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Streitz dives into an impressive and expansive range of topics, tackling them head-on rather than tiptoeing around them as most normally do. In the process, audiences get to reflect on how they interact with their own lives and the stimuli they are constantly surrounded by. Above all else, however, it is the poet’s ability to use language, particularly metaphor, imagery, and satire, to create a remarkably relatable and universal connection with his readers. ... (read more)

Award-winning author Baltazzi has constructed an energizing treatise focused on the search for and acquisition of the experience of happiness, extracting it from what may sometimes seem like an impossibly complex morass of personal and societal restraints through her well-considered methodology. Based on her background as a noted television producer and director with the long-running and highly successful series Survivor , and drawing from perceptions of a multitude of realms—spiritual, social, and practical—she postulates eight core values needed for the process of attaining happiness: faith, love, health, gratitude, forgiveness, peace, detachment, and abundance. Each of these qualities, referred to collectively as “Happiness Essentials,” is explored using certain terms derived from the author’s background in cinematography. ... (read more)

Personal Dram a

Ella and her husband, Cole, buy a few properties in Kansas City's inner city, including an apartment building. They have a dream to fix up run-down neighborhoods and provide comfortable, affordable housing to both Caucasians and African Americans. Ella does most of the management of the properties as Cole is often away. This gives her the opportunity to relate to a variety of people in the area, from crooks to cops, druggies to housewives. She makes some friends, but not everyone in the area is happy with the new residents. During their time in Kansas City, the couple see their friend in the police department arrest a serial rapist and cross paths with a mobster running a gambling ring. Ella’s vision of an inner-city utopia is much more difficult than she imagined. ... (read more)

Children Thinking

Most children adore a good animal story. This one will likely be fought over if there is only one copy on the home, school, or public library shelf. This true tale of a rescued baby otter shares concepts of kindness, hope, healing, and the life cycle. ... (read more)

Daily Trials

While the book begins with the murder of Professor Johnny Wharton, the murder itself is almost superfluous to this brilliantly written novel of intrigue that is primarily set in the mid-1980s. It explores the lives of five women. Four of the women are connected to Wharton, while the fifth becomes an integral part of the book later in the story. These four women include the following: Wharton's wife, Liz, who is an accountant and who volunteers at a dog rescue; their estranged and troubled daughter, Jenny; his grad student Jane (with whom he’s having an affair); and his closeted lesbian coworker, Maddie, who he holds in disdain, and who is the lover of Roz, the fifth woman. The book takes readers through the lives of these women, from the joy and beauty of existence to the trials and tribulations of daily life. ... (read more)

Transcendent Tone

Divided into three movements to mimic an actual concerto, this book’s poems create a representation of the human emotional experience that makes its complexities accessible. Poems like “Early in Morning in Bethesda” examine a relationship’s tenderest moments. “Little Box” embraces an experimental form that is both peaceful and chaotic. “Grief at Full Moon” captures where loss compounds one’s interactions with not only the physical world but also the emotional one, and the memory of a loved one becomes a haunting force that controls one’s being. In other poems, the sanctity of nature becomes a healing, cleansing entity, while “the first grace of snow” offers a turning point in the speaker’s grief cycle. Fueling the musicality inherent in these poems are the experimental structures of lines and stanzas that form a concerto unlike any other. ... (read more)

Masterful Storyteller

This third book in Cannon’s enjoyable fantasy series continues the saga of Sillik. Having returned home to Illicia, “the most powerful and wealthy city in the land,” to learn of his father’s death, he becomes king. With his wife, Renee, by his side, Sillik surrounds himself with trusted advisors. The city is attacked by dragons and the horrible Schula—“green-skinned, long-tusked creatures.” As it becomes clear that the dragons and Schula are attacking other cities, war seems imminent. The Seven Gods and Illicia are pitted against the nine dark forces, which include the formidable gods Mind Breaker and Soulcrusher. As the two factions move toward war, it becomes clear that Sillik and his people will need to harness all their magical powers if they are to defeat the Nine. Will they succeed, or will all be lost in the final battle? ... (read more)

Kind-Hearted Soul

Young Emmeline dreams of becoming a veterinarian or a biologist in the future. She is inspired by her father, who works as a naturalist and travels all over the world. When she convinces him to let her meet up with him on an expedition to the Falkland Islands, Emmeline travels on the Maria Christina , where she becomes friends with a crew member’s son named Demetrio. Disaster strikes when the boat comes under attack and sinks, leaving Emmeline alone when she washes up in the strange land of Pletonia. But she soon makes friends with many of its inhabitants, learning it is natural for them to get reincarnated as various animals. Further, during her journey to visit its rulers, Emmeline discovers that she has personal ties to this fantastical land. However, Pletonia comes under attack by the exiled Valdrimos Pish, who unleashes creatures that kill and stop the reincarnation process. Emmeline and her new friends must work together to find solutions to the crisis. ... (read more)

Mesmeric Drama

Set amid the rustic landscape of Iceland, this tale explores our humanity and the ever-lingering mysteries that confound us with matters of life and death. Sixty-seven-year-old billionaire Daniel “Big Deal Dan” Pallson returns to his native homeland to promote his new proposed luxury hotel and fishing resort. Daniel’s younger brother, Jon, is among the protesters of the resort, with their differences pitting brother against brother in an icy confrontation. Shortly afterward, Daniel suffers a cardiac arrest that nearly kills him. As a result, Daniel is sent to stay with Jon at their 1940s farm, where they both grew up and where Jon now lives with his wife, Anna. The already rocky familial relationships stir up old resentments, especially when Daniel’s ex-wife, Doris, arrives and agrees to stay with them, too, trapping Daniel into an uncomfortable and inescapable situation. ... (read more)

Myths & Magic

Prince Khael Stratton is a mystic who seeks to deepen his knowledge of such arts to help those in need. Following a mission, he reports to the city of Cambridge—ruled over by his brother—and has a close encounter with a pickpocket who steals his signet ring. Alongside his bodyguard, Grant, the prince manages to track down the young woman, Vixen, who suffers from a foggy memory while demonstrating a great talent for skills associated with assassins. Prince Khael finds it an odd happenstance in a time when a terrorist group known as the Chelevkori are making active attempts to eliminate the royal family for a perceived wrongdoing by his grandfather, Loren, and it is further compounded by reports that tyrannical rule has seized the city of Skemmelsham over which he rules. Prince Khael forges a contract with Vixen, and with Grant, they go on a journey to liberate the city. ... (read more)

Cast of Characters

The relationships between instructors working in a dysfunctional sociology department at a fictional Florida university in the late 1980s are realistically explored in this novella by educator McNeill. While many workplaces, whether in government, the private for-profit sector, or even non-profit organizations, have these ego-driven, ideological clashes that create a hostile environment for some employees but provide unfair advantages to others, this story reveals the particular problems that arise in academic settings, and in this case, with dramatic, destructive results. The drama is also a cautionary tale determined by various departmental cliques that disregard the warning signs of trouble ahead for not only department faculty but for the entire university and the outside community as well. ... (read more)

