Book reviews — they’re something every indie author wants. Well, good reviews, anyway. Reviews are can be crucial for promoting sales, and are the subject of a lot of study on the web. To help indie authors assess content which may be useful to them, I have assembled this list of 51 book review resources.
Topics range from getting reviews, to dealing with bad reviews, to using book reviews, to tools that help manage reviews. As you might imagine, the bulk of the resources address the issue of getting reviews. There’s a fair bit on Amazon as well, given its position in the indie publication eco-system.
The list I have assembled is NOT meant to be comprehensive. Instead it comprises those resources I have run across over the years and found interesting.
Article Categories
To help organize the information I have grouped the articles into the following categories:
Getting reviews — These are blog articles solely concerned with getting reviews, either pre-launch or post-launch. Articles typically discuss several methods of sourcing reviews from social media, customers, professional review sites, newsletter subscribers, and more.
Using reviews — These blog articles focus on the various ways book reviews can be leveraged in book marketing.
Dealing with bad reviews — Blog articles in this category address bad reviews — how to respond, or not, and the uses to which even bad reviews can be put.
Using tools to manage reviews — Blog articles on tools to help reviewers when they review a book, such as book review kits.
Amazon reviews — Everything Amazon — rules, why reviews are taken down, dos and don’ts, you name it.
General — Blog articles that cover reviews in general without focusing too much on a particular area.
As with any list of this type, categories are somewhat arbitrary, and there will be some “bleed” of information from one article category to another. For example, an article on getting reviews may also discuss the uses to which an indie author may put reviews.
Articles are presented oldest to newest with the article title, publication date, and a brief description of the content.
Getting reviews
| Title | Date | Description |
| Eleven Ways to Get Better Book Reviews for Your Novel | 2015 | Focuses on attracting reviewers through good writing; discusses the impact on reviewers of different writing elements |
| How to get a shitload of book reviews with contests | 2016 | Getting reviews and using contests to get reviews |
| How to Get Book Reviews: 10 Tricks for Getting Your Book Reviewed by a Book Blogger | 2016 | Getting reviews from book review bloggers — who are they, where are they, contacting and asking for a review |
| How to Boost Blogger Interest in Reviewing Your Book | 2016 | How to pitch bloggers to review your book; practical advice |
| How to Get Book Reviews: 5 Steps for Success from a Veteran Reviewer | 2016 | Who to ask, covers paid reviews and provides tips on increasingly the likelyhood of a good review |
| 8 Tips to Keep in Your Mind When Seeking Book Reviews | 2017 | High level dos and don’ts when looking for book reviews |
| Challenges Authors Face in Getting Reviews for Their Books | 2017 | Motivations of authors and readers; typical strategies for getting reviews and the drawbacks of each |
| Launch Higher: How to Get Book Reviews Before Your Launch Date | 2017 | Covers pre-launch groundwork, giveaways, advance distribution sites, and professional review outlets |
| How To Get Book Reviews As An Unknown Author | 2017 | Provides a five step process for finding and connecting with potential reviewers. |
| Book Reviews: The Ultimate Word Of Mouth Promotion | 2017 | Three reasons why reviews are good, how to get reviews, working with reviewers |
| Easy author hack for more book reviews | 2017 | How to find reviewers who will review books just like yours |
| How To Get Your Book Reviewed Now | 2017 | Covers commercial/literary reviews, review services, and book bloggers |
| Book Marketing 101: Proven Strategies for Upping Your Book Reviews Game | 2017 | Covers pre-release reviews, professional reviewers, friends and family reviews, and more |
| Pitching Book Bloggers & Other Relevant Blogs for Reviews | 2018 | Where to find book bloggers, how to pitch them, do’s and don’ts, pitching to non-book bloggers |
| Book Marketing: 15 Practical Ways to Get More Book Reviews | 2018 | 15 methods of getting reviews, each described in three to four sentences |
| Where Did the Amazon Reviewers Go? [Updated] | 2018 | Discusses the disappearance of top Amazon reviewers, where to find reviewers, 4 rules for approaching reviewers |
| A Guide to Getting More Reader Reviews | 2018 | Asking your mailing list, asking social media followers, running a free deal, asking for a review in the books back matter |
| Ways to Get Book Reviews: The Power of Recommendation | 2019 | Paying for book reviews from professional reviewers, pre and post publication reviews, blogger reviews, and reader reviews |
| As the Author World Turns on Amazon Book Review Policies | 2019 | The need for Amazon Reviews, Editorial vs Customer Reviews, getting customer reviews, Amazon resources |
| 3 Dos for Getting Reviews (and 4 Don’ts) | 2019 | Introduces concepts of discoverability and social proof, then applies three dos and four don’t’s |
