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The 13 Best Book Review Sites and Book Rating Sites

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Nobody likes to spend money on a new book only to face that overwhelming feeling of disappointment when it doesn't live up to your expectations. The solution is to check out a few book review sites before you hit the shops. The greater the diversity of opinions you can gather, the more confidence you can have that you'll enjoy the title.

Which book review and book rating sites are worth considering? Here are the best ones.

1. Goodreads

Goodreads is arguably the leading online community for book lovers. If you want some inspiration for which novel or biography to read next, this is the book review site to visit.

There's an endless number of user-generated reading lists to explore, and Goodreads itself publishes dozens of "best of" lists across a number of categories. You can do a book search by plot or subject , or join book discussions and reading groups with thousands of members.

You can participate in the community by adding your own rankings to books you've read and leaving reviews for other people to check out. Occasionally, there are even bonus events like question and answer sessions with authors.

2. LibraryThing

LibraryThing is the self-proclaimed largest book club in the world. It has more than 2.3 million members and is one of the best social networking platforms for book lovers .

With a free account, you can add up to 200 books to your library and share them with other users. But it's in the other areas where LibraryThing can claim to be one of the best book review sites.

Naturally, there are ratings, user reviews, and tags. But be sure to click on the Zeitgeist tab at the top of the page. It contains masses of information, including the top books by rating, by the number of reviews, by authors, and loads more.

3. Book Riot

Book Riot is a blog. It publishes listicles on dozens of different topics, many of which review the best books in a certain genre. To give you an idea, some recent articles include Keeping Hoping Alive: 11 Thrilling YA Survival Stories and The Best Historical Fiction Books You’ve Never Heard Of .

Of course, there's also plenty of non-reading list content. If you have a general affinity for literature, Book Riot is definitely worth adding to the list of websites you browse every day.

Bookish is a site that all members of book clubs should know about. It helps you prep for your next meeting with discussion guides, book quizzes, and book games. There are even food and drink suggestions, as well as playlist recommendations.

But the site is more than just book club meetings. It also offers lots of editorial content. That comes in the form of author interviews, opinion essays, book reviews and recommendations, reading challenges, and giveaways.

Be sure to look at the Must-Reads section of the site regularly to get the latest book reviews. Also, it goes without saying that the people behind Bookish are book lovers, too. To get a glimpse of what they’re reading, check out their Staff Reads articles.

5. Booklist

Booklist is a print magazine that also offers an online portal. Trusted experts from the American Library Association write all the book reviews.

You can see snippets of reviews for different books. However, to read them in full, you will need to subscribe. An annual plan for this book review site costs $184.95 per year.

6. Fantasy Book Review

Fantasy Book Review should be high on the list for anyone who is a fan of fantasy works. The book review site publishes reviews for both children's books and adults' books.

It has a section on the top fantasy books of all time and a continually updated list of must-read books for each year. You can also search through the recommended books by sub-genres such as Sword and Sorcery, Parallel Worlds, and Epic Fantasy.

7. LoveReading

LoveReading is one of the most popular book review sites in the UK, but American audiences will find it to be equally useful.

The site is divided into fiction and non-fiction works. In each area, it publishes weekly staff picks, books of the month, debuts of the month, ebooks of the month, audiobooks of the month, and the nationwide bestsellers. Each book on every list has a full review that you can read for free.

Make sure you also check out their Highlights tab to get book reviews for selected titles of the month. In Collections , you'll also find themed reading lists such as World War One Literature and Green Reads .

Kirkus has been involved in producing book reviews since the 1930s. This book review site looks at the week's bestselling books, and provides lengthy critiques for each one.

As you'd expect, you'll also find dozens of "best of" lists and individual book reviews across many categories and genres.

And while you're on the site, make sure you click on the Kirkus Prize section. You can look at all the past winners and finalists, complete with the accompanying reviews of their books.

Although Reddit is a social media site, you can use it to get book reviews of famous books, or almost any other book for that matter! Reddit has a Subreddit, r/books, that is dedicated to book reviews and reading lists.

The subreddit has weekly scheduled threads about a particular topic or genre. Anyone can then chip in with their opinions about which books are recommendable. Several new threads are published every day, with people discussing their latest discovery with an accompanying book rating or review.

You'll also discover a weekly recommendation thread. Recent threads have included subjects such as Favorite Books About Climate Science , Literature of Indigenous Peoples , and Books Set in the Desert . There’s also a weekly What are you Reading? discussion and frequent AMAs.

For more social media-like platforms, check out these must-have apps for book lovers .

10. YouTube

YouTube is not the type of place that immediately springs to mind when you think of the best book review sites online.

Nonetheless, there are several engaging YouTube channels that frequently offer opinions on books they've read. You’ll easily find book reviews of famous books here.

Some of the most notable book review YouTube channels include Better Than Food: Book Reviews , Little Book Owl , PolandBananasBooks , and Rincey Reads .

Amazon is probably one of your go-to site when you want to buy something. If you don’t mind used copies, it’s also one of the best websites to buy second-hand books .

Now, to get book reviews, just search and click on a title, then scroll down to see the ratings and what others who have bought the book are saying. It’s a quick way to have an overview of the book’s rating. If you spot the words Look Inside above the book cover, it means you get to preview the first few pages of the book, too!

Regardless of the praises or criticisms you have heard from other book review sites, reading a sample is the most direct way to help you gauge the content’s potential and see whether the author’s writing style suits your tastes.

12. StoryGraph

StoryGraph is another good book review site that's worth checking out. The book rating is determined by the site's large community of readers. Key in the title of a book you're interested in and click on it in StoryGraph's search results to have an overall view of its rating.

Each book review provides information on the moods and pacing of the story. It also indicates whether the tale is plot or character-driven, what readers feel about the extent of character development, how lovable the characters generally are, and the diversity of the cast.

13. London Review of Books

The London Review of Books is a magazine that covers a range of subjects such as culture, literature, and philosophy. Part of its content includes amazingly detailed book reviews. If you feel that most modern book reviews are too brief for your liking, the London Review of Books should suit you best.

You'll gain insight into the flow and themes of the story, as well as a more thorough picture of the events taking place in the book.

Read Book Reviews Before You Buy

The book review sites we've discussed will appeal to different types of readers. Some people will be more comfortable with the easy-to-interpret book rating systems; others will prefer extensive reviews written by experienced professionals.

Although it’s easy to be tempted by a gorgeous book cover, it’s always best to have a quick look at the book reviews before actually buying a copy. This way, you can save your money and spend it on the books that you’ll be proud to display on your shelves for a long time. And check out recommendations, as well, to help you find what's worth reading.

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Stay tuned as we reveal the top book review sites for 2024! Whether you’re in the mood for a classic drama, a modern thriller, or an enlightening non-fiction, there’s a review site that can point you in the right direction.

We’ve also included the advantages of every book review site for readers and authors. So without wasting time, let’s get started!

Ensure your book gets the glowing reviews it deserves! Learn more

1. Goodreads

Goodreads stands out as a titan in the field of book review sites, especially in 2024. As the biggest community of readers, authors, and reviewers on the internet, you can find reviews for almost every book on Goodreads.

You can also join reading groups, catalog books, engage in discussions with fellow readers, and follow your favorite authors. Moreover, by integrating Goodreads with your Kindle account, you can track your reading progress, get personalized book recommendations, and write reviews that get posted on both Goodreads and Amazon automatically.

Subscription Fee: None

2. Kirkus Reviews

Present since 1933, Kirkus Reviews is one of the oldest book review websites that has earned a reputation for its authoritative and unbiased reviews. You can access quality book reviews for a variety of genres either on the website, by subscribing to the free weekly email newsletter, or by subscribing to the paid semi-monthly magazine.

The main advantages of Kirkus Reviews include access to “best of” lists across many categories and reviews about each book mentioned in the list. The only downside to Kirkus Reviews is the paid nature of the magazine, which can limit access to reviews of new bestsellers to only a few people.

Subscription Fee: Ranging from $49 to $179, based on the chosen duration of the subscription.

3. LibraryThing

LibraryThing, a book lover’s haven for cataloging books, is one of the best book review websites. It offers a robust platform for readers to explore reviews, rate books, and meticulously organize their collections by genre.

The charm of LibraryThing lies in its social features—you can connect with fellow readers, share your bookshelves, and exchange thoughts on your latest reads. It’s a cozy corner on the internet for those who take pleasure in tracking their reading journey and finding kindred spirits within the pages of their favorite genres.

Apart from these features, LibraryThing provides a feature for authors to create their own Author’s page. Besides this, LibraryThing provides readers the opportunity to meet with fellow readers and authors by releasing updates about local book events.

4. Book Riot

Book Riot is one of the most versatile book review sites where you can access fictional and non-fictional book reviews, articles, and essays about top books across different genres. In addition to this, you can access information about discount deals for e-books and printed books and purchase from a huge variety of book merchandise.

The one thing that sets Book Riot apart from other sites is access to podcasts, which you can listen to if you don’t feel like reading book reviews. The only downside to Book Riot is that the site’s format doesn’t provide the feel of a traditional book review experience.

Subscription Fee: $4.99/month for authors who subscribe to Book Riot Insiders for information about new releases.

5. LoveReading

LoveReading emerges as a cherished resource among book review sites, particularly for its UK-based but globally accessible content. As one of the top professional book review sites, it allows you to access ebook and audiobook reviews across multiple genres.

The advantages of LoveReading include access to books and debuts of the month, weekly staff picks, and yearly list features. The only downside to LoveReading is the limited availability of reviews about books published outside the UK.

Amazon is one of the top free book review sites in 2024. It allows readers to rate books using a 1–5 star scale and receive a verified purchase tag after they have purchased books, increasing the authenticity of their reviews. Additionally, readers can engage with each other by adding comments to other reviews and stand a chance to receive a higher ranking if their reviews are well-received by a larger audience.

7. Booklist

Booklist, a veteran publication by the American Library Association since 1905, has evolved into a premier online destination for book reviews. You can look at the reviews of many print and audiobooks from various genres on Booklist.

The benefits of using Booklist include access to webinars and a variety of newsletters like Read Alert, Booklandia, and more. The only downside to Booklist is that it doesn’t provide a space for reader interaction or discussion, which restricts the community aspect of the reading experience.

Subscription Fee: $184.95/year

8. Publishers Weekly

Dominating the publishing world since 1872, Publishers Weekly is one of the oldest children’s mystery and romance book review sites. Apart from book reviews, it provides access to news about upcoming books.

The advantages of Publishers Weekly are access to the latest industry news, stats, bestseller lists, and exciting podcasts about authors and contemporary books. The only downside to Publishers Weekly is that you need to pay a subscription fee to have complete access to the content present on this site.

Subscription Fee: $15/month

9. NetGalley

NetGalley is one of the top book review sites for authors and readers alike. Readers can view reviews, request advanced reader copies (ARCs), and write reviews about pre-released books by various authors. Also, readers can check out book reviews, recommendations, and the must-read section at Bookish, an editorially independent division of NetGalley.

The only downside to NetGalley is that it can be difficult to secure ARCs of highly anticipated books due to fierce competition among reviewers.

10. Fantasy Book Review

This site includes various categories for book reviews such as urban fantasy, high/epic fantasy, dystopian/post-apocalyptic fiction, magic users, and heroic/ sword and sorcery, etc. Depending on the category, book reviews for the best fantasy books are added to the website. With this, the site also provides readers with a list of the top 100 fantasy books of all time, recommendations of fantasy series, and interviews with fantasy authors.

Check out the top ten book review sites mentioned above to find your next best read, and let these curated sites lead you to memorable stories and transformative literary adventures. If you need help to create perfect book reviews or refine your book, consider our professional editing and proofreading services for assistance.

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Ten Honest Review Sites for New Authors

Books flood into review sites, and the sheer numbers overwhelm book review editors. They must make choices: the big New York publishers or the little guys?

Publicists are Tweeting the editors and importuning them with e-mails. “Well, are you going to review my guy or gal or not?”

Probably not. There’s just not time. And the number of newspapers with book review sections keeps shrinking.

If this is publishing’s new reality, how are unknown authors supposed to get pithy, cover quotes? Hire a publicist? Sure, but not everyone can afford that.

If you want to throw a “Hail Mary,” you can join the National Book Critics Circle and gain access to the members of that organization. Alternately, you can monitor the group’s Twitter feed and collect Twitter addresses. Be forewarned, however.

Without a publicist, small presses, independent publishers, and self-published authors have very little chance of making it into the book review sections of national newspapers.

But, don’t give up yet. There are paid and unpaid review sites that will give you what you want–a “money quote.”

The Money Quote

Long before a book goes to press, the author or publisher needs to solicit reviews. Why? Because it’s good to have a “money quote.” That’s a single sentence you can put on the cover to promote it.

Here’s the money quote for my novel, Montpelier Tomorrow . “An affecting, deeply honest novel; at the same time, a lacerating indictment of our modern health care system.”– Kirkus Review

And, here’s a money quote for Bonds of Love & Blood . “MacDonald applies insight, power, and delicacy to create characters between whom the psychic space virtually sizzles.”– Foreword Reviews

You need quotes like these in your marketing campaign. That campaign can involve Tweets, blog tours, press releases, podcasts, and speaking engagements. But, all that effort begins with you deciding which review sites you’re going to target.

In this post I’m going to cover free review site and sites that charge money. Sometimes the same review organization will do both. ( Foreword Reviews, Kirkus Review , and Publishers Weekly/BookLife are examples of two-tiered review sites.)

The Skinny on Review Sites

I’ve seen disparaging comments on the web about sites that charge authors money in exchange for reviews. Honestly, it’s a very competitive world out there, and most sites that want you to pay for a review do not guarantee a positive outcome.

The reviewer can pan your book or give it a lukewarm endorsement. In that case (since you’ve forked over money), you can ask the site not to publish; but that’s the only break you’re going to get. Money doesn’t buy happiness, and it doesn’t buy a five-star review.

I’ve solicited both paid and unpaid reviews. Some of the paid reviews have been the best, not because I bought the reviewers’ good opinion, but because the readers took time to read thoroughly and respond in a “feelingful” way.

Apart from reviews, what authors want most is that vital connection with readers. Our chances improve if the review sites allow reviewers to self-select from among the many books available for review. One site, for instance, says they receive 1,000 books per month. There’s no way the editor who manages that rising tide can possibly know which readers who will be receptive. As I said, review sites are literally being inundated.

Review Sites | Free or Cheap

The Midwest Book Review — This is a site that favors small presses. If the book has not yet been published, the author or publisher can pay a $50 “reader fee” (which is an administrative fee) and MBR will assign a reviewer. At that point the author or publisher will send the reviewer a pre-publication manuscript, galley, uncorrected proof, ARC, or pdf file . Turnaround isn’t instantaneous, so it’s important to allow enough time, especially if you want a money quote for your book cover.

If your book is too far along to qualify for a pre-publication review, you can still try to get one from MBR, one of the oldest and most respected review sites in the country. The editor, James Fox, asks that you send two copies of the book, a press release, and a physical address to which they can mail the review.

If the book isn’t picked up by one of their volunteer reviewers during the 12 to 14-week time window, you can submit a review from any other reviewer (with their permission), and they’ll run the review in their newsletter.

While you’re on their site make sure you take note of their info about Book Review Magazines Used by Librarians and Other Book Reviewers . The latter is a helpful list because it includes review sites for academic books.

Foreword Reviews is one of my favorite sites for small and independent presses and for indie authors .

“To be considered for a review in the pages of Foreword Reviews magazine, a review copy (printed or digital) of the title in question must be received in the Foreword offices at least two months prior to the book’s firm publication date. Once we have our hands on your book, our managing editor will carefully critique whether it meets our editorial standards. We receive hundreds of worthy titles every month. Due to space limitations, we’re only able to review 150 books per issue of the quarterly magazine. If your book did not make the cut, we also offer objective, 450-word reviews (including a star rating) by Clarion Reviews , Foreword ‘s fee-for-review service.”

These folks produce a beautiful magazine, and their reviewers are great. Unlike Kirkus Review (more on that in a minute) Foreword Reviews does not charge for its reviews. I’m very proud that my short story collection, BONDS OF LOVE & BLOOD , is a finalist for their IndieFab awards and that they featured the book in their January issue. The magazine spotlights many books published by university and small presses.

New Pages is a great site for small and independent presses, but not so great for self-published authors and presses that use a POD printer. New Pages doesn’t charge for their reviews, and they are also inundated with new books.

“If you want your book to be considered for a review, please send two copies. We need to keep one in the office to check against any review that might be submitted. Advanced Reading Copies are acceptable.”

Their address is New Pages, PO Box 1580, Bay City, MI 48706. If your book is self-published or published by a POD publisher (such as CreateSpace), they will not review your book , but they will list it on their “Books Received” page. If, in their initial screening, they think your book looks promising, they will offer it to their reviewers, but it is up to the reviewers to choose.

Even if you can’t get a review from these folks, the site is still worth visiting. Don’t overlook their New Pages Guide to Review Sources .

BookLife is a new venture for Publishers Weekly , the big gorilla in the publishing zoo. (If your book’s publisher produces works by multiple authors, then the publisher must submit the book through the Publishers Weekly’s GalleyTracker portal.)

Prior to launching BookLife, an author could only get a book review on PW if the author’s publisher submitted the book and if PW accepted the book for review. With BookLife you’ll have a chance at getting your book reviewed, but only if the book meets their standards .

Amazingly, the review is free. You’ll also find that they’re offering a host of other services, including helpful info about ISBN numbers, social media, and publicity. That is undoubtedly where they intend to make money.

Kirkus Indie Reviews is one of the sites acquisition librarians consult, and Kirkus reviews carry weight with readers. Kirkus Indie needs a lot of lead time–7 to 9 weeks ($425) for a standard submission and 4 to 6 weeks ($575) for a rush job.

If you’re publishing with a small or independent press, and they did not submit your book prior to publication, you can still get it reviewed under Kirkus’s Indie program.

“In the interest of introducing consumers and industry influencers to self-published books they might otherwise never discover, Kirkus Indie does not put any restrictions on publication dates for submissions. You may order a review for a book that’s been on the market for 10 years or for a book that doesn’t even have a publication date yet.”

Kirkus Indie reviews are eligible for Kirkus stars.

I’ve had two books reviewed by Kirkus Reviews . Click the link at left, and see if you can tell the difference between the one I paid for and the one I didn’t. (Hint: The publisher of BONDS OF LOVE & BLOOD submitted an ARC to Kirkus prior to publication.)

Kirkus Review clearly states that they do not review POD (print-on-demand) books except in their Indie program, but both my books were produced using POD technology, and they reviewed them.

Review Sites That Want You To Show Them The Money

Some of my favorite reviews have come from review sites that require a modest payment. Often these sites employ volunteer reviewers, but sometimes, they pay their reviewers for taking the time to write a coherent review.

The US Review of Books is a site that has given both my books great reviews. They state that they “ do not sell editing or manuscript review services on the side . This practice creates a clear conflict of interest with the integrity of a fair and honest review.” ( Kirkus Review does sell editing services.) A basic review with US Review of Books costs $75, but if you’re close to your pub date, you can get an express review for $129. If you’re on Twitter and you include the hashtag #USReview in your Tweet, they will retweet to their list.

An added feature of the US Review of Books site is that it supports the Eric Hoffer Award . This is an award for new books, and it also honors books that have been around for awhile. I’m thrilled that the cover of BONDS OF LOVE & BLOOD is a finalist for the da Vinci Eye award.

The Readers’ Favorite Book Review and Award Contest is one of the review sites that every indie author needs to know about. I know there are a lot of sites out there that have a gajillion categories and steep entry fees. They bilk new authors with the promise of recognition. However, Readers’ Favorite Book Review is different. The people who run the site have high integrity.

The site will do one free review of your book, and the reviews are done by real readers. You can rank your reader, just as your reader ranks you. But, there’s more! For $129 you get three reviews, and for $199 you can order five. In addition to putting the reviews on their site, they will post the reviews to Goodreads and Barnes & Noble (but not to Amazon because Amazon doesn’t accept paid reviews. Oddly, Amazon doesn’t accept reviews from Midwest Book Review , even though that site has been around a long time and has a solid reputation for objectivity.)

If you enter the Readers’ Favorite Award Contest and are one of their finalists, you become eligible to join their Forum. Contest winners share strategies they’ve used to market their books, and I can’t think of another site that’s as genial and helpful as this one.

Last year I won a Gold Medal for Drama for MONTPELIER TOMORROW , and I was invited to attend their award ceremony in Miami, held in conjunction with the Miami Book Fair. It was a first-class event. These folks truly are dedicated to indie authors, and the writers you meet, either in person or online, soon become your friends.

Pacific Book Review is a site that provides reviews and extra features, such as author interviews. The PBR Basic Review Package costs $300, and they post the review to Oasis (a library site), Barnes & Noble, Google Books, the Apple iStore, Authorsden.com, Bookblog.com, and Writers Digest Book Blog. They use professional reviewers who know how to think about–and write about–books.

If you’re in need of another review, they have a second review site called Hollywood Book Reviews . For another $200 you can order a professionally written review/press release and see it posted on all major sites.

Reader Views is another good site for indie authors, as well as small and university presses. Their basic package for one review costs $119, but they have a disclaimer saying that the cost isn’t actually paying for a review, merely for their processing. If you need reader reviews for Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Goodreads, on top of a book review, ask about their book giveaways . What’s good is that you get the reviewers’ email addresses so that you can send them a “thank you” note.

That’s a start! What sites have you found? I’d love to hear about your successes.

Marylee MacDonald is the author of MONTPELIER TOMORROW, BONDS OF LOVE & BLOOD, BODY LANGUAGE, and THE BIG BOOK OF SMALL PRESSES AND INDEPENDENT PUBLISHERS. Her books and stories have won the Barry Hannah Prize, the Jeanne M. Leiby Memorial Chapbook Award, a Readers' Favorites Gold Medal for Drama, the American Literary Review Fiction Prize, a Wishing Shelf Book Award, and many others. She holds an M.A. in Creative Writing from San Francisco State, and when not reading or writing books, she loves to walk on the beach and explore National Parks.

2 Responses to “Ten Honest Review Sites for New Authors”

I review for the following three virtual book tour companies: 1. Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours . Lori offers free review tours for cozy mysteries. She charges for other genres as a way to support the free cozies.

2. Historical Fiction Virtual Blog Tours . They set up and run tours for authors of historical fiction. They have done and do scores of tours. I do not know their pricing structure.

3. TLC Book Tours . Again, scads of tours under their belts and in the pipeline (I have some reviews scheduled out through August.) I do not know their pricing structure here, either.

There are a few other sites for which I review, but they are smaller and/or I haven’t worked with them as much.

Thanks so much for these great links. I knew about TLC, but not the other two.

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17 Places to Find Book Reviewers | IBR Book Marketing Series (Part 8)

17 Places to Find Book Reviewers is an author and publicist resource to helping indies get book reviews. The eighth installment of the IBR Book Marketing series, this post includes both free options and paid options.

17 Places to Find Book Reviewers

by Joe Walters

Book reviewers play an important role in the book-buying process.

As an author, you’re told early and often that you should try to get more book reviews . It’s great for marketing, they say. But is it really?

I’ve been a book marketer for three different indie presses now, having marketed and promoted hundreds of books, and I can say pretty confidently that the answer is yes .

Book reviews are incredibly important. Readers want to buy books that have been vouched by real-life people (like Amazon’s consumer reviews) and experts (like with blurbs & media). Nothing ever guarantees book sales , but getting reviews can at least help. Book marketing is all about about doing the things that can help.

So where you do you find book reviewers?

Let’s explore some options.

Book review publications

Professional book reviewers are a good way to start this list. There are people out there who focus on books across a number of genres; their audience is readers, booksellers, and librarians. The content they publish is about books, and they are experts in the book field. This is different from someone who runs a niche publication, like one about ducks who could review your book about ducks.

If you want to get book reviews, you should definitely try to get reviews from review publications. Here’s a list of 30+ book review sites to get you started.

But there are way more than that. Just type keywords into Google like “[Your Genre] book reviews,” and you’ll find a number of them that are not on our list. Review publications will usually offer the chance of being reviewed for free or to guarantee a review by paying for it. More on that in the paid section!