Everlasting Soul

Stories harbor the potential to stand the test of time, carrying over from generation to generation. In Harry’s work, themes of scripture are transposed onto a fictional canvas that gives audiences a unique vantage point of many biblical elements, with a particular emphasis on the end times. The Lord’s sacrifices for mankind, despite the darkest of sins committed unto him, are brought into the light through this narrative. More importantly, the work is about restoring peace, balance, and love, shattering the subverted agendas of humans who wear the guise of peacekeepers while only looking out for themselves. ... (read more)

The book opens with a bold declaration that all forms of perfectionism are unhealthy. Collins and Molitor denounce the concept of “normal” perfectionists who are more productive and achieve greater success. As perfection is inherently unattainable, its pursuit is an inevitable path to frustration, which adversely affects mental and physical health, relationships, creativity, and productivity. Inspired by Kintsugi—the Japanese art and philosophy of “golden repair”—the authors advocate rejecting perfectionism and adopting the “Flawsomism” mindset of celebrating imperfection, striving for excellence, and embracing failure as an opportunity for growth. ... (read more)

Juhani Murros made an unexpected discovery during his visits to art galleries when he worked for an organization in Ho Chi Minh City in 1990. A small still life in an unobtrusive gallery commanded the Finnish physician’s attention. “It was an unpretentious oil painting, yet its dark, mysterious colors and the emotional tension of its disciplined composition set it apart.” Thus began a long journey of discovering the art and life of Van Den, a frugal and kind Buddhist of mixed Chinese and Vietnamese ancestry who studied in Paris for less than two years during 1950-52, a volatile period during the first French Indochina War. ... (read more)

Clear Philosophy

The free will debate has raged for over 2,000 years. Do individuals have control over their own actions and decisions, or are these actions and decisions predetermined by the gods, logic, nature or nurture, or many other forms of determinism? In this new work by Kral, he takes the reader on an intellectual journey that attempts to provide an alternative to the free will question. Upon initial inspection, the question, at its heart, seems to imply either a yes or no with explanations while excluding other answers. However, Kral manages to create a compelling third option, which posits that the question itself is flawed. He argues that “will” cannot be considered free or not free. His reasoning breaks down what the word means in the context of this question, and his results lead him to create an additional theory about the source of human behavior. which he has titled procirclism. ... (read more)

Jazzy & Gritty

This collection by Streitz is the first of four Bar Bibles of Poetry authored by him. In this volume, his attention falls on subjects ranging from bartenders to civil rights leaders, E.D. to selfies. Several poems deal with sex and love, from the lofty heights of romanticism to the street level of strippers and masturbation. He spends time on drunk writers hiding in their homes, dancers who should have been writers, beetles rolling balls of dung, and fathers who find themselves protective and uncomfortable. ... (read more)

Delightful Read

This work is an experience unto itself, one that takes traditional elements of fantasy and plants them into the modern world with supremely original results. Character-driven at its core, Carr’s work follows Trista, an orphan tunnel dweller who calls the depths of the New York subway tunnels her home. In every way, this is a classic coming-of-age story. The book revolves around a protagonist who recognizes that she is different but refuses the call and seeks to conform, to be ordinary, and to fit in. However, she must throw caution to the wind and erupt from her comfort zone or risk losing everything she holds dear. ... (read more)

Vivid Imagery

Caroline (CiCi) Marcum grew up in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, a fishing village on Cape Cod. She graduated high school, attended college, became a teacher, and married. But a tragic accident forever changed the course of CiCi’s life, and she fled to Chicago. Six years later, Caroline finds herself back in Wellfleet carrying for her ailing mother. Lonely and grieving, she reconnects with fellow Cape native Ridley Neal, a fourth-generation fisherman who inherited his father’s sea farm. While Rid is sympathetic to Caroline’s plight, he is embroiled in a legal battle to save his livelihood and cannot provide the emotional support CiCi so desperately needs. ... (read more)

Transformation

Fred counts on his dad when his inability to keep a job and keep his weight in check causes conflict with his mom and sister. When Fredق│└s dad dies and his sister (his primary income buffer) moves away, Fred and his mom are on their own until Fredق│└s wrestling champion girlfriend, Mary Ellen, arrives, giving Fred the boost he needs to defend himself, literally and figuratively. ... (read more)

Within this poetry collection, Australian writer Rodden has arranged forty-one contemporary poems reflecting both urban and rural experiences. Within the first selection, the poem’s speaker is driven to “make for the trees,” an attempt to avoid indoor offices where everyone else seems to be. There arise suddenly throughout these poems vivacious, invigorating lines, such as “In the library I try and try / to cram in all the poets and storytellers ….” Other poems tell of the writer’s experiences working among crews fighting bushfires in the wild. And some selections—such as the slightly eccentric, dry-humored “dead chicken-meat day”—paint a rather zany picture in which “the sign says / two skinned chickens for 6 dollars” as the speaker finds herself panting past KFC en route to work. In “The Loaded Dog,” a rustic pub sporting “Depression swaggy” photographs of “romantic gold miners / in classic beards” offers Devil’s Choice beer—with raspberries. ... (read more)

Textured & Memorable

A jilted lover kills herself after learning that she can’t have the man she desires most. A target of bullies is granted magical powers to seek revenge from a strange, otherworldly entity. The angel of death watches in the wings, taking interest in order to stop a terrible and inevitable fate. An invading force known as The Loons is coming to consume and extinguish the Earth across all dimensions. All of these happenings intertwine and knot together to create an action-packed story of death, rebirth, identity, and destiny, with all of humanity hanging in the balance. ... (read more)

History Alive

Even before stories were written, they were passed along from generation to generation, standing the test of time. Story is central to Romanowski’s memoir, one that delves deep into her Italian roots, how they’ve intersected and fused with American life, and the indelible impact family has had on her own life—and she on theirs. Through prose and poetry, the author meticulously and gracefully guides readers through her family genealogy, zeroing in on one particular figure, her grandfather, who unquestionably has the most profound impact on her worldview. ... (read more)

Cross-Country

If it takes twenty-one days to break a habit, then it certainly takes thirty-four to change a life. In Mortensen’s memoir, he simultaneously dazzles with his wit and inspires with an authentic portrayal of his journey biking from Minnesota to California. This isn’t a ride to glory by any stretch. On the contrary, it is one that provokes the human spirit, impelling both Mortensen and those who read it to dig into the innermost recesses of their being and pull out an unquenchable fire for life. ... (read more)

Compromising Situations

The assignment a rich man gives private investigator Brig Ellis is straightforward enough: intercept the last of a set of twelve historic palomino horse sculptures that he’s collecting during a prearranged hand-off. The apparent ease, though, understates the challenges Ellis encounters, such as the rich man’s sexy daughter, a string of deaths in San Diego and Mexico, and the rich man’s cagey employee. Beyond obtaining the miniature statue, the real test is of Ellis’ character. ... (read more)

