How to Get Book Reviews – A Step-by-Step Guide

Book reviews evaluate written works. They include a book’s key points, the strengths and weaknesses of the book. The book review format must include the author, genre, title, table of contents and what is your final analysis of the book? This blog dives into how to get book reviews, checklist of book reviews, types of book reviews and the importance of book reviews for promoting your book. Getting a book review for a recently published book is an important step in your book marketing strategy. Positive reviews help in getting attention from readers. They help entice the audience. They also help in getting credibility. But there are steps you must follow, before the book review of any book, you need to follow a checklist which is as follows: 

Checklist of Book Review

The checklist of a review is as follows: 

• You need to get your book edited to polish your content
• You need to hire a copy editor to fine tune your book
• You need to comb the book for weird formatting such as extra spacing
• You need to establish your presence on social media 
• You need to set up accounts on Amazon, Bookshop.Org to connect with readers. 

You need to edit your book, so that the content is polished and error free. Also you need feedback that is genuine which means a third person should read the content. Your family and friends could lie and might sugarcoat their words. You need to hire a professional editor to revise your book for any supposed corrections.

• You need to hire a copyeditor: A professional copy editor can check your work, and suggest appropriate revisions in case of grammatical errors, inconsistencies, or plot holes to make the audience appreciate your work. Copyediting is an art and they can catch the slightest errors to polish and hone your work. 
• You need to check your book for formatting errors: You may come across formatting errors, when you read your own book. Read it thoroughly, before you send it for review. Too much spacing leaves a bad impression on the reader. You need to make sure it is completely blemish free, before you send it for review.
• You need to assign the right book genre: The book review editor must know the genre he/she is reviewing. They must work hard to find the right match between book and reviewer. For instance, if you have written a thriller, you need to find someone who has written a thriller, you should find a book reviewer who reviews thrillers for better results.
• You Need to Purchase an ISBN: ISBN is a cataloguing tool used by bookstores, libraries, retailers. An ISBN is required for each ISBN of the book. The number identifies the edition of the book such as if it is 1992, it will help to list your book for sale on Ingram, Bowker and many others. You cannot use your review without an ISBN. 

You need to establish a social media presence and make yourself active: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter are great platforms to spread the word about your book review in English. Author accounts need to open on all these social media platforms to easily notify the readers, in case a review of a book is posted. 

Choosing the correct kind of review: After you have corrected the book for errors, you can send it for review. After which you need to decide the review that will suit you. There are two kinds of book reviews, one is crowdsourced, the other is professional review. If you are a self- published author. The review must be chosen with regard to your goals.

You need to set up user accounts on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Bookshop, org, If you wish to sell your book online. You need to make an author’s page and description of the book. You can also add comments to the blurb of your book, after it is reviewed.

What is Crowd Sourced Book Reviews? 

Crowdsourced book reviews on novels, or books are reviews posted on Amazon for random books read by readers posted on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Goodreads. They could give the feedback on the book in one line, or be in-depth like a professional review. Each kind of book review has their advantages, or disadvantages. 

The advantages of crowd sourced book reviews are as follows: 

• They can convince readers to buy your book because of their wider reach.
• They could be reviewed by people who are very opinionated.
• They help in getting a good ranking for your book. The number of crowdsourced reviews helps in improving ranking in bestselling books. 

The disadvantages of crowd sourced book reviews are as follows

• The feedback can also be misleading and is not always accurate. 
• They are not professional. They are not used by librarians and booksellers. 
• Readers do not trust crowdsourced book reviews. 

Professional Book Reviews of any book

Professional book reviews are written by critics of noteworthy institutions. They can be published in newspapers, magazines, blogs and Blueink Review.

Pros of Professional book reviews

• You can use them to solicit and garner other reviews. 
• They are great for book marking and promotion. 
• They provide valuable feedback.

Cons of Professional book reviews

• They may be biased because generally one person only provides a professional review unlike a crowd sourced book review. 
• They are paid book reviews
• They do not affect bestseller ranking.

Once you get the reviews, do not let it go down the drain, use them as marketing tools. It is important to give feedback on your work as an author. You can add them to your book cover, blurb to give insight to readers. It will help speed up sales. You must include them on your website. They are important for improvement and also create a buzz and hubbub for your book.