As an author in the self-publishing industry, reviews for your book are very important. A book published by an unknown author has little chance of gaining attention, while the same book (and the same “unknown” author) with a number of positive reviews can begin to gain momentum. Those positive reviews can help persuade potential new readers to buy the book and the word-of-mouth continues.
You may have already received reviews from some of your friends or colleagues, so what next? There are some free review services where you can send a copy of your book. These services are a great resource; however, because they are free, the reviewers get inundated with books and can’t review every book they receive. Their services can also take several months and the reviews are not guaranteed to be good.
In addition to free review services, there are some services available where you can pay to be guaranteed a review. That said, the review is still not guaranteed to be good, but if you are confident in your book (which you should be, after all you wrote and published it!), you shouldn’t need to worry about that.
Here are three pay-for-review services you can start with:
BLUE INK REVIEW
A Standard Review is $395 for the review to be completed in 7-9 weeks.
A Fast Track Review is $495 for the review to be completed in 4-5 weeks.
BlueInk considers for review any book that has been published (self-published and indie published). They review e-books, on-demand books, printed books in any format, English translations and English-language submissions from outside the United States, as well as galleys. They do not review manuscripts pre-publication.
FOREWORD CLARION REVIEW
The cost is $305 and turnaround time is 6-8 weeks.
Open to all books and publishers, Clarion promises an objective 400 – 500 word review/critique with a quick six to eight week turnaround. The review will be posted on the ForeWord website (if the publisher desires), licensed to the three top wholesale databases, and made available to the book’s publisher. This service is ideal for books that haven’t received review attention elsewhere.
KIRKUS INDIE REVIEW
Standard review is completed in 7-9 weeks for $425.
Express review is completed in 3-4 weeks for $575.
The Kirkus Indie program gives independent authors a chance to obtain an unbiased, professional review of their work, written in the same format as a traditional Kirkus review. A book review can be an essential and powerful tool for promoting your book to literary agents, traditional publishing houses, booksellers, and, most importantly, potential readers.
DISCUSSION: What are your thoughts on pay-for-review services like these? Do you have experience with any of the above?
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ABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT: Kelly Schuknecht works as the Director of Author Support for Outskirts Press. In addition to her contributions to the Outskirts Press blog at blog.outskirtspress.com, Kelly and a group of talented marketing experts offer book marketing services, support, and products to not only published Outskirts Press authors, but to all authors and professionals who are interested in marketing their books and/or careers. Learn more about Kelly on her blog at http://kellyschuknecht.com. |
[...] Go here to see the original Book Review: Should You Pay for a Book Review? « Self Publishing Advisor [...]
[...] here to see the original: Should You Pay for a Book Review? « Self Publishing Advisor [...]
As a successful self-publisher, I have never used pay-for-review services and I never will. My opinion is that a writer would have to be quite desperate to use these services. What’s more, I don’t think there would be much of a return of the investment. The reviews that will count will be unpaid reviews and those on Amazon.com .
Ernie J. Zelinski
Author of “How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free”
(Over 125,000 copies sold and published in 9 languages)
and “The Joy of Not Working”
(Over 250,000 copies sold and published in 17 languages)
[...] wrote a few weeks ago about paying for book reviews. If it isn’t in your marketing budget to pay for reviews or you simply want to pursue free [...]
[...] wrote a few weeks ago about paying for book reviews. If it isn’t in your marketing budget to pay for reviews or you simply want to pursue free [...]
[...] Well, you’d be surprised. But if I never write another review on Suess’s Pieces again, I’m okay with that. [...]
One thing that all writers need – traditionally published, Indie or self-published – and that is good reviews. What do you all think of these new services, like The Digital IN, which enable authors to commission reviews @ Amazon and Goodreads and other key book sites? I know publishers have been giving away ARC review copies and other premiums to reviewers forever, but is this different? And how important are these reader reviews anyway?