Wide-Ranging

At our root, we are all derivatives of atoms, part and parcel of a universal, cosmic story formulated by all the stories that make mankind what it is today. No one is left behind as remnants of the past are fused into the present and the present to the future, an intricate tapestry of atomic history that came to define Earth as a “star-crossed planet,” in the author’s words. In Toliver’s collection of tales, a profound sentiment is expressed with refreshing simplicity: from sunrise and sunsets to the moon hanging over a mountain, all things, even the most minute and seemingly meaningless, are energy-driven reminders of “the place of our species.” ... (read more)

Brevity & Reflection

In Ireland’s latest collection of poems, thoughts and emotions are expressed by location. Leaves both falling and underfoot on a path in the woods place the narrator between life and death. A green and brown leaf located side by side characterize the tired narrator and his old but spry mother walking next to one another. The woods are described by the perspicacious narrator as a metropolis that is bustling and, at times, overwhelming. ... (read more)

Finding Truth

Long-time friends Thomas Pettigrew and Flinders Petrie run a detective agency together. Lately, their business has not thrived, so they have taken on second jobs to supplement their income. Pettigrew works as a physician, while Flinders is a curator at the British Museum. E.A. Wallis Budge, the head curator of the British Museum, hires Pettigrew and Flinders to find a small statue of Aphrodite that has been stolen from the Elgin Collection. Normally, Budge would have sought out the missing artifact, but he is swamped and wants the duo to take on the task. Pettigrew and Flinders accept the job, but as they delve deeper into the investigation, the case becomes increasingly dangerous. ... (read more)

Cohesion & Conflict

Readers enter this tale on the cusp of deep change in Montauk as the traditional fisherman’s life is in jeopardy, and many residents contemplate the hard choices they must make to create balanced new lives. Clancy, a New Yorker who once enjoyed Montauk during his family-deprived childhood, revisits the peninsula. He rediscovers Otto, the man who mentored him in a program for disadvantaged orphans. This places Clancy in conflict with Theresa, Otto’s estranged daughter, who resented the boy during her childhood. She feels doubly betrayed in adulthood by her father after he cheated on and divorced her mother. Unfortunately, Otto is ill and soon passes away, leaving his legacy to Clancy because Theresa refuses to reconcile with her father or to receive any property. Clancy must balance sorting out Otto’s wishes and gaining Theresa’s trust while navigating Montauk’s social order and the community’s challenges with climate, housing, and open space. ... (read more)

Suffer the Child

Actress, playwright, and composer Marylee Martin examines the hidden, long-term effects of childhood covert sexual abuse in this award-winning themed memoir. Covert abuse, while solely verbal and mental rather than physical, is a less dramatic but equally damaging form of sexual abuse and is sadly common in all cultures and at every level of society. Children who escape ongoing sexual molestation or more violent forms of physical abuse still struggle in their adult lives and experience similar symptoms of confusion, uncertainty, anxiety, and depression—reactions familiar to victims of overt, hands-on sexual abuse. ... (read more)

Polarizing Issues

While Cossette acknowledges from the outset that his work is rooted in his opinion of the United States’ impending political downfall, it is undeniably an impassioned plea for the nation to examine itself, look in the mirror, and see the swift transformation of the country’s politics for what it is. Though the author’s stance is unquestionable, the intrigue and validity of his thoughts lie in his ability to emphasize the importance of setting aside differences and focusing on the greater good. He suggests that the very integrity of the U.S. Constitution is at stake, being threatened unceasingly by radical beliefs that are determined to uproot the values, morals, and ambitions that have become the bedrock of the American way. ... (read more)

A Christian Apologist

Author Hakanson explores in depth the many rational paths to religious belief, specifically focusing on the wisdom of the Holy Bible. Many people question scripture and God’s very existence and role in the creation of the universe, the earth, and all contained therein. One of the many analogies presented here concerns “the wind”: one can feel it and even predict its results, but one can never see it. Using such lively imagery combined with much erudite material, the treatise seeks to offer Christians a sense of the rightness of defending their beliefs. ... (read more)

Set against the backdrop of Vladimir Putin’s grab for power in Russia and a rash of global terrorist attacks in the late twentieth century, the novel delves into the complex world of covert counterterrorism. At the age of six, Maxym (Max) Mikhailovich Ivanov suffers an unbearable loss when his parents are killed and ten-year-old sister brutally raped and murdered by religious extremists. Escaping the cruel fate of his family, Max hides in a cupboard. He is rescued by the Russian army after being discovered by a Russian soldier, Leonid. The desire for revenge ignites in young Max after seeing the brutalized bodies of his family. Vowing to his rescuers to kill as many of these terrorists as possible, Max, at the young age of six, begins with those who murdered his family. Praised for his execution of the captured terrorists, Max is admired by the soldiers and given a home with Leonid. ... (read more)

Engaging & Thoughtful

In this unique piece of graphic literature, readers embark on a journey to find a solution that ultimately leads to world peace in a chaotic world. The group of superheroes that young Alice and Professor Sorgho pursues has the potential to solve issues like world hunger, soil depletion, and environmental disasters caused by climate change. Readers learn that the solution may very well lie in “climate-smart grains called sorghum.” Nonetheless, Alice and Professor Sorgho encounter a complex problem: no one has seen the Sorgho Squad in a number of centuries, but the team pursues a set of complex clues that lead them and readers on a journey across the globe. ... (read more)

Like many children his age, young Nick loses a tooth while eating his dinner and places it under his pillow for the Tooth Fairy. Overjoyed to discover six dollars under his pillow, he shares the discovery with his friends at school, only to be presented with the question of what he thinks the Tooth Fairy does with all the teeth she collects from the children who lose them. The inquisitive Nick decides to get to the bottom of what the Tooth Fairy is all about and comes up with a foolproof plan. ... (read more)

The Creature

When Bob sees on the local news that a young woman has been found murdered in a parking lot with numerous cuts, he knows in his gut that the killer who murdered his wife and six others five years ago is back. Bob’s best friend, Archie—a detective on the Livingston, Texas, police force—confirms his suspicions. The two men are determined to catch the killer this time. ... (read more)

Unwavering Hope

Paul Davidson has been deeply concerned about his father, Big Rich, who is battling terminal brain cancer. During a recent visit to Des Moines, an unexpected conflict has arisen between Paul and his brother, Richard J. Davidson Jr., resulting in Paul being prohibited from seeing their father. Richard, who has been given his parent's power of attorney, has informed medical staff of visitation restrictions for their father. This has weighed heavily on Paul's mind, especially as his other brother, Joe, is also present with their father. In a separate context, Paul and Luke, Joe's son, have organized a trip with their church to aid a shelter in Chicago. Despite recent tragic events in Chicago, they remain resolute in their commitment to embark on this mission. ... (read more)

