When looking to build social proof for your book, itâs important to know that there are many types of book reviews available to you. Each type serves a different purpose, appeals to a specific type of audience, and offers variable success depending on the genre in which you publish. Knowing the difference is vital because gathering these reviews costs time and money, so youâll want to spend both well. Letâs look at the different review options and examine each one.
Generally, book reviews fall into the following categories:
- Reviews in mass media.
- Reviews in book trade publications.
- Reviews by book bloggers.
- Reviews by readers given an advance copy for review.
- Reviews by influencers relevant to your genre, free and paid.
- Organic customer reviews.
Reviews in Mass Media
Mass media reviews in newspapers and magazines were traditionally the only significant way to let people know about books, and they are still highly influential. This is especially the case when you consider the âReviewâ sections of established publications like The New York Times or The Guardian. Radio and TV book review and interview programs, like the Oprah Show or the Richard and Judy book clubs, are also examples of influential mass media reviews.
Reviews in Book Trade Publications
People connected with the publishing industry read book trade publications. Publishers, agents, booksellers, librarians, marketing agencies, and book reviewers all read publications and associated websites like Publishers Weekly, Foreword Reviews, Kirkus Reviews, and Library Journal, among others. You can request one of these publications to select your book to be reviewed for free. Getting a review in a book trade publication is often considered one of the best ways to catch the attention of trade distributors and corporate book buyers.
Reviews by Book Bloggers
Book bloggers are avid readers who have developed online followers. You can find them on their own websites, but also on sites like Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter. They can be very influential in creating fan buzz about books. Some book bloggers reach thousands of readers every week. In recent years, as blogging has become more competitive, this space has given rise to book vloggers who record videos to review books and upload them to video- and visual-based social media sites like YouTube and Instagram.
Reader Reviews from an Advance Review Copy
An advance review copy, often shortened to âARCs,â are book copies that authors or publishers provide, often for free and prior to publishing, to a select group of readers. They do this in the hope that those early readers will write and publish early reviews once the book launches on online bookstores like Amazon, Apple Books, and Barnes & Noble. Early reviews can lead to more successful book launches.
Organic Reviews by Online Customers
Reader customer reviews appear on the sales pages of online retailers like Amazon, Apple Books, Goodreads, Google, and Kobo. They are usually submitted by readers who have purchased the book or received an advance review copy (ARC). Once submitted, they are publicly available for anyone to read.
These reader reviews on sites like Amazon and Audible provide extremely influential social proof, especially for impulse purchases. A reader could choose to buy or not buy a book based on the quality, quantity, and star average of customer reviews associated with the book. In fact, many authors argue that they are almost as influential as the front cover.
There are many good reasons why reader reviews are front of mind for most authors:
- Research shows they influence readersâ decisions to buy.
- They are public and evergreen (unless the retailer decides to remove them).
- They are accessible, democratic, and offer a consensus of reader opinions.
- They are linked to retailer algorithms, so getting them gives a book more exposure.
Free Editorial Reviews
Influencers, celebrities, experts, and authors offer free editorial reviews for the right book and audience. Publishers display these reviews, sometimes called endorsements, on the front or back cover and inside the front matter of their books. They are often also included in the âeditorial reviewsâ section of their Amazon sales page with a heading such as âPraise for [author].â
You can obtain free editorial reviews by reaching out to a specific list of influential people and outlets relevant to your genre, providing them with a free copy, and asking for a review or an endorsement quote. This can work well when youâre asking well-known authors who might be both known to your readers and interested in having their name and âauthor of [book title]â appear where your readers can discover them. This can be nice win-win for both authors.
Paid Editorial Reviews
Authors, both indie and traditional, can and do pay for editorial reviews. This is not paying a fee to receive a good review which is unethical, according to ALLiâs Ethical Author policy. Good editorial review services provide objective reviews for a fee. Among the reputable fee-for-review services are: Foreword Clarion Reviews, BlueInk, Kirkus Indie Reviews, Chanticleer Book Reviews, and Publishers Weekly's BookLife.
As with every other aspect of publishing, there are disreputable review services out there. ALLi offers details on the reputable ones so you can sidestep fraudsters and maintain ethical but effective author business practices. For ALLiâs list of services, reviewed and rated, check ALLiâs Watchdog Desk on SelfPublishingAdvice.org/best-self-publishing-services. If youâre an ALLi member, check out the ALLi Partner database, where you can contact good services directly and receive member discounts.
In the chapter, âFree Versus Paid Editorial Review...