Amazon is one of the most influential places to get your book reviewed. Not only is it the place that most people buy books, but it’s also the place with the most book & product reviewers.

You can find Amazon reviewers by searching for books similar to yours and reading those reviews. When the reviewer has a picture, click on their name. This means that they created a reviewer profile, and it’s possible they shared information on how to get in contact with them to request reviews in exchange for a free book.

Amazon used to share a list of their top reviewers, but they’ve recently gotten rid of that. This is probably because they were being bombarded by tons of review requests. Take it from me, a guy who gets tons of review requests.

It’s not easy to get book reviews from Amazon consumers, but it is possible. You can increase the amount of reviews you have on there in different ways (like building a launch team), but since that includes people you know, I’ll get to that in #8.

Goodreads is a social networking platform for readers, run by Amazon. Similar to Amazon, reviewers can create profiles and write reviews on book pages. You can find those reviewers by searching similar books to yours on Goodreads and reaching out to them if they share contact information and express interest in free books for review.

But the book pages aren’t the only places to find them! They also have groups and forums on Goodreads. It’s not easy to get reviews by requesting reviews on forums and groups, but it is possible. (Sensing a pattern here?)

Social Networking Sites

Social media has made it easier than ever to connect with likeminded people. Search functions and hashtags enable you to find real people talking about your book’s topic in real time. That means you could find reviewers on Instagram, Facebook (including Facebook Groups), Twitter, the hundreds of Twitter alternatives popping up, TikTok, YouTube, and more.

Want to know the best way to get book reviews from social media?

If you decide that a certain platform is your platform–the one where you will invest the most time and where you will build your following–then you will want to post often, be likable as a human (easy, I know! 😂), and when your book is coming out and/or when it’s out, you can mention a few times how helpful reviews are and that you’d love their support in that regard. Let people know how they can get a free copy in exchange for review. (I like Google Forms !) And again, super important, don’t be pushy!

If you find a book reviewer who doesn’t follow you , follow them. Be real as a follower. Engage with their posts and support them long before you request help from them. Reviewers on social media are sent review requests in their DMs and emails all the time, and they don’t have time for most of them. Build a real relationship with these people—which definitely requires time!—and your chances of converting them into a reviewer for your book will increase.

Book Review Directories & Lists

You can also find book reviewers in long lists and directories online. You have our list of review sites , IndiesToday , Bookbloggerlist , Book Reviewer Yellow Pages , Kindlepreneur, and more. There are a whole lot of reviewers in the world, and a whole lot of reviewers want to appear on those lists. It helps them get more and better books as well as drive more traffic to their websites.

You should definitely check out these lists and directories, but don’t get lost inside them. Some are so long that you could spend all your marketing time combing through them, and you might not even get that many reviews out of it. Since they appear on those lists, other authors have access to them too, meaning they get a ton of pitches. Find some that you like, send some pitches, test if it works, and if it doesn’t, get out of there.

Book & Niche Blogs

Researching & pitching blogs could very well be my favorite way to get more book reviews . Some of the bigger book blogs will get boatloads of review requests per day, but the nice thing here is that NOT ALL BLOGS ARE BIG.

Some have small, dedicated audiences, and some have little to no audiences. I like them both! The nice thing about small blogs is that they’re not inundated with hundreds of review requests, and they often are willing to post their reviews on Amazon and/or Goodreads.

You’re dealing with one person a lot of the time, so you can cultivate a relationship by being kind, supportive, generous (like sending a physical book & a custom bookmark, playlist, etc.), and you can increase your chances of being reviewed for this book AND the next one. You can find blogs by using keywords on Google, social media, and on hosting platforms like WordPress.

There are also a ton of niche blogs out there. If you wrote a travel memoir, you could reach out to travel bloggers who want to read more . Wrote a business book? Business bloggers could be interested in that, especially since they’re not receiving hundreds of book review requests.

Local publications & platforms

Don’t sleep on local platforms! In addition to national publications and review publications, you should definitely look close to home for book reviewers. I’m not saying you’re definitely going to get a review if you pitch a magazine with a local angle, but I am saying that your chances increase with smaller outlets. They may not leave their review on Amazon and their readership might not be in the tens of thousands, but if all it takes is a pitch and sending a book, then I’d say reaching out to local publications is worth it.

Your personal connections

You may get the most traction out of this one. Other authors, friends, colleagues, former teachers, acquaintances, and non-household-sharing family members can be great book reviewers for you.

Here are a few ways you can turn the people you know into book reviewers:

Ask fellow authors to blurb your book. They may want to write a blurb for you because they know you’ll use the blurb for your marketing material like on the back cover, in the opening pages of the book, and graphics. One great way to increase blurbs for your books is by offering to blurb their book first, at the same time, or afterwards.
You can also get writer friends to write a review and submit a review for publication at various review, literary, and local platforms. Instead of asking that team’s staff to do it, you can increase your odds to have that writer offer something already written to them.
Are you publishing with an indie press? Ask your fellow indie authors to write a blurb for you or simply to review it on Amazon and/or Goodreads!
Build a launch team before the book is published. Add a bunch of people who you know will want to support you—like your best friend Jon and Aunt Kate—and ask if they’d join your launch team. Basically, a launch team member is asked to read a book before it is published and then share a review on the day of or a couple days after the book is finally available on Amazon. It is totally fine to get friends and family members to leave reviews, but do note that Amazon can flag family members with the same last name and/or the same address as you and remove the review from the site.
If you run into someone who has read your book in person, it’s totally okay to ask for them to leave a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads. Don’t be pushy and probably don’t follow-up with them if they don’t—your relationship is more important!—but sometimes the first request can result in actual reviews.
Your newsletter

Having (and actually using!) a newsletter is one of my favorite ways to market books. Social media is cool and all, but what happens when the platform you’ve chosen to focus on (like Twitter for example) up and changes everything about it?

Email is as close to direct person-to-person marketing that you can get online. It’s an excellent way to speak with your fans, keep them, and watch your fanbase grow. If you are operating a newsletter (particularly if you have multiple books), you should definitely ask them a few times to leave reviews for your books. Your biggest fans are probably in that email; make sure they know what could help you.

The back of your book

In the back of books, authors and publishers share acknowledgement pages, author bios, and “More books from the author/publisher” pages. You can add a page at the back that requests readers to leave a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads! You can even make it a clickable link for the eBook after you’ve published.

If your reader has already finished reading your book, they are the best possible candidates for leaving book reviews. This means that every time you run a book promotion , you are asking that reader to review your book.

Here’s our guide to selling more books on Amazon .

Sponsored & editorial book reviews

As you’ll see, you won’t get reviews from every single review platform. Sometimes you might not get any. There are not enough review platforms on the planet to cover all the books published on it.

Some review publications offer the chance to guarantee a review by paying for it. It is a chance for authors to appear on reader-focused websites; increase their validity & searchability; add blurbs to their book; get starred reviews and the recognition that comes with it; post something new and exciting to their existing fan-base; appear on book lists; and get real honest engagement with a piece of art they care deeply about.

Here are 5 reader-focused review platforms that offer sponsored or editorial book reviews:

Clarion/Foreword
City Book Review

Have you heard of Pubby? It’s relatively new, but it’s a rapidly growing community where authors review other authors’ books on Amazon. You can do a 10-day free trial, retaining the reviews you get during that time, but then you pay per month to stay on the platform. You’re not allowed to pay for Amazon reviews directly, but this site is a clever little workaround that offers incentives to those who participate.

Reedsy Discovery

I love Reedsy! It may initially be a site where writers can get freelance editors, designers, and marketers, but when you look a little further, you can see that they host a ton of consumer reviewers too. Reviewers can create a profile on there to get access to free books before they publish and earn tips for writing great reviews.

Netgalley is a place where readers & book reviewers go to get free copies of books in exchange for review. There’s a big pool of readers here, and it’s got a safe distribution process that a lot of publishers and review platforms like. It’s pretty expensive for solo indie authors, but publishers could find the expense worth it. Reviews are that hard to come by sometimes. Some authors team up with other authors by joining a co-op where they split the cost to join. Check those out too!

BookSirens is a clean, user-friendly site where authors upload books that are available for review, and reviewers browse available books for review. They also have a large list of book bloggers by genre. You do have to pay for the service, and it won’t always increase your reviews on Amazon, but it can work for the right books. I used it with some (varying) success during my time at Paper Raven Books.

Online Book Club

Online Book Club is a review and social networking site somewhat similar in concept to Goodreads. There are a lot of readers on this platform, and you can advertise on them in hopes of getting reviewed. You can get some free reviews on Online Book Club too, by reaching out to different readers and being active in the groups. Keep that in mind too!

Hidden Gems

Hidden Gems sends out an email every day with new books available to review on it. They do a great job of curating their options, and they even send out review reminders to those who have agreed to review the books. They also share ebook deals—a nice addition to their ARC program. It is a much cheaper option than Netgalley.

Best of luck in finding great book reviewers! If you have any feedback on any of these platforms, please share them in the comments.

About the Author

Joe Walters is the founder and editor-in-chief of Independent Book Review, and he has been a book marketer for Sunbury Press, Inkwater Press, and Paper Raven Books. When he’s not doing editorial, promoting, or reviewing work, he’s working on his novel and trusting the process. Find him @joewalters13 on Twitter.

Thank you for reading Joe Walters’s blog post “17 Places to Find Book Reviewers!” If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

Professional Book Reviews: List of Paid Book Review Sites

In our latest annual publishing industry research, in which where we polled hundreds of publishers, publicists and writers, 91.2% reporting that professional book reviews are important or very important. This is no surprise, as countless studies of consumers all industries consistently show that in terms of influencing sales, reviews are as statistically powerful as recommendations from friends and families.

In an age where any reader can post amateur ratings and reviews books on sites like Amazon, GoodReads and Barnes and Noble, discerning readers still look for independent sources to make their books stand out from the rest. In an increasingly crowded marketplace, books with critical acclaim have a leg up on the competition.

How Professional Book Reviews Compare with Movie and TV Reviews

The need for independent professional reviews is not limited to the book world. It pertains to movie marketing as well.

Professional Book Reviews - list of paid review services

In contrast, the audience scores are reflections of the opinions of the common viewer. These scores, garnered from individuals who have invested their time in viewing the film, offer a glimpse into how the movie has resonated with the public. Through the combination of both scores, Rotten Tomatoes paints a complete picture of the film’s overall reception. The result is a powerful tool for those seeking to make informed decisions about what they watch, as well as to uncover those films and TV shows that are held in high regard by critics and audiences alike.

How The Profile of Book Reviewers Has Changed

Once upon a time, every small, mid and major market newspaper, most magazines, and virtually every weekly publication had salaried book reviewers on staff. These reviewers were often journalists with journalism degrees.

That all changed with one-two punch of the digitization of media and the Great Recession. With the exception of a chosen few publications such as the New York Times and Entertainment Weekly , many professional book reviewers have been downsized or eliminated.

This dire situation has left independent authors vying for the attention of a precious few book reviewers – the same few that are already working with major publishers. And to be completely realistic, if you’re a genre writer – romance, mystery, horror, thrillers and the like – your odds of getting reviewed by mainstream publications aren’t much better than winning the lottery. For the most part, reviewers at mainstream publications prefer to take on either non-fiction or “literature” that doesn’t fit neatly into any genre.

That’s why today professional book reviewers are far less likely to work at major newspapers. While there are still journalists who work in the field, there are also many librarians and professionals with publishing industry experience or a strong passion for literature. Compared with decades past, these individuals are now more likely to write for companies that specialize in professional book reviews than newspapers or magazines.

List of Professional Book Review Outlets

To help, here’s a list of several paid book review services that work with independent authors and small publishers [full disclosure: BestThrillers.com reviews mystery and thriller books ].

1) BestThrillers.com

Reviews are posted on BestThrillers.com, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Goodreads and distributed to our list of email subscribers.

2) Midwest Book Reviews

Here is the MBR’s policy on format as of this writing: “We review audiobooks, CDs, and DVDs, but we can only accept physical review copies in CD, MP3-CD, or DVD format. We cannot accept download links, digital media, or digital media that has been “burned” to a CD.” Check with MBR on process and pricing.

3) Clarion Reviews

The service is clear and straightforward. As of the time of this writing, reviews cost $499 per book with an express delivery option of 4-6 weeks. Check with Clarion for the latest information on process and pricing.

4) Kirkus Reviews

Advice for authors seeking professional book reviews.

So what’s a writer who’s either independent or with a smaller publisher to do?

Rule #1 – Don’t send your books to mainstream reviewers and delay publication for weeks or months, hoping to get lucky. This tactic rarely favors writers without connections.
Rule #2 – Realize that even many well-known writers, at some point in their career, have paid for professional book reviews in one way or another. You’d be surprised at how many brand-name authors have been reviewed by BestThrillers.com or Kirkus .
Rule #3 – Factor a review service into your book marketing budget.
Rule #4 – Realize that even paid book reviews may not always be positive, so it’s wise to use more than one service.
Rule #5 – Make sure the professional book review service also includes distribution. If nobody sees your paid book review, its impact on sales may not be significant.

Frequently Asked Questions about Professional Book Reviews

1. What is a professional book review? A professional book review is a critical assessment of a book written by a knowledgeable reviewer who evaluates various aspects such as plot, writing style, character development, themes, and overall impact. These reviews are often written by individuals with expertise in literature, journalism, or the specific genre of the book. 2. Why are professional book reviews important? Professional book reviews offer potential readers insights into a book’s quality, themes, and overall worthiness. They can help readers make informed decisions about which books to read and also provide authors with feedback that can aid in improving their writing and storytelling skills. 3. How can authors get their books professionally reviewed? Authors can submit their books to various sources for professional reviews, such as literary magazines, newspapers, online review platforms, and reputable book bloggers. Some publishing houses also have in-house reviewers who assess books before publication. 4. Do authors have to pay for professional book reviews? Some review sources offer paid review services. Others provide non-paid reviews, but the largest typically only work with top agents and publishers, leaving out small publishers and indie authors from the equation. 5. What elements are typically covered in a professional book review? A professional book review typically covers elements like the plot summary, characterization, writing style, themes, pacing, originality, and the reviewer’s overall impression. It might also include comparisons to other works or authors within the same genre.

BestThrillers Staff

Best Paid Book Review Sites for Authors

Reviews are the lifeblood of your book’s success. Getting them is vital throughout your author journey, starting from before until long after you launch your piece of writing. Paid services are, of course, well aware of this fact. There are so many to choose from, so if you’re wondering what the best paid book review sites are, keep reading!

Dozens and dozens of companies are happy to take your money in exchange for the promise of landing you some good reviews.

With the many book review sites out there, you might be wondering which one should you choose.

Not All Paid Book Review Sites Are The Same

You can easily find plenty of companies out there that promises reviews in exchange for dollars. But, as much as you’d want them to be, not all of them will turn out effective. In fact, you may come across some that aren’t even legit.

Rather than take you through all the options available, I’ll share the tried-and-tested ones we use to help get your search narrowed down.

Here at Book Launchers, we use:

BookSirens, and
Booksprout for our authors.

Now, you might be thinking, “ A review is a review. So why so many different sites for the same thing?”

Well, if you haven’t noticed, paid book review sites aren’t all the same. Your book category, overall strategy, goals, and who you’re targeting are essential aspects to consider before going with a review company.

Still, every review site has the same ultimate goal: increase your exposure, find new readers for your book, and bump up those review counts.

Not all sites can make sense for every author. The best course of action would be to pick those that best suit your unique needs.

Here are the four best paid book review sites you can rely on for non-fiction authors, each with its distinctive features.

#1 goodreads.

Goodreads is the most popular review site in the publishing industry today. It remains the top on-line community for book lovers and authors alike.

Amazon runs it, so it boasts some perks for authors with books in the Amazon database.

Right through the site, you can claim your profile and earn a badge that verifies your identity. You’ll also be able to access a wealth of statistical information on your books listed on KDP.

So, how do you know if Goodreads is the way to go? Well, if you want your book to go viral and gain as much exposure as possible, Goodreads could be your ticket.

Here, the strategy is to get people to add your book to their virtual bookshelves, and of course, leave some reviews on it.

This way, your book gets raised visibility. Other users can now see it in their friends’ feeds, giving it a much better chance to be added to their reading list.

Think of it as like playing a giant book-fueled game of telephone with 80 million people.

Speaking of games, did you know that we have an entire YouTube channel dedicated to guiding authors like you to create an excellent self-publishing game plan. Check it out, and if you like what you see, let’s see how fast you can smash that subscribe button.

Back to our topic, you can also run a giveaway on Goodreads, a surefire way to get book reviews. It’s something we do regularly for our clients.

All active giveaways are listed on the giveaway section of the website. Your fans can link to it and encourage their friends to enter the giveaway.

Here’s a video dedicated entirely to helping you get all the goods you can get on Goodreads.

#2 NetGalley

Next up on the paid book review site list is NetGalley. NetGalley is a service that delivers digital Advanced Reader Copies, better known as ARCs.

This service provides ARCs of your book to professional readers. We’re talking about reviewers, media, journalists, bloggers, librarians, booksellers, podcast hosts, and many others.

These professional readers use NetGalley to access digital copies of your book, making it an effective marketing tool not just for your book but for your entire brand as an author.

It allows your work to be made available to people who want to read it in their professional capacity.

A NetGalley promotion offers your ARC three months to be highlighted in their database’s recently added and read now sections. The promo also lets you showcase your book to the sections specific to your title’s categories.

By opting for this promo, all users will see your book listed on the NetGalley website.

There’s a lot more to NetGalley when it comes to figuring out if it’s the right one for you.

To help you out, we have a video that goes into all the details of this review site. We also dive deep into costs because it can be pretty expensive and may not be worth it for all books. Stick to the end of this video to make sure if this review site is for you.

The following two on this list are similar to NetGalley. These two book review sites also deliver your ARC copy to both readers and reviewers. But, they focus more on getting your ARC securely to reviewers, bloggers, and your book army.

#3 BookSirens

BookSirens boasts over 10,000 readers across various genres with an average review rate of 75%, making it an attractive site to get book reviews.

The high average review rate is because their users are vetted and accepted as serious book reviewers. Before users can get approval to join BookSirens, they must have posted at least 20 starred ratings on Goodreads.

How this works is that you first need to send your book to the BookSirens team for evaluation. They will then confirm if it is a quality book – something that they want to offer to their users. Once approved, they will add your book to its appropriate category where users can discover it, download the ARC, and start reading.

A remarkable feature of BookSirens, which leads to their 75% success rate, is that readers can only download one ARC at a time. They can’t download a new ARC until they finish reading and reviewing their active one.

This feature is pretty cool for authors because your advanced reader is much less likely to ghost you without leaving a review. And they’re entirely focused on one book at a time.

BookSirens will also give you a direct link that you can send to your book army. So, those folks can hop on over there and securely download their ARC for free.

You also have the option of choosing whether your reviews are posted on Goodreads, Amazon, or both. Now if you’re wondering about getting book reviews from your book army (And how to keep them from being removed) – check out this article .

#4 Booksprout

Booksprout is another option to consider if your main priority is a prelaunch review push.

Similar to BookSirens, Booksprout is a review site that automates the delivery of your ARC to over 40,000 users.

Their average review rate is around 79%. Even your book army will find it challenging to beat that.

Before you get all excited, we’ve been testing this one for some time, and we’re getting mixed results.

Self-Publish and Succeed , well after launch, got four reviews from a single Booksprout listing. Yet, the other books we tested did not bring any results.

Right now, we’re playing with it to figure out whether it’s a timing issue, a topic, or something else.

We’ve experienced the same thing with BookSirens. My book wasn’t even accepted by them for their reviewers. So, I only used BookSirens for ARCs, but some authors from our client base have gotten good reviews.

BookSirens Vs. Booksprout

So what’s the difference between the two paid review sites? Which one is better for you? Let’s discuss the main differences between BookSirens and Booksprout:

Booksprout focuses on getting reviews by a specific date, while BookSirens focuses on getting a particular number of reviews.
On BookSirens, you can post your book and have the reviews roll in for as long as your little heart desires. But on Booksprout, your reviewers have a time limit to read and write their review.
Booksprout also limits the number of reviewer downloads depending on your subscription level. The more money you spend on their service, the more downloads you can do.
BookSirens is a fee-per-book service, letting you choose the number of downloads from as little as 5 to as many as 250.

On the plus side, you can request Booksprout reviews posted on up to eight different sites rather than just Goodreads or Amazon. They include options like Kobo, Apple Books, Google Books, and even BookBub.

Whether you go with BookSirens, Booksprout, or both, these two book review sites are easy to use. They’re effective if you need a little help building up your audience.

If this is your first book or your book army looks a little sparse on the prelaunch battlefield, one of these two review sites, or maybe both, could be your answer.

Now that you know some of the best sites that can help you get book reviews in bulk, maybe it’s time to get in touch with us. See what we can do to help you take off even further, even months post-launch.

Here at Book Launchers we help authors like you in every stage of the self-publishing process. Whether you write the book yourself or with our help, we’re with you every step of the way.

Top 5 Book Review Sites Every Author Should Submit To

Written By Write With Light Publications, LLC

0 comment(s), october 13, 2021, don’t rush your book.

We can’t say it enough and yet we see it happen all the time.

When on the verge of publishing a book, we see one big mistake happen, especially if the author is rushing the publication process of their book.

Many times, we see them write, edit and then publish, giving no time or space to properly market or get the word out about their book.

So how is a reader supposed to find your book if it’s not even out there yet? How will they see it without proper awareness?

Authors who self-publish for the first time (usually) are missing a crucial piece to the publishing process: Submitting their book to book review sites.

Why Do I Need to Submit My Books for Review?

Submitting your book to review to a good review source can help you leverage your book before it’s even launched.

Having people review your book from these five book review sites we are talking about later, even if the reviews are positive or negative, can be powerful.

There are a few reasons all authors should be submitting their book for review.

You can gain quality reviews
Create awareness for your book
Book reviewers could possibly share your work with others (word of mouth marketing)
Can influence readers to pre-order your book
It’s free marketing!

Although sharing your work with others to get their opinion on your book is daunting, it’s still a necessary step to take before you even publish. Don’t forget this crucial step in the publishing and promotion process if you don’t want to sabotage your book .

How Long Does the Review Process Take?

The review copy process can take some time, which is probably why a lot of people skip the process. But if you want a good quality review from a quality source, you need to take the time to fit a book review process into your book publishing timeline.

The review copy process can take anywhere from 3-4 months. So why is that?

A majority of book reviewers and credible book review sites require at least 3-4 months after submission and before launch to review your book.

Reviewers get a lot of inquiries and a lot of books, some of which they give to two different readers for review. If they choose your book for review you need to give them 3-4 months to review it.

The downside is, you just have to be patient.

When Should I Submit My Books For Review?

If you’re finished writing your book, we highly recommend getting it edited by a professional before handing it off to reviewers.

Before you even submit your books for review, edit your book. Period.

Even if you have an amazing cover with a captivating synopsis, it will mean nothing if you send a book in with a wealth of mistakes roaming freely.

Reviewers will not read through your book if there are mistakes. Only send your book out for review when it is 100% ready.

Who Should I Be Submitting Books to For Review?

If you do decide to work this book review timeframe into your schedule, there are five sites you can get started with, some of which are free and some of which are paid.

So the top 5 book review sites you absolutely should at least consider,

Publisher’s Weekly
Write With Light Publications

We’ll explain all of them and their benefits below!

It’s also important to keep in mind that there are multiple other avenues for getting book reviews including having bookstagrammers on Instagram review your work, or sending it out to other smaller publications that would fit your niche.

For now, we’ll just cover some of the essential sites that will give you actual reviews without you having to ask freelance book reviewers.

Kirkus (Paid)

Kirkus has been around since 1933 and was founded by Virginia Kirkus. Back then, she realized there was a need for book reviews not backed by the publisher themselves. Seeing this need, she started a business that would give writers the book reviews they need while also allowing American booksellers to buy products backed by unbiased opinions.

As far as book review sites go, Kirkus is one of the most prestigious and trusted book reviewers in the business and offers an unbiased assessment of your book—which could be negative or positive. But their outstanding reviews come at a price. That being said, the review is worth it to many.