Financial Hope

Before Black Friday, there was Black Tuesday, a devastating stock market event that not only sent the market plummeting and in chaos but also ushered in the Great Depression. Then, there is the more recent Black Monday, on October 19, 1987, that rattled investors and, once again, brought the market to its knees. It is this 1987 event that becomes the backdrop of Donaldson’s book, one that is less of a preachy self-help book and more one that will provide readers with immense insight and understanding through direct, first-hand experiences, all minus the added fluff and conceptual conundrums that often plague books on investing. ... (read more)

Vital Scripture

Author Luddeke examines in diligent detail the portions of the Holy Bible that set forth the determination of Satan to make all humanity subject to his evil plans and the ever-watchful wisdom and benevolence of God and Jesus Christ. Luddeke asserts that one need only read the Bible to understand all of history, as, over a fifteen-hundred-year period, all earthly fact was predicted and transcribed therein. Before God created the earth, He existed with a band of angels, among whom was Lucifer, who was God’s favorite. But Lucifer gradually embraced evil—pride and selfishness—based around envy of God’s power. He craved absolute dominion over God’s creations, beginning with Adam and Eve. ... (read more)

Saving Scripture

Citing a material world of nonstop temptation and sin spearheaded by Satan, Luddeke provides the ultimate antidote—the light of Jesus Christ—as the eternal battle between light and dark and good and evil reaches tumultuous levels. To all alike, believer or not, the author speaks to each individual’s destiny, one made possible by Christ’s self-sacrifice and depicted further through the efforts of biblical figures like Peter. On the whole, the work is a fusion of scripture references and the author’s commentary, providing clear and concise insight that even the layman can understand. ... (read more)

Lost Innocence

Lilly wasn’t merely apprehensive about her first appointment with the therapist; she dreaded it. As a mother of a three-year-old boy, she knew perfection wasn’t a necessity. However, she also knew the only way forward was to face her past. Lilly was the third of four children born to Gwen and Vincent. Gwen and Vincent doted on young Lilly, but Gwen’s sister Millie fawned over Lilly and wished she was hers. Millie’s husband, Frank, took a shine to Lilly as well, but his intentions were sinister. As Lilly got older, she came to fear Frank and loathed when Frank and Millie were welcomed into her parent’s home. Lilly didn’t tell her parents but confided in a select few as she began a rebellion that lasted from adolescence through college. ... (read more)

Growing up in a Denver suburb in the sixties and seventies, Spitzer experienced a normal American life. Full of ambition and energy, she was a robust athlete who enjoyed tennis and other sports. An intelligent and curious girl, she liked learning and worked hard in school. Her good grades and proficiency in sports were proof of her early work ethic and ability. “As a child, I had endless amounts of energy and enthusiasm. I loved learning new things and was willing to try anything and everything.” At the age of twelve, her life changed forever when she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Immediately admitted to the hospital, she underwent a series of blood and platelet transfusions and tests. As her blood levels rose, she began a three-year regimen of chemotherapy and, when in remission, a three-to-five-week series of radiation therapy on her head. As this was 1975, the treatment for childhood leukemia was uncertain. “I know the doctors had said that I had less than a 10 percent chance of living six months because they just didn’t know how to treat this type of disease.” This memoir tells of her experiences before, during, and after her life-changing diagnosis. ... (read more)

Fascinating Account

The narrative begins with the author arriving in Guam, along with her military husband and three children. She is immediately struck by the beauty of the island despite the “strange admixture of emergent country squalor with the suave sophistication of world-class resorts.” What follows is a recounting of her adventures (and misadventures) in her new home. The reader follows her as she forges new friendships, steadily collecting a circle of neighbors and avid gamers into her community. She also recounts a myriad of events while living on the island, from the excitement of surviving typhoons to the relatable experience of setting up a home and starting a new job in a different country. She describes day-to-day challenges in beginning her job, raising her family, and navigating new friendships. ... (read more)

Fun & Crazy

When eleven-year-old AJ’s mom gets called into her flight attendant job and picks him up from school, little does the young protagonist know that during his weekend stay with Grandpa, things are about to get fishy. Through imaginative, quirky, immersive storytelling on a grand scale, Mazzucato transports AJ and his eccentric friend Livvy to a terrifically tantalizing adventure on the high seas with Grandpa, captain of the Ponce de Leon , and fellow shipmates—all in a quest to capture a humongous fish, elusive and mythic, which is awesomely revered and curiously referred to as Old Gussie. ... (read more)

Good Memories

A fifth-generation Southern California native, Haas, the author of this children’s book, offers up a delightful celebratory ode to all things Huntington Beach, known colloquially as Surf City. Capturing in words and bright, colorful illustrations the sights, sounds, and plentiful sunshine always in store for adventurers to the famous sand-and-surf locale, specifics of the seaside destination are explored and commemorated. These include, among other aspects, the famed Pacific Coast Highway, the International Surfing Museum, Pacific City with its multitude of ice cream selections, evening dusk falling on Main St., moonlit “thrills and spills” at the local skate park, Huntington Beach Pier, Central Park, and the nearby wetlands, which are home to abundant wildlife. Dedicated to the author’s grandchildren, Haas’ book recognizes many favorite spots and activities enjoyed during the children’s regular visits with the author and illustrator at Huntington Beach. ... (read more)

Authentic Voice

Hogan was an early "boomer.” He was born in the late 1940s to young parents and was one of three siblings. The family's religious backgrounds and beliefs were mixed but were in other ways similar to many middle-class families of that era. Grandparents and cousins were on hand, and security, love, and some diversity in numbers were in abundance. Two "coincidences" had profound impacts on Hogan's early life. First, he felt he should move some boards with protruding nails/spikes in them, so he did. As he fell to the ground later on—right at the place where the boards had been—he reflected on what might have happened had he not obeyed his warning. Another interesting occurrence was his agreeing to a "blind date," which led to his meeting his future wife, Georgia. ... (read more)

Opportunities

The author was one of three children born to an unorthodox British couple in 1942. Her mom’s parents were landed gentry, while her father’s were working class. Her parents shared an artistic and adventurous bent, though, and the family lived outside of many societal norms, such as in caravans, a circus, and farmhouses, among other places. When she grew up, Rains lived with her own family in Hong Kong, Scotland, California, and England. Organized around moves and composed of short narratives, the book is almost a linear plotline, digressing to give people’s backgrounds. The majority of the moves happen at the beginning, and the pace of the book here is the swiftest. Rains’ mother’s many projects, her bad cooking, and creative knitting add levity to these chapters. Letters from friends attest to the brightness the author brings to her communities and to the text. ... (read more)

Understanding People

This concise and informative book examines the important principles needed for a company to be effective in its management processes. The text begins by focusing on five management problems: ranking performers, incentive systems, management by objectives, numeric goals, and management by results. It explores dysfunctional companies and the need for increased organizational effectiveness through behavioral changes. In exploring problems, the book then analyzes solutions to a variety of such situations, including rewards and punishment, competition, mistrust, and other issues that cause problems in systems. The focus is on practices based on differing beliefs, increased well-being in teams, separating compensation from work, building a culture of trust, understanding variations in practice, avoiding attachments, being mindful, choosing thoughts and behaviors, letting go of the negative, using affirmations, and a transformation to an “enlightened leadership model.” ... (read more)

