Getting your self-published book reviewed

A standard procedure for book promotion is mailing copies of your book out for book reviews. You can conduct a search on Google for “freelance book reviewers” to find reviewers, sometimes categorized by subject. Freelance reviewers often have writing assignments for larger media venues and it is often more successful to contact them directly than through larger magazines or newspapers.

As you seek out reviews on your own, remember that some magazines are more inclined to only review books that have not yet been published while others will want the chance to review it immediately after publication, so it is in your best interest to start this part of the process right away.

If you are serious about getting book reviews, you should send out copies to these publications sooner rather than later.

Also, ask yourself what the specific market is for YOUR book. Once you know your answer, ask yourself what sort of magazines, newspapers, websites, or periodicals those people read.  The more you narrow down your audience, the more efficient and cost effective your book marketing campaign will be.  Send a review copy to every magazine, newspaper, website, blog, or newsletter your potential audience may read.

When you send out a book for review, always include a complimentary copy of the book, a professional cover letter, and a sales sheet and/or a press release.

To get you started, here is contact information for a syndicated book reviewer who is known to write reviews for self published books:

Gary Roen

Syndicated Reviewer

1600 Hull Circle

Orlando, FL  32806

Self Published Book Review of the Week: The Adventures of PJ and Split Pea

The Adventures of PJ and Split Pea, Vol. 1: Fine Feathered Friends

by S.D. Moore

This self-published book was recently reviewed by www.readerviewskids.com:

“The Adventures of PJ and Split Pea, Vol. 1: Fine Feathered Friends” begins with a boy named PJ trying to decide what kind of pet he wants to get. After not being able to decide he hears a voice say hi to him. He sees that it is a bird named Split Pea. Nobody has wanted to bring Split Pea home because his feathers look like they have splits in them, so the pet shop owner just gives him to PJ.

Cayden: “In the beginning of the book it said they were going to the pet shelter to get a pet that was lost or that someone got rid of but then on the next page they were in a pet store. A pet store isn’t the Humane Society. We went to the Humane Society and brought the dogs treats and other stuff, remember? I liked that he got a bird that no one else wanted though. That was good that they gave it a home. It was funny when PJ tried to fix Split Pea’s wings. I liked that the bird could talk to him.”

Parent’s comments:
I agree with Cayden that there was a little bit of an inconsistency in the beginning about stating that “his mom was going to take him to the pet shelter to adopt a lost and abandoned pet” and then three sentences later it says that “PJ and his mom arrive at Mr. Peppy’s Pet Store.” However, they do end up with a pet that no one else seems to want so it all evens out in the end. The story of PJ and Split Pea was a creative one and we enjoyed reading about all of the “solutions” to the split wing problem. I also liked the great lessons taught in the story of self-acceptance and of accepting others the way that they are. We recommend “The Adventures of PJ and Split Pea, Vol. 1: Fine Feathered Friends” by S.D. Moore.

For more information or to buy the book, visit the author’s webpage: www.outskirtspress.com/pjandsplitpea


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Self-Published Book Review of the Week: The Heroes of Googley Woogley

The Heroes of Googley Woogley

by Dalton James

This self-published book was recently reviewed by www.readerviewskids.com:

“The Heroes of Googley Woogley” is a creative book written and illustrated by seven-year-old Dalton James. The book tells the story of a boy and his father going off to space to help the people of the rectangle-shaped plant of Googley Woogley.  Cayden: “I liked that a kid wrote this book and drew the pictures. He colors and stays in the lines good like me. I liked the pictures of the SooDos and the SooDonts. My favorite part was when the bad guys got stuck. That was funny! This was a good story.”

Parent’s comments:
We found “The Heroes of Googley Woogley” to be an interesting and fun book. I love the fact that it was created by a child! I hope that Dalton James continues to follow his dreams and produce more work in the future.

For more information or to buy the book, visit the author’s webpage: www.outskirtspress.com/DaltonJames


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Self-Published Book Review of the Week: By the Side of the Buffalo Pasture

Buffalo Pasture.coverBy the Side of the Buffalo Pasture

By Lisa Boblett

Recent review for By the Side of the Buffalo Pasture:

Kathleen Buerer’s memoir, By the Side of the Buffalo Pasture, evokes yearning for meaning in life. This woman of courage left a materially comfortable existence in pursuit of that which is intangible yet as necessary as water. Clearly and compassionately, she describes her experience of leaving her position with the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington DC and the promise of a “fat retirement check” in search of something more.

That something more begins to unfold after she reads a newspaper article about the birth of a White Buffalo on a farm in Janesville, Wisconsin. She plans to visit the farm during her next trip to the Midwest. When she gets there, she feels drawn to Miracle, a “muddy beast” that in Native American culture represents the fulfillment of an ancient prophesy.

While many in midlife might turn to materialism to avoid confronting the mystery of life, Buerer chooses to delve deeper into life’s purpose and find meaning in her own existence. She visits Miracle repeatedly over the animal’s life span of 10 years and finds herself learning lessons from those encounters. She becomes more sensitive to the environment. “Love the Earth” is fixed in her subconscious. She becomes sharply aware of consumerism and the carelessness of the modern age and examines what it means to be a woman, a keeper of the earth, a mother.

Miracle, the White Buffalo, represents an era that has passed and the author romanticizes a simpler time when herds of buffalo roamed the plains offering their lives to sustain Native peoples. The captivating mythological
Legend of the White Buffalo Calf Woman is beautifully retold and reminds us of the wisdom in the search for the still voice within. Buerer poignantly takes us back to the simplicity of the earth, the beauty of nature and the search for those things that make life worth living – love, compassion and honoring the planet and all of its inhabitants.

This book is an easy read. And well worth the journey.

To find out more about the author and her work visit www.kathleenbuerer.com.

 

 

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Self Published Book Review of the Week: Drift

sb10067280c-001Drift

by Sara San Angelo

Recent reviews for Drift:

“I had to force myself to put it down so I could savor it.  One of the best books I’ve read!”–Jackie Giorna
 
“There are so many life lessons in this book that I don’t think I will ever see things the same again.”  Cathy Raymonds

For more information or to order the book, visit http://www.driftnovel.com/


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