Here are some of the prices for Kirkus Reviews:

Traditional Reviews: Costs $425 for a 250-word review.
Expanded Reviews: Costs $525 for a 500-word review.
Picture Book Reviews: Cost $350 for a 200-word review.

All of the reviews are turned around in 7-9 weeks but can be expedited for an additional fee. After receiving your review, you can add some of the best quotes to your product listings on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other sites to help promote the book.

You also have the option to publish your review on Kirkus if you like what they have to say. If you do choose to publish it, Kirkus may consider your review for publication in their magazine which reaches 50,000 users.

If you’re ready to get your book reviewed, visit Kirkus to get started .

Booklife (Paid)

To receive another guaranteed book review for a price, you can also choose Booklife .

Booklife is an extension of the popular site, Publisher’s Weekly, and provides publishing advice and assistance to find authors.

Booklife is usually great for indie authors who need a great review from a reputable source. It is also slightly less in cost than Kirkus.

A Booklife review costs $399 for 300 words.

Authors will get their review back in an estimated 4-6 weeks. The one downside of submitting for review with Booklife is there is a word count limit. Only books 100,000 words are less can be considered for a review.

The upside is the review with be featured on Booklife’s website and Publisher Weekly’s website. To learn more about the submission guidelines and get reviewed, visit Booklife’s Review FAQs page .

Reedsy (Paid)

Probably one of our favorite places to get books reviewed is Reedsy .

We love this site because it is so affordable and you get an honest book review from a professional book reviewer. See a Reedsy book review for one of our authors!

Like Booklife and Kirkus, you will get a quality book review but at a much lower price and it is guaranteed. Reedsy can also be synced with Goodreads, which allows your reviewer to publish their review before the book even launches.

Authors who choose to get their books reviewed with Reedsy will spend only $50 per book for a lengthy review from a frequent book reviewer.

The great thing is, your book is available to be reviewed by anyone who is interested. Additionally, you can contact the reviewers to ask them to review your book

On Reedsy, your book can only be reviewed once, although, we really wish they would allow more, especially if other reviewers want to take a peek.

Publisher’s Weekly (Free)

Like we mentioned earlier, Publisher’s Weekly is associated with Booklife, which is a paid review service.

Publisher’s Weekly, however, is a free review service , which will bring a smile to most indie authors who are on a tight budget with marketing.

The one downside of submitting a book review to Publisher’s Weekly is your review is not guaranteed. Publisher’s Weekly reviewers take a very slim amount of submissions for review, which means they take the elite when it comes to books.

If your book is chosen for review by Publisher’s Weekly, you’ve probably got yourself a great book. Although there is no guarantee for a book review, it’s worth submitting anyways.

To get your book reviewed with Publisher’s Weekly, check out their submission guidelines .

Write With Light Publications (Free)

We know we have a long ways to go to be as great and revered as websites like Publisher’s Weekly and Kirkus. But hey! We all have to start somewhere!

At Write With Light Publications, we have a deep desire to help indie authors get their books out there in the world. One of the best ways to do that is to read your book and give you a quality review.

Our reviews are completely free to you as long as you follow our strict guidelines.

To learn more about our book reviews, check out our submission guidelines !

New More Publishing Help?

Write With Light Publications offers a variety of publishing services that are intended to support indie authors with their self-publishing endeavors.

If you’re feeling lost with marketing, publishing, or even creating your book, consider getting some assistance from us!

You can see more about our services here .

Publishing Services at Write With Light Publications, LLC

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Top 10 Paid Book Review Sites That Can Springboard Your Career

by admin | Oct 25, 2017 | Uncategorized | 10 comments

Reviews are a crucial part of an author’s book marketing strategy. In today’s digital age it has become quite common for readers to post book reviews on sites. These include Goodreads, Amazon and Barnes and Noble. However, there are still a lot of authors who scramble for professional reviews from credible sources. For this reason, many successful authors have utilized paid book review sites at some point in their career. It might be hard to believe with all of the criticism surrounding paid book reviews, but it’s a fact!

10 Paid Book Review Sites

New authors, indie authors in particular, depend on paid book reviews to spread the word about their books. Because it is much more difficult for indie authors to get noticed, paid book review sites can be appealing. If you are a newbie and are struggling to organically attract the interest of popular reviewers, ChatEbooks suggest that you invest in the following paid book review sites to help you get the word out.

1. Kirkus Indie Reviews

One of the more popular paid book review sites online, Kirkus is known for using professional reviewers. Because of their reputation, they are able to charge authors as much as $500 for 250-word book reviews (librarians, journalists, business executives, etc.) with a turnaround time of seven to nine weeks. When using Kirkus, you are primarily paying for the name that the brand brings to the table.

Opinions surrounding this book review site vary. However, they do provide a relatively cheap $69 review package designed to deliver quick exposure. With a decent social media following, SPR delivers when it comes to speed, cost and marketing opportunities.

3. BestThrillers

Authors looking for a keen eye that understands thriller and mystery will appreciate this website. BestThrillers not only offer free book reviews. They also offer $99 paid review services that posts reviews on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. This site specializes in providing book reviews for the thriller and mystery genre.

4. IndieReader

An established online resource for indie authors, IndieReader claims to be the most cost-effective of paid book review sites around. Their current rate is $100 for a 300-word review. The website’s reviewers have a concise understanding of the industry which in turn empowers them to provide very constructive criticism.

5. Foreword Reviews

Foreword has a firm foundation and a solid reputation when it comes to paid book review sites. Their service is reliable and their website is busy but also clean. The only downside is that they don’t offer many extras, especially with regards to marketing and exposure.

6. ReaderViews

ReaderViews has a variety of reviewing service packages that are designed to appeal to authors with budgetary constraints. Expect to spend between $119 and $499 for book reviews, many of which are posted to audience-specific websites.

7. RT Book Reviews

This site’s lofty $425 price tag for book reviews might scare some people away. However, this magazine has been around since the 1980s and is therefore a name that people know and trust. RT Book Reviews carry weight because they are written by accredited and trusted reviewers.

paid book review sites Publishers Weekly

8. Publishers Weekly

Once you register your book with this website, you can sign up and pay for a variety of services in addition to book reviews. Publishers Weekly tends to excel when it comes to marketing. They feature their book reviews in their magazine, newsletters, and social media channels.

9. Net Galley

You will spend $399 to get professional readers to not only read your book but to review and recommend it from one location. Book reviews can come from bloggers, booksellers, librarians and even professional book reviewers. You have to first pitch your book to these professional readers before you can receive the book reviews you desire.

10. BlueInk Review

This service favors books whose publication has been achieved in part through the efforts and financial contributions of the author. They favor indie authors and accept submissions from outside the United States. Expect to spend an estimated $500 for fast track (4 to 5 weeks) book reviews.

A word of caution- Do NOT use paid book review sites that you haven’t first investigated and done your due diligence. Book reviews from websites with a bad reputation could actually do more harm than good to your credibility as an author. So take the time to explore every single book review website that piques your interest before trusting it with your book.

User Review

10 comments.

I recently had “KindleBook Review post their comments on a work of mine and though I didn’t agree with the general critique of one reviewer, I found their reviews (two of them) to be objective and well considered.

Recommendation

I am a veteran author with several romance novels to my credit. Recently, I tried https://usabookreviewers.com and I must say that I am impressed with their services. I received 20+ in-depth reviews for my book and I am more than pleased !

Did you find this review helpful? Yes (4) No

It is so difficult for new authors to get noticed, whether they’ve written a traditionally published book or through a publisher like Lulu or Amazon. I’m hesitant to use a paid book review site, but it’s better than paying for someone to give you a positive view (that’s as sketchy as it gets). I think the best way would be to solicit reviewers who might be interested in your book.

Wow, I actually didn’t know about this. Though I haven’t any current plans to write a book as of the moment, it’s still at the back of my mind and I think about it from time to time. This will definitely come in handy when the time comes. I think it would be justifiable if the site prices more than others, if they do delivery more valuable service! It would also help that we actually find others with huge influence or social media following (with a good reputation of course) to read our book. That’s what they always say, when you a good network, you can go places!

oh I’m so glad I found this post. I didnt know about these services. Im definitely going to check them all out and see what I can afford. Super excited about this!! Bookmarked it!

Yeah I wouldnt want a paid positive review I would want my reviews to be genuine which I believe these sites do. Ive heard of a few of them and they seem legit to me.

[https://usabookreviewers.com] is the main reason that I had over two hundred ratings and a hundred and fifty reviews on Goodreads on Risuko’s publication date.

Second Opinion

A colleague of mine suggested finding a few different places and getting my book reviewed because it’s always good to have a second opinion. I’m just really afraid of what they might say about my book because even I don’t think it’s that good. Everyone else has told me it’s great though so I don’t know if they’re just being nice or I’m being too hard on myself.

Did you find this review helpful? Yes No

Perfect Timing

I wrote a short story that I have been looking to get reviewed so this is perfect timing! I am going to check into each one of these places, most sound like exactly what I was looking for which is great. Thanks for this list of honest review sites. They are hard to find online since so many places want to scam you.

Great, but what if.....

I have just had my 5th book released and, for the first time, am being more serious at promoting and marketing my work. I researched quite a boat load of reviewers willing to review my book for free (most obtained from Goodreads.com). The reason for this decision was made because, being retired on a limited income, I simply cannot afford the fees charged by services like those listed here, and others I found online.

This seems to be the hardest hurdle for authors I have encountered — having the financial resources to devote to promotion/marketing. Thankfully I entered into writing without any delusions of making a large number of sales. My main aim is to endeavor to have as many people simply pick up my books to read because they sound interesting. So I do as much online promo as possible without draining my bank.

Did you find this review helpful? Yes (1) No

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Professional Book Reviews

At BookThinkers, we understand that professional book reviews are essential for authors. Not only do they provide valuable feedback, but they also help to build credibility and boost visibility. That’s why we offer a range of book review services for authors designed to meet the needs of writers at all stages of their careers.

Book Review Services

Book reviews help readers determine if a book would be a good fit for them and help them achieve their goals. Professional book reviews can always be used as a marketing tool to generate interest in a book. Making it beneficial for authors to have their books reviewed by professional reviewers.

A professional book review is an objective, well-informed opinion of a book’s strengths and weaknesses. A well-written book review can help potential readers decide whether or not to read your book.

Our audience is looking for new non-fiction book recommendations every day. So let’s start telling your target audience why they should invest in your book.

OUR SERVICES

Each of our promotions is designed to highlight your book and all you have to offer.

Hugely popular among authors and audiences alike, Fun Reels average 10,000 to 25,000 views from your target audience.

Review Reels

The Review Reels average 8,000 to 12,000 views. Each one of those views is a potential new revenue generator for you.

Picture Posts

Our Picture Posts average 10 thousand to 20 thousand impressions. Each impression equals a reader looking for books in your genre.

Why Use BookThinkers Book Review Services for Authors?

Book reviews are an important part of the publishing process. But social media book reviews are an area almost completely overlooked by the traditional publishing industry. Professional book reviews on social media like Instagram and TikTok help you reach more audiences, and those readers who are eager to find your book.

If you’re ready to take your book to the next level, contact BookThinkers today and let us put our experience to work for you.

More From Forbes

These are top 25 book reviewers on goodreads (infographic).

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Every once in awhile someone asks me: “So what business book should I be reading other than your own ?”

My answer is always the same: “Read what’s hot on the New York Times best seller list for business books.”

But think of how many influential books are not on on those lists. Books like Goldmith’s Paid to Think , Faktor’s Econovation , and Brito’s Smart Business, Social Business are all books business leaders should be reading, but may not know about. I raise this point because there needs to be a better way to discover great books that matter. And there is.

Goodreads has quietly grown into one of the most prolific social networks for book readers. In just the past few years, Goodreads has grown to 11 million members, created 20,000 book clubs and have shelved 395 million books. “We want to own book discovery - we've built the best way to discover books online and we've got 11 million registered members that agree,” Otis Chandler, CEO of Goodreads told me.

While today, most of the most reviewed books on Goodreads are either fiction or classics, over time I believe we’ll see more interest in non-fiction books as the site grows in membership. As with most successful social networks, they tend to start in segments with a lot of passionate users then spread to other areas.

We’re moving from a world where Publisher’s Weekly, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal pick winners and losers, to one where the crowd is doing it. Instead of professional critics offering singular opinions, passionate book readers like you and me have the chance to shape a book’s success. It’s a brave new world , and the industry can’t continue to operate like it’s 1984 anymore.

Want to see the future of how books become hot or not? Let’s start with the Goodreads top 25. These are the people that can help books become popular.

Source: Uploaded by user via Mark on Pinterest

But for his part, Chandler is focused is on helping people find the best books for their own needs, “We have a long way to go with discovery, but we're focused on it. Especially people in your network. We want to tie it to a user in a personalized way.” Chandler also believes his company will be able to use data analytics to help both authors and readers produce better books and better informed readers.

I have often written about how social and mobile technologies will upend traditional businesses - arguing that the world must go social. When I make those arguments, sites like Goodreads add exclamation points. We’re at an enormous inflection point, but still most traditional publishing businesses are playing by the old rules.

But as with any transition, there’s both a huge challenge and opportunity. It has never been easier to produce a book and it’s never been harder to make it successful. Anyone with the inclination to write and publish a book can do so within weeks - no need for a publisher, editor or even a good idea.

It is why 50 Shades of Grey was made popular in part by Goodreads. It did it without a marketing budget, without a publisher, without a formal review, without a publicity campaign - 50 Shades of Grey became popular through word of mouth and social networks.

Yet critics hated it, but fans made it popular. So who should we trust?

For me, there are no “professional” critics that matter anymore. In our new social world, the crowd must decide. That means authors and readers everywhere now have greater access to each other and the best books won’t be held back by traditional road blocks. Obviously, for authors, this makes it more essential than ever to have a solid social media plan, to be accessible and to build a following - because relying on the old publishing guard won’t cut it anymore.

That age is over.

Mark Fidelman ’s forthcoming, critically acclaimed book is: Socialized, How the Most Successful Businesses Harness the Power of Social .

Follow Fidelman on Twitter @markfidelman

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Top 5 Paid Indie Book Review Services Compared

It’s difficult to know exactly what you’re getting when you shop for a professional review, so Self-Publishing Review decided to commission a study to look at eleven factors that have been brought to our attention by SPR clients most often, and compared our services to the competition.

Here at SPR, we consider that we are one of five review service big-hitters, and therefore we compared ourselves to each of those: BlueInk Review, Foreword Clarion, Kirkus Reviews, and Indie Reader. We chose these because they use professional writers, have good quality websites and a sizeable brand presence in the indie book arena.

We were firstly glad to see that we are the most economical review service out there, and also the speediest. We also offer the most words in a single review, and we were one of three services to offer provable testimonials straight from clients on our website.

There are however some other favorable assets to some of our competitors, which may balance out the reasons behind the bigger price tags.

ForeWord Clarion

Foreword Clarion are one of the set-in-stone services on the block, and do offer a solid review service with a star rating and links on a clean and bustling website; but Clarion don’t offer any extras. At Clarion, it seems your review may be shared on their Facebook but they currently have only 68 likes. Foreword’s main Facebook does not share reviews as a rule, it seems. They come up second-speediest for their regular review turnaround time at six weeks.

USP – Clarion promises to share your review with “our partners, such as Ingram, Baker & Taylor, Cengage, Bowker, and EBSCO [who] will spread the word to thousands of librarians and booksellers.” Their reviews are written as formal copy giving you the opportunity to use sections accordingly, and have the sections stand alone, such as their “Money Quote”.

Downside – Cost

Kirkus Reviews

Kirkus Indie Reviews do offer some flimsy promises of sharing your review on their newsletter, with 50,000 readers, but it seems the word “may” instead of “will” implies it’s at their discretion, as is the glimmer of a chance to be featured in Kirkus Reviews Magazine, and apart from being shared on the usual platforms (Google is mentioned, but that’s anything on the web) there doesn’t seem much else, so you are paying for the privilege of adding the review to your Amazon or Goodreads author section and showing off the stars Kirkus have given you along with a quote. Depending on what sort of writer you are this may or may not work for you sales wise. Kirkus is renowned for having professional reviewers, and the tryouts are tough for the job, so you will certainly get a well-crafted review for marketing purposes. Having said that, at 250 words priced at up to $575, it seems rather short of a good deal. You are definitely paying for the name at Kirkus.

USP – Biggest name in indie books means you get to quote Kirkus on your author page and get a chance to be in an industry print magazine. Copy is likely to be decent and very useable, and written in a formal copy format so you can use various parts of your review for different purposes.

Downside – Cost, time and the site features all kinds of books mixed in, meaning your self-pubbed has a lot of work to do to get seen if not picked up. See ALLi’s article on Kirkus reviews here.

BlueInk Review

BlueInk Review, our seasonal partners, offer more of a literary package. Their extras include sharing on library lists and in publishing circles, and considering that co-owner Patricia Moosbrugger is also a seasoned literary agent, the review becomes a small part of a promising kickstart for any author. You can also be sure of a fully edited and proofread review from a professional at BlueInk, and their service remains personal and prompt. BlueInk also share select reviews on their flourishing Facebook page as well as Pinterest and Twitter. Only exceptional books will receive a star rating.

USP – Literary connections and library listings are a plus, reviews are well-written and customer service is impeccable, often do deals with partners, such as SPR, that give discounts and offers.

Downside – No sales links to book

IndieReader

IndieReader has just put prices up by as much as $100, so it seems that their claims of being “the most cost-effective” review service need some further examination. Personally I think their star system comes off kind of snarky instead of encouraging: one star apparently meaning, “Really bad; there’s a reason this book is self-pubbed.” which seems mean-spirited for a community-based industry. However, their site is clean, smart and modern and their mailing list is really informative. Again, you don’t get any “extras” so you are just paying for a review that takes up to 9 weeks depending on what service you choose.

However, IndieReader is an incredibly good read and a go-to for industry news, so it’s definitely worth looking at some exposure with IR as part of a marketing plan.

USP – Bustling website means your review will get seen. The second-lowest priced service.

Downside – Star-rating and review style may be a little terse for some, turnaround is slow.

We’ve got three review packages, starting at $69 if you need a quick fix of exposure within 2 weeks. Both our SPR review packages deliver in 4 weeks and have 500 words, and there are a ton of extras and discounts for members.

If we combine our readership of around 37,000 on social media allowing for repeats, plus our 7,000 subscribers, it seems we are doing pretty well on getting reviews seen, and we share the actual URL of the review on social media, our homepage and newsletters as part of the service.

We definitely score on cost, speed, plenty of copy, plenty of extras for marketing and exposure, and we provide lots of testimonials for potential clients to see what we do.

Have a look at our review packages here.

Looking at this study we’ve learned about developing our brand, and that is next on the agenda.

Until then, remember, a paid review is not just useful on the site you bought it on, but it offers a great advantage for having press release copy, back of book copy, star ratings and editorial reviews on all your sales outlets. Paid reviews are an essential part of a professional book marketing plan, and we’re all here to help you discover your target audience and to use the right language to sell your book as an indie author.

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One comment.

Good catch! We’ve fixed the link and updated the table. We update prices once a year or so, if that.

REQUEST A BOOK REVIEW

We review manuscripts, published and unpublished books, eBooks, audiobooks, poetry books, comic books, graphic novels and short stories. Your review will be posted on our site, KOBO, Books-A-Million, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. In addition, our reviewers often post reviews to their blogs and social media sites. Your review will also be indexed by search engines like Google, which recognizes our reviews and formats them with their starred rating, just like Amazon and Goodreads.

All 5-star reviews receive a FREE "Five Star" digital seal for your website and a high-resolution version for your book cover. Our seal can be seen on book covers from indie authors to iconic publishers like Simon & Schuster. All reviews come with a Readers' Favorite Review Page and a host of free features to help you promote your book and your new review.

Unsolicited testimonial from Nicky VanValkenburgh, self-published author

As a result of my Readers' Favorite Review Page, a journalist invited me to do a radio interview, which led to many other radio shows! Now I am networking and selling more books than I ever imagined! Thanks so much!

All book review features are FREE

Review Page with features to get your book noticed.
Review listed in the Readers’ Favorite app for readers.
Review posted to popular websites and search engines.
Review announced to 500k libraries, bookstores, schools.
Donate books with our Book Donation program.
Get more reviews with our Review Exchange program.
Get more reviews and fans with our Free Book program.
Get help and share information in our Author Forum.
Get advertising & fans with our Monthly Book Giveaway.

TRUSTED BOOK REVIEWS

Readers' Favorite has been awarded the Association of Independent Authors Honoring Excellence award, which recognizes businesses and organizations that offer exceptional products and services for independent authors.

Readers' Favorite is the fastest growing book review and award contest site on the Internet. We have earned the respect of renowned publishers like Random House, Simon & Schuster, and Harper Collins, and are very proud to be fully accredited by the BBB (A+ rating), which is a rarity among Book Review and Book Award Contest companies.

Readers’ Favorite's book reviews and book awards have been accepted into the CLCD, a world leader in the collection of professional reviews and awards data, providing our authors with free exposure to a huge variety of literary professionals, libraries, schools, publishers and book sellers. Some restrictions apply.

Readers' Favorite is a proud member of the National Book Critics Circle, Founded in April, 1974, which honors outstanding writing and fosters a national conversation about reading, criticism and literature.

On behalf of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and especially on behalf of the children and their families, we want to thank Readers' Favorite and its authors for your kindness and generosity.

BOOK REVIEW OPTIONS

Free, express and multiple review options.

Reviews are so important for authors, not only to assist them with advertising but to give the author valuable feedback on their work. Readers' Favorite was founded to help authors acquire these quality reviews. We provide several review options; all come with a Readers' Favorite review page and all the features listed below in the BOOK REVIEW FEATURES section. Our reviewers are avid readers who will select your book for review the same way they would if they were purchasing it from a bookstore so you can be sure you will receive a fair, honest review from someone interested in your book.

Free Book Review

By far, most of what we do is provide free book reviews to authors. In fact, we provide hundreds and even thousands of free reviews each month to authors from all over the world, from independent authors to best sellers and celebrities. However, even with over 1,500 reviewers we are not able to keep up with the ever-increasing demand for free reviews.

Although we cannot guarantee that all books will receive a review, more than half of the books submitted for a free review will receive one within three (3) months. Some books are reviewed in less than a week while others are never selected for review. As a company, we play no part in the time it takes for a book to receive a review because we do not assign books to reviewers; they select them from a detailed list. Reviewers search through the genres they are interested in, read your description, look at your cover, and can even read a portion of your book to ensure it is something they are interested in reading. We designed this process to mimic that of a bookstore to ensure you get a reader who represents your core audience.

If you are interested in a guaranteed review, getting your review back more quickly or would like multiple reviews of your book, please look at our Express and Express Package options using the tabs above. Although many review companies charge hundreds of dollars for a single expedited review, our Express Reviews start at just $59 and include a Mini-Critique and free advertising. At Readers' Favorite, we are trying our best to give authors more bang for their buck.

2 Week Express Review + EXTRAS - $59

Only about 65 percent of free review requests are selected for review within 3 months. Many can take longer or not receive a review at all. An Express Review guarantees your book will be reviewed in 2 weeks.

In addition to all the regular free features our reviews come with, our Express Reviews also include a Mini-Critique completed by your reviewer with ratings on 5 key areas of your book and free advertising of your new review in our Featured Book rotator, which directs interested visitors to your Readers' Favorite Review Page.

Guaranteed review completed in 2 weeks.*

Mini-critique of your book that provides ratings on 5 key areas: appearance, plot, development, formatting and marketability.

One month of advertising in our Featured Book rotator , which is seen by thousands of daily visitors, including agents, publishers, publicists, bloggers, journalists and regular readers.

* Paying for an Express Review only affects the turnaround speed of your review(s) and in no way impacts the quality or rating. Your book must be available on Amazon (your book does not need to be on Amazon now to be reviewed, we just have to wait until it is on Amazon before we can post your review publicly) and receive at least 4 stars (on at least one review for multiple Express Review Packages) to have your review posted on our site and to be put in our Featured Book rotator. Additional review time may be necessary for books over 350 pages.