Family Secrets

From his frenetic entrance into the world, where he found himself with a cord wrapped around his neck—a “blue baby”—David was exposed to an unfathomable dimension of life, a gut punch to the meaning of humanity. Nevertheless, his resilience became his calling card as he navigated through one mind-boggling circumstance after another. Worthy of commendation for his raw and authentic portrayal, David uses his work as a platform to demonstrate what happens when a child is raised in the ultimate dysfunctional family system. ... (read more)

Complexities & Content

In Toliver’s work, the role of myths and the devastating influence they can have on human history are integral. Throughout this comprehensively researched piece, the author focuses on debunking misconceptions throughout world history. In the process, contending schools of thought, from philosophical to literary traditions, come together to help audiences better understand historical events and, at their core, human behavior. ... (read more)

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When we launched IndieReader back in 2009, it was with the intent of trying to level the playing field for self, hybrid and small press published authors. I had been both traditionally published (by Simon + Schuster in 1997 and Crown in 2007) and self-published, and so was in a unique position to see the challenges with each. At that time there were no other companies that offered review services for indie authors, let alone distribution and marketing options. It was like a desert out there, and we made it our goal at IR to provide some much-needed relief.

Now over 13 years later we have reviewed thousands of indie titles. In that time we have also seen most of the negativity directed at self-publishing disappear–to the point where indie books regularly make the major bestseller lists (which we post weekly), win major literary awards (including our very own Discovery Awards), and sell hundreds of thousands of copies. Which means that the competition to write and publish a great book has only become greater–as today’s writers aren’t just competing with other indie authors; they’re competing with traditionally published ones, too.

And, now more than ever, IR knows exactly what it takes for an indie title to not just succeed but stand out from the pack. So what are you waiting for?  Via our curated and ever-expanding range of services, let our team at IndieReader help you build visibility and credibility for your indie book!

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IndieReader Bestsellers

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In celebration of Indie Author Month, Amy was interviewed on what it means to be an indie author, the struggles we face, and the benefits we reap. Tune in for publishing insights, tips, tricks, and advice!

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Author Knowledgebase

Multiple IR Approved Author Deb Pines Tells All About Her Book (And Clever NY Post Headlines)

When Velma White, a tyrannical landlady, now 74 and shaky on her feet, is found dead at the bottom of her Chautauqua home’s steep and slippery stairs, it looks like an accident. But was it? Only digging by reporter and relentless snoop Mimi Goldman —into Velma’s men, money and murky past—can solve this extra-tricky whodunit.

Advice from IR Approved Author Kathryn Betts Adams: “Strive for quality. The process of self-publishing has become easy, but producing a quality, beautifully written and organized book takes a lot of work.”

The Pianist’s Only Daughter: A Memoir is a frank, humorous, and poignant exploration of aging in an aging expert’s own family. Kathryn Betts Adams was the only daughter of colorful and talented parents: her mother, an English scholar and poet, and her father, a concert pianist and music professor.

Advice from IR Approved Author RJ Shaw: “Don’t feel like you are not a legitimate, accomplished author just because you chose the Indie business model.”

Sheriff Gus Wallace, a no-nonsense retired FBI Agent, has only been in office a few months when a woman is murdered on a remote running trail in Cumberland Gap, Tennessee, leading him into the most dangerous case of his career.

Advice from IR Approved Author Rich Miller: “Have fun! You’re doing something that people dream about but don’t take action on. So you have lots to celebrate.”

After seeing the boy at her birdfeeder, Ruth lures him into her web using cookies, milk and Mariners baseball games on the tv. She succeeds, but the boy is a flight risk. He keeps wanting to flee, and she keeps trying to stop him. They reach an uneasy truce and he stays, but there’s a problem: it’s a retirement home, so he needs to live there in secret.

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Karlene Cameron Books

5 best online book review sites for indie authors.

One of the best ways to gain exposure for your new book is through a book review site. But there are so many different online resources available that it can be overwhelming to select which site is the best option for your masterpiece. I know. I think I’ve combed through them all.

But don’t despair! Today, I’ll show you the top five book review sites for authors. We’ll explore how much each of these sites will cost you to use and what sets them apart from the competition. Hopefully, you’ll come away with a better understanding of where you can start.

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 three months, so you are far better off opting for their $59 express package or the $129 package for three express reviews.

Readers’ Favorite will post reviews to both Goodreads and Barnes & Noble , but unfortunately not Amazon . Your reviews will also be placed on their site, and all of their reviews are created by real-life readers. As an author, you’ll also get the opportunity to rate your reader, just as they have rated your novel. The site prides itself on only posting four and five-star reviews. If you do happen to receive a poor review from the reader, they’ll provide you with private and constructive criticism instead, as their priority is to help authors. While the company’s primary goal is to review new and self-published authors, they’ve also worked on reviews for well-known authors in the past.

Reader Views

Established in 2005, Reader Views is a great option for independent authors. They offer a variety of services to help capture the attention of potential readers. One of their best services for independent authors includes a review consultation service for free, where you can submit your book or e-book for review consideration. The basic package starts at $119 for one review, and there are also many add-ons available to suit different budgets and marketing needs . By choosing one of their publicity campaigns, you’ll be able to spread the word about your book on blogs and social media.

The company also offers in-house editing, book translations, eBook conversion, and manuscript critiques, so they are a good one-stop-shop for authors. For reviews for Amazon, Goodreads, or Barnes & Noble, ask about their book giveaway service on top of your book review. A unique feature of this service is the fact that you are given your reviewer’s email address to contact them after to thank them for their review .

The US Review of Books

By using The US Review of Books , you’ll be able to connect with a professional book reviewer and have your review placed in front of the company’s over 18,000 newsletter subscribers. They cater to both fiction and nonfiction books, so it’s ideal for your romance novel, biography, or fantasy book. The site ranks in the top 25 for book reviews on Google, so you are in safe hands getting your novel out into the world with this site. They use a consistent team of staff to ensure the reviews are focused and adhere to a particular style.

Thanks to their subscription base and social media following, your book will receive good online exposure with this site. At the same time, the site also doesn’t use advertising, so there will be no distractions from your book coverage. The site is fully focused on reviews, with their basic review package starting at $75, although you can upgrade to express delivery for $129. They don’t sell editing or manuscript review services on the site, as they believe this would be a conflict of interest with the review services they offer.

From Publishers Weekly comes BookLife , which is one of the few sites to offer free reviews for indie authors. If you work with a larger publisher, you will need to submit your book through their main portal, but this is ideal for anyone writing a new romance novel or their first piece of work. However, to receive a free review on the site, your book will have to meet their standards and criteria. Your basic review will be about 300 words long and can be used on your book’s cover or on your Amazon or Goodreads page. While the review service is free, the site offers plenty of other paid services to run their site. If you do need social media posts or publicity on top of a review, you’ll also be able to find this on here. For no additional charge, you can also opt to have your review published in the BookLife section of Publishers Weekly each month, which will give you even greater exposure to attract publishers and readers.

