When will my book be reviewed?
My book was never reviewed. Now what?
How will I know when my book is reviewed?
How can I get my book reviewed?
What do I do after my book is reviewed?An author's joy is to receive validation on their work, and reviews are a great way to do this. But what happens when the reviews don't come in? An author is left to wonder why their book failed to attract reviewers. There are many reasons for this.
I asked Romance Reader of Seriously Reviewed how many requests their site receives each month. Her reply, "Conservatively 500+." Their site may post 20 to 30 reviews a month. The mathematical equation isn't hard to figure out. Competition for reviews is fierce.
So when will your book be reviewed? Anytime. A review may post in the days before your release, or it may take months to garner that first review. There is no magical time frame. The Wild Rose Press has a list of reviewers that receive book information prior to release. If the review site is interested in reviewing a title, they are sent advanced reader copy. If you know of a review site that would be interested in Wild Rose Press titles, you can email me at lisadawn@thewildrosepress.com. Let me know and I'll check into the site.
Your book was never reviewed. Now what? While our books are made available to reviewers, not every book is selected for review by every review site. Some titles are never selected for review. But there are options. Review sites are great, but you the author still need to spread the word about that review. You have other options such as Goodreads.com. If you have family, friends, beta readers, ask them to leave a comment on Goodreads. Start a conversation about your book. The Wild Rose Press has a public yahoo loop. This is a great place for authors to share excerpts and for readers to learn about the wonderful romances published by TWRP.
How will you know your book has been reviewed? Sometimes reviews come from places least expected. Someone purchased your book. They loved the story and blogged about it. You'll know because you're periodically doing a Yahoo and Google search on your book title and author name to see what pops. You may be surprised at what you can find.
How can you get your book reviewed? The fact is, unless you're paying for a review, all you can do is ask. The Wild Rose Press has a policy that after 6 months from release, an author may resubmit their books for reviews but please be clear when submitting that your publisher submitted at the time of release.
But there are things you can do. Write a blurb that teases, tempts and draws the reader in. Reviewers love to read. They need to be hooked from those few paragraphs.
What do you do after your book is reviewed? If you're ever reviewed, be sure to thank the reviewer, via a comment on the blog or by email. Make a connection to the reviewer and let them know you'd be happy to drop them an email when your next book is releasing so they can watch for it.
And then tell everyone. If the review site allows comments, ask friends and fellow authors to drop by, read your review and leave a comment. Most review sites are businesses. They need traffic to their sites. Show them that you saw the review and that you're thrilled to share their opinion of your book.
If for some reason you receive a review that isn't a positive note on your book, don't send friends to jump to your defense. Not every story is for every person. So always conduct yourself with professionalism.
If you have any questions on TWRP's review policy, feel free to email me at lisadawn@thewildrosepress.com
Lisa Dawn
Marketing Director
The Wild Rose Press
22 comments:
Great information!
Thanks for sharing.
Great post. I twitted it.
Great blog and it just gave me an idea! Going to do it right now!
Hi Lisa!
Thank you for this added insight to getting reviews. Like everything else in this business, it is crowded in here!!!!
This helps me understand why Coffee Time Romance has yet to get back to me regarding a review request for (not a WRP book - as I know you submit our books to them for us) a review. I was thinking I was being ignored, or worse yet, being black balled, though I couldn't think why they would do that to me. (authors minds are often paranoid minds LOL)
Thanks for this blog.
Thanks for the refresher--and also some new info!
Great information, Lisa. For someone still trying to learn all the ropes of this business, it's rather daunting.
My first review was from Single Titles, which is not on your list of reviewers. How they got a copy of my book, I haven't a clue, but since the review was lovely, I don't care. Again, thanks.
Very useful information. Thanks so much.
:)Becky
Thanks, Lisa. This is great info to have.
Good to know! Thanks for the info.
Hi Lisa: I just read the info on reviews and was enlightened. I'll email you off the loop about possible review sites that have done my other books. They may already be on TWRP's list and if so I apologize for the duplication. It may be too early to expect one on my Feb. 15 release.
Great post.
And a great reminder of the sheer number of books out there waiting to be reviewed. It makes the ones we get...especially the really great ones...even more precious.
DebraStJohn
Great post! I've been waiting to hear back from a couple of certain review sites, so this is encouraging. On another note, I like the part you added about keeping professional even when the reviews are less-than-positive. I have several 5*s but today I got a 3* from a review site and felt a little blue after reading it. Still, I thanked the reviewer politely.
Thanks for the great info, Lisa!
Good information, thanks, Lisa! As a debut author last year, I wasn't sure how to go about asking for reviews-but had read not to do it before the first six months was over. I knew that TWRP(ie. you) sent out inquiries before/ around the release date but didn't know who you sent to and there are soooo many of them outh there. I'm still not really sure if you have a standard amount, and wonder if you can give new authors( and people like me) an idea of whom you regularly send to?
Thanks Lisa for encouragement and enlightment as to the policy
Hi Nancy
You can find a list of the reviewers that we send titles to in the files section of the authors only loop. If you don't have that URL, drop me an email at lisadawn@thewildrosepress.com
thanks
Lisa
As a reviews site owner, I have to say everything about this post is spot on. At LASR we get 800 - 1000 requests monthly. With only 50 or so reviewers (and we have more than many sites), it's impossible to review everything no matter how much we WANT to (and we do wish we could).
Some hints?
Always thank the reviewer no matter the rating (I forward all comments we get to the reviewer who wrote the review. My reviewers are comment whores... they LOVE to hear from the authors).
Never defend something the reviewer didn't like or even offer explanations. Don't complain about a review publically ANYWHERE. You never know who is lurking. Nothing on the internet is private.
But, as Lisa said, the best way to get a review is to write a GREAT book with an awesome, eye-catching blurb, and then do it again. And again. Because once a reviewer knows you, you'll have a loyal follower who will grab and review everything you release.
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