Professional Book Reviews

Don't bother with paid-for reviews. They're not worth the money you pay.

Apart from the huge conflict of interests involved, the publications which provide them rarely reach your target audience.

For example, if you get a review in Kirkus Reviews, you don't pay for that review. And you know it's going to be read by people who work in the book trade: booksellers, librarians, publishing people. This helps get books into bookshops, and from there, into the hands of your potential reader. It doesn't advertise your book to potential readers, only to those who can get it to those readers. So it only works if your book is being sold in by a distributor, and few self-published books are.

It is not the same as a Kirkus Indie Review. Kirkus Indie Reviews are paid for, and they are not read by the same people; and even if they were, if you don't have a print edition and a full distribution agreement for that print edition, it will not help sell your book.

Literateparakeet said:

For my coming book launch, I'm researching the possibilities (however slim ) of getting a professional review. I believe (but can't back it up with experience) that if I get a professional review, that would be a powerful tool in my marketing. I would use it to try and get book blurbs from recognizable names, press release attention, and to a smaller degree readers. As I reader, I DO notice professional reviews. My book is non-fiction and niche, so your goals may differ. A professional review might help me get into my local library (whose catalog is linked to the whole county), things of that nature.

Most of these tell you what they expect you to send: a hard cover copy of the book is a given. Most of us probably can't afford to send out this many copies, but you could drill it down to your 'dream reviewers'>

Book List http://www.booklistonline.com/get-reviewed 15 weeks ahead, send one galley (related list Book Links is for children’s books

Book World/Washington Post http://help.washingtonpost.com/link/portal/15067/15080/ArticleFolder/76/Classifieds-Advertising
The procedure is to send a copy of the book and pertinent information to:
The Washington Post
Attn: Book World
1150 15th Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20071
or telephone for submission criteria
202-334-7882.

Foreword/Clarion Review https://www.forewordreviews.com/services/book-reviews/
Clarion-Charges $335, 6-8 week turnaround, all books welcome
Foreword—no fee, 3 months, Independent Presses Only

Heartland Reviews http://www.heartlandreviews.com/Our_Reviews.html does not review “spirituality”, New Age or poetry that doesn’t rhyme (i.e. they only do children’s books poetry)

Horn Book (for children and young adult) http://www.hbook.com/about-us/submissions/

Kirkus Indie Review https://www.kirkusreviews.com/author-services/indie/ Charges $425 with 7-9 weeks advance, $575 4-6 weeks

Library Journal http://reviews.libraryjournal.com/about/submitting-titles-for-review/

Publishers Weekly Select (for self-publishers) http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/diy/index.html Charges $125 w/ listing and 25% chance of being reviewed. 6 weeks

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First, let me say I don't know anything about the professional review services, what they claim, the reality of what benefits they may confer, etc.

I just read this post and noticed the bolded because just as a reader (and this may be just me), I notice reviews from places I trust. Same as movie reviews - if there's a pullquote in a trailer or on a print ad from a review from, say, the New Yorker, I'd give that weight, as I often agree with their reviews. If I see a quote from someplace that's not a journalistic/critical endeavour like 'Dave Srehwf of MovieStuff' which is common (I invented the name/place, I mean the junket reviews are common), I know it's likely a junket review and I not only dismiss it, but often the movie, as I figure that's the only quote they could use. It'd be better, imo again, to have no reviews than ones that are not from the usual review places.

Same as when I see blurbs from people who I've never heard of, aren't tagged with any reason to be there (a non-fic book blurbed by an expert I dunno usually comes with an identifier). It makes me suspicious.

Again, may be just me, and only speaking as a reader.

I don't know any of the others, but not Kirkus Indie. That has already been pushed so hard by so many self-publishing writers that many people already automatically see it as a "fake" review.

Publishers Weekly, Washington Post Book World, and Library Journal are ones I have paid attention to in the past, when they are credited inside a book's frontmatter, or on the back cover, as having favorable words to say.

I have no idea if they are worthwhile in any real sense, but as a reader I respected them and was likely to look further if they said interesting things, and have bought many books on the strength of a sentence or paragraph from one of them, Publishers Weekly in particular. Publishers Weekly "Select" is different; I've not otherwise heard of them, and I would notice that difference when checking and probably would not trust it!

ETA: I should add, my experience is entirely with buying trade published books chosen from a bookstore shelf. I doubt if any of the ones I bought (when I was buying new books) had been self-published.

I think the only thing worse than shelling out good money for a review is when folks realize you had to shell out good money for a review.

Rely on honest reviews to guard your credibility as a good writer.

My opinion.

Kerry

LP, I can only speak from my experience being reviewed by Library Journal. They requested a review copy shortly after I published my book. I sent it out promptly (and was thrilled to do so). Librarians subscribe to the journal, so if you want your book showing up in libraries, this is a way for that to happen. (They usually only accept books pre-release but sometimes do take them after publication.)

