3 Tips To Help You Contact Book Reviewers

(43) comments

@thecharlesiwas March 20, 2013

@lorrainereguly Dang! It’s been that kind of day: Try this http://t.co/aP1tIuwcWC Thanks for letting me know!

@BettyDharma March 20, 2013

3 Tips To Help You Contact Book Reviewers http://t.co/O3gDDGQ58n via @RachelintheOC

Lori L. Otto (@lori_otto) March 20, 2013

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Jhobell Kristyl March 21, 2013

As a book review blogger, I shout a big YES to your article. Finally! There’s someone who explains the ethics of requesting a review from a blogger. Thank you!

Best,
Jhobell Kristyl
http://bookmavenpicks.wordpress.com/

Rachel Thompson March 21, 2013

Oh, good. So glad you approve, Jhobell. I think if someone really has no idea what to do, they can use this article as a basis, and then go more in-depth with the articles I reference by Tracy Riva and Bojan Tunguz, both super helpful and informative reviewers.

Best of luck with your reviews and if you are interested in adding your name and site to their list, click on the BookBloggerList.com to do so. I’m sure they’d love to have you!

Dario March 21, 2013

Rachel, good post, and thank you. I have to say though that even following ALL the above, crafting a personalized query, closely researching and ensuring that the reviewer/review site is interested in the category/genre in question, generally observing all stated protocols, AND having some verifiable track record as both editor/publisher AND author…most reviewers and book bloggers of any importance are so swamped that they either don’t review or decline–in fact, many don’t have the courtesy to reply to a query.

In short, I think the entire book review process is breaking down. I mean, *seriously* breaking down.

Best,
Dario

Rachel Thompson March 21, 2013

You have great suggestions, Dario and I agree, with the changing industry, so is the review process. I wrote recently for IndieReader.com about sites selling fake positive (or negative) reviews. It pathetic, but possible, in some cases, for only $5.

Something is going to happen…I can feel it.

Dario March 22, 2013

Rachel, thanks so much for your reply (and I did read your IndieReader article, and many others on the topic).

I agree, something will happen soon. The best thing IMO would be–crazy, but needed–a vetting/gatekeeper service for reviewers, very similar to a slushpile. Here’s how I see it working:

Author submits ms., pays a minimal fee, say $10, for ms. assessment/vetting. The assessment is *not* an attempt to review the book but simply to verify that it meets some moderate standards of formatting and writing (perhaps equivalent to what we call semi-pro).

As you likely know, anyone who’s been near a slushpile can tell within a paragraph or a page at most if the writing is at least competent. At the same time, a glance through the doc or ebook can determine if the formatting meets an acceptable standard. The whole process would take no more than 10-15 mins, and is not paying for a review, only a check that book isn’t a complete waste of reviewer time.

If the book meets this criteria, it could then be put in a holding pile and be made available to reviewers to pick and choose. The process would cost reviewers nothing and would not bias any reviews. What it WOULD do is cut down on the deluge of really poor work reviewers are barraged with and at the same give authors of work that actually is worth the time to read and review–and let’s be honest, these are a minority by any standard–a crack at being reviewed. The cost to authors would be very small, and IMO the people putting out the really terrible work, which *everyone* is drowning in, would be largely paying for the service.

It could work. It could help both authors and reviewers. And it would also generate some jobs for first readers/vetters. Just a thought 😉

Best
Dario

Rachel Thompson March 22, 2013

Love it.

Amy Edelman, who founded IndieReader.com has a project called Rabble — something like a vetting for reviews. I think it’s an excellent idea also that has a lot of merit.

Can’t wait to see where this all shakes out!