Having your book reviewed is a very effective way to market your book. It is also a great way to know if your book is really up to scratch when it comes to competing with other writers.
Indeed, having a positive book review is like gold for some authors. This is because a positive review, especially from a well-respected reviewer could raise your reputation as a writer, and compel more readers to buy your book.
You must know though, that there are a multitude of writers coming out of the woodwork every day. Which means that you will have a lot of competition and that your book will have to be at the best possible condition.
But having your book reviewed is also a great risk, because the smallest detail could result in your book being rated low. So before you have your book reviewed you should make sure that everything is as close to perfect as possible.
Here are 7 things you should check before having your book reviewed.
- Double check every aspect of your book
It is always a good idea to double check every aspect of your work. Before you even have it looked over by a professional, you should do a thorough check on your book.
This is important because, no one knows your book more than you. No one knows the story better than you and no one knows your writing better than you.
So before you have your book looked over by a professional, take the time to double check everything.
- Hire professional help
When it comes to making sure that your book is up to scratch for a review, it always pays to have your book reviewed by a professional.
Sure, you can have your book edited by family and friends but seeing as they are not professionally trained or have any experience doing it, there is a chance that they will do a subpar job.
So if you want your book to be given a high rating, it is always a good idea to hire professional help. That way you are assured that your work will be given the best possible editing.
Be mindful though that not all editors and other publishing professionals have the same level of skill and experience. So if you are looking for professional help, it always pays to be discerning.
Don’t just hire the first person you find on the internet. Instead, you have to be as picky as possible. Check their background, experience and even the companies that they have worked in.
By doing so, you are making sure that you are getting your money’s worth.
- Know your competition
Before you even think of having your book reviewed it is important that you check on your competition. Your competition are those authors who are in the same genre and level as you.
For example, you are writing in science fiction and they too are writing in science fiction.
They also have the same target market as you and even started their writing careers around the same time as you.
They are your competition because they will most likely market their books to the same people as you. This also means that you will have to make a book that is better than theirs.
So before you have your book reviewed make sure that your work is in no way similar to any work they have released in the past. That way, there will be no comparisons of your book with theirs.
- Set up an author platform
An author platform is a place from which you can conduct your book marketing campaign. And seeing as the world is quite internet dependent nowadays it is a good idea to create an author blog for yourself.
From this author blog you will be able to market your book and gain an online presence. It is also a way for you to fully utilize the benefits of a positive book review.
So before you have your book reviewed, it is important that you have an author platform set up. That way, once you do have your book reviewed, you will have a platform that can utilize your book review in the best way possible.
- Make sure that your book is labeled in the right genre
One of the worst mistakes you can make before having your book reviewed is assigning your book with the wrong genre.
Not only will this confuse reviewers and make you look sloppy, it will it also lower your chances of getting good reviews.
This is because in order to give good and accurate reviews, book reviewers must know your book’s exact genre.
Thus if you mistakenly put your book in the wrong genre, you are unknowingly destroying your chances of getting a positive book review.
So before you have your book reviewed double check your work and make sure that it is in the right genre.
- Find book review options
Once everything is perfect with your book, then now is the perfect time to look for a book reviewer. But the main question is, where can you get your book reviewed?
Where do you usually find book review services? Where can you find reviewers that will make book reviews of any book?
Well in truth, book reviewers are not really that hard to find. But they really vary in quality and affordability. Here are some tips on how to get your book reviewed.
- Approach book bloggers. This is by far the cheapest and attainable method of getting your book reviewed. What you do is approach book bloggers and give them a free copy of your work. Luckily most book bloggers are quite amiable and can be usually relied on to make book reviews. The only setback here is that they are not really under any pressure to finish reading the book. So if you are in a hurry to get your book reviewed then you are in for a long wait.
- Cultivate relationships with other authors. By cultivating good relationships with fellow authors you can ask them to review your work as a favor.
- If you are a self-published author you can also approach self-publishing companies such as BookVenture. By signing up with BookVenture, you are technically given the chance to have your book reviewed by well know book review companies and it will also be included in the BookVenture Online bookstore.
- Approach top online reviewers such as Amazon and goodreads. Scoring a book review is quite rare but valuable. This is because a good number of people use these sites as a way to gauge the quality of a book. So getting a good review from one of these sites is a very effective way to enhance your reputation as a writer.
- Ready yourself for any outcome
Once you do send in your work for review, then you should realize that your work is done and you no longer have a say in the reviewer’s decision.
So whether your book review is positive or negative, you should be ready for it. If it’s positive then all’s well and good.
You can use it to further enhance your reputation as a writer. If not, then take the hit and move on. Learn from the review and become an even better writer.