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Written by Webmaster   
Monday, 21 July 2008
By Reader views

  Every author wants glowing book reviews with quotable sentences to use as testimonials. A good review makes readers flock to the bookstore to buy the book.

But how do authors get their books reviewed? While the process is not difficult, the book review industry is changing. Todays authors must designate a portion of their marketing budget for book reviews, and they must know how to use those book reviews to sell books.

Why Are Book Reviews Important?

More than 200,000 books are published each year. Less than 2% of those books sell more than 500 copies. Weve all heard the saying, So many books. So little time. People dont want to waste time or money reading books they wont enjoy, so they rely on book reviews to help them make buying decisions. Your book will stand out if it receives positive reviews from reliable reviewers.

Where Do I Get a Book Review?

There are five top book reviewers: Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, Library Journal, Midwest Book Review, and The New York Times; however, if youre self-published, it is unlikely your book will be reviewed by any of them. Reviews from local newspapers and magazines will only help you sell books locally. Furthermore, print publications are phasing out book reviews. So where can an author still get a good book review? The Internet.

Online book reviews are becoming standard, and your books review will reach a wider audience on the Internet. Online reviews level the playing field for self-published authors. Today, people are less inclined to read paper magazines and newspapers. They go online for information. Reviews posted at Amazon and other online sites are more accessible than print reviews. Reader Views and RebeccasReads are examples of reliable online book reviewers of both traditional and self-published books.

Free vs. Paid Reviews

Authors generally expect free book reviews; that was standard in the twentieth centuryadvertisements paid for the book reviews in print media. Today, however, authors must cover the cost of book reviews. A book reviewer may spend hours reading a book and writing a review, and he deserves compensation for his work. Consequently, authors must budget for the cost of book reviews. Authors are recommended to budget for mailing out a minimum of twenty books for review.

How Do Paid Book Reviews Work?

Paid reviews have multiple advantages. Most publications that offer free reviews do not guarantee a book review because of the volume of books submitted. Only by paying for a review can one be guaranteed. Reputable book reviewers will provide a review within a specific timelinetwo weeks is standard. They will also provide a review tear-sheet for your use, and give you permission to quote the review, provided you credit them. Many reviewers will also post your review online at such places as their own website, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Ezine Articles, Goodreads and Authors Den.

Several online book reviewers, such as Reader Views, will give you the option of a free or paid book review. Reader Views will review the book for free provided one of their reviewers is interested in it. If no one opts to review it after three months, the book is returned without a review. If authors do not want to wait three months for a review, an express review can be purchased to guarantee a review within two weeks.

Several book reviewers, including Reader Views, also offer various publicity packages ranging from a single book review, to written and podcast radio interviews, virtual book tours, and book videos. Such packages allow authors the opportunity to get book reviews and publicity within their budget.

Just because you pay for a book review does not mean a good review is guaranteed. It is better to receive an honest review than one that gives false praise. The reviewers reputation is at stake here; readers will not appreciate being misled to waste their time and money on a book that does not meet their expectations.

How Do I Use a Book Review to Sell Books?

Before you do anything with your book review, make sure you know what permissions the reviewer has given you for using the review. Are you allowed to use it in whole or only a certain percentage? Can you reprint it or quote from it?

Once you know your rights, some suggestions for using the review to help sell books are:

Post it to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Ezine Articles, Authors Den, Goodreads, Myspace etc. if the reviewer has not already done so.
Quote from the review on your book cover and the inside end papers. (If your book is already printed, use the review when you run a second printing).
Include the review in your press kit to gain more media attention.
Post and distribute the review at your book signings.
Post the review on your website.
Send copies of the review in your email newsletters.

Final Comments

More information about book reviews will be covered in future articles. But for now, here are a couple closing points:

1.Be professional. Send the reviewer a thank you note. Whether you receive a positive or negative review, the reviewer has done you a favor. The reviewers comments will help you improve your next book or the next edition of your book. Even a negative review can be used to build a positive relationship with a reviewer, who will appreciate your professionalism. The book world is a small place and you do not want word to spread that you are difficult. Seek to build long-term relationships with book reviewers, and through them, with your reading audience.

2.Be prepared for the book review to increase your book sales! A good review is worthless if you do not have copies of books to sell. Be prepared to fulfill your book orders so your customers are satisfied. After all, you want your book to be a bestseller!

Tyler R. Tichelaar, Ph.D. is the Associate Editor at Reader Views, he has interviewed over 130 authors, written more than 50 book reviews, and edited and evaluated manuscripts for publication. Reader Views is one of the most respected and fastest growing online author publicity services today. For more information visit www.readerviews.com.

