The Art of Reviewing: A thread for anyone who enjoys reviewing!

[Williamlk]

I thought it might be nice to start a thread for authors actively seeking reviews. I have met a few people (many with distinguished track records) who really enjoy reviewing indie authors.

Any authors seeking reviews from reputable sources, please post your book below. Maybe we can all get some creative and constructive feedback.

I am always curious what a typical reviewer looks for when reading a new book.

And if you are someone that enjoys reviewing, please let us know.
Thanks!

[yakuzaboss]

This sounds like a great idea.

[Worldwalker]

Dunno why, but someone who posts with a title in all caps, boldface text in his post, and wants reviews starting with himself, makes me itch. Maybe it's just me.

[simonroyle]

Originally Posted by Williamlk

So, I'll start...My link is in my sig if anyone is interested in reviewing my book The Voice It's available on Amazon right now for $1.59.
I also have a novel coming out on December 11th that I am very excited about.

Any authors seeking reviews from reputable sources, please post your book below. Maybe we can all get some creative and constructive feedback.

And if you are someone that enjoys reviewing, please let us know.
Thanks!

Hi William, typically it doesn't work this way. Usually YOU send emails to reviewers. Such emails typically include a free copy of your book, and lots of polite words.

Most of the reviewers I know (not to mention "casual" readers here at MR) have TBR queues a little longer than the Nile in rainy season.

After which you wait. If you're lucky you may get a review.

If you're luckier it might be a good review.

Good luck.

[Williamlk]

Originally Posted by Worldwalker

Dunno why, but someone who posts with a title in all caps, boldface text in his post, and wants reviews starting with himself, makes me itch. Maybe it's just me.

Sorry if you took it that way.
That was not my intention at all.

If you have looked at some of my threads you'll notice I also offer free artwork and reviews to authors. This thread was intended to be helpful for everyone. Some of us are just interested in getting better at our craft and meaningful reviews go a long way in helping authors improve.

I just changed the 'boldface text'. Hope that makes you feel better.

Have a nice day!

[ficbot]

Kind of a misleading title, isn't it? It's more about you soliciting a review for your book and not so much a discussion thread for people who enjoy reviewing

I review at least one book a week on my blog. Right now I have a bit of a backlog of TBR books and I pick among them depending on my mood that week (this past week I was sick so I needed a short book---one I had planned on reviewing got pushed back because of this circumstance). Authors do email me, and I turn them away if the book is not my thing. I will also contact authors myself if I find out about an interesting book on my own. Some authors make it harder than it needs to be to track them down, which is their loss

And my reviews are not always glowing If a book is very bad, I won't review it because I won't finish it (life is too short to spend it reading very bad books). But most of the time I do have constructive things to say and I am not shy about it. I do the reviews more for the readers than for the authors

[Williamlk]

[QUOTE=ficbot;1159070]Kind of a misleading title, isn't it? It's more about you soliciting a review for your book and not so much a discussion thread for people who enjoy reviewing

I edited my original post above to help clarify. The point of this thread was not to solicit reviews for myself, I'm sorry if my original post made it seem that way. I would however, be interested in knowing what an average reader/reviewer might look for when choosing a book to review.

I am not talking about professional reviewers (Though I would love to hear some feedback from them as well) I am more interested in the process the average reader may go through when choosing to review.

Again, I am not interested in being selfish and using this thread for promotional purposes. I am just curious.

I am also interested in starting to review more of the books I download. I thought it would be nice to see what others may look for when they post reviews.

[TGS]

So. from where can I obtain a review copy of your book - in and non-tied-to-Kindle format?

[ficbot]

[QUOTE=Williamlk;1159204]

Originally Posted by ficbot

I am not talking about professional reviewers (Though I would love to hear some feedback from them as well) I am more interested in the process the average reader may go through when choosing to review.

It depends on the reader. Just to give you an example, I have traded Fictionwise passwords with my sister in the past and between us, we have probably purchased at least 500 books. Of those, less than half a dozen were of mutual interest. She has far too much trashy supernatural erotica for my taste, and for her part she finds my preferences (mystery, and the occasional pulp sci-fi, or Star Trek novel) equally appalling. A book that would jump out at me would totally pass her by.

There are a few things I categorically will not do because I know they won't appeal to me. I am not a huge fantasy fan (with a few rare exceptions) and tend to ignore anything where the blurb has characters named 'Lord' something, or where they have funny names misspelled from regular ones, or with many apostrophes. And, Star Trek novels aside, I am not a huge fan of the space opera. Those are personal tastes though and have nothing to do with reviewing. If it is a genre I like, and the description grabs me, I will read the sample and go from there.

[GraceKrispy]

I review some indie books sent by authors for review. If I see and purchase an indie book on my own, I'll review it as well. Any interested parties can check out my blog to see my previous reviews. I am honest, and if I see problems (especially with regards to grammar), I note those in my review. It might not be the kind of review everyone is looking for. My complete review policy is on my blog (link in siggy).

I am an average reader who wants to see quality indie books rise to the top. My reviews will hopefully assist those authors writing fantastic books to increase their audience, and help average readers, like myself, find books of interest.

There are many review sites out there, and Simon Royle has put together a list of reviewers as well. Authors who are interested in reviews would be best served by visiting some of those web sites, finding a reviewer who may be interested in the book, and requesting a review through whatever process the review has spelled out. I don't know of any reviewers who seek out authors to review books, it's usually the other way around.

For myself, I appreciate an email with information about the book (including genre) and the author, and any applicable links that help me get a feel for the book.

[DavidRM]

The closest I've come to having a reviewer make an unsolicited request for a copy of my book is a friend of mine saying, "I'll review it if you give me a copy."

-David

[Just4kix]

I posted a thread on another site asking writers if there was any correlation between sales and reader reviews. One author who'd had over 1000 sales said it was about 1%.
It seems that some readers like writing reviews, and some don't.
It would be interesting to know if certain genres get more reviews than others.
I see that fantasy and Sci-fi threads seem to get more hits.

[Williamlk]

Originally Posted by Just4kix

I posted a thread on another site asking writers if there was any correlation between sales and reader reviews. One author who'd had over 1000 sales said it was about 1%.
It seems that some readers like writing reviews, and some don't.
It would be interesting to know if certain genres get more reviews than others.
I see that fantasy and Sci-fi threads seem to get more hits.

I actually get the impression that the amount of tags you have will help sales a bit more than reviews will.

[Just4kix]

Originally Posted by Williamlk

I actually get the impression that the amount of tags you have will help sales a bit more than reviews will.

Tags definitely help sales. If your book appears on the first page it is far more likely to be checked out than those on later pages.
Readers first have to be attracted to your book and click on it before they will see and read the review (unless they see it on a review site or blog)