3 Express Reviews + EXTRAS - $129

In addition to all the features of our Free and Express Reviews, our Review Packages provide multiple reviews of your book for a true consensus on its quality, as well as special discounts for our International Book Awards Contest. All of your reviews are performed by reviewers who select your book the same way they would from a bookstore and are completed in 2-3 weeks.

3 Guaranteed reviews completed in 2-3 weeks.*

3 Mini-critiques of your book that provide ratings on 5 key areas: appearance, plot, development, formatting and marketability.

3 months of advertising in our Featured Book rotator , which is seen by thousands of daily visitors, including agents, publishers, publicists, bloggers, journalists and regular readers.

BONUS: Enter our Award Contest and you can select 1 extra category for your book to compete in for FREE ($65 value).

5 Express Reviews + EXTRAS - $199

In addition to all the features of our Free and Express Reviews, our Review Packages provide multiple reviews of your book for a true consensus on its quality as well as special discounts for our International Book Awards Contest. All of your reviews are performed by reviewers who select your book the same way they would from a bookstore and are completed in 2-3 weeks.

5 Guaranteed reviews completed in 2-3 weeks.*

5 Mini-critiques of your book that provide ratings on 5 key areas: appearance, plot, development, formatting and marketability.

5 months of advertising in our Featured Book rotator , which is seen by thousands of daily visitors, including agents, publishers, publicists, bloggers, journalists and regular readers.

BONUS: Enter our Award Contest and you can select 2 extra categories for your book to compete in for FREE ($130 value).

Featured Book Rotator

Our Featured Book rotator is on our home page and at the top left of every page on our site that is designated for readers (which means it will appear on 99% of the pages on our site) and rotates randomly through all our Featured Books. When a book cover is clicked, it will take the visitor to the book's Readers' Favorite review page.

It is positioned to attract the attention of our thousands of daily visitors, who are looking to find a good book to read. We are also frequented by agents, publishers, publicists, and journalists who want to view reviews we have done for their authors, to submit new review requests, or to see our newest award-winning authors.

We do not sell this advertising space, it is provided as a perk for purchasing our Express Review and Writing services to help authors promote their book. By not selling the space we keep the number of images down, which provides those in the rotator more screen time.

BOOK REVIEW FEATURES

We only post 4 and 5 star reviews.

We use a standard 5 star rating system and only post reviews we have awarded a 4 or 5-star rating. Our goal is to help authors with positive advertising for their books and to provide insightful reviews to help readers find the perfect book by a new or established author.

If you receive a poor review our reviewer will point out any issues with your story to help you make it better. Once you have revised it, we will be happy to review it again for free. We were the first review company to not post negative reviews and are proud to have been a part of making it an industry standard.

You may use as much or as little of our review as you wish. We write at least 250 words to provide you with plenty of material to pick quotes from. You will have a simple link to your Review Page featuring your book title like this one for actor/comedian and now award-winning author Jim Carrey, https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/how-roland-rolls . This link is not only user friendly, but it dramatically increases the searchability of your book title and review in search engines.

Your review will be posted on our site, KOBO, Books-A-Million, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. Your review will be indexed by search engines like Google, which recognizes our reviews and formats them with their starred rating just like reviews from Amazon and Goodreads. You can see an example with David Baldacci's book, Hell's Corner .

Review Page to display your review

Jim Carrey Book Review, How Roland Rolls

Your Review Page will display your book cover and have an Amazon purchase link as well as optional links like to your Book Trailer on YouTube, your Website, Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest pages. You can also add your biography and photo to your review. Our photo upload system will automatically resize your uploaded picture and maintain its aspect ratio so it looks as great as you do.

At the bottom of your Review Page, there is a section where visitors can post their own reviews/comments about your book using our comment system and/or Facebook's comment system. You can also use this section to post all your other reviews for your book so they are all on one central review page.

Your Review Page also includes a Social Networking bar so you and your visitors can post your review to Facebook and LinkedIn, as well as Tweet it or Pin it to Pinterest. These buttons are automatically populated with your book cover and review so when people use the links all your review information is there and ready to be advertised.

Inclusion in the CLCD literature database (some restrictions apply)

The CLCD (Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database) houses the world’s largest collection of professional reviews and awards data for Children’s and YA titles. They are the leading resource for independent information about Children’s and YA titles and are used by countless literary professionals and thousands of institutions ranging from universities and colleges to public and K-12 libraries.

Readers’ Favorite's book reviews and book awards have been accepted into this database, which provides our authors with exposure to thousands of library professionals, educators and students as well as a large number of publishers and book sellers. If you have a Children's or YA book and receive a Readers' Favorite 4 or 5 star review, and your book is available on Amazon (now or in the future), your book and review will be listed in the CLCD database. There is nothing you need to do.

If you win any Readers' Favorite award level in our Annual Book Award Contest, your listing in the CLCD will be automatically updated to display your award, setting your book apart to the countless literary professionals who use the database.

PLEASE NOTE: currently this feature is only available to Children's and YA titles. However, we are working to expand this opportunity to all our genres through other databases. When this happens, all qualifying reviews in our database will be submitted.

NEW - Get more reviews with our Review Exchange and Free Book programs

Our Review Exchange program allows authors to obtain more reviews and exposure by getting a review of their book in exchange for a review of another author’s book.

NEW - Our Free Book program allows authors to obtain more reviews and exposure by providing a regular reader with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review.

Your participation in both programs is enabled by default, but you can disable either of them at any time from your Author’s Area. When enabled, our Review Exchange and/or Free Book button will appear next to your book everywhere on our site, including on your Review Page. The Review Exchange button lets other authors know you will consider reading and providing an honest review of their book in exchange for them doing the same for your book, and the Free Book button will let readers know that you will consider providing them with a free copy of your book in exchange for an honest review.

There is a Contact link on your Review Page whereby authors and readers can send you a message about their interest in either of these programs. You can use this same method to contact other authors about exchanging reviews with them. The Contact link is also available to agents, publishers, publicists, journalists and other visitors who want to contact you. The system allows people to email you without revealing your email address to maintain your privacy.

Give to schools and charities with our Book Donation program

As discussed in our Review Exchange and Book Donation sections, one of the best ways to get new readers and reviews is to give away some copies of your book. To that end, we have created the Readers' Favorite Monthly Book Giveaway . If your book is on Kindle you can create a Kindle Gift for your book. When you do, it will generate a Gift Claim Code that you will enter in your Readers' Favorite Author Area. Your book will then show up on our Monthly Book Giveaway page; it's that easy!

Our giveaway receives premium advertising placement on the left side of every page of our site used by visitors and readers. This ensures that it will be seen by the countless readers, authors, agents, publishers and journalists who visit our site, driving quality readers to the Monthly Book Giveaway page and providing you with great advertising for your book!

If they are interested in your book, they will select it as one they would like to win. They can choose as many as they like. At the end of the month we will pick one winner who will get all the books they selected. We will email them your Kindle Gift Claim Code so they can get their free copy of your book, then we will email you so you can submit another Gift Claim Code if you would like to keep your book on the giveaway page.

If your book was not chosen, it will remain on the giveaway page until someone wins it. If readers who were interested in your book do not win, they may still be interested enough to purchase a copy! If someone does win your book, it will count as an Amazon verified purchase and a verified review if they post a review on your Amazon page, which is what we ask them to do.

In addition, you will get a special link that will take people to the Giveaway page and display your book right at the top so they can easily find and select it. This is a great marketing tool to introduce readers to your book while giving them a chance to win a copy.

Although this is a free Readers' Favorite feature, you will still need to purchase a copy of your book from Amazon to give it as a gift. We hope that the advertising you receive from being on the giveaway page, which includes new readers discovering your book, winning a copy, reading it and hopefully reviewing it on Amazon, will be enough compensation to consider this a good way to help promote your book.

You will be able to activate this free feature from your Author Area as soon as your review is complete. And if you see books you like in the Giveaway you can enter to win as well.

Get help in our Author Forum

Our Author Forum is a community of authors providing support for one another. It is a positive environment where you will find plenty of marketing strategies and advice, as well as tips on honing your craft. It is custom made to be easy to use and features your picture, book cover, and a personal signature with all your posts.

Just as Readers' Favorite does not post negative reviews to maintain a positive atmosphere for authors and readers, we do not allow negative posts about people, services or companies in our Forum. Instead, authors are encouraged to focus on the positive and offer advice on where to go instead of where not to go and what services to use, instead of what not use.

To thank our authors for posting helpful information, we choose 1 author each month who has contributed to the Forum and award them with a prize. Winners can choose a 5 Express Review package ($199 value) or a free entry into our Annual Book Award Contest with up to 4 categories ($284 value). The Author Forum is completely free, like all our Review Features, and you will have access to it as soon as you submit your book for review or enter our Annual Book Award Contest.

Press Release about your review or award

Although we do offer a fee based, discounted Press Release service to all our authors who receive a 4 or 5-star review or whom place in our annual contest, we also provide a complete press release for you to use free of charge. It is properly formatted to industry standards and contains all pertinent and required information, including your review or contest placement. You can simply copy the press release and paste it to all your social media sites, website, blog, etc. or you can use it at another press release service of your choice. It is completely free and will be available in your Author Area as soon as your review is complete.

Review announced to 500,000 libraries, bookstores, and schools across America

Each month we announce the reviews we completed that month to 115,000 libraries, 85,000 bookstores and 300,000 schools (elementary through high school) nationwide. We use a white-listed email company that professionally maintains these lists to ensure they are current and accurate. This powerful mailing can not only lead to sales and recognition, but schools and libraries can request donation copies from your Review Page for even more exposure and reviews.

One of the reasons we receive such a good response from this mailing is because we have a Book Donation program that allows these nonprofit organizations to request free books from our authors, which makes our monthly mailing a free resource for great new books! The smaller book stores on our list are always looking for fresh new books to liven up their shelves, and often contact authors about stocking their books. But this mailing doesn’t just help you for the one month you are in it, the email reminds the recipient that most of our authors participate in our Book Donation program and encourages them to look through our website for more books they may be interested in.

Although this service can normally cost hundreds of dollars, we are offering it free of charge with your review. It does not matter which of our review services you use (free or Express), you just need to receive a 4 or 5-star review. Once we have created a Review Page for you on our site you will be scheduled for the following month’s announcement email. There is nothing you need to do or pay, it is all automatic and free.

Due to the large volume of reviews we do each month, it is not possible to list each new book in the email, instead we list the genre your book can be found in. The recipient can use the link to view all the new books in the genres they are interested in. All our genre categories list the newest books first, to make it easier for regular visitors to our site looking for new books. To visit our genre lists, just click any of the genres under the search bar at the top of any page on our website.

BOOK REVIEW FAQS

What can be submitted for review.

We review manuscripts, published and unpublished books, eBooks, audiobooks, poetry books, comic books, graphic novels, and short stories. Your work must be complete, written in English, and fit into one of our 150+ genre categories. You can submit a book with AI-generated material, but you must let us know in the Book Description box on our form what portion of your book is AI-generated. Currently we do not accept erotica books that are mostly sex with no substantial plot.

If you receive a review of 4 stars or more and your work is currently available for purchase on Amazon (your book does not need to be on Amazon now to get your review, we just have to wait until it is before we can post your review publicly), we will post your review on our site, KOBO, Books-A-Million, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. Your book must currently be on those sites for us to post your review.

You can submit your book to us in the following formats in order of preference: PDF, Kindle (MOBI), Microsoft Word (DOC, DOCX), RTF, and ePUB. If you have a different file format like Open Office or Word Perfect, or you have any trouble attaching your book to our Review Request form, just complete the form without attaching your book and your confirmation email will have instructions on how to easily send us your book file.

How to submit a sequel for review

If you are entering a sequel that is not standalone, where you need the reader to have some information from the previous book(s), then please add a short synopsis of your previous book(s) to the beginning of the Book Description field of our Review Request form below. If there is not enough room, add the synopsis to the first page of your book file.

If you would like the same reviewer(s) to review your entire series, please submit the first book in the series and if you like the review and reviewer, then you can submit the next book and contact us (click the Contact menu at the top of our website) and let us know you would like the same reviewer. Although we do not assign books to reviewers, they always enjoy reading books by authors they have reviewed for before, especially a series.

Who are your reviewers?

We have over 1,500 reviewers who are as varied as the stories they read. They are not literary experts but regular readers with a passion for reading and helping new and established authors with honest reviews of their work. When you submit the Review Request form below, it is sent to all our reviewers for selection. We do not assign reviews, we provide our reviewers with detailed information about your book so they can choose stories they are interested in.

This process is designed to closely mimic the purchasing process at a bookstore, providing you with a quality, honest and genuine review from exactly the type of person who would have normally purchased your book.

Ratings are given on a 5-star scale:

5 STARS – Excellent: I loved this book. 4 STARS – Good: I enjoyed this book.

If a book receives less than 4 stars no official review is given. Instead, the reviewer will write constructive criticism to let the author know what problems they had with the book and offer any suggestions they may have to improve it. This will be about the size of a regular review and will be sent to the author privately; it will not be posted publicly. We are here to help authors, not hurt them.

Although we as a company do not interfere with what rating a reviewer gives a book, as the rating must be what the reviewer feels is appropriate, we do monitor the average ratings of our reviewers to ensure they are being fair and honest about their ratings to maintain the integrity of our reviews.

When you receive a review from Readers' Favorite, the first line of the review indicates who your reviewer was so you can look them up on our About Us page. Knowing the type of person who provided your review can help you understand the potential demographics of readers who will enjoy your book. This also benefits the reviewer by giving them proper credit and recognition for their work and time.

Because it is critical that reviewers provide quality reviews, we invite you to Review your Reviewer. When your review is complete, you will be able to login to your Author's Area and rate your reviewer on a 5-star scale and provide a short review, just as they did for you. Your feedback is presented to the reviewer to help them improve their skills, the same way book reviews help authors improve theirs. The information is also passed to the Readers' Favorite staff to help us ensure the quality of our reviewers and reviews. If you would like to join the Readers' Favorite Team, please fill out our Reviewer Application .

How long does it take for a review?

By far, most of what we do is provide free book reviews to authors. In fact, we provide hundreds of free reviews each month to authors from all over the world from independent authors to best-sellers and celebrities. However, even with over 1,000 reviewers we are not able to keep up with the ever-increasing demand for free reviews.

Although we cannot guarantee that all books will receive a review, more than half of the books submitted for a free review will receive one within 3 months. Some books are reviewed in less than a week while others are never selected for review. As a company we play no part in the time it takes for a book to receive a review because we do not assign books to reviewers; they select them from a detailed list. Reviewers search through the genres they are interested in, read your description, look at your cover, and can even read a portion of your book to ensure it is something they are interested in reading. We designed this process to mimic that of a book store to ensure you get a reader who represents your core audience.

Book security

When a book is submitted to us for review or our contest, all our reviewers/judges will be able to see the book details you provided to help them choose your book, but they must select your book for review/judging before they will have access to your book file. Once your book is selected it is removed from the list and the only people who have access to it from that point on are the reviewer/judge and select admin staff. Once the book file is no longer needed it is deleted from our system.

We have done hundreds of thousands of reviews since we launched in 2009 and are used by all the big publishers and have never had an issue with piracy. All our reviewers are vetted and provide a government-issued ID so we can verify their identity and so we can cooperate with law enforcement should there ever be an issue with an author's book. We also have a litany of systems in place to track and monitor our books to ensure their security.

Generally, authors have nothing to fear when submitting their books to reputable review companies because their books are not of interest to pirates yet. Pirates do not need to work for a review company to steal book files. They can buy the Kindle version of the bestselling book on Amazon and use common DRM cracking software to copy it in 10 minutes or they could simply buy the paperback version and use a standard OCR scanner to scan each page and have a PDF in about an hour.

Using these methods, they can steal and sell James Patterson's new book or all the Harry Potter books, the choices are unlimited. With review companies, almost all the books are unknown or not even publish-ready yet. And it's not about quality, they don’t care how good your book is, they just want something they can sell, which means books that are at the top of Amazon’s sales lists because those are books people are currently talking about and searching for.

However, if you would feel better securing your book file a bit, there are a couple of things you can do: you can add a watermark to your pages, just please be sure it is light enough not to interfere with the reader’s ability to clearly see the text. You can also password protect your PDF, just be sure to provide us with the password in our Book Description box when you submit it to us so the reader can access it.

BOOK REVIEW REQUEST FORM

If your book is on Amazon, please enter your Amazon 10-digit (not 13-digit) ISBN or ASIN number, otherwise leave this box blank. This is a special number created by Amazon to track your book on their site, it is only created by Amazon once your book is on their site. You can find this information in the Product Details section on your Amazon page. Then click the Search Amazon button and we will add your book cover from Amazon to this form for you. PLEASE NOTE: Your book does NOT have to be published or on Amazon to receive a review or enter our contest, and you can update this information at any time.

Please enter the Author Name associated with this book. This can be your legal name or a pen name. This is the name we will use to identify the author of this book.

If you are the agent, publisher, publicist or other representative for this author and would like to be notified when the review for this book is complete, please enter your email address.

Please select the type of book you are submitting: audiobook, children's book, poetry book, short story/novella or collection of short stories, fiction or non-fiction book.

You can upload your book in the following formats listed in order of preference: PDF, Kindle (MOBI), Microsoft Word (DOC, DOCX), LibreOffice (ODT), RTF, and ePUB. To re-upload, click the X and choose a new file.

Please provide an Audible code for a free audiobook copy of your book and the link to redeem the code. If you are requesting multiple reviews you will need to provide multiple codes. You can also provide a Dropbox or Google Drive link to your audiobook files but they must be accessible to anyone with the link and the link must not expire (you can disable the link once your review(s) is complete).

Just like any reader, our Reviewers use the description of your book to determine if they want to read it. The more compelling your description, the faster your book will get reviewed. If you already have a blurb or description of your book on Amazon, you can copy and paste it here or write something new.

Please indicate if your book has explicit language, sexual situations, graphic violence or any other unique qualities. This will ensure you get the right reviewer for your book.

If you are attaching your book cover, you can upload it in the following formats listed in order of preference: JPG, JPEG, GIF and PNG. To re-upload, click the X and choose a new file.

PLEASE NOTE: We are currently experiencing a high volume of Express Review requests. Although most are being completed on time, it may take an extra week or two to complete some Express Review orders. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

"On behalf of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and especially on behalf of the children and their families, we want to thank Readers' Favorite and its authors for your kindness and generosity." -- St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

"Thank you Readers’ Favorite and your authors for supporting Dare to Care Food Bank. We lead our community in feeding the hungry and conquering the cycle of need. Generous partners like you help make our work possible." -- Dare to Care Food Bank

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Empty Mirror

a literary magazine

10 places to find reviewers for your self-published book

How to find reviewers for your self-published book

But before we get to that – and before you start to contact reviewers – it’s important to understand how to contact them.

What to do:

1. Do your research. Only contact reviewers who are interested in reviewing the type of books you have written. (See below for some good places to find the right reviewers.)

2. Read their review policy. Do they only want e-books, or printed books? What genres are they currently interested in reading? Are they currently accepting new books for review? Check out their rules, and follow them.

3. Write a personalized email to the potential reviewer. No one likes to get a form letter, or spam. Use a salutation, and their name – not just “Hi” or “Dear reviewer,” but rather, “Dear Jane Smith” or at least “Dear Jane.” If there’s no personal name listed, use their username.

Tell the reviewer who you are, how you found them, a little bit about your book, when it will be published. Tell them that if they’re interested, you’d be glad to send them a copy. Specify what format the book will be in (which ebook format, printed book, or if they will have a choice). Thank them for their time and consideration, and say that you look forward to hearing from them. Then sign it, with your full name.

Don’t forget the subject line, either: emails with the subject “Review Inquiry” or “Review Request” will get a better response as they make it easy to identify what your message is about.

Here’s how to write an excellent review query.

4. Before sending your email, spell-check and proofread. Errors leave a poor impression and make the reviewer less likely to accept your book. They’ll figure your book is full of typos, too.

5. The ultimate purpose of a review isn’t to please you. Books with reviews do tend to sell better. However, it’s important to understand that reviewers ultimately aren’t written for the author’s benefit. They’re written for the potential reader to give them enough information so that they can make a purchasing decision.

What not to do:

1. If they do accept the book, don’t expect the reviewer to guarantee a review. Reviewers don’t accept books they have no intention of reviewing, but sometimes they may not be able to – or wish to – eventually review it. That’s OK. They’re not the only reviewer out there. Move on.

2. Don’t expect, or ask for, a positive review. No reviewer can promise this. Any reviewer worth approaching has integrity and will always post an honest review, whether one star or five. (As people’s opinions will naturally vary, there’s often something fishy when books have only five-star reviews, anyway.)

3. Don’t ask the reviewer to promise a review to be published on or near a particular date. (Do feel free to tell the reviewer the date of your book’s publication.) Please understand that most reviewers have a big stack of books to review. Reviews take more time than you might think. The reviewer reads the book – maybe more than once – takes notes, then writes and posts the review. You’re asking them to do at least several hours of work for you, on their own time, for free. And they’re not doing it for money, but rather for the love of books, and of reviewing.

This is why you can’t expect a promise of a review by a certain date (or even at all). It’s understandable that you’re anxious for the reviews to start rolling in, but just hang tight, keep soliciting reviews, and one day you’ll have a bunch of them.

4. Never offer payment for a review. All an honest reviewer will accept is the book itself. Don’t offer a bribe! Paid reviews are not allowed on any reputable websites and can get the reviewer – and sometimes yourself – in a world of trouble, and banned from review websites.

5. Don’t expect an answer to your query. I know – that almost seems unreasonable, doesn’t it, not to expect the reviewer to reply. The reason that some don’t reply is that many reviewers – especially popular and highly-ranked ones – get so many review queries that it takes too much time to reply to them all. So, they wind up only replying to those they have an interest in reviewing.

6. If a potential reviewer declines to review your book, take it graciously. Don’t ask why, try to change their mind, or pester them. Stay on good terms – reply briefly with thanks for their time and consideration. Who knows, perhaps they’ll review your next book.

7. After a review is published, don’t comment on the review . Not even if you disagree with it. Even if the reviewer says something terribly wrong, even factually wrong. Even if they say it’s the best book they’ve ever read. Or the worst! Commenting can make you look petty, overbearing or argumentative, and can turn potential readers against you, ensuring they never read your book. Just. Don’t. Do. It. Ever. ( Here’s why. )

10 places to find reviewers for your books.

OK. Now that you understand how to approach reviewers, how do you find them?

1. Amazon’s “Meet Our Authors” Forum

Amazon has “Meet Our Authors” forum where you can introduce yourself, and also ask for reviews. There are various genre-specific threads too.

Update: Amazon has shut down all of their forums. They suggest that you visit Goodreads instead, where it’s easy for authors to interact with readers. (Amazon owns Goodreads.) See #4 on this list for more about Goodreads.

2. Amazon’s Top Reviewers

Amazon ranks its reviewers according to a variety of criteria and publishes the list. You can go through the list to look for those reviewers who review books in your genre. It will take some time. Those reviewers who include an email address or website in their profile are usually open to being contacted regarding potential reviews. (Some are not.) Before emailing, read their reviews of books in your genre. Pay close attention to any review guidelines which are included in the reviewer’s profile.

TheCreativePenn has a great blog post on getting Amazon reviewers to review your book .

3. Peruse the Amazon book pages

Check out other books similar to yours, and see who’s reviewed them. Look on these reviewers’ profiles to see if they’re open to review offers, as described above. If so, contact them.

4. LibraryThing & Goodreads

On LibraryThing , people catalog, review, and discuss books. The site also functions as a social networking site and is a great place for authors to connect with potential readers. There are lots of things you can do to get the word out about your book here. One of them is to find reviewers.

LibraryThing offers the “Member Giveaway” – where you can give out your own books. Ebooks and printed books are equally welcome. You set a number of available books to offer, and people will enter a drawing to win them. Usually there are more people who sign up than available books, so there is a drawing at the end of the giveaway period.

Though those who receive your books are not required to review your book, you can let it be known that you hope they do. LibraryThing reviewers can post their reviews on that site, but some often post their reviews elsewhere, such as Amazon.com and Goodreads.

