1/8/08

Where to Get a Review

No doubt you have addressed this subject before, but I'm a relatively new reader. My question is about getting your book reviewed (my publisher is sending out very few review copies). So how should an author go about obtaining reviews? What sources would you recommend? Which reviewers would you recommend on a national level?

Your marketing/review plan depends on the type of book you've written (see "genre specific" below). Some reviewers won't accept books directly from the author. You're going to have to do some research and customize your own list of reviewers, but here are some areas to consider.

National reviewers: New York Times (if your book is selling well enough), Publishers Weekly, Booklist, Midwest Book Review (they have a list of links to online reviewers), Library Journal, Foreword Magazine (reviews smaller, independent publishers). Also, go talk to your local librarian. He/she may have some ideas.

Genre specific: Reviewers often specialize in specific genres or age groups. Go find a few best-selling paperback books in the genre you're writing and look at their blurbs. Any professional reviewers listed would be ones to consider.

Local/regional/niche: Newspaper and magazines—your city and any big city within 100 miles. Try to get them to do a feature story on you as a local author as well as a review. Look for genre magazines that do reviews. If you're LDS, you want to get it reviewed on Meridian Magazine and in the major Utah papers.

Misc. Bloggers: There are a zillion bloggers out there who do book reviews. Find some that you like, that are getting good traffic (you can usually judge traffic by the number of comments they're getting). Other bloggers to consider are: friends, family, fellow writers.

Readers, any other suggestions? Give us links if you have them.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Jeff Needle runs the Association for Mormon Letters Review Panel, a group of volunteer reviewers who write scores of reviews on Mormon books of all genres. Write to Jeff Needle to find out where to send your review compies (jeff.needle@gmail.com).

On a personal note, I have just published the first two parts of my 2006-1007 Mormon Literature Years in Review. You can see them at:
http://www.forums.mormonletters.org/yaf_postst259_Mormon-Literature-Years-in-Review--Part-1.aspx

and

http://www.forums.mormonletters.org/yaf_postst264_Years-in-Review-Pt-2-National-fiction.aspx

The first part is an overview of the Mormon literature market, the second reviews Mormons publishing in the national market. I hope to do essays on Mormon theater and film in the next couple of weeks.

Andrew Hall

Tristi Pinkston said...

Well, since you asked . . .

I write reviews for Families.com and I get around a thousand hits a day. Have your publisher send me a book (or you can send me one, if your publisher has paid for it -- I don't like taking from author's pockets) and I'll review it. I'm honest but I'm kind.

Janet Kay Jensen said...

Andrew, your articles at AML re LDS publishing in the past year year are excellent. Thanks for all the hard work in assembling so much information! Looking forward to article #3!

Rebecca Talley said...

Will Utah papers do an article/review if you aren't a Utah resident?

For a local paper, do you contact the editor and ask for someone to do an article/interview or write one and submit it yourself?