies; NO ARC's)
My Shelf.com (you have to request a review)
Lighthouse Literary Reviews
Roundtable Reviews

ForeWord Mag (which is for small press, and like the big trades, needs a three month pre-release lead time to coincide their review with your book's release)

Google any one of them and you'll find them. Also look for sites related to your genre - I have a few YA books sites that get good traffic that I send review copies to, b/c my target audience (and their parents) visit them, and they're also on the list of reviewers for major publishers.

So hunt around and you'll find lots of places.

Steve W said:

when the words just won't come and you're thinking you're a talentless ***, just one paragraph of Angelina's and your confidence will come flooding back.

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Well, you gotta give the dame credit for having guts.

Lots of guts. She's set us all an example.

I know some writers--good ones--who never took the risk of sending anything out at all.

Of course we all know what a *sterling* place AuthorHouse is...

tommy_5219 said:

Does anyone know a good place to get your book reviewed?

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There are lots of options depending on whether your book is commercially published or self-published, and the suggestions up-thread will get you started in the right direction. I just wanted to add a caveat that I think is easy to forget sometimes when you're really eager to get your book out there: Don't ever pay for a review. Ever. Period.

Kristen