Goodreads is similar to LibraryThing, but bigger. Only publishers can give away books for free there, but you can still find potential reviewers through their groups , some of which are dedicated to connecting authors with reviewers. (Use the group search box to find them.) Before posting review opportunities, be sure to check that the rules of the particular group allow it.

5. Social networking sites

Search for people who review your genre of book on Twitter, Facebook, and other social networking sites, and start making connections. Much has been written elsewhere on how to connect with people on these sites, so that’s all I’ll say about it here.

Turn to Google to find bloggers who review books similar to yours. Try various searches such as the name of your genre (e.g. YA, poetry, American history, vampire fiction) followed by one of these phrases: book blog, book blogger, book reviews, book review blog, book review blogger. Try various combinations and think of some of your own, investigate the results, and you’re bound to come up with some good ones.

7. Services which connect authors and reviewers

There are quite a lot of specialized websites which will make your book available to reviewers. Here are a few we know of:

The Bookbag . Publishes book reviews on their site, with links to the books on Amazon.

4226 Spruce St . Makes it easy for authors of Kindle books to connect with Amazon reviewers. Free.

8. Reviewer directories and lists

The Book Blogger List . A categorized directory of book reviewers, organized by genre, which makes it easy to locate potential reviewers for your book. Free.

Book Reviewer Yellow Pages (formerly Step By Step Self Publishing). Offers an online directory of book reviewers. It’s free, but they also offer paid Kindle and paperback versions.

List of literary / poetry review publications (many print-based)

9. Ask other authors

Ask other authors you’re acquainted with – either on or offline – who reviewed their book, and who they think you should get in touch with. Most authors are very willing to share their experiences and recommendations. When writing to a reviewer, be sure mention that your fellow author recommended that you contact them.

10. Look close to home & offline

There are plenty of local, offline sources for reviews, too:

local daily or weekly newspapers
school newspapers
organization and company newsletters
contact local indie bookstores to see if they know of any local reviewers

11. (yeah, forget 10 – we’re turning this baby all the way up to 11!) The Indie View

The Indie View has a great list of reviewers in a number of genres. They also spotlight reviews and authors. Check it out.

don’t forget us

You know, if your book is arts-related nonfiction, or has anything to do with the Beat Generation, you might check out our very own review policy . We don’t accept many books for review – but you never know until you try! We also sometimes publish author interviews and book excerpts.

Summing up…

That’s all for now. If you have suggestions about getting reviews, please leave a comment. And stay tuned for more articles about promoting your self-published books!

Empty Mirror publishes new poetry, criticism, essays, book reviews, and art every Friday.

You might also like:

Pat Sutton says

March 4, 2020 at 11:53 am

Denise, thank you, Your comments and explanations will save me time on how to find a reviewer and what to expect.

Antonio Chevalier says

October 11, 2020 at 3:47 pm

You need to pay for The Bookbag. Publishes book reviews on their site, with links to the books on Amazon.

Empty Mirror says

November 8, 2019 at 4:50 pm

There’s also a directory of over 300 reviewers, sorted by posting frequency, at https://indiestoday.com/reviewers-list/ . Thanks to Dave Allen for pointing out this resource!

Derrick Washington says

October 31, 2019 at 7:13 pm

Hi, Denise, I just want to say thank you for sharing this information. I have been searching online where to find book reviewers, and your blog answered, pretty much, all of my questions. Once again, thanks.

Bruce Miller says

October 16, 2019 at 2:36 pm

Excellent article and we enjoyed reading it. It is very comprehensive and useful. Well done!

We review books. We are retired people in New Zealand and we are amazed at the creativity and original ideas people have. It’s like sitting in a school class with students raising their hands and announcing amazing creative ideas! We love it. But we only review books we like. No erotica, but most everything else. We’ve done hundreds of reviews. Check us out > https://www.teamgolfwell.com/free-book-reviews.html

Julian Hardy says

July 1, 2019 at 8:44 pm

Denise Thank you for your insightful website. I have recently self-published a book on KDP/Amazon. After doing some research about reviews/reviewers, I found the Artisan Book Reviews website. Is it worthwhile using such services as those provided by Artisan Book Reviews (as they are quite costly). Also, I’m assuming such paid reviews do not contravene Amazon’s review rules. Is this true? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Regards Julian

Denise says

July 29, 2019 at 11:07 am

It’s true that paid reviews are forbidden by Amazon and can’t be posted there by the reviewer.

However, you can post them yourself with your book information on your book’s page. They can also be useful for use on your website and promotional materials.

Thomas Juarez says

May 4, 2019 at 8:16 am

Thank you for the quick reply! While searching through other parts of your website I found someone I made a connection with. Finally gaining some traction (I think).

Awakening Cocijo will be making a book tour to test its worthiness!

May 3, 2019 at 9:24 am

I have recently self published on Amazon, currently Amazon is having an issue tracking my book sales and I am falling in the ratings. I made them aware of some of the recent purchases, they know there’s a problem and they are looking into it…I have faith in them!

In any case, it has been very difficult to find reviewers that are available in the next 3-4 months. It’s been frustrating to say the least.

I paid for the editing of my book so that I would have a polished product. I was hoping this would make my book more attractive to buyers and/or reviewers. I would be more than happy to provide a pdf or kindle copy to potential reviewers.

The book is called Awakening Cocijo and is available only on Amazon. It is a metaphysical fiction book centering on the Zapotec empire and a current attempt (fictional, of course), to awaken Cocijo…the god of lightening and rain.

May 3, 2019 at 2:13 pm

You might try getting reviews via Goodreads (you can even give away free books/ebooks in Goodreads’ Member Giveaway). That might give you some reviews in shorter than three or four months.

If you’re on social media, you could try giving some copies away for review that way.

Celeste says

April 26, 2019 at 10:55 am

Thanks Denise! I’m going to network as best I can, which means helping other authors with their efforts, too. I joined Goodreads so I could post reviews and hopefully boost the sales of books that I enjoy reading.

April 22, 2019 at 7:57 pm

Denise, thanks for the quick follow-up.

I believe it’s far too time-consuming to find reviewers on Amazon, considering that many of them don’t have contact info available. It’s probably better to invest time and effort in building a network, e.g., through Goodreads and Bookbub. I’m an introvert, so it makes me cringe to think of having to actively pursue getting followers. Otherwise my novel is likely to die on the vine after it’s published, no matter how good it is.

April 25, 2019 at 11:40 am

That’s certainly a valid objection and there are other methods of getting reviews. I wish you success with your novel!

April 21, 2019 at 4:28 pm

This article is dated March 6, 2014, so perhaps something has changed as far as finding book reviewers on Amazon. I went to the Amazon Top Customer Reviewers listing. There are 10,000, with zero indication as to what they review. To find that out, you have to click on each name one by one, then scroll through their reviews to see (1) if they even review books, and (2) what genre of books they review. With 10,000 reviewers, you may be able to go through that list in, oh, let’s say a year. And of course it changes daily so you’ll need to keep a list of whose reviews you looked at.

If someone knows of a better way, I’m all ears. Otherwise, I think Amazon is doing its best, as always, to make things difficult.

April 22, 2019 at 1:34 pm

Yes, you do have to look at each reviewer individually — there’s no list with email addresses included. So, it’s usually best to find books similar to yours, see who’s reviewing them, and get in touch those with contact information (email, website, or even a Google-able name) on their profile. It does take some detective work, for sure.

Diane Fadden says

April 10, 2019 at 6:12 pm

Indiebook review is a scam operation. Buyer beware.

roy tawes says

August 25, 2018 at 10:43 am

Denise- Iasked for a personal review. Never heard back, but I see you’re using my complimentary comments for this website. Just give me a simple yes or know

August 29, 2018 at 10:53 am

Congratulations on the publication of your book! It sounds fascinating.

EM’e review guidelines are here: https://www.emptymirrorbooks.com/empty-mirror-review-policy

Guidelines in short: Due to time constraints, I’m only able to accept very few books for review. I’m looking for specific types of non-fiction and am unable to review fiction, poetry, or memoir.

Unfortunately, due to the volume of book review requests received and that fact that I’m the only one here, I’m only able to reply to those I intend to review. I regret that I’m not able to respond to all.

Comments are voluntary and are not “used” for anything. They can be deleted by request. I did leave the link in your previous comment so that others could check out your book!

best wishes, Denise

Tyrell Perry says

August 19, 2018 at 12:13 pm

Great intel. This newly published author will be putting it to use.

Wilburson says

July 2, 2018 at 6:30 am

This is such useful information Denise, which I have added to my growing information pile on getting reviews. Thanks for taking the time.

Vishal Sharma says

April 6, 2018 at 11:14 pm

Hey Denise, Thanks for sharing such awesome tips loved it. It was very useful for me.

Roy lawson tawes MD , FACS says

January 10, 2018 at 2:22 pm

Very helpful information for INDIE authors.Thank you. I like your considerate style.

It’s a long shot to request a personal review, but you mentioned an interest in the Beat generation that spawned the hippies in the ’60s. I just published my sixth novel, RECALL that deals with the topic . Returning to San Francisco from Vietnam where I served as a flight surgeon, I witnessed the cultural revolution up close and personal. I tried to capture that turbulent era in my historical narrative. You might find it interesting and enlightening. I’m getting good early reviews , but not from anyone of your professional stature. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.So why not ask you?

If you have any interest, please consult my website: RLawsonauthor.com. All the information you require to make a decision is available there, including blogs. Maybe we will find an intellectual connection. Life never follows a straight path, Stranger things have happened. I love writing and hope someone influential in the literary field will promote my work.

Thank you for your consideration. You sound like a nice person in your responses above, trying to help aspiring writers. We need guidance, It’s a maze to navigate.

Brad Foster says

January 3, 2018 at 4:06 am

No worries, Denise – thanks anyway and careful of that perilous tower of books! :)

January 2, 2018 at 6:48 pm

HI Denise – thanks for this post! I noticed that the link to Amazon’s “Meet Our Authors” is defunct – this is what I get: “Our Discussion Boards feature has been discontinued.

Amazon would like to thank the members of this community for contributing to the discussion forums. As we grow and evolve, we encourage you to explore Goodreads Groups for book discussions and Spark for other interests. For device questions and help, please see our new Digital and Device Forum.”

I will try the other tips, though I haven’t had much luck so far with the Amazon Top Reviewers (reminds me of my dating years, when I got completely ignored! ). Say, if you wanted to review my newest e-book, I’d be happy to send you a free copy. No pressure – thanks again and I hope one — if not more — of your points help me out!

January 2, 2018 at 9:08 pm

Hi Brad — Thanks for the update about the Amazon forums. I’d heard about that but had forgotten to update this list. I really appreciate the reminder.

Top reviewers are tough — you really have to find the ones who are into your genre, and Amazon has begun making it tougher to find contact information for them (although email links still appear on individual profiles).

Wish I could help with your book, but I don’t typically read e-books, and my reading stack is perilously tall. But I wish you much success with it!

Cristina G. says

October 21, 2017 at 3:02 am

Gold dust. Thank you so much. I am working on a few new books and I need reviews. Blessings to you and to those who invest their valuable time reading and reviewing our lifetime work.

August 8, 2017 at 8:31 am

Thanks, Denise, for your helpful information.

June 12, 2017 at 3:55 pm

This site looks nice but there are two issues with it: – The reviewer lists can’t be accessed without completing a third-party offer. – Kaspersky shows a warning about a phishing link when the site is loaded.

If you would like to talk about this, please email me. Denise

May 15, 2017 at 6:51 pm

Thanks Denise for a cohesive listing of what to do. It’s early days for me in the world of marketing my children’s mystery novels, so it’s really helpful. Many thanks.

May 15, 2017 at 7:34 pm

Cathy, I’m so glad to hear that you found this article helpful. I wish you much success with the novels!

Indira Sahay says

April 9, 2017 at 9:54 am

Thank you for your reply. I shall certainly take up some of your suggestion

April 8, 2017 at 11:42 am

I was looking for interested reviewers for two Sociology books written by my late husband which remained unpublished when he passed away last year.the first one is already printed and the second one is being got ready for printing. this will take about three months. As the books are academic I would like to send them to academics with similar interests. What do you suggest?

Layla Rose says

March 20, 2017 at 7:03 pm

What a great find. I did some freelance publicity work for an author recently, and as a writer myself, it was sobering to see what it takes as an indie author. So much work. And having a disability which is difficult to manage really slows me down. So I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me.

Walter Stoffel says

March 3, 2017 at 1:23 pm

In part helpful ,in part confusing. Denise, you suggest steering clear of Amazon Top Reviewers(they’re touchy) yet you link to Creative Penn article that outlines process for contacting those same top reviewers.

Lanre Ayanlowo says

February 28, 2017 at 1:41 am

Hello, i have two self published books. Can you please help me publish them traditionally?

March 3, 2017 at 3:13 pm

I wish I could help, but Empty Mirror is just an online magazine; we don’t publish books. I may be able to answer some questions for you, but can’t recommend any particular publishers.

Tom Turkington says

February 21, 2017 at 7:16 pm

Thank you, Denise, so much. As a first-time author and technophobe besides, I’ve despaired of generating any sense of direction in my efforts to get my book into the hands of unbiased readers. Your suggestions are clear, concise and orderly, and likely the jumpstart I’ve needed. Were my book concerned with the arts or the Beats, I’d try to hoist it upon you, but no: it’s a 120,000-word chronicle of the first eighteen years of my life. Trying to make an asset of living in the past. Thanks for your push in the right direction(s).

Marcus De Storm says

January 1, 2017 at 2:36 pm

Thank you Denise for this information useful as a Self Published Author. As it is difficult to find genuine information and where to go to get my book reviewed. This has helped me very much.

January 1, 2017 at 2:37 pm

I’m glad you found the article useful, Marcus! I wish you much success with the book!

Mdu Rohtak says

November 18, 2016 at 5:33 am

Excellent tips, and thanks for the shout-out.

Sheree W. Davis says

November 17, 2016 at 7:52 am

Denise, Thanks for this wonderful check list! I’m a new self-published author and am grateful for the wisdom you are willing to share! God Bless! ~Sheree W. Davis

Johnb9 says

June 8, 2016 at 5:18 am

Thanks so much for the article.Much thanks again. Great.

ferris robinson says

May 2, 2016 at 5:11 am

Denise, Thank you so much for this informative and detailed post! So helpful! And I really appreciate the heads-up on commenting on reviews – I had no idea! I feel like I should be writing them a thank you note for taking the time to read my book, and taking even more time and energy to review it! Thanks for all you do for writers!

January 13, 2016 at 6:56 am

Hi Denise, great article, thanks. Quick question – when do you suggest author start asking for reviews? How long before the publish date – or after the publish date? Thanks.

Alec Stone says

August 20, 2015 at 6:14 am

Hi, don’t forget about reviews-easy.com.

This service is doing all the work for you. You only have to register and search the Amazon the reviewers by categories, products they review or by personal details. Then, a list of reviewers with contact details will be generated and you can download it. Then you can send personalized emails to all of them or do what you want with that data.

August 20, 2015 at 7:25 am

Alec, thanks for the suggestion. I have mixed feelings about Reviews Easy. I haven’t used it myself, but from a brief look at their website, it certainly appears to make it easy to search for Amazon reviewers.

Maybe too easy. I don’t enjoy reading e-books and don’t review them. That fact is stated very clearly on my Amazon profile. And yet, authors very often email to ask me to review their e-books. Some of these authors have told me that they were referred to me by Reviews Easy, and they’ve been surprised that I have no interest in e-books.

It seems that somehow Reviews Easy is leading authors to believe that I want to read e-books. (But since I haven’t used the site, I am not sure how or why this is happening.)

The site may be a good resource. But authors who choose to use it should double-check the reviewers’ profile information and preferences!

Thanks again — Denise

Tim Williams says

August 2, 2015 at 5:06 am

after reading everything that i’ve read i find myself asking …why self publish it seems like more of a pain in the ass then what it’s worth . i mean is this he only way to to go ? i write because i like to write not to share. the only reason publishing has come up is cause everyone that reads my book won’t stop bugging me about it . anyone hit me up cause i don’t see the benefit . thanks

August 3, 2015 at 1:06 pm

Most authors self-publish because they want their work to be read. But there’s no sense in publishing if you don’t feel compelled to.

While most people who write never publish, some of those still have a few books printed for themselves, family and friends who have expressed an interest. It’s an option. And, in that case, you needn’t bother with arranging for reviews, or with other promotional methods.

Others wish to reach a wider readership so look into either traditional or self-publishing, and eventually spend time promoting their book.

If you fall into the latter category, then self-publishing may be for you. But if you don’t, just keep writing for the love of it — and ignore those who pressure you.

all best, Denise

Rena George says

April 10, 2015 at 11:35 pm

Thank you for such a helpful, informative post, Denise. Authors really do need to put in the work to find approachable reviewers – and be prepared to overcome disappointments. Most reviewers are so overburdened that they have closed their lists for the foreseeable future. However the more potential reviewers an author can contact, the greater the chance of success. Perseverance is the secret, I think.

April 11, 2015 at 3:44 pm

Hi Rena, Thanks for your comment. I’m happy to hear that you found the post helpful.

Unfortunately I’m one of those reviewers who is often full-up on books to be reviewed…but I try to make time if just the perfect book is offered. There just isn’t enough time, though, to read – and review – everything I would like to.

Thanks again! Denise

Erik D. Weiss says

March 9, 2015 at 5:47 pm

Thanks, Denise! This is a fantastic little guide, great for new writers like me, eager to get my two fiction books out there. This is great advice, and you’ve inspired me to get to work getting my books reviewed and more visible!! Erik

March 9, 2015 at 7:32 pm

Erik, I’m so glad to hear you found the guide to reviews helpful. Good luck in finding reviewers! – Denise

J Haeske says

January 20, 2015 at 1:56 pm

If I only had known then what I know now… Thanks for that, Denise.

Molly Gambiza says

January 11, 2015 at 6:49 am

Thank you very much for taking your time to share this helpful information. That’s very generous of you. I am after honest reviews for my book A Woman’s Weakness. Now you have given me the directions, the ball is in my hands.

January 11, 2015 at 11:07 am

Glad we could help, Molly! Good luck with the book reviews!

christynathan930 says

September 24, 2014 at 5:28 am

Thanks for the great information and also for great tips too, and now I also check my book reviews.

James Jean-Pierre says

September 8, 2014 at 10:58 am

Thank you for this post, this list will definitely boost up my reviewer count.

August 10, 2014 at 7:55 am

I published my book in may, overlooking the need for a review. Since the time I must have approached 200-300 bloggers/sites for review unsuccessfully. any advice to get a free review? regards, jt

Denise Enck says

August 10, 2014 at 8:43 am

Congratulations on the publication of your book! Getting reviews is definitely a challenge. Without having seen your book or query email, I’m not sure why you haven’t had positive responses to your review query. But a lot depends upon the particular reviewers contacted, and how they are chosen.

First, do your research to find reviewers who review the types of books you write, and who are currently accepting books for review.

For example, I’m a reviewer; I clearly state on my review page here on Empty Mirror that I review Beat Generation and art-related books, do not review fiction, and am not accepting more books for review for the next few months. However, almost every day I receive review queries from authors who didn’t bother to read that; they offer me books about knitting, fantasy fiction, memoirs, guitar chords, children’s books, cooking, and more. I receive a lot of these, and most of them are deleted without reply.

There are websites which categorize book bloggers/reviewers by the genres they review; those can be really helpful in finding the right reviewers. Or go to Amazon and see who has reviewed similar books to yours, and see if they have an email address on their profile.

Second, sometimes it’s in the way that you approach the reviewer. Many queries I’ve received have been very impersonal, had spelling errors (doesn’t bode well for the book), were poorly written, required me to click a link to find out about the book, or wanted me to download free from Amazon on a particular day. Make it easy for the reviewer – address them by name if possible, give a brief synopsis of the book, tell where and when it’s available and in what formats. Don’t require the reviewer to do additional work to find out the basics about your book.

(However, include a link to Amazon – or wherever the book’s sold – so they can investigate more if they want to.)

Your query should contain everything necessary for the reviewer to make a decision.

Also – make sure the book is in good shape and ready for review. Sometimes, before accepting an already-published book for possible review, I’ll read the sample on Amazon to see if it appeals to me. If I find excerpts full of typos, formatting errors, or awkward writing, I won’t accept the book.

It’s harder to find reviewers for some genres than others. For example, fiction, YA and children’s book reviewers are plentiful (though often overburdened); reviewers for non-fiction, art and poetry are a little trickier to find.

But some of it is just timing, and a little bit of luck. Most reviewers get lots of queries and have to turn down even books that sound really enjoyable to them due to time constraints. But following the tips above can give you better odds.

You might also take a look at our article, “How to write an excellent review query” – https://www.emptymirrorbooks.com/publishing/how-to-write-an-excellent-book-review-query

Good luck, JT! If you have further questions, just let me know – I’d be really glad to help. all best, Denise

November 27, 2014 at 1:10 am

Hello Denise, I have a question is that any website which can give all the details of ebooks like how much ebooks are sale and in which with reviews because if any tool provide all of these things in one place it will be really helpful for many publishers.

selfpubber says

April 22, 2014 at 6:06 pm

I’ve used https://www.selfpublishingreview.com/ and it worked out pretty well. It’s a paid review, but it wasn’t a shill review (i.e. overly nice).

February 26, 2014 at 9:13 pm

I’ve used easybookreviews.com a few times. If you are willing to review other books in return it is a guaranteed way to get some (honest) reviews.

I’m also going to try story cartel but my books are already in kdp so I can’t have them available for free anywhere else at the moment. Also, story cartel aren’t amazon verified purchase reviews.

February 27, 2014 at 11:40 am

Thanks for the tip, Emily!

Be careful though, if you’re posting those reviews on Amazon. Amazon doesn’t allow reviews by “reviewing circles” (groups of people who review each other’s books) and has been known to revoke reviewing privileges for those caught doing it.

Gerard Thomas says

November 6, 2013 at 1:02 pm

OMG! I’m so happy now you’ve mentioned everything from A-Z.

Lenita Sheridan says

November 1, 2013 at 9:49 pm

This really helped me. I already got one “yes.” You might tell people to put “Review Request” in the subject line, otherwise they might get ignored the way I did when I put “possible book review?” I learned the hard way, but one website fortunately told me what to do, so I changed my tactic from then on.

November 1, 2013 at 10:04 pm

That’s a great idea, Lenita! Thanks so much. I’ll edit the article to include that. I’m glad you got a good response!

@IolaGoulton says

July 7, 2013 at 6:05 pm

10 ways to find book reviewers (and some useful links) #writing #reviews

June 30, 2013 at 11:35 pm

https://storycartel.com/ is another resource for authors to connect with reviewers.

July 1, 2013 at 8:36 am

Thanks Iola. I hadn’t heard of this one before, but I just checked it out – great resource! – Denise

@marqjonz says

May 28, 2013 at 3:50 am

@Phaedra4Real says

April 2, 2013 at 11:09 am

Dan’s right, great write-up.

ChaoticReader says

April 2, 2013 at 11:02 am

Great article on how and where to find reviewers for your book. https://t.co/wtpNTZszk5

Vennie Kocsis says

March 27, 2013 at 4:32 am

This was so very informative. Thank you for providing these resources for us budding authors.

March 27, 2013 at 11:16 am

So happy to hear you found it helpful! I wish you all the best with your book! – Denise

Rinelle Grey says

March 6, 2013 at 8:38 pm

A very extensive list of resources, I’ll be trying some of these.

One you missed is Goodreads. There are several forums that have dedicated space to helping authors find reviewers. Make sure you check that this is OK though, some groups encourage it, some dislike it.

March 6, 2013 at 9:24 pm

Thanks, Rinelle. I’ll add it. Unlike LibraryThing, GoodReads’ giveaways are only through publishers rather than authors, which is why I left it off the list. But I forgot about the forums! So I’ll add it to the list. Gracias. – Denise

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23 Book Reviewers to Reach Out To

You finally self-published your book. Congrats! Here’s your next move: landing as many book reviews as you can. But where to get reviews aside from friends and family? To help you get started, here’s a solid list of 24 book reviewers to reach out to today. I include favorites across a range of book genres.

Real quick, why book reviewers?