Pacific Book Review

While this is the most expensive option on our list today, with their basic package starting at $300, you’ll find that Pacific Book Review can offer you wide reach online. Your review will be posted to Barnes & Noble, Google Books , and a couple of other online sites. Their professional reviewers offer top quality reviews, and know what they are looking for in an action-adventure book, biography, or romance novel.

Your review will be distributed to news sites, search engines and posted on all the major book retail websites. The company is a member of the National Book Critics Circle, so you know you are in good hands with your purchase here. Once your review is complete, you’ll receive a PDF with the review and link to the site, which you can then use however you wish for marketing purposes.

By choosing any of these five online book review sites, you’ll help get your book out into the world and attract further potential readers. All of these sites offer professional reviews that are of a high quality, and by opting for some of the add-on services they offer, you can also benefit from social media and online marketing to further spread the word about your writing.

What online book review sites have you used? Drop me a line below…I’d love to check them out.

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kcameron9767

5 responses to “5 Best Online Book Review Sites for Indie Authors”

Thanks for the information, Karlene. But you didn’t mention Kirkus Reviews. This is more expensive (if you do the paid one for Indie writers) but it’s a widely recognized review and I’ve had two Kirkus Reviews, using their quotes on my book covers. I would love to see an updated blog on this topic.

That’s a great idea, Maggie! Thanks for the suggestion. I haven’t used Kirkus…yet! But it’s on my radar.

One of my 3 Kirkus reviews contained reference to something that was not in my book (The Kovalenko Secret). I felt compelled to write to them to explain the problem. Although they adjusted the review appropriately, I was left with a feeling of not having gotten a competent reviewer. For what they charge, that should not have happened.

Reedsy (Discovery). I received a review from them for my first memoir, The Gosling Bride and I was quite happy with it and their review dashboard in general. It was only $50 and the reviewer posted their review to Amazon. Like an reviewer authors need to be aware that you can get anything from a 2 star to a 5 star rating, so make sure your book is ready!

That’s fabulous, Eileen. I haven’t heard of them — I’ll definitely check them out. Thanks for sharing!

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7 Paid Book Review Services to Elevate Your Self-Published Book

Are paid book review services worth the price? Below, we’ll discuss paid book review services, their pros and cons, and what to look for when selecting one. 

What is a paid review service? 

A paid review service is a company that offers book reviews for a fee. When using paid book review services, the hope is that they will create a well-written, impartial review that can push people to buy and boost sales—if it’s a good review. It can be used on social media, your website, or your product page (e.g., Amazon’s A+ Content).

What are the benefits of using paid book review services? 

For authors, the crowded book market makes getting a well-written review within your preferred time frame a challenge. Reputable paid book review services can take some of the stress out of waiting for that “perfect” review to show up from early readers. When you pay for the service, you have better control over aligning the timing of your marketing campaign. You’ll also have a higher likelihood of getting a well-written review you can use.

What are the cons of using a paid review service?

If potential buyers know the review is from a paid service, it can feel inauthentic from the reader’s perspective. It’s similar to popular magazines that run featured articles written by their journalists, but in contrast, also run featured articles that PR companies pay for. One has journalistic integrity, while the paid article can come with questions attached like “Can I trust this?” Harsh, yes, but something to consider, so make sure that any paid service you use has a reputation for being impartial.

Where can you get paid book reviews?

• Kirkus Reviews has been around since 1933 and earned a reputation within the publishing industry as one of the go-to resources for the best books on the market. According to their website , “As an unpublished or self-published author, it can be a relentless struggle to attract a significant amount of attention to your book or manuscript. By purchasing a Kirkus indie review, authors can have the opportunity to build some name recognition and get noticed by agents, publishers and other industry influencers. Authors can expect to pay between $399-$599 for a review with a 7-9 week turnaround .
• Reedsy – For $50/title , you can get a book review through Reedsy’s Discovery service. If you are on a tight budget, then Reedsy’s service could work for you, but a review is not guaranteed. Books that are selected for review could be upvoted on their website, featured in one of their newsletters, and seen by a large pool of readers in your genre.
• NetGalley – Starts at $450 per title for a 6-month subscription . NetGalley is a professional review service that has been around since 2008. They offer a large community of readers and valuable feedback that can be beneficial for streamlining the book before it is published. Learn more about their service.
• Clarion Reviews is a part of Foreword Reviews Magazine. The magazine has a limited number of reviews per issue, so they offer a 450-word review for independent authors and self-publishers for $549 . Turnaround time is 4-6 weeks .
• Self-Publishing Review – $99-$329 – (7-30 day turnaround) . This publishing service offers a variety of options, from a 70-word review to a 500-word review. Each review is broken down by type, where it will be shared on social media, and additional perks associated with the service type.
• Indie Reader – For $299-$399 (4-9 week turnaround based on the service selected) , authors receive a book review with a minimum of 350 words. Books that receive a 4+ star review are included in their monthly newsletter roundup, and the author will receive an invitation to be interviewed for their reader site. Reviews are distributed or made available for distribution on Amazon, Banes and Noble, IndieReader, and Ingram.
• Blue Ink Review – $445-$745 (4-9 week turnaround depending on the service selected) Founded by a literary agent and award-winning editor, the company offers the following details about their services: “While fee-based, all BlueInk reviews are honest appraisals,  written by professionals  drawn largely from mainstream media outlets or editors who have worked at well-respected publishing houses.”

How do you select a paid review service? What should you look for? 

If you pay for a review, get one from a reputable provider—one that has a reputation for being impartial and uses vetted reviewers who know how to properly analyze a book and give a professional review. 

If the review site publishes their reviews (e.g., Reedsy Discovery), read their reviews and ask:

• Is the review professionally written?
• Is it thorough without giving away spoilers?
• Does the review persuade (or dissuade)? Does it choose a side and lead the buyer in that direction?

Public reviews won’t always align with the paid review but they should sound like they’re talking about the same book. If not, there will be a disconnect that readers won’t hesitate to mention.

How do you know if paying for a review is the best choice for you?

If you’re having trouble finding people to review your book, or you’re working with a short time frame and don’t have time to wait, then a paid review could be a smart move. Another reason to choose a paid service is if your initial reviews weren’t the quality that you were looking for. If this is your experience, a professional reviewer could give you the result you’re seeking. 

Steer clear of pop-up sites that look more like a money trap than a legitimate review site. When it comes to reviews, a company’s reputation adds value, so look for companies that have a strong reputation, not just with readers but within the publishing industry as well.  

Words matter. If you use a paid review site, make sure that they can give your book the foundation it deserves. 

Key Takeaways

Book marketing is all about strategy and making your money work for you. Don’t waste your marketing budget on a service that’s not going to help you level up as an author.  If paid book reviews are part of your marketing strategy, they should push people to buy your books. 