"Love, Mommy: Writing Love Letters to Your Baby" Book Review
By Susie Cortright

  "What was I like as a baby?"

All moms know how their kids' eyes light up when they hear stories about themselves as babies and young children.

All moms also know that when a mother takes the time to record these precious stories in written form, she preserves a mystery and a magic that is impossible to recapture any other way.

Still, even the most well-intentioned of us (myself included) have a hard time following through when we have something we wish to write down, particularly those everyday details that make up our lives. Sometimes we are swept away by the daily tasks of motherhood and sometimes we are simply too deep in the enjoyment of the experience itself to take the time out to write about it just then. Sometimes it all seems too much to do, but more often it is a gentle ebbing away of the time.

In Love, Mommy: Writing Love Letters to Your Baby, Judy Siblin-Librach leads us on a journey that helps us capture the major milestones (the birth story, the first day at school) as well as those that may not immediately come to mind (the first time your child caught a baseball, the way her hugs felt, the first time she went through a car wash).

Siblin-Librach's writing style is elegant, perfectly capturing the depth of emotion that all mothers feel at one point or another. We are in good hands with a natural-born poet and mother who will lead us into creating and recording the lyrics of our own lives.

Part of the beauty of this book is the way Siblin-Librach makes it simple to write these life stories, whether or not you have ever enjoyed the process of writing in the past. The book is equally helpful in bringing back memories you may have thought were gone, just in case your baby has grown.

Siblin-Librach opens each chapter with incisive questions to prompt your writing, followed by sample letters from her own family. These examples can really help you to get an idea of all the different ways you can take a particular letter. The author includes notes to parents about how to write the letter, as well as tips and ideas to keep you inspired in this grand task. This book helps us to record the specific stories and memories, as well as the deeper story: the wisdom, the life lessons and the wishes you have for your child.

Judy Siblin-Librach has written a beautiful and heartfelt book that simplifies the process and that reminds us that it need not be a big deal to record these memories and to give ourselves and our children the greatest gift. In doing so, she has given a gift to all mothers and all those who will be mothers.

Susie Cortright is the founder of several popular websites, including Susies-Coupons.com, BestSelfHelp.com and Momscape.com, where you can register to win gift cards from top online merchants.

The Power of Book Reviewers in Book Marketing
By Ray Subs

  Writing, editing, and getting a book published is a lot of hard work, unfortunately it does not guarantee any tangible sales. In fact, most books published each year fail to sell more than a few dozen copies, creating a very competitive and cut throat book marketing industry. There are many ways people will tell you to market a book, however the most effective is usually attributed to book reviews.

Custom book reviews not only provide an author with substantial buzz for a new book, it also lends the book a sense of credibility that would be otherwise void. There are certainly no shortage of great books on the market today, however only a small percentage of them have the necessary book reviews to urge people to take action.

Next time you are on a book merchants website, have a look at a book that has no reader reviews and ask yourself if you buy this book? Chances are you would pass on buying this book in an effort to find a better, more reviewed book that people can give you some information on before buying it. The bottom line is that book reviewers provide a valuable service to book buyers by taking the mystery out of buying a book.
For whatever reason book merchants typically supply a short and concise review of the book by the publisher. This review offers often too little information for a book buyer to take action. It is therefore up to the book reviewers to provide all the needed info that persuades a book buyer to get their wallet out and click the purchase now button.

Book reviewers are unfortunately a rare breed, as the population of the world turns more and more to TV, DVDs, the internet, and other forms of entertainment. This creates a large demand for high quality book reviews, and thus the price is driven up by major publicity firms that offer such services. Thankfully there are several firms that specialize in affordable book review services, allowing authors to reap all the benefits of custom book review without the big price tag.

Affordable book reviewers can be found, and should be sought out for those interested in gaining major publicity without having to get a second mortgage on their home or put the family dog to work delivering newspapers each morning just to pay your PR firm bill. Further the author that utilizes book review services can see an immediate result in their publicity efforts because book reviews can be completed in a minimal amount of time.

There are many reasons why authors choose to get their books reviewed, but most reasons seem to stem back to the fact that book reviews actually work, and thus it is a safe investment for the author to make.

Ray Subs is a book review expert and staff member of the innovative affordable book review service Reader Spoils. For more information about him and his book review services visit www.ReaderSpoils.com

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Last Updated ( Monday, 21 July 2008 )
 
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