Collecting book reviews is the most effective action you can take as an indie author. People rarely make a purchase when there are zero reviews (that’s e-commerce 101). Especially in the book world, reviews drive sales. Just a handful of positive reviews can help convert visitors into sales.

Definitely ask your network to leave a review for your book. But after you’ve exhausted your personal contacts, go above and beyond. Boost your credibility and discoverability by attaining reviews from sources like influential book review blogs or professional book review sites listed below.

1. Amazon’s Top Reviewers

You most likely got your book listed on Amazon. If not, you should. Amazon captures more than half of the digital book market, being the mecca of self-published content. What better place to look for reviewers than on Amazon? Check out Amazon’s list of top reviewers in your genre.

The Creative Penn shares how the process can take some time: “You need to find books similar to your own and then drill down into the review, and then further into the reviewer's profile to see if their contact information or website address is available.”

P.S. PublishDrive is an online self-publishing platform that gets your book up on Amazon and thousands of other channels .

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2. Amazon Book Review Section

Amazon also has a book editors’ section that features hand-picked, non-sponsored content. Not all of Amazon’s book reviewers have their contact info available but click through their names to find the ones who do share their email or review site.

3. Other Amazon Book Reviewers

This is important to mention, so I’m making it its own entity. Take the time to browse Amazon’s book pages similar to yours. See who’s reviewed them and click on those reviewers’ profiles to see if they’re open for requests.

4. Goodreads

We know Goodreads, one of the most popular book review sites. If you haven’t yet, set up an author page on Goodreads. Then use the groups search box to find reviewers. Check the guidelines of each group before you post your request.

5. LibraryThing

LibraryThing is similar to Goodreads, where readers hang out to review and discuss various books. It’s like a social networking site, which you can use to find reviewers. Try offering your book with Member Giveaway , where members enter a drawing to win a book for free. Then kindly ask the winners who receive your work for a review.

6. Book Riot

Looking for professional book review sites? Consider Book Riot. It’s one of the largest independent editorial book sites. The team runs a variety of media, from podcasts to newsletters across numerous genres. All you have to do is shoot them an email. Here’s their review policy .

7. Kirkus Review

Kirkus Review is another professional site for some of the best reviews to land. Kirkus reviewers are credible, trusted voices in the publishing world. This one is paid. If you have the budget for it, purchasing a Kirkus review is a great way to increase clout.

8. IndieReader

IndieReader is a paid option as well, a tad cheaper than Kirkus Review. If your budget permits, it’s not a bad idea to pay for a guaranteed review by a more established name. You can paste the review on your editorial reviews section on Amazon, your author website, and even the back of your book. See IndieReader’s pricing .

9. BookPage

BookPage covers most genres, from literary fiction, to mystery, and biography. Its book recommendations are informative, periodically featuring author interviews. All you gotta do is send an email pitch with a digital review copy no later than four months before your book launch. See their guidelines .

10. The New York Review of Books

Imagine having your book shared with over 2.3M followers on Twitter. This is quite an ambitious one, but why not give it a go? Esquire described The New York Review of Books as “the premier literary-intellectual magazine in the English language.” Check the FAQ page (under “Editorial”) for the address to send your request.

11. The Kindle Book Review

The Kindle Book Review provides awards, shoutouts, and various resources for authors. And of course, the site specializes in giving reviews. Peruse its team of reviewers to ensure a proper fit for your book. Read how to make your request .

12. Maryse’s Book Blog

Book blogs are fantastic because they’re usually free. Plus, passionate readers run these blogs about books. In the gigantic romance genre, you don’t want to miss Maryse’s Book Blog . She covers romance stories of all subgenres, including contemporary, paranormal, urban fantasy, and more.

13. True Story Book Blog

Under romance, don’t miss out on True Story Book Blog either. Lisa reviews subgenres like contemporary, new adult, and paranormal. She’s also one of the best bloggers for adult erotica books. I mean, she’s got over 15K followers on Twitter. Lisa shares: “If it wasn’t for 50 Shades, I wouldn’t be where I am today.” Is 50 Shades of Grey not one of the best erotica works to date?

14. Book Woman Joan

Got a spiritual book? For Christian book reviews, go to blog reviewer Book Woman Joan . She covers a variety of genres but has a large following, particularly for Christian works.

15. The YA Bookworm Blogger

How about YA books? The YA Bookworm Blogger reviews books classified as Young Adult Fiction and New Adult Fiction. Her favorite genres are romance, paranormal, contemporary, and dystopian. See her review policy .

16. Mom With a Reading Problem

For children’s books, reach out to Mom with a Reading Problem . She goes on a first come, first serve policy and aims for a turnaround of 30 days.

17. ChapterInMyLife

When it comes to blogger reviews for all things dark, contact ChapterInMyLife . Sharon is a fanatic of crime fiction, true crime, thrillers, mysteries, and more. She’s got a dedicated fanbase of 7K followers on Twitter.

18. Cat Pollock Writes

Cat Pollock Writes is the place to go for science fiction. Cat is an author herself. By the way, doing review swaps with other authors is a pretty cool way to not only gain reviews but get connected in your industry.

19. YouTuber With Cindy

Let’s talk about book reviewers on YouTube. To do that, I have to mention YouTuber With Cindy . She has over 484K subscribers, and she’s freaking awesome. If you’ve got the budget and want to go big, working with influential YouTubers like Cindy will get you massive exposure. Cindy is straightforward about pricing: “If you have a conservative budget, please be realistic before contacting and consider working with someone else.” Here’s her FAQ .

20. Smaller YouTube Channels

If you can’t afford the big names like Cindy, there are a ton of smaller YouTubers you can work with instead. For example, SparklesBooks got almost 6K subscribers reviewing mostly horror and paranormal content. I couldn’t find her email or review policy, but here’s her Instagram .

21. Bookstagrammers

Speaking of Instagram… Heard of bookstagrammers? Bookstagrammers are book reviewers on the social media platform Instagram. Check the hashtag #bookstagram on Instagram to discover your next reviewer.

22. Social Media

And speaking of Instagram, I have to mention social media as a whole. Just like on Instagram, you can search for reviewers who cover your genre on social channels like Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest. Draft a polite request and send out those DMs.

23. ARC Team

I end this list with a note on building an ARC Team. ARC stands for advance review copy or advanced readers copy. In self-publishing, you take care of everything on your own. An ARC team’s sole purpose is to help you gain more reviews. If you have to outsource one area of your publishing gig, why not this? Learn more about building an ARC team .

You got the book blogs and book reviewers. What next?

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7 Book Review Sites That Put Your Book in Front of Readers

May 13, 2021 | Book Marketing | 10 comments

Now that you finally published your book , it’s time to gather book reviews. With so many options to promote your book and get it in front of readers, it’s hard to choose which one(s) will help sell this book and the ones that follow. Book review sites are one way to use your advertising dollars to promote reviews and, potentially, book sales.

Why are book reviews so important?

Book reviews are the social proof for your book. It lets other readers know your book is worthy of their time and money. Just like you wouldn’t go to a restaurant without reviews, most readers, unless they know you, have seen you, or a friend recommends your book, won’t pick up your book without reviews. Your first goal is to get to 25 reviews as quickly as possible. Once you reach that goal, keep pushing for more. There is no such thing as too many reviews.

When should you spend money on book review sites?

When you have a small email list or small following on social media and can’t generate the number of desired book reviews organically, you may consider turning to book review sites. It is against Amazon rules to have your mother and friends stuff your book page with reviews. So, it may be advantageous to engage readers out of your own ecosystem.

What to expect from book review sites

The most important thing to understand about engaging with book review sites is that you aren’t paying for reviews. You are paying to have your book in front of readers who may select your book and leave a review. Readers are under no obligation to leave a review, although most will, and they are under no obligation to leave a positive review.

Most reviewers sign up for the sites’ free and nearly free ebooks email list and/or social media feeds. They choose books in genres they like or will go off their normal reading patterns and choose something new because there is little to no risk if the book is free or cheap.

Who can expect the greatest return?

Not all books are created equal. Genre fiction (romance, mystery, etc.) will get consumed at a ravenous rate compared to nonfiction. You increase your chance of success with review sites using the same elements as you will selling them: a professional cover, an engaging description, and a well-written, well-edited book. Make sure you put your best book forward to entice readers.

Why give away your book?

Why would you give away your book for free? Isn’t the point to make money? Long-term, the goal is to generate income. In the short term, it may be more advantageous to expose your book to more readers and build a following. More reviews or more Amazon (or another platform) traffic may mean higher sales after you’ve run your book review promotion. Especially if you have more than one book, book review promotions can help with sales of all of your books. Your goal is to turn readers into fans. Giving your book away is one way to start.

Book review sites

The style, competition, and offerings vary from site to site. While there are free review sites available, the ones listed here are all paid sites. Except for Book Marketing Tools, all are run out of their own site using their list of reviewers. You can also sign up to become a reviewer and receive free and discounted book offers. You’ll help other authors and read some great books!

Most free book review sites won’t evaluate your book. Their Twitter lists may not be vetted either. This is one instance that you get what you pay for. Read the details of each program to understand what you are getting.

Book Marketing Tools

Book Marketing Tools has been around for a number of years, giving sound book marketing advice to its readers. More recently, they built a tool to easily add your information once and use it to be listed on 31+ free book promotion sites. While it isn’t a book review platform in itself, it does ease your efforts. And, of course, time is money. At the time of this blog post, it cost $29 to access this feature.

Readers Favorite

Readers Favorite offers free and paid book review opportunities. According to their site, 50% of the books listed for free receive a review within 3 months. For guaranteed, expedited reviews, there are three options for one, three, and five reviews. Readers Favorite only publishes four- and five-star reviews and with enough depth to allow you to pull out several shorter quotes for use on social media and other avenues. Their pricing model includes free, $59, $129, and $199 offerings.

Reedsy Discovery

With Reedsy Discovery , you first pick your launch date and are matched with readers who give reviews in your category. You receive a book landing page and are added to their Discovery feed. The best books get featured in their catalog. For $50, you are eligible for one review. If your book is not reviewed, you can resubmit it three times at no charge. They require that you submit your book within six months of publication and must submit a copy of your ebook and front cover.

NetGalley is a way to reach a growing community of influential readers (media, reviewers, booksellers, librarians, bloggers, and educators) who can read, review and recommend your book(s). You can enroll in 3-6 month packages individually or through partners like Books Go Social (below) or Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) for $199-$399 (partner prices). Reviewers request pre-publication digital copies of your book and publish reviews to their profile and to share with their audiences.

Book Raid is another high-quality book review site. The benefit to promoting your title with this site, besides its popularity with readers, is that you only pay per click on your book, and your maximum spend is capped at $60. While they don’t take everyone, they do have a few requirements including minimum page count, recently discounted or free, and not promoted on their site within the last eight weeks, among other things.

Written Word Media

Written Word Media is another popular site hosting a variety of book promotion options. Among their offerings are Free Booksy for free books, Bargain Booksy for discounted books usually between $.99 and $2.99, Red Feather Romance, New Releases for books released within four months, and a Facebook/Instagram ad option called Reader Reach. Their tiered pricing levels the field with more popular genres promoted for a higher cost. Your book gets the attention it deserves with a growing reader list of well over 300,000 to date.

Books Go Social

Books Go Social offers a variety of book review opportunities as well as ad programs through Facebook and Amazon. Their package pricing varies depending on the service, and many packages offer tiered pricing options. They offer launch packages with ads, a book trailer, cover, description, and subtitle reviews, tweets, and email placements to their legions of followers, along with NetGalley membership. They also offer 4-8 week memberships to boost book sales and reviews. Packages start at $99.

BookBub earns its title as the coveted spot for book marketing. Books are vetted, and authors compete for featured deals due to the prestige and effect on sales that accompany it. There are many factors in getting your book accepted or denied. Some of those are required, like page count (differs between categories), or not discounted enough or already discounted within a month. You must offer at least a 50% discount on your ebook, preferably at a price between $.99-1.99. Most others are subjective. You are competing with other books. A great cover and description, wide distribution, well-edited, and plenty of reviews put you in the running. While they don’t have a requirement for the number of reviews, it is clear that under 25 positive reviews won’t cut it.

BookBub’s pricing reflects the high demand for the service. Costs for the Featured Deal vary by the popularity of the book category and the price you charge for the book. At the time of this writing, a featured deal could be as low as $92 or as high as $3066. Pricing changes regularly based on several factors. Here is more information about boosting your chances to get a BookBub featured deal.

Ok. That’s eight but who’s counting?

These are just a few of the book review sites available. As with many advertising programs, success will vary based on the platform and its ability to connect your book with the right readers. Once the promotion ends, use your online presence to turn readers into fans. They will be poised and ready for your next book or another product or service.

Do you need help navigating the book marketing path? Find your guide here .

10 Comments

But these reviews are not verified purchases–so does Amazon still use them in the rankings?

Thanks for your comment. Amazon uses purchases in their rankings and not reviews. They will post reviews, although some are removed if they think they aren’t actually readers.

This comment makes me very hesitant to use most of these sites which do not provide verified reviews.

Hi Regina, If reviewers are receiving their books from Amazon, they are verified. However, you can have reviews that aren’t verified that are still valid reviews wherever they purchased or received the book.

HOPE TO START A NEW CHAPTER IN MY LIFE

We’re always writing new chapters. That’s what makes life exciting!

What do you think of pubby book review site?

Betsy, I’ve heard that Amazon has been rejecting many of the reviews generated from that site. Amazon’s review policy disallows reciprocal reviews and that seems to happen a lot on the Pubby site, according to some anecdotal evidence.

I found a $49 lifetime deal on BookMuffin, which works in a similar way to Pubby but is smaller. I think it is worthwhile is it doesn’t matter if it takes a week or more for people to review my books because I am not paying a monthly fee.

BookMuffin sounds interesting. Any others not listed above that you recommend? Pubby is not for me as I learned from experience; don’t go there. It’s way overpriced and it takes much time to get in touch with a person; it’s all botted out and the bots just aren’t up for the job ad nauseam.

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

Email Marketing for Writers - Happy Self-Publisher - […] and build enthusiasts and evangelists. Your list will likely become your first readers, first reviewers, and first to recommend…
Build Credibility Through Writing - Happy Self-Publisher - […] are a few ways to build credibility. Customer reviews and referrals are powerful drivers of sales in your business.…
Write a Book Description that Sells - Happy Self-Publisher - […] blogs (guest blogs), and interviews. You can also use it to pre-sell books and garner pre-launch book reviews. As…
How to price your self-published book - Happy Self-Publisher - […] Life, or other publishing back office, you can change the price at any time. You may do so for…
How to Get More Book Reviews - Happy Self-Publisher - […] Book review sites are a form of advertising specifically designed to encourage new readers to find and experience your…

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17 Book Review Examples to Help You Write the Perfect Review

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Blog – Posted on Friday, Mar 29

17 book review examples to help you write the perfect review.

It’s an exciting time to be a book reviewer. Once confined to print newspapers and journals, reviews now dot many corridors of the Internet — forever helping others discover their next great read. That said, every book reviewer will face a familiar panic: how can you do justice to a great book in just a thousand words?

As you know, the best way to learn how to do something is by immersing yourself in it. Luckily, the Internet (i.e. Goodreads and other review sites , in particular) has made book reviews more accessible than ever — which means that there are a lot of book reviews examples out there for you to view!

In this post, we compiled 17 prototypical book review examples in multiple genres to help you figure out how to write the perfect review . If you want to jump straight to the examples, you can skip the next section. Otherwise, let’s first check out what makes up a good review.

Are you interested in becoming a book reviewer? We recommend you check out Reedsy Discovery , where you can earn money for writing reviews — and are guaranteed people will read your reviews! To register as a book reviewer, sign up here.

Pro-tip : But wait! How are you sure if you should become a book reviewer in the first place? If you're on the fence, or curious about your match with a book reviewing career, take our quick quiz:

Should you become a book reviewer?

Find out the answer. Takes 30 seconds!

What must a book review contain?

Like all works of art, no two book reviews will be identical. But fear not: there are a few guidelines for any aspiring book reviewer to follow. Most book reviews, for instance, are less than 1,500 words long, with the sweet spot hitting somewhere around the 1,000-word mark. (However, this may vary depending on the platform on which you’re writing, as we’ll see later.)

In addition, all reviews share some universal elements, as shown in our book review templates . These include:

A review will offer a concise plot summary of the book.
A book review will offer an evaluation of the work.
A book review will offer a recommendation for the audience.

If these are the basic ingredients that make up a book review, it’s the tone and style with which the book reviewer writes that brings the extra panache. This will differ from platform to platform, of course. A book review on Goodreads, for instance, will be much more informal and personal than a book review on Kirkus Reviews, as it is catering to a different audience. However, at the end of the day, the goal of all book reviews is to give the audience the tools to determine whether or not they’d like to read the book themselves.

Keeping that in mind, let’s proceed to some book review examples to put all of this in action.

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Book review examples for fiction books

Since story is king in the world of fiction, it probably won’t come as any surprise to learn that a book review for a novel will concentrate on how well the story was told .

That said, book reviews in all genres follow the same basic formula that we discussed earlier. In these examples, you’ll be able to see how book reviewers on different platforms expertly intertwine the plot summary and their personal opinions of the book to produce a clear, informative, and concise review.

Note: Some of the book review examples run very long. If a book review is truncated in this post, we’ve indicated by including a […] at the end, but you can always read the entire review if you click on the link provided.

Examples of literary fiction book reviews

Kirkus Reviews reviews Ralph Ellison’s The Invisible Man :

An extremely powerful story of a young Southern Negro, from his late high school days through three years of college to his life in Harlem.

His early training prepared him for a life of humility before white men, but through injustices- large and small, he came to realize that he was an "invisible man". People saw in him only a reflection of their preconceived ideas of what he was, denied his individuality, and ultimately did not see him at all. This theme, which has implications far beyond the obvious racial parallel, is skillfully handled. The incidents of the story are wholly absorbing. The boy's dismissal from college because of an innocent mistake, his shocked reaction to the anonymity of the North and to Harlem, his nightmare experiences on a one-day job in a paint factory and in the hospital, his lightning success as the Harlem leader of a communistic organization known as the Brotherhood, his involvement in black versus white and black versus black clashes and his disillusion and understanding of his invisibility- all climax naturally in scenes of violence and riot, followed by a retreat which is both literal and figurative. Parts of this experience may have been told before, but never with such freshness, intensity and power.

This is Ellison's first novel, but he has complete control of his story and his style. Watch it.

Lyndsey reviews George Orwell’s 1984 on Goodreads:

YOU. ARE. THE. DEAD. Oh my God. I got the chills so many times toward the end of this book. It completely blew my mind. It managed to surpass my high expectations AND be nothing at all like I expected. Or in Newspeak "Double Plus Good." Let me preface this with an apology. If I sound stunningly inarticulate at times in this review, I can't help it. My mind is completely fried.

This book is like the dystopian Lord of the Rings, with its richly developed culture and economics, not to mention a fully developed language called Newspeak, or rather more of the anti-language, whose purpose is to limit speech and understanding instead of to enhance and expand it. The world-building is so fully fleshed out and spine-tinglingly terrifying that it's almost as if George travelled to such a place, escaped from it, and then just wrote it all down.

I read Fahrenheit 451 over ten years ago in my early teens. At the time, I remember really wanting to read 1984, although I never managed to get my hands on it. I'm almost glad I didn't. Though I would not have admitted it at the time, it would have gone over my head. Or at the very least, I wouldn't have been able to appreciate it fully. […]

The New York Times reviews Lisa Halliday’s Asymmetry :

Three-quarters of the way through Lisa Halliday’s debut novel, “Asymmetry,” a British foreign correspondent named Alistair is spending Christmas on a compound outside of Baghdad. His fellow revelers include cameramen, defense contractors, United Nations employees and aid workers. Someone’s mother has FedExed a HoneyBaked ham from Maine; people are smoking by the swimming pool. It is 2003, just days after Saddam Hussein’s capture, and though the mood is optimistic, Alistair is worrying aloud about the ethics of his chosen profession, wondering if reporting on violence doesn’t indirectly abet violence and questioning why he’d rather be in a combat zone than reading a picture book to his son. But every time he returns to London, he begins to “spin out.” He can’t go home. “You observe what people do with their freedom — what they don’t do — and it’s impossible not to judge them for it,” he says.

The line, embedded unceremoniously in the middle of a page-long paragraph, doubles, like so many others in “Asymmetry,” as literary criticism. Halliday’s novel is so strange and startlingly smart that its mere existence seems like commentary on the state of fiction. One finishes “Asymmetry” for the first or second (or like this reader, third) time and is left wondering what other writers are not doing with their freedom — and, like Alistair, judging them for it.

Despite its title, “Asymmetry” comprises two seemingly unrelated sections of equal length, appended by a slim and quietly shocking coda. Halliday’s prose is clean and lean, almost reportorial in the style of W. G. Sebald, and like the murmurings of a shy person at a cocktail party, often comic only in single clauses. It’s a first novel that reads like the work of an author who has published many books over many years. […]

Emily W. Thompson reviews Michael Doane's The Crossing on Reedsy Discovery :

In Doane’s debut novel, a young man embarks on a journey of self-discovery with surprising results.

An unnamed protagonist (The Narrator) is dealing with heartbreak. His love, determined to see the world, sets out for Portland, Oregon. But he’s a small-town boy who hasn’t traveled much. So, the Narrator mourns her loss and hides from life, throwing himself into rehabbing an old motorcycle. Until one day, he takes a leap; he packs his bike and a few belongings and heads out to find the Girl.

Following in the footsteps of Jack Kerouac and William Least Heat-Moon, Doane offers a coming of age story about a man finding himself on the backroads of America. Doane’s a gifted writer with fluid prose and insightful observations, using The Narrator’s personal interactions to illuminate the diversity of the United States.

The Narrator initially sticks to the highways, trying to make it to the West Coast as quickly as possible. But a hitchhiker named Duke convinces him to get off the beaten path and enjoy the ride. “There’s not a place that’s like any other,” [39] Dukes contends, and The Narrator realizes he’s right. Suddenly, the trip is about the journey, not just the destination. The Narrator ditches his truck and traverses the deserts and mountains on his bike. He destroys his phone, cutting off ties with his past and living only in the moment.

As he crosses the country, The Narrator connects with several unique personalities whose experiences and views deeply impact his own. Duke, the complicated cowboy and drifter, who opens The Narrator’s eyes to a larger world. Zooey, the waitress in Colorado who opens his heart and reminds him that love can be found in this big world. And Rosie, The Narrator’s sweet landlady in Portland, who helps piece him back together both physically and emotionally.

This supporting cast of characters is excellent. Duke, in particular, is wonderfully nuanced and complicated. He’s a throwback to another time, a man without a cell phone who reads Sartre and sleeps under the stars. Yet he’s also a grifter with a “love ‘em and leave ‘em” attitude that harms those around him. It’s fascinating to watch The Narrator wrestle with Duke’s behavior, trying to determine which to model and which to discard.

Doane creates a relatable protagonist in The Narrator, whose personal growth doesn’t erase his faults. His willingness to hit the road with few resources is admirable, and he’s prescient enough to recognize the jealousy of those who cannot or will not take the leap. His encounters with new foods, places, and people broaden his horizons. Yet his immaturity and selfishness persist. He tells Rosie she’s been a good mother to him but chooses to ignore the continuing concern from his own parents as he effectively disappears from his old life.

Despite his flaws, it’s a pleasure to accompany The Narrator on his physical and emotional journey. The unexpected ending is a fitting denouement to an epic and memorable road trip.

The Book Smugglers review Anissa Gray’s The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls :

I am still dipping my toes into the literally fiction pool, finding what works for me and what doesn’t. Books like The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls by Anissa Gray are definitely my cup of tea.