Look for paid review services that will get your book in front of your ideal reader. 

This might take some research, but it’s a good investment of time. 

If the reviews you find are basic, don’t persuade or dissuade the reader, and feel generic, trust your instinct. 

You want a review that’s going to move the needle in your favor. A positive review is great, but if it doesn’t work for you, it’s a waste of money. 

Strong reviews are great for social proof. If you can get a good one from a reputable site, it could help push your book sales.

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Blog • Book Marketing

Last updated on Feb 07, 2023

How to Get Book Reviews in 5 Steps (2024 Update)

About ricardo fayet.

Reedsy co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer, Ricardo Fayet is one of the world's leading authorities in marketing indie books. He is a regular presenter at several prestigious writers' conferences, where his unique personal style has made him an instantly recognizable figure.

Imagine the day of your book launch. You’re sitting in front of your computer, blissfully imagining all the five-star book reviews that will soon be yours. Yet the days pass... and the reviews don't come.

Needless to say, you'll want people to buy and read your book ASAP so they can leave you some good reviews. But you may see the Catch-22 here: in order to make your first sales, you’ll need to display positive book reviews. So how do you get the chicken before you’ve got the egg (or vice versa)?

Enter book bloggers , who are your new best friends! For this post, we asked our top Reedsy publicists to share their best tips on how to get book reviews from book bloggers — and we've condensed their advice into these five essential steps, plus a few bonus tips at the end.

You can also check out this Reedsy Live on how to get your first book reviews, with advice from author and book marketer Debbie Drum.

Those who prefer their tips in written form, let's dive right in with the very first step of the review acquisition process!

1. Identify your audience

A quick preliminary note: you want to start the review-gathering as early as possible. If you can, plan your book review campaign 4-6 months in advance of your publication date. Because if you want your reviews to be in place by then, you’ll need to give people time to actually write them!

Now, using the "5 W’s of Storytelling," let's talk about the first thing you should be asking yourself: who? Who will be reading your book, and who is best positioned to promote it to that audience? The following tips will help you answer these questions.

Build a questionnaire

Here are a few more specific queries to help you clarify your "who":

• Who reads in my genre?
• What magazines, websites, forums, or blogs do they frequent?
• Where might they find reviews of my book that will entice them to buy it?

Indeed, publicist Jessica Glenn recommends building a full-length questionnaire to identify your audience and where you might find them on the Web (or in real life!).

“Most, if not all, publicists and publishers send authors a very long questionnaire to fill out when they start their marketing plan ,” she says. “That's so we can dig into any useful piece of bio, community, or regional info to figure out who and why people will be interested in your book.”

Your questionnaire will direct you to your target audience and help you create a  proto-persona.  This is the "ideal reader" of your book, so to speak — a perfect blend of the traits you'd expect them to have. (For example, if you've written a YA paranormal romance novel, your proto-persona might be a 14-year-old girl who's obsessed with Twilight .) And whoever they are, you'll keep them in mind every time you make a marketing decision.

Think about comp titles

Another great way to get a handle on your target audience is to figure out your comparative titles — books that are a) similar to yours and b) share the same general readership. When pitching to book reviewers, these are the titles you'll use to sell your own  book . For instance, "My book is  Normal People meets The Incendiaries ."

According to Jessica, you should have at least 15 potential comp titles for your book, ideally a mix of bestsellers and well-reviewed indie titles. “Many first-time authors balk at this," says Jessica, "as they believe there is no true comp for their book — but dig deep and you'll find them!”

Comp titles are critical because they act as a compass, pointing you towards a ready-made audience that enjoys works in the same mold as yours. This is a huge help in determining your target readers, as well as which reviewers will cater to them. Speaking of which...

2. Find relevant book blogs

Now that you’ve got a strong sense of your audience, you're ready to find blogs that will provide the best exposure to that audience. We recommend starting with our directory of 200+ book review blogs , but feel free to do your own research as well!

As you dig into book review blogs, check on these two things first:

• Is the site active? Has the blogger published a post within the last month or so?
• Are they currently accepting queries? If they're closed at the moment, it could be months before your book gets a review — if at all.

And if you want to confirm your book marketing strategy when it comes to book review blogs, we recommend first taking this quick quiz below!

Which book review site is right for you?

Find out here! Takes one minute.

Once you've confirmed that a book review blog is both active and open to queries, think about whether it's right for your  book. Here are some important factors to consider:

• Genre . Don't waste your time on blogs that don't review books in your genre. "Be very mindful of a publication’s particular audience and target market when pitching for review. If their readership is science-fiction, do not pitch a commercial crime novel!” says publicist Hannah Cooper .
• Traffic . High-traffic book blogs might seem like your highest priorities, but this isn’t necessarily true. “Don't shy away from the smaller blogs,” says publicist Beverly Bambury . “They can sometimes foster a real sense of community and starting off small is just fine."
• Posting frequency.  Another consideration is how often the blogger in question actually publishes reviews. Too often, and your book will get lost in the shuffle; too seldom, and they're likely to lose readers. Try to strike a balance with about 1-2 reviews per week — no decent reviewer can turn them out faster than that, anyway!

Track down your comp titles' reviewers

Remember those comp titles you came up with earlier? You can use them not only to pitch your book, but also to find potential reviewers , as they will correspond perfectly with your genre and target audience.

“Once you have your 15-or-so comps, you can research where each book has been reviewed,” says Jessica. “With luck, you will find at least a couple of book reviews per title, which will give you many more outlets to investigate further.”

Now, as an author, you might be wondering: “How can I begin to find all the places where a given book was reviewed?” Don’t forget the power of Google! Try searching the following terms to find reviews for a given title:

• [Title] + book review
• [Title] + review
• [Title] + Q&A

And here's one last tip to give you a boost — sign up for a "Mention" account and/or set up Google alerts to get a notification every time these titles appear online.

Once you’re armed with a bundle of suitable book review blogs, you've arrived at the third (and perhaps most crucial) step in this process. This is, of course, creating the pitches you'll send to reviewers.

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Learn how to get the book reviews you need to turn browsers into buyers. Get started now.

3. Write pitches for them

Pitching a reviewer is pretty straightforward. All you have to do is a) keep it short, and and b) personalize it as much as possible. However, before we get to our publicists’ actionable tips on pitching, there’s one more thing that you absolutely HAVE to do. And that thing is...

Read the review policy!

Before you pitch any blog, make sure you read the blogger’s review policy. Some blogs will have a form to fill out; others might ask you to email them directly. Still others might not welcome any queries from self-published authors . Whatever they say, make sure that you follow it to a T.

“There are two main benefits to reading and following the review policies closely,” says Beverly. “First, you show the reviewer that you respect and appreciate them when you follow their instructions. This is important when asking someone to do you a favor.

"Second, you may find that even if the site is closed for review queries, it's open to publicity queries — where you might be able to place an excerpt or do a Q&A or occasional blog post. You'll never know if you don't take the time to read the review policy first.”