| 10 Reasons You Aren’t Getting Book Reviews from Book Bloggers (and how to fix it) | 2019 | Examines why authors do not receive book reviews from reviews including how old the book is, poor pitches, generic emails, and other reasons |
| How to Get Editorial Reviews for Your Self-Published Book | 2019 | Defines “editorial review” and provides four methods of obtaining them |
| Reader Reviews: More Ways to Get Them | 2019 | Covers independent reviewer and discusses Net Galley, Hungry Author, Book Razor, and DIY reader reviews |
| 9 places to look for readers who write reviews | 2019 | Identifies 9 review sources including social media, online reader groups, email lists, reader groups, bloggers, and more |
| Best Book Review Blogs of 2019 | 2019 | This is a curated list by Reedsy. List may be filtered by genre, recently added or average visits |
Using Reviews
| Title | Date | Description |
| 5 Creative Ways to Highlight Your Book Reviews and Sell More Books | 2018 | Using existing reviews to increase sales with your website, newsletter, and videos |
| Book Marketing: Make the Most of Your Great Book Reviews | 2018 | Book Review myths, harvesting good reviews, cautionary notes about using reviews |
| How Reviews Impact Your Ability to Sell Books During Book Launches | 2019 | The effect of book reviews on book launches — good reviews, bad reviews, Amazon impacts, Social Media influencer impacts |
| 9 ways to use reader reviews in book marketing | 2019 | Using book reviews in marketing — social media, website use, quote cards, book marks, postcards, and more |
Dealing with bad reviews
| Title | Date | Description |
| 5 Ways To Handle Bad Reviews | 2016 | Five different strategies for handling a bad review; covers the psychological aspects of bad reviews |
| How to Handle Negative Book Reviews | 2016 | Covers getting reviews and dealing with bad reviews |
| But What if They Hate My Book? Part 2 – Moving Past A Negative Review | 2017 | Covers dealing with a bad review, understanding feedback, pitching the right bloggers, bad reviews on Amazon |
Using tools to manage reviews
| Title | Date | Description |
| Cool Reviewer Grabber Tool finds book reviewers | 2016 | Covers a tool that finds reviews/reviewers of books similar to yours |
| Use This Book Review Tip Sheet to Get Better Reviews | 2917 | A Tip Sheet to send to reviewers to help them write their review |
| Want reviews? Assemble a book review team. | 2017 | Definition and advantages of using a Book Review Team |
| Book Reviews for Self-Published Authors: A Primer | 2017 | Assembling a book review kit, finding reviewers, 5 key tips |
| Why readers aren’t reviewing your books | 2018 | The power of reader reviews, two reasons why people do not post reviews, reader review forms |
Amazon reviews
| Title | Year | Description |
| Amazon Reviews for Indie Authors | 2015 | Amazon review; different types of reviewers, becoming a reviewer, how to get more reviews |
| Amazon Book Reviews – “Allowed” and “Not Allowed” | 2016 | Discusses what Amazon will allow, and NOT allowed with regard to book reviews |
| Oops. That Book Review’s Not Verified | 2017 | Definition and impact of Amazon verified reviews |
| Amazon Reviews Disappearing – How to Protect your Book | 2018 | Covers Amazon pulling reviews in 2018, reasons for, and tips to avoid having reviews pulled |
| How to Get Book Reviews on Amazon | 2018 | Covers promotions using Kindle and FreeBooksy; Cost is $40 to $100 |
| Amazon’s Disappearing Reviews: The Surprising Reason Why Book Reviews are Getting Pulled (and how to fix it) | 2018 | Impact of URL coding on whether or not Amazon flags reviews for removal |
| How to Get Book Reviews on Amazon: Our Method for Free Book Reviews | 2018 | Eight step process for getting amazon book reviews; covers guidelines, amazon top reviewers, book review sites and more |
| How to Prevent Amazon From Deleting Your Reviews | 2018 | Covers FTC disclaimers, saying “in exchange”, obeying the guidelines, super URLs and more |
| Understanding the Current “Dos” and “Don’ts” of Amazon Book Reviews | 2018 | Who can post reviews, discounting to get reviews, why so many reviews were taken down |
| How to Get Book Reviews on Amazon in 5 Simple Steps | 2019 | Comprehensive article providing a process for getting Amazon reviews; also covers related issues such as dealing with bad reviews |
General
| Title | Date | Description |
| Consumer Power, Author Responsibility & Why Book Reviews MATTER | 2016 | Why reviews are essential; review dos and don’ts; one star reviews, good reviews, what to look out for |
| Prove Your Book Is Good: Getting and Using Reviews | 2016 | Where to get reviews; different types of reviews, how to show off your reviews |
| Top 7 Book Reviewer Complaints | 2016 | An inventory and description of writing mistakes that irritate reviewers |
| The Indie Author’s Guide to Customer Reviews | 2017 | Covers bloggers, Amazon, paid review services, editorial vs customer reviews |
So that is my list. I hope you find it of some value.
Did I miss a good article? Let me know in the comments and I will add it.
Thanks for reading, and I will see you again next time.
Thank you so much for these tips. I started using some of them immediately!