Althea and Proctor Cochran had been pillars of their economically disadvantaged community for years – with their local restaurant/small market and their charity drives. Until they are found guilty of fraud for stealing and keeping most of the money they raised and sent to jail. Now disgraced, their entire family is suffering the consequences, specially their twin teenage daughters Baby Vi and Kim. To complicate matters even more: Kim was actually the one to call the police on her parents after yet another fight with her mother. […]

Examples of children’s and YA fiction book reviews

The Book Hookup reviews Angie Thomas’ The Hate U Give :

♥ Quick Thoughts and Rating: 5 stars! I can’t imagine how challenging it would be to tackle the voice of a movement like Black Lives Matter, but I do know that Thomas did it with a finesse only a talented author like herself possibly could. With an unapologetically realistic delivery packed with emotion, The Hate U Give is a crucially important portrayal of the difficulties minorities face in our country every single day. I have no doubt that this book will be met with resistance by some (possibly many) and slapped with a “controversial” label, but if you’ve ever wondered what it was like to walk in a POC’s shoes, then I feel like this is an unflinchingly honest place to start.

In Angie Thomas’s debut novel, Starr Carter bursts on to the YA scene with both heart-wrecking and heartwarming sincerity. This author is definitely one to watch.

♥ Review: The hype around this book has been unquestionable and, admittedly, that made me both eager to get my hands on it and terrified to read it. I mean, what if I was to be the one person that didn’t love it as much as others? (That seems silly now because of how truly mesmerizing THUG was in the most heartbreakingly realistic way.) However, with the relevancy of its summary in regards to the unjust predicaments POC currently face in the US, I knew this one was a must-read, so I was ready to set my fears aside and dive in. That said, I had an altogether more personal, ulterior motive for wanting to read this book. […]

The New York Times reviews Melissa Albert’s The Hazel Wood :

Alice Crewe (a last name she’s chosen for herself) is a fairy tale legacy: the granddaughter of Althea Proserpine, author of a collection of dark-as-night fairy tales called “Tales From the Hinterland.” The book has a cult following, and though Alice has never met her grandmother, she’s learned a little about her through internet research. She hasn’t read the stories, because her mother, Ella Proserpine, forbids it.

Alice and Ella have moved from place to place in an attempt to avoid the “bad luck” that seems to follow them. Weird things have happened. As a child, Alice was kidnapped by a man who took her on a road trip to find her grandmother; he was stopped by the police before they did so. When at 17 she sees that man again, unchanged despite the years, Alice panics. Then Ella goes missing, and Alice turns to Ellery Finch, a schoolmate who’s an Althea Proserpine superfan, for help in tracking down her mother. Not only has Finch read every fairy tale in the collection, but handily, he remembers them, sharing them with Alice as they journey to the mysterious Hazel Wood, the estate of her now-dead grandmother, where they hope to find Ella.

“The Hazel Wood” starts out strange and gets stranger, in the best way possible. (The fairy stories Finch relays, which Albert includes as their own chapters, are as creepy and evocative as you’d hope.) Albert seamlessly combines contemporary realism with fantasy, blurring the edges in a way that highlights that place where stories and real life convene, where magic contains truth and the world as it appears is false, where just about anything can happen, particularly in the pages of a very good book. It’s a captivating debut. […]

James reviews Margaret Wise Brown’s Goodnight, Moon on Goodreads:

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown is one of the books that followers of my blog voted as a must-read for our Children's Book August 2018 Readathon. Come check it out and join the next few weeks!

This picture book was such a delight. I hadn't remembered reading it when I was a child, but it might have been read to me... either way, it was like a whole new experience! It's always so difficult to convince a child to fall asleep at night. I don't have kids, but I do have a 5-month-old puppy who whines for 5 minutes every night when he goes in his cage/crate (hopefully he'll be fully housebroken soon so he can roam around when he wants). I can only imagine! I babysat a lot as a teenager and I have tons of younger cousins, nieces, and nephews, so I've been through it before, too. This was a believable experience, and it really helps show kids how to relax and just let go when it's time to sleep.

The bunny's are adorable. The rhymes are exquisite. I found it pretty fun, but possibly a little dated given many of those things aren't normal routines anymore. But the lessons to take from it are still powerful. Loved it! I want to sample some more books by this fine author and her illustrators.

Publishers Weekly reviews Elizabeth Lilly’s Geraldine :

This funny, thoroughly accomplished debut opens with two words: “I’m moving.” They’re spoken by the title character while she swoons across her family’s ottoman, and because Geraldine is a giraffe, her full-on melancholy mode is quite a spectacle. But while Geraldine may be a drama queen (even her mother says so), it won’t take readers long to warm up to her. The move takes Geraldine from Giraffe City, where everyone is like her, to a new school, where everyone else is human. Suddenly, the former extrovert becomes “That Giraffe Girl,” and all she wants to do is hide, which is pretty much impossible. “Even my voice tries to hide,” she says, in the book’s most poignant moment. “It’s gotten quiet and whispery.” Then she meets Cassie, who, though human, is also an outlier (“I’m that girl who wears glasses and likes MATH and always organizes her food”), and things begin to look up.

Lilly’s watercolor-and-ink drawings are as vividly comic and emotionally astute as her writing; just when readers think there are no more ways for Geraldine to contort her long neck, this highly promising talent comes up with something new.

Examples of genre fiction book reviews

Karlyn P reviews Nora Roberts’ Dark Witch , a paranormal romance novel , on Goodreads:

4 stars. Great world-building, weak romance, but still worth the read.

I hesitate to describe this book as a 'romance' novel simply because the book spent little time actually exploring the romance between Iona and Boyle. Sure, there IS a romance in this novel. Sprinkled throughout the book are a few scenes where Iona and Boyle meet, chat, wink at each, flirt some more, sleep together, have a misunderstanding, make up, and then profess their undying love. Very formulaic stuff, and all woven around the more important parts of this book.

The meat of this book is far more focused on the story of the Dark witch and her magically-gifted descendants living in Ireland. Despite being weak on the romance, I really enjoyed it. I think the book is probably better for it, because the romance itself was pretty lackluster stuff.

I absolutely plan to stick with this series as I enjoyed the world building, loved the Ireland setting, and was intrigued by all of the secondary characters. However, If you read Nora Roberts strictly for the romance scenes, this one might disappoint. But if you enjoy a solid background story with some dark magic and prophesies, you might enjoy it as much as I did.

I listened to this one on audio, and felt the narration was excellent.

Emily May reviews R.F. Kuang’s The Poppy Wars , an epic fantasy novel , on Goodreads:

“But I warn you, little warrior. The price of power is pain.”

Holy hell, what did I just read??

➽ A fantasy military school

➽ A rich world based on modern Chinese history

➽ Shamans and gods

➽ Detailed characterization leading to unforgettable characters

➽ Adorable, opium-smoking mentors

That's a basic list, but this book is all of that and SO MUCH MORE. I know 100% that The Poppy War will be one of my best reads of 2018.

Isn't it just so great when you find one of those books that completely drags you in, makes you fall in love with the characters, and demands that you sit on the edge of your seat for every horrific, nail-biting moment of it? This is one of those books for me. And I must issue a serious content warning: this book explores some very dark themes. Proceed with caution (or not at all) if you are particularly sensitive to scenes of war, drug use and addiction, genocide, racism, sexism, ableism, self-harm, torture, and rape (off-page but extremely horrific).

Because, despite the fairly innocuous first 200 pages, the title speaks the truth: this is a book about war. All of its horrors and atrocities. It is not sugar-coated, and it is often graphic. The "poppy" aspect refers to opium, which is a big part of this book. It is a fantasy, but the book draws inspiration from the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Rape of Nanking.

Crime Fiction Lover reviews Jessica Barry’s Freefall , a crime novel:

In some crime novels, the wrongdoing hits you between the eyes from page one. With others it’s a more subtle process, and that’s OK too. So where does Freefall fit into the sliding scale?

In truth, it’s not clear. This is a novel with a thrilling concept at its core. A woman survives plane crash, then runs for her life. However, it is the subtleties at play that will draw you in like a spider beckoning to an unwitting fly.

Like the heroine in Sharon Bolton’s Dead Woman Walking, Allison is lucky to be alive. She was the only passenger in a private plane, belonging to her fiancé, Ben, who was piloting the expensive aircraft, when it came down in woodlands in the Colorado Rockies. Ally is also the only survivor, but rather than sitting back and waiting for rescue, she is soon pulling together items that may help her survive a little longer – first aid kit, energy bars, warm clothes, trainers – before fleeing the scene. If you’re hearing the faint sound of alarm bells ringing, get used to it. There’s much, much more to learn about Ally before this tale is over.

Kirkus Reviews reviews Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One , a science-fiction novel :

Video-game players embrace the quest of a lifetime in a virtual world; screenwriter Cline’s first novel is old wine in new bottles.

The real world, in 2045, is the usual dystopian horror story. So who can blame Wade, our narrator, if he spends most of his time in a virtual world? The 18-year-old, orphaned at 11, has no friends in his vertical trailer park in Oklahoma City, while the OASIS has captivating bells and whistles, and it’s free. Its creator, the legendary billionaire James Halliday, left a curious will. He had devised an elaborate online game, a hunt for a hidden Easter egg. The finder would inherit his estate. Old-fashioned riddles lead to three keys and three gates. Wade, or rather his avatar Parzival, is the first gunter (egg-hunter) to win the Copper Key, first of three.

Halliday was obsessed with the pop culture of the 1980s, primarily the arcade games, so the novel is as much retro as futurist. Parzival’s great strength is that he has absorbed all Halliday’s obsessions; he knows by heart three essential movies, crossing the line from geek to freak. His most formidable competitors are the Sixers, contract gunters working for the evil conglomerate IOI, whose goal is to acquire the OASIS. Cline’s narrative is straightforward but loaded with exposition. It takes a while to reach a scene that crackles with excitement: the meeting between Parzival (now world famous as the lead contender) and Sorrento, the head of IOI. The latter tries to recruit Parzival; when he fails, he issues and executes a death threat. Wade’s trailer is demolished, his relatives killed; luckily Wade was not at home. Too bad this is the dramatic high point. Parzival threads his way between more ’80s games and movies to gain the other keys; it’s clever but not exciting. Even a romance with another avatar and the ultimate “epic throwdown” fail to stir the blood.

Too much puzzle-solving, not enough suspense.

Book review examples for non-fiction books

Nonfiction books are generally written to inform readers about a certain topic. As such, the focus of a nonfiction book review will be on the clarity and effectiveness of this communication . In carrying this out, a book review may analyze the author’s source materials and assess the thesis in order to determine whether or not the book meets expectations.

Again, we’ve included abbreviated versions of long reviews here, so feel free to click on the link to read the entire piece!

The Washington Post reviews David Grann’s Killers of the Flower Moon :

The arc of David Grann’s career reminds one of a software whiz-kid or a latest-thing talk-show host — certainly not an investigative reporter, even if he is one of the best in the business. The newly released movie of his first book, “The Lost City of Z,” is generating all kinds of Oscar talk, and now comes the release of his second book, “Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI,” the film rights to which have already been sold for $5 million in what one industry journal called the “biggest and wildest book rights auction in memory.”

Grann deserves the attention. He’s canny about the stories he chases, he’s willing to go anywhere to chase them, and he’s a maestro in his ability to parcel out information at just the right clip: a hint here, a shading of meaning there, a smartly paced buildup of multiple possibilities followed by an inevitable reversal of readerly expectations or, in some cases, by a thrilling and dislocating pull of the entire narrative rug.

All of these strengths are on display in “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Around the turn of the 20th century, oil was discovered underneath Osage lands in the Oklahoma Territory, lands that were soon to become part of the state of Oklahoma. Through foresight and legal maneuvering, the Osage found a way to permanently attach that oil to themselves and shield it from the prying hands of white interlopers; this mechanism was known as “headrights,” which forbade the outright sale of oil rights and granted each full member of the tribe — and, supposedly, no one else — a share in the proceeds from any lease arrangement. For a while, the fail-safes did their job, and the Osage got rich — diamond-ring and chauffeured-car and imported-French-fashion rich — following which quite a large group of white men started to work like devils to separate the Osage from their money. And soon enough, and predictably enough, this work involved murder. Here in Jazz Age America’s most isolated of locales, dozens or even hundreds of Osage in possession of great fortunes — and of the potential for even greater fortunes in the future — were dispatched by poison, by gunshot and by dynamite. […]

Stacked Books reviews Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers :

I’ve heard a lot of great things about Malcolm Gladwell’s writing. Friends and co-workers tell me that his subjects are interesting and his writing style is easy to follow without talking down to the reader. I wasn’t disappointed with Outliers. In it, Gladwell tackles the subject of success – how people obtain it and what contributes to extraordinary success as opposed to everyday success.

The thesis – that our success depends much more on circumstances out of our control than any effort we put forth – isn’t exactly revolutionary. Most of us know it to be true. However, I don’t think I’m lying when I say that most of us also believe that we if we just try that much harder and develop our talent that much further, it will be enough to become wildly successful, despite bad or just mediocre beginnings. Not so, says Gladwell.

Most of the evidence Gladwell gives us is anecdotal, which is my favorite kind to read. I can’t really speak to how scientifically valid it is, but it sure makes for engrossing listening. For example, did you know that successful hockey players are almost all born in January, February, or March? Kids born during these months are older than the others kids when they start playing in the youth leagues, which means they’re already better at the game (because they’re bigger). Thus, they get more play time, which means their skill increases at a faster rate, and it compounds as time goes by. Within a few years, they’re much, much better than the kids born just a few months later in the year. Basically, these kids’ birthdates are a huge factor in their success as adults – and it’s nothing they can do anything about. If anyone could make hockey interesting to a Texan who only grudgingly admits the sport even exists, it’s Gladwell. […]

Quill and Quire reviews Rick Prashaw’s Soar, Adam, Soar :

Ten years ago, I read a book called Almost Perfect. The young-adult novel by Brian Katcher won some awards and was held up as a powerful, nuanced portrayal of a young trans person. But the reality did not live up to the book’s billing. Instead, it turned out to be a one-dimensional and highly fetishized portrait of a trans person’s life, one that was nevertheless repeatedly dubbed “realistic” and “affecting” by non-transgender readers possessing only a vague, mass-market understanding of trans experiences.

In the intervening decade, trans narratives have emerged further into the literary spotlight, but those authored by trans people ourselves – and by trans men in particular – have seemed to fall under the shadow of cisgender sensationalized imaginings. Two current Canadian releases – Soar, Adam, Soar and This One Looks Like a Boy – provide a pointed object lesson into why trans-authored work about transgender experiences remains critical.

To be fair, Soar, Adam, Soar isn’t just a story about a trans man. It’s also a story about epilepsy, the medical establishment, and coming of age as seen through a grieving father’s eyes. Adam, Prashaw’s trans son, died unexpectedly at age 22. Woven through the elder Prashaw’s narrative are excerpts from Adam’s social media posts, giving us glimpses into the young man’s interior life as he traverses his late teens and early 20s. […]

Book Geeks reviews Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love :

WRITING STYLE: 3.5/5

SUBJECT: 4/5

CANDIDNESS: 4.5/5

RELEVANCE: 3.5/5

ENTERTAINMENT QUOTIENT: 3.5/5

“Eat Pray Love” is so popular that it is almost impossible to not read it. Having felt ashamed many times on my not having read this book, I quietly ordered the book (before I saw the movie) from amazon.in and sat down to read it. I don’t remember what I expected it to be – maybe more like a chick lit thing but it turned out quite different. The book is a real story and is a short journal from the time when its writer went travelling to three different countries in pursuit of three different things – Italy (Pleasure), India (Spirituality), Bali (Balance) and this is what corresponds to the book’s name – EAT (in Italy), PRAY (in India) and LOVE (in Bali, Indonesia). These are also the three Is – ITALY, INDIA, INDONESIA.

Though she had everything a middle-aged American woman can aspire for – MONEY, CAREER, FRIENDS, HUSBAND; Elizabeth was not happy in her life, she wasn’t happy in her marriage. Having suffered a terrible divorce and terrible breakup soon after, Elizabeth was shattered. She didn’t know where to go and what to do – all she knew was that she wanted to run away. So she set out on a weird adventure – she will go to three countries in a year and see if she can find out what she was looking for in life. This book is about that life changing journey that she takes for one whole year. […]

Emily May reviews Michelle Obama’s Becoming on Goodreads:

Look, I'm not a happy crier. I might cry at songs about leaving and missing someone; I might cry at books where things don't work out; I might cry at movies where someone dies. I've just never really understood why people get all choked up over happy, inspirational things. But Michelle Obama's kindness and empathy changed that. This book had me in tears for all the right reasons.

This is not really a book about politics, though political experiences obviously do come into it. It's a shame that some will dismiss this book because of a difference in political opinion, when it is really about a woman's life. About growing up poor and black on the South Side of Chicago; about getting married and struggling to maintain that marriage; about motherhood; about being thrown into an amazing and terrifying position.

I hate words like "inspirational" because they've become so overdone and cheesy, but I just have to say it-- Michelle Obama is an inspiration. I had the privilege of seeing her speak at The Forum in Inglewood, and she is one of the warmest, funniest, smartest, down-to-earth people I have ever seen in this world.

And yes, I know we present what we want the world to see, but I truly do think it's genuine. I think she is someone who really cares about people - especially kids - and wants to give them better lives and opportunities.

She's obviously intelligent, but she also doesn't gussy up her words. She talks straight, with an openness and honesty rarely seen. She's been one of the most powerful women in the world, she's been a graduate of Princeton and Harvard Law School, she's had her own successful career, and yet she has remained throughout that same girl - Michelle Robinson - from a working class family in Chicago.

I don't think there's anyone who wouldn't benefit from reading this book.

Hopefully, this post has given you a better idea of how to write a book review. You might be wondering how to put all of this knowledge into action now! Many book reviewers start out by setting up a book blog. If you don’t have time to research the intricacies of HTML, check out Reedsy Discovery — where you can read indie books for free and review them without going through the hassle of creating a blog. To register as a book reviewer , go here .

And if you’d like to see even more book review examples, simply go to this directory of book review blogs and click on any one of them to see a wealth of good book reviews. Beyond that, it's up to you to pick up a book and pen — and start reviewing!

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7 New Books We Recommend This Week

Suggested reading from critics and editors at The New York Times.

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“Glitter and doom.” That phrase appears in the subtitle of one of the books we recommend this week (Guy Trebay’s memoir of 1970s New York, “Do Something”), but it also serves nicely as a catchall theme for the list as a whole, which sparkles darkly: a witty horror novel, an exciting debut story collection probing the scarier side of the human psyche, a novel about a man whose unresolved daddy issues leave him at loose ends. In nonfiction, we recommend a group biography of the women who challenged social strictures in 18th-century England (that one’s more glitter than doom), a serious study of the people who helped prop up Hitler and his genocidal reign (more doom than glitter) and a true-crime history about a high-society jewel thief. Happy reading. — Gregory Cowles

SOMEONE LIKE US Dinaw Mengestu

Mengestu’s brilliantly slippery and destabilized fourth novel centers on Mamush, a journalist in Paris who is supposed to spend Christmas with his wife and young son in the Virginia suburb where his Ethiopian immigrant mother lives; instead, he ends up in Chicago investigating the criminal record of the man he assumes is his father.

“Mamush might be hapless, but this book is not; it’s meticulously constructed and its genius doesn’t falter even slightly under scrutiny. … Ought to cement Mengestu’s reputation as a major literary force.”

From Rebecca Makkai’s review

Knopf | $28

BEAUTIFUL DAYS: Stories Zach Williams

The stories in this striking debut collection tend toward the grimly surreal, with characters facing spiritual crises, random violence and meaningless work. Two or three of the stories are so good that they announce a genuine young talent, one who deftly palpates the dark areas of human psyches.

“His sentences are smooth, clean and approachable. He pushes you slowly off into the night, then down long embankments.”

From Dwight Garner’s review

Doubleday | $28

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10 best dark horse comics you need to read right now.

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10 Best Star Wars Legends Comics (That Should Still Be Canon)

Frank miller launches publishing company with new sin city comics, dark horse’s black hammer returns for game-changing new event series.

Since the late 1980s, Dark Horse Comics has become one of the leading publishers of independent comics and licensed stories, with franchises like Indiana Jones , Alien and Predator under its belt. The company has earned a reputation for delivering both satisfying sequels and conclusions to film and TV shows alongside brilliant original series. From Joss Whedon and Mike Mignola to Jeff Lemire and Stan Sakai, the company has hosted some of the most talented creators in comics.

Dark Horse may not be the powerhouse it once was, due to an increasingly competitive market when it comes to licenses and creator-owned books, but it continues to be one of the most consistent when it comes to quality. It's hard to find a comic book reader who doesn't have fond memories of at least one story by the company, and its logo remains a sure sign of quality, more so than even Image Comics.

Arkham Horror Terror at the End of Time featured image

Dark Horse's New ARKHAM HORROR Series is a Love Letter for Fans of Lovecraftian Terror (Review)

Dark Horse’s new Arkham Horror comic series is the newest addition to the tabletop franchise inspired by the Cthulhu mythos and Lovecraftian horror.

10 Berserker Unbound (2019)

Jeff lemire and mike deodato.

Berserker Unbound follows a Conan-inspired barbarian , the Mongrel King, as he is transported from his fantasy realm to modern-day New York City by a villainous sorcerer. There, he meets a homeless man, Joe Cobb, who guides him through the perils and tribulations of modern urban life, though he's pursued by his enemy's minions.

Berserker Unbound basically answers the question of what would happen if Conan the Barbarian entered the modern world, with the Mongrel King serving as a love letter to the works of Robert E. Howard . The series has a brilliant, Cimmerian-style revenge plot as the protagonist seeks to avenge his family against the sorcerer.

9 Alien vs. Predator: Fire and Stone (2014)

Christopher sebela and ariel olivetti.

The crossovers between the Alien and Predator franchises have formed a central part of Dark Horse's success since the 1990s, with their original story inspiring the 2004 Alien vs. Predator film. In Fire and Stone , readers were given a follow-up to Ridley Scott's Prometheus , continuing to explore the significance of the Engineers and the evolution of the Xenomorphs.

Alien vs. Predator: Fire and Stone follows a group of survivors from a shipwreck on LV-223, the same planet where the Prometheus crew found the Engineer. With a killer android on the loose, a Predator on the hunt and Xenomorphs thrown into the mix, readers are shown the efforts of the human survivors to escape the monsters -- with a healthy dose of ethical commentary added in.

Predator vs Black Panther Debuts T'Challa's New Yautja-Killing Armor

In a new miniseries debuting this summer, Black Panther must fight in upgraded armor as Predators descend upon Wakanda in search of vibranium.

8 Usagi Yojimbo (1996 - 2019)

Created as work of homage to the films of Akira Kurosawa, Usagi Yojimbo follows Miyamoto Usagi , a masterless samurai who, through his honor code of Bushido, protects the vulnerable and delivers justice to those he encounters. Through Dark Horse, the series was given its third volume, which follows the hero as he takes on political conspiracies, prejudice and even an alien invasion styled after HG Wells' War of the Worlds .

Usagi Yojimbo blends the whimsy and excitement of Saturday-morning cartoons with the depth and honor code of the samurai as the hero proves himself the finest warrior around. Based in part on the legends and life of Miyamoto Misashi, the series delivers plenty of action for fans of martial arts, the samurai and Japanese culture.

7 Star Wars: Republic (1998 - 2006)

John ostrander, jan duursema, dan parsons, haden blackman, tomas giorello and more.

In the 1990s, Dark Horse found its footing through its treatment of iconic film franchises, and Star Wars became the centerpiece of that strategy. While the company's treatment of the Original Trilogy era gave readers some great stories, the centerpiece of the franchise was the Republic run. Beginning in issue #46 of the 1998 series, the Republic era explored the Clone Wars before the 2008 TV series, highlighting characters like Aayla Secura, Quinlan Vos and Alpha-17.

Dark Horse's Star Wars comics (which now fall into the non-canon continuity dubbed "Legends") contain some of the best stories in the franchise, with the Battle of Kamino quickly standing out as the best part of the series. For people who want to read the material that helped inspire Dave Filoni's vision for the prequel era, this is the place to go.

Star Wars Legacy Comic Art of Darth Stryfe and Imperial Guard

Star Wars has no shortage of fantastic comics, but most aren't a part of its main continuity. Here's the 10 best Legends comics that need to be canon!

6 Sin City (1991 - 2000)

Frank miller.