More tips for pitching reviewers

Now that you’re clear on what the blogger wants, you can start pitching them with confidence. Here are three more key tips for pitching book reviewers:

1. Never send out bulk pitches. "When you pitch each outlet individually, specifically write that you read their positive book review of your comp and what that comp title was,” says Jessica Glenn. Or if you didn't find them through a comp title, mention other  aspects of their blog and why you think they would be great to review your book!

2. Be concise and direct. “Include your title, publisher, date of release, and genre in the first paragraph,” notes Beverly Bambury. “Then you might want to include the cover copy or a brief description of the book. Finally, be direct and ask for what you want. If you want a review, ask for it! If you want an excerpt placed, ask for that.”

3. Appeal to their commercial side. “All reviewers want the opportunity to discover the next 'big thing’ — particularly with fiction — so make them feel as though they have the opportunity to get the word out first," says Hannah Cooper. Indeed, if you can convince a reviewer that you are doing them  a favor, you're practically guaranteed to get a review.

Basically, try to get reviewers to think, “Oh, if I enjoyed [comp title], I’ll enjoy this person's book too,” or “They've done the research to know that I’m a good fit for their book.” If you can do that, you’re already much closer than everyone else to obtaining high-quality book reviews !

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4. Send out your book

This is the step before the moment of truth (the review itself), so it's extremely important to get everything right. To ensure you're complying with each reviewer's guidelines, review their policy again before you send them your book. Some bloggers might prefer digital copies of manuscripts, while others might want a physical ARC — be prepared to accommodate.

Also, as you begin sending your book to various outlets, you should track your progress in a spreadsheet. Record which blogs you’ve submitted to so far, which blogs have responded, and which blogs you plan to submit to, so you don't accidentally double-submit or skip over anyone.

Formatting your book

Other than double-checking the review policy, the most important thing to do here is to format your book in a professional manner . After all, you want the presentation of your content to match the quality! Even though it shouldn't technically matter, reviewers will definitely judge your book by how it looks, inside and out.

The good news for self-formatters that you probably won't need to send physical proofs, and ebooks are much easier to format than hard copies. Digital copies also cost next-to-nothing to produce, so you can easily send multiple copies of your book out to different reviewers. You may want to check out apps like Instafreebie and Bookfunnel , which make it easy to generate individual ARC download links that you can send to the reviewers.

Pro tip : If you’re searching for a good book production tool,  Reedsy Studio can format and convert your manuscript into professional EPUB and print-ready files in a matter of seconds!

5. Follow up after a week

A week or more has passed since you queried a book blog, and so far… crickets. What do you do now? Why, follow up,  of course!

When it comes to this stage, keep calm and follow Hannah Hargrave’s advice: “Don't bother reviewers for an answer daily. I will usually chase again after a week has passed.

"If you receive a decline response, or no one responds to your third chase-up, assume this means they are not interested. Any further follow-ups, or aggressive requests as to why your work's not being reviewed, will not be viewed kindly. Above all, be polite and friendly at all times.”

That said, someone rejecting your book for review is a worst-case scenario. Best-case scenario, the blogger responds favorably and you’ve bagged yourself a review!

What comes next, you ask?

The reviewer will post their review of your book on their blog — and on Amazon, Goodreads, and any other platforms that they’ll name in their review policy. This is yet another reason why it's vital to read that policy carefully, so you know exactly where  the review will be seen.

If all goes well, the reviewer will publish a positive review that you can use to further promote your book. Maybe you'll even get a decent pull-quote for your book description ! Not to mention that if you ever write a sequel, you can almost certainly count on them for a follow-up review.

Pro-tip: Want to write a book description that sells? Download this free book description template to get a headstart. 

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But what if you don't get any bites from book bloggers, or — horror of horrors — one of them gives you a negative review? Fortunately, the next two sections should help you deal with each of these possible dilemmas.

Bonus ways to get book reviews

Though book bloggers are the most reliable and professional source of reviews for independent authors, you may want to try other avenues to maximize your chances! Here are three more ways to get book reviews  for your work, so you can bolster your Amazon profile and start making some serious sales.

1. Tell your followers about your book

Though Amazon prohibits reviews from close friends and family , you're free to tell your random social media followers about your book and hope they leave good reviews. It obviously helps if you have a large following on Twitter or Instagram, even more so if some of those followers are fellow authors who appreciate the significance of reviews.

That said, NEVER offer "review swaps" or any kind of promotional enticement for customers to leave reviews, as this would also be against Amazon's terms. Simply let your followers know you've got a book out and that you'd love for them to read it; the rest is in their hands. However, when it comes to reviews, any amount of awareness is better than none.

2. Submit to Reedsy Discovery

Finally, for a professional review option that's a bit less time-and-effort-consuming on your part, you can submit your book right here on Reedsy Discovery! The platform allows authors to share their books with readers who are right up their alley, plus get the chance to be reviewed by one of our Discovery writers. If they leave a good review, you'll be featured in our newsletter, which goes out to thousands of subscribers every week.

Sounds pretty sweet, right? And it only takes a few minutes to submit .

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How to deal with negative reviews

Once your work is out there in the world, you can’t control other people’s reactions to it. “Remember, by submitting your book for review, you're accepting that some people might not enjoy it,” says Hannah Hargrave. “It can be very tough after you’ve spent months or years crafting your novel, only for some reviewer to tear it apart. But you need to be prepared."

In that vein, here are some final tips on how to deal with bad reviews:

1. Have someone else read them first . This might be your agent, your friend, or your mom — anyone you trust to pre-screen your reviews. They can inform you whether each negative review is a worthwhile (if humbling) read, or just too nasty to stomach.

2. Ignore unreasonably hateful reviews . Easier said than done, yes, but really try to tune out these people! For example, if they're clearly not your target audience, but insist on pretending like they are. Or people who pick apart your sentences word-by-word, just for the "fun" of it. There's no sense in agonizing over readers who are determined to hate you, so block them on every platform and refuse to read anything else they write.

3. Address valid criticisms . You're only human, and your book won't be perfect. If someone points this out in a constructive way , acknowledge it and do what you can to fix it. This may be as simple as editing a misleading blurb, or as complex as restructuring your entire series. But if you're the author we know you are, you'll be up to the task.

Every author's book is different, but the process for getting book reviews is reassuringly universal. To recap: identify your audience, find relevant blogs, pitch them, send out your book, and don't forget to follow up! On top of that, feel free to try alternative strategies, and remember not to take the bad reviews too personally.

Yes, marketing a book may be madness, but the process of getting reviews lends method to that madness. So go forth and get your reviews — you deserve them! 🙌

Special thanks to book publicists Jessica Glenn , Hannah Hargrave , Hannah Cooper , and Beverly Bambury for their input and suggestions throughout this article. If you have any more questions about how to get book reviews, let us know in the comments!

2 responses

Elena Smith says:

25/09/2018 – 22:33

Excellent Write up. I have thoroughly gone through the article and according to