Thanks to sites like Yelp and Angie’s List, it’s easier than ever to see what other people think of products, services, and places of business. We hardly ever make a purchase or try a new restaurant without first checking the reviews. And this review-driven market has spread to the world of publishing, too.
With so many opportunities for people to self-publish their work, it’s hard to tell the difference between high-quality writing and something that’s just not worth your time or money. That’s why, as a writer trying to sell your books, it’s so important to get online reviews of your books. When potential readers see that others have read and enjoyed your book, they’re much more likely to make a purchase. So how do you get reviews? Here are a few tips.
Ask Your Readers
At the very end of your book, ask your readers to leave a review. Write a very brief paragraph saying something like, “I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my book. Book reviews are an incredibly important part of the peer review process. They not only help sell more books, but they help authors grow and develop their writing styles. Please take a moment and write a review of this book.”
Ask Bloggers
Pinpoint a few book bloggers who write about the genre or style of book you’ve written. Most of them will have guidelines on their blogs telling you how to send them your work for review. Read their policies and follow their instructions, and you’ll be more likely to get a review on their site.
Book Review Sites
There are also entire websites devoted to reviewing books. Some of the best
include:
BookReview.com, The Barnes and Noble Review, Goodreads, BookDaily.com
If you sell your books through Amazon, you can also offer them for free for a limited time and encourage your readers to leave you reviews after they download them. Amazon actually does you a favor here, as they will email their users after a purchase to ask them to leave a review.