After his success writing Batman and Daredevil , Frank Miller moved to Dark Horse shortly after the company formed, where he unleashed his Sin City universe. Centered around a group of morally-ambiguous but ultimately heroic protagonists, the series delivered iconic tales like The Big Fat Kill and A Dame To Kill For . Arguably the best of the stories is That Yellow Bastard , which focuses on a detective named Hartigan as he protects Nancy from the man who almost murdered her.

Frank Miller's Sin City comics stand out as some of the best stories to come out of the '90s comic book industry, ditching superheroes for gritty, street-level antiheroes the writer/artist knows so well. The series remains some of the creator's best work since The Dark Knight Returns , and is the ideal entry point for readers to old-school crime comics.

Comic book legend Frank Miller returns to Sin City and Ronin with new material as part of his new publishing company, Frank Miller Presents.

5 Lobster Johnson (2007 - 2017)

Mike mignola.

Mike Mignola's Hellboy universe includes a variety of heroes, particularly those modeled after the protagonists of pulp fiction. After Hellboy, the best of these is Lobster Johnson, a World War II-era spy who fights the forces of darkness. One of his best adventures is The Metal Monsters of Midtown , a tale that embraces the hero's pulpy roots as he fends off attacks from giant robots, who wreak havoc on New York.

Lobster Johnson is the closest thing the Hellboy universe has to its own Batman , giving readers a gritty, street-level vigilante and spy, one who plays a critical role in World War II and the Cold War. Where Hellboy's adventures focus on horror, the Lobster is more a blend of classic adventure serials, playing more into action, science fiction and war.

4 Kill Whitey Donovan (2019 - 2020)

Sydney duncan and natalie barahona.

Kill Whitey Donovan is a Western revenge story that follows two women who come together over their shared hatred of a ruthless, abusive plantation owner, Jim "Whitey" Donovan. On one hand is the Southern belle Anna Hoyt, who is driven to vengeance against the man who abused her sister into taking her own life. On the other hand is Hattie Virgil, one of the enslaved women of Donovan's plantation who joins Anna. With stark differences between the pair, they set aside their different backgrounds to achieve their goal.

Kill Whitey Donovan reads like a love letter to Quentin Tarantino movies and Spaghetti Westerns, blending elements of movies like Django Unchained , Kill Bill and Once Upon a Time In the West . The series pulls no punches in its depiction of its setting and characters, and stands out as one of the best Dark Horse originals of the last decade.

3 Black Hammer (2016 - Present)

Jeff lemire and dean ormston.

Created as a love letter to classic superhero comics, Jeff Lemire's Black Hammer series follows a team of Golden Age heroes trapped in the small town of Rockwood. Made up of a series of pastiches of classic characters like Captain America, Martian Manhunter and Adam Strange, the series focuses on the personalities of the heroes as they adjust to their new lives.

Black Hammer offers readers a masterful blend of comic book history, character study, nostalgia and mystery as the series explores the heroes' past and the disappearance of their leader. Throughout the title, readers are teased with chapters of their history, something that leads into their sequel stories. In Black Hammer/Justice League , fans of the series were even treated to seeing the JLA and BH teams switch places.

Dark Horse is releasing Black Hammer: The End, a six-issue event that doubles as a dramatic finale for the saga and a new chapter for the franchise.

2 The Goon (1999 - Present)

Eric powell.

The Goon focuses on a nameless mob enforcer and his friend Frankie as they defend their town from a never-ending assault of undead and supernatural threats. Known for its use of dark comedy and great action, the series became a true cult classic following its release in 1999. A throwback to classic gangster movies with a blend of pulp-style comics, the title boasts a combination of brilliant art, well-designed monsters and laughs .

The Goon has an interesting backstory, with creator Eric Powell facing a series of rejections from publishers before finally finding a home at Dark Horse. The company's publishing of the series shows how it had an eye for quality better than most competitors, and has consistently been rewarded for prioritizing good stories above all else.

1 Hellboy (1993 - Present)

Since his creation by Mike Mignola in 1993, Hellboy has become the face of Dark Horse Comics , thanks to the character's consistently well-written stories and mainstream popularity. Set in the so-called MignolaVerse, the character is a demonic occult detective who, alongside his Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense colleagues, investigates supernatural cases. Ranging from undead Nazis to child-eating monsters, his cases delve into the realm of mythology, cosmic horror, dark fantasy and occult conspiracies.

Hellboy is one of the most consistent, entertaining and imaginative series under Dark Horse, with the character's arcs broken down as self-contained miniseries and one-shots. For readers who enjoy horror, action, fantasy and the supernatural, the ongoing adventures of Hellboy and his friends provide some of the best detective stories in comics. Dark Horse Comics series like The Crooked Man, Almost Colossus and Seed of Destruction stand out as required reading for newcomers.

Dark Horse Comics

Small Business Trends

26 business review sites where customers rate you.

Managing your presence is called online reputation management and it’s something you should be doing on business review sites. Reputation management involves identifying, monitoring, and influencing your business’s credibility and reputation online. And central to review sites are customer reviews.

Best Business Review Sites

1. google my business, 2. bing places for business.

Bing Places for Business is the Bing search engine’s version of Google My Business. Consumers can leave ratings and reviews about a company. Local businesses, including businesses with multiple locations, can claim their listing and complete a profile to add their listings to Bing Places, all for free. Once verified, information will appear in Bing Local search and map results.

3. Facebook Ratings and Reviews

4. better business bureau, 5. amazon customer reviews.

Amazon has been allowing consumers to post reviews about products since 1995. Garnering a string of 4- or 5-star reviews on this leading online retailer’s site can help businesses generate many new sales and build a solid reputation. Business reviews also apply to any listing in Amazon’s Handmade section and to service providers in the Amazon HomeServices section.

7. Foursquare

8. homeadvisor, 9. yellow pages.

You can get a free business listing on Yellow Pages which enables businesses to manage the reviews placed on the site about their company. Yellow Pages has transitioned from paper to digital, and is now supporting businesses online with local marketing and reviews. While the yellow pages are no longer the heavyweight driver of new customers the way they were decades ago when print books ruled, make sure to claim your business there.

10. TripAdvisor

11. angie’s list, 12. trustradius, 13. opentable.

If you own or run a restaurant, registering on OpenTable will enable customers to make reservations and write reviews. Restaurants receive a star rating on OpenTable based on the number of reviews and the percentage of people who recommend the restaurant. Naturally, the higher the review rating, the better a restaurant’s credibility and online reputation.

14. PlanetRate

15. salesforce appexchange, 16. trustpilot, 17. glassdoor.

Glassdoor users can search reviews and ratings of more than 700,000 businesses around the world. Employees can also share what it is like to work for a company on Glassdoor. With candid and honest reviews about a business’s services, products, and what it is like to work for, Glassdoor can be an invaluable source for enhancing a company’s reputation with prospective employees.

Avvo is a business review site for attorneys. Consumers can review their lawyer for the benefit of other consumers and assign up to 5 stars. Avvo claims to include 97% of all lawyers in the United States in its database, and also lists them by practice specialty. All reviews are subject to approval by Avvo, which separately provides its own rating of 1 to 10, based on specified criteria.

23. FinancesOnline

24. merchant circle, 25. sitejabber.

Sitejabber is a site with online reviews of businesses which also lets customers get answers to questions from other customers and the business itself. After making a purchase, customers can leave their own feedback and get help resolving any issues that may arise.

Business Review Sites Comparison

Review Site Name	Description
Google My Business	Essential review and listing tool for local businesses.
Bing Places for Business	Bing's version of GMB. Allows consumers to leave ratings and reviews.
Facebook Ratings and Reviews	Platform for followers to leave ratings, reviews, and recommendations.
Better Business Bureau (BBB)	Ethical marketplace that allows individuals to recommend businesses.
Amazon Customer Reviews	Review platform for products and services.
Yelp	Consumer destination for business reviews.
Foursquare	Allows users to check-in, rate venues, and leave tips.
HomeAdvisor	Review site for home improvement businesses.
Yellow Pages	Digital platform for local marketing and reviews.
TripAdvisor	Review platform for the hotel, travel, and restaurant industries.
Angie's List	Credible business review site with non-anonymous sources.
TrustRadius	Online review source for software businesses.
OpenTable	Reservation and review platform for restaurants.
PlanetRate	Customers can write reviews on businesses of all industries.
Salesforce AppExchange	Marketplace for Salesforce platform with a five-star rating system.
Trustpilot	Profile generation and customizable review invitations for businesses.
Glassdoor	Reviews and ratings for over 700,000 businesses globally.
G2	Review site for companies that sell software.
VendOp	Portal for purchasers to share their experiences with vendors.
Manta	Dedicated business review site for small businesses.
Avvo	Review site for attorneys.
WebMD	Medical site with listings and reviews for doctors and dentists.
FinancesOnline	Review platform addressing B2B, SaaS, and financial companies.
Merchant Circle	Local business listings across the U.S. with consumer reviews.
Sitejabber	Online reviews of businesses with Q&A functionality.
Which?	UK-based consumer review site that reviews services and products.

Other Review Sites

What is a customer review.

Reviews create a sense of community around a brand, with customers often engaging in discussions and sharing experiences. There are various forms of customer reviews:

The Benefits of Business Reviews

Consumer trust, business improvement, enhanced visibility.

Positive reviews can significantly bolster a business’s online reputation. The algorithms of many review platforms promote businesses with higher ratings, making them more visible to potential customers. This increased visibility can drive more traffic to a company’s website or physical location, potentially leading to increased sales and growth.

Engagement and Customer Relationship Building

Informed decision making, 5 tips for leveraging business review sites, claim your business profile.

Once claimed, it’s essential to regularly update your profile. For example, posting about any new services, special events, or promotions can keep your profile fresh and engaging. It’s also a platform to showcase your business’s personality through photos and posts.

Encourage Business Reviews

Remember to make the process as easy as possible for customers. Provide direct links to your review profiles in your digital communications.

Don’t Incentivize Reviews

Don’t write fake reviews .

Focus on authentic customer experiences and use negative reviews as an opportunity to show how your business responds constructively to criticism. Transparency and honesty in your online presence are critical to building lasting trust with your audience.

Respond to Negative Reviews

Do i still need my own website if i have review site listings.

You should always have your own company website. Some businesses use their Google My Business profile, Facebook page or other business review sites as a replacement for a website of their own. But this is not wise, for one simple reason: third-party sites are outside of your control.

Should I Display Reviews on My Website?

Do customer review sites help with search engine rankings.

Rather than focusing just on rankings, however, think broadly about “visibility”. Review sites give you more places to be found online. Too many small businesses are effectively invisible online. The more review websites your company appears in, with positive ratings, the better.

Best literature and fiction of November 2023, as chosen by Amazon editors
Best romance books of October and November 2023, as chosen by Amazon editors
Best nonfiction books of November 2023, as chosen by Amazon editors

Best YA books of August 2024, as chosen by the Amazon Editors

What to read next: a mystery-fantasy romp (and TikTok sensation), the next Malcolm Gladwell, a literary saga, and more

About the Editor

Erin kodicek.

Latest articles by editor

Best literature and fiction of august 2024, as chosen by the amazon editors.

What to read next: Colleen Hoover and André Aciman, a Hugo Award winner, and more

Best books of August 2024, as chosen by the Amazon Editors

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Local & State

Life-size dinosaurs, a candy store tour and more to do this weekend

Take a road tip to Wiscasset for art, food, car racing and a gargantuan amount of candy.

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One of many dinosaurs that will be at Cross Insurance Arena in Portland. Photo courtesy of Jurassic Quest

Make no bones about it, it’s going to be a great weekend, starting with Jurassic Quest at Cross Insurance Arena . Animatronic dinosaurs will delight the kids, who will also get a kick out of digging for fossils and riding on a baby dino. Another option in our weekly roundup is “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” at the Maine State Music Theatre in Brunswick.

‘Beautiful’ at Maine State Music Theatre, Pet Rock in the Park and Jurassic Quest

Some of the candy available at the Granite Hall Store in Round Pond. Photo by Aimsel Ponti

For an even sweeter experience, we’re sending you candy shopping. We’ve shined a light on five shops with something extra to offer and created a nifty guide of 18 to look you can find all around southern Maine and the Midcoast. From giant shops like Sweetz & More in Wiscasset to charming places like the Granite Hall Store in Round Pond, there’s a candy shop out there calling your name.

These 5 unique Maine candy stores are a real treat

The Brackett’s Market 4-Cylinder Pros compete Saturday at Wiscasset Speedway. Anna Chadwick/Morning Sentinel

Should your sweets-seeking adventure bring you to Wiscasset, we clue you into several other things to do in town, including car races at the Wiscasset Speedway.

A trip to pretty Wiscasset can also include art, history, speed

Bagel sandwich with eggs, cheese and pork roll from Dutchman’s Wood-Fired Bagels in Brunswick. Photo by Aimsel Ponti

Want to hit breakfast right out of the park? Make your way to Brunswick for an egg and cheese sandwich from Dutchman’s Wood-Fired Bagels . We’re particularly partial to the one with pork roll and bodega sauce. Your taste buds can thank us later.

Pork roll and bodega sauce on a breakfast sandwich? We’re not in Brunswick anymore

Ling-Wen Tsai, “Rising/Sinking Study Chair,” wood and milk paint, 12 x 12 x 5 inches. Photo courtesy of Corey Daniels Gallery

Farther south in Wells, check out “Life Forms,” a women’s sculpture collective at the Corey Daniels Gallery. You’ll see works by about a dozen artists as you make your way through the exhibit.

Women’s sculpture collective debuts work in Wells

U.S. Navy Band Country Current performing in Tennessee. Photo by Petty Officer 1st Class April Enos

For some Sunday afternoon live tunes, head to Memorial Park in Freeport at 3 p.m. for a free performance by Country Current . The band is the only U.S. Navy country/bluegrass ensemble, and the show should be a foot-stomping good time.

See U.S. Navy band Country Current for free in Freeport

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Cast & crew

Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson in Babygirl (2024)

A high-powered CEO puts her career and family on the line when she begins a torrid affair with her much younger intern. A high-powered CEO puts her career and family on the line when she begins a torrid affair with her much younger intern. A high-powered CEO puts her career and family on the line when she begins a torrid affair with her much younger intern.

Halina Reijn
Nicole Kidman
Harris Dickinson
Antonio Banderas
1 nomination

Top cast 38

All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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User reviews

The 2024 festival films you need to know.

December 25, 2024 (United States)
United States
Netherlands
New York City, New York, USA (street scenes)
Man Up Film
See more company credits at IMDbPro

Technical specs

Runtime 1 hour 54 minutes

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Best Paid Book Review Sites for Authors
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COMMENTS

The 13 Best Book Review Sites and Book Rating Sites
Book Riot is a blog. It publishes listicles on dozens of different topics, many of which review the best books in a certain genre. To give you an idea, some recent articles include Keeping Hoping Alive: 11 Thrilling YA Survival Stories and The Best Historical Fiction Books You've Never Heard Of.. Of course, there's also plenty of non-reading list content.
30+ Top-Notch Book Review Sites for Readers & Writers
15. BOMB. BOMB is in it for the art. Art, literature, film, music, theater, architecture, and dance. There are reviews and interviews, and the literature section is a real delight. The reviews are like poignant essays, and the author interviews are in-depth and feature some fascinating minds. BOMB.
Get Paid to Read: 18 Legitimate Sites That Pay Reviewers
7. Women's Review of Books. 💸 Pay: $100 per review. 👀 More information: Check here. Women's Review of Books is a long-running, highly-respected print publication that's a part of Wellesley Centers for Women. This feminist magazine has been published for 36 years and is looking for more book reviewers to join their force.
The Best Book Review Sites
It's a site for every kind of reader, with abundant ways to comment and interact. 2. LibraryThing. Review styles: star rating, recommendation, community reviews. This is the OG of all online book catalogues and discussion boards — take a look and you'll see that it's an oldie but a goodie.
Discover the Best Book Review Sites of 2024: Top 10 Picks
Also read: Top 10 Book Review Clubs of 2024 to Share Literary Insights. 6. Amazon. Amazon is one of the top free book review sites in 2024. It allows readers to rate books using a 1-5 star scale and receive a verified purchase tag after they have purchased books, increasing the authenticity of their reviews.
Ten Honest Review Sites for New Authors
Pacific Book Review is a site that provides reviews and extra features, such as author interviews. The PBR Basic Review Package costs $300, and they post the review to Oasis (a library site), Barnes & Noble, Google Books, the Apple iStore, Authorsden.com, Bookblog.com, and Writers Digest Book Blog.
Kirkus Reviews
The Magazine: Kirkus Reviews. Featuring 332 industry-first reviews of fiction, nonfiction, children's, and YA books; also in this issue: our annual Fall Preview, with a first look at the season's most anticipated titles, author interviews, and much more. subscribe.
17 Places to Find Book Reviewers
Amazon is one of the most influential places to get your book reviewed. Not only is it the place that most people buy books, but it's also the place with the most book & product reviewers. You can find Amazon reviewers by searching for books similar to yours and reading those reviews. When the reviewer has a picture, click on their name.
Professional Book Reviews: List of Paid Book Review Sites
Clarion Reviews is the paid book review arm of Foreward Reviews. Clarion offers constructive feedback to improve books and is used as a valuable marketing tool to help sell books. The service is clear and straightforward. As of the time of this writing, reviews cost $499 per book with an express delivery option of 4-6 weeks.
Best Paid Book Review Sites for Authors
Booksprout is another option to consider if your main priority is a prelaunch review push. Similar to BookSirens, Booksprout is a review site that automates the delivery of your ARC to over 40,000 users. Their average review rate is around 79%. Even your book army will find it challenging to beat that.
Top 5 Book Review Sites Every Author Should Submit To
Here are some of the prices for Kirkus Reviews: Traditional Reviews: Costs $425 for a 250-word review. Expanded Reviews: Costs $525 for a 500-word review. Picture Book Reviews: Cost $350 for a 200-word review. All of the reviews are turned around in 7-9 weeks but can be expedited for an additional fee. After receiving your review, you can add ...
Paid Book Review Sites
1. Kirkus Indie Reviews. One of the more popular paid book review sites online, Kirkus is known for using professional reviewers. Because of their reputation, they are able to charge authors as much as $500 for 250-word book reviews (librarians, journalists, business executives, etc.) with a turnaround time of seven to nine weeks.
Book Review Services for Authors
Professional Book Reviews. At BookThinkers, we understand that professional book reviews are essential for authors. Not only do they provide valuable feedback, but they also help to build credibility and boost visibility. That's why we offer a range of book review services for authors designed to meet the needs of writers at all stages of ...
These are Top 25 Book Reviewers on Goodreads (infographic)
Goodreads has quietly grown into one of the most prolific social networks for book readers. In just the past few years, Goodreads has grown to 11 million members, created 20,000 book clubs and ...
Top 5 Paid Indie Book Review Services Compared
USP - Bustling website means your review will get seen. The second-lowest priced service. Downside - Star-rating and review style may be a little terse for some, turnaround is slow. SPR. We've got three review packages, starting at $69 if you need a quick fix of exposure within 2 weeks.
Book Reviews
We review manuscripts, published and unpublished books, eBooks, audiobooks, poetry books, comic books, graphic novels and short stories. Your review will be posted on our site, KOBO, Books-A-Million, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. In addition, our reviewers often post reviews to their blogs and social media sites.
BookBrowse: Your Guide to Exceptional Books
BookBrowse reviews both adult fiction and nonfiction, and some books for young adults. We look for books that not only are very enjoyable to read, with great characters and storylines, but that also leave you knowing something about the world you didn't before. Reviewers also write a "beyond the book" article for each book they review. Review ...
10 places to find reviewers for your self-published book
8. Reviewer directories and lists. The Book Blogger List. A categorized directory of book reviewers, organized by genre, which makes it easy to locate potential reviewers for your book. Free. Book Reviewer Yellow Pages (formerly Step By Step Self Publishing). Offers an online directory of book reviewers.
23 Book Reviewers to Reach Out To
This one is paid. If you have the budget for it, purchasing a Kirkus review is a great way to increase clout. 8. IndieReader. IndieReader is a paid option as well, a tad cheaper than Kirkus Review. If your budget permits, it's not a bad idea to pay for a guaranteed review by a more established name.
7 Book Review Sites That Put Your Book in Front of Readers
Readers Favorite. Readers Favorite offers free and paid book review opportunities. According to their site, 50% of the books listed for free receive a review within 3 months. For guaranteed, expedited reviews, there are three options for one, three, and five reviews.
5 Best Online Book Review Sites for Indie Authors
Reader's Favorite. Reader's Favorite is the ideal option for new and experienced authors. They have over ten years of experience serving traditional authors, indie authors, including romance novel writers and bestsellers. They offer a wide variety of packages for authors, including a free option. However, this free review does take up to ...
The Best Books of 2022
The Book of Goose. by Yiyun Li (Farrar, Straus & Giroux) Fiction. This novel dissects the intense friendship between two thirteen-year-olds, Agnès and Fabienne, in postwar rural France. Believing ...
17 Book Review Examples to Help You Write the Perfect Review
It is a fantasy, but the book draws inspiration from the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Rape of Nanking. Crime Fiction Lover reviews Jessica Barry's Freefall, a crime novel: In some crime novels, the wrongdoing hits you between the eyes from page one. With others it's a more subtle process, and that's OK too.
7 New Books We Recommend This Week
100 Best Books of the 21st Century: As voted on by 503 novelists, nonfiction writers, poets, critics and other book lovers — with a little help from the staff of The New York Times Book Review ...
10 Best Dark Horse Comics You Need To Read Right NOW
The crossovers between the Alien and Predator franchises have formed a central part of Dark Horse's success since the 1990s, with their original story inspiring the 2004 Alien vs. Predator film. In Fire and Stone, readers were given a follow-up to Ridley Scott's Prometheus, continuing to explore the significance of the Engineers and the evolution of the Xenomorphs.
26 Business Review Sites Where Customers Rate You
4. Better Business Bureau. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) prides itself on being an ethical marketplace that allows individuals to recommend businesses. The BBB is one of the oldest and most trusted sites, and verifies all consumer reviews. Businesses can also become a BBB accredited business, and the Better Business Bureau assigns its own ratings from A to F but these ratings are ...
Announcing the Best Books of 2023, as chosen by Amazon editors
The other favorites that made our list for 2023, books like Ann Napolitano's Hello Beautiful, Abraham Verghese's The Covenant of Water, and Helen Elaine Lee's Pomegranate, share similar themes: formidable female protagonists, the importance of found family, resilience in the face of trauma…There is a saying that the best books are the ones that find you at the right time.
Life-size dinosaurs, a candy store tour and more to do this weekend
Take a road tip to Wiscasset for art, food, car racing and a gargantuan amount of candy.
Babygirl (2024)
Babygirl: Directed by Halina Reijn. With Nicole Kidman, Harris Dickinson, Antonio Banderas, Sophie Wilde. A high-powered CEO puts her career and family on the line when she begins a torrid affair with her much younger intern.

The 13 Best Book Review Sites and Book Rating Sites

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17 Places to Find Book Reviewers | IBR Book Marketing Series (Part 8)

Book reviewers play an important role in the book-buying process.

Let’s explore some options.

Here’s our guide to selling more books on Amazon .

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Professional Book Reviews: List of Paid Book Review Sites

How Professional Book Reviews Compare with Movie and TV Reviews

How The Profile of Book Reviewers Has Changed

List of Professional Book Review Outlets

1) BestThrillers.com

2) Midwest Book Reviews

3) Clarion Reviews

4) Kirkus Reviews

Frequently Asked Questions about Professional Book Reviews

BestThrillers Staff

Best Paid Book Review Sites for Authors

Not All Paid Book Review Sites Are The Same

Here are the four best paid book review sites you can rely on for non-fiction authors, each with its distinctive features.

#2 NetGalley

#3 BookSirens

#4 Booksprout

BookSirens Vs. Booksprout

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Top 5 Book Review Sites Every Author Should Submit To

Written By Write With Light Publications, LLC

Why Do I Need to Submit My Books for Review?

How Long Does the Review Process Take?

When Should I Submit My Books For Review?

Who Should I Be Submitting Books to For Review?

So the top 5 book review sites you absolutely should at least consider,

Kirkus (Paid)

Booklife (Paid)

Reedsy (Paid)

Publisher’s Weekly (Free)

Write With Light Publications (Free)