My book is now available in several libraries, and I doubt if that would have been the case had they not featured it in one of their issues.

To echo Old Hack, I'd stay away from the paid services. I don't really know how anyone benefits from paying for reviews (other than the one being paid).

Literateparakeet said:

Thanks McLesh.

They contacted you? That is a dream come true. How did Library Journal know about you? (Yes, I know that question possibly requires mind-reading, but I thought I would try. )

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I'm still scratching my head on that one. They may have seen my announcement here on AW when it became available or -- I don't really know. Someone from AW may have tipped them off. (If so, I owe that person a drink or two.)

Others have already covered my thoughts as an author about paid for reviews.

But to give another perspective as a reader: Awhile back I encountered a Kirkus Indie Review in the wild. Even before I realized it was a paid for review it struck me as... kinda odd. The writing was fine, nothing too horribly wrong, but it just read so... bland, like the reviewer really didn't care. The book was kinda good, not great, could have been better, here are some things that were good, here are some things that could have been better. Three stars. I mean, even when I write book reviews for books that were just "meh" my tone is more enthusiastic; I care more.

After finding out it was a the paid for part of Kirkus, my thought now is that the book was probably terrible and the reviewer was trying really hard not to say so. It's been awhile since I've read the KIR guidelines, but I think the author can choose not to publish the reviews. They can't ask for a positive review, but if they don't like the review it doesn't get published. *Maybe* the review I read was a case of the reviewer *wanting* to be published, so he/she wrote the most neutral review possible.

All my speculation, of course. But I don't trust paid for reviews anymore--not that I did before, but now I'm even more cautious of them, even the ones that seem genuinely positive. I mean, *maybe* that other reviewer just wasn't a very good liar. *Maybe* other reviewers are willing to bend their opinions more to get published.

Or maybe all these other reviews are genuine and honest.

Maybe. But I don't trust them anymore.

Save your money.

Literateparakeet said:

Thanks Little Ming. That is helpful. I know KIR gives negative reviews, based on the complaints from authors on line . But your experience is adds another dimension. Thanks again.

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But is that because the reviews are actually bad, or because they had to pay for them?

I just went to KIR and it says:

At that point you may choose to keep it private or publish it on our website (at no extra charge). If you choose to keep it private, it will never see the light of day.

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Makes me think that even if the reviews were negative, the authors can still choose not to publish them... in which case the authors are complaining because they had to pay for it?

Either way, based on the sole fact that authors can choose to publish or not, I wouldn't trust the reviews.

The main problem with Kirkus Indie Reviews is that they don't really get read by the people who can make a difference to your sales.

Kirkus Review appears twice a month, I think, in both print and electronic versions. It is read by people in the book trade: book buyers for bookshops and other retailers, librarians, publishers, agents. When book buyers read a good review there, they will buy the book and get it in front of its readers. So each positive response to each review leads to multiple sales.

Kirkus Indie Reviews aren't included in the main Kirkus Review publication. They appear in an online supplement only, which is completely separate to the main publication. Kirkus reserves the right to include the resulting reviews in their main publication: I'd be interested to know what proportion of the KIR have made it into the main issue. As far as I can tell, it's only really read by the people who have paid to have their books included in it. They're unlikely to buy the other books reviewed there, but even if they do, they tend not to have any power to influence other book buyers: if they buy a book following a review, that's it. They buy it for their own use. One response, one sale.

What about genre/category specific magazines? I've always found that's a better place to find readers . . . Which is sort of the point of reviews. What genre will it be?

Have you tried Books and Culture?

Or Charisma?

Literateparakeet said:

Well, the ones I was referring to were people that had paid and didn't like the review they received. Whether that negative review was justified or not I can't say since I didn't read the books, but the authors didn't think the negative review was justified.

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Um. Well. I'm just going to sidestep that issue for now.

Literateparakeet said:

Some felt that the reviewer hadn't even read the whole book. Things like that.

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I think that goes back to my first post in this thread. The reviewer just didn't seem to care. It read like a review for the sake of a review.

Literateparakeet said:

ETA: There is one magazine I would like to get into that does not accept unsolicited submissions, but I was thinking perhaps a "press-release" could be a way to get in the door. Would that be inappropriate?

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Not so much inappropriate as not usually useful; if you're a reviewer you get so very many press releases that you look for those from editors and agents you know, and ignore the rest.

You've got a Website/blog. (Appropriately listed in you sig-- go you!)
You're planning on doing Good Reads Giveaways.
You are engaged in Christian online communities as someone who interacts as an engaged member on forums and blogs . . .

And the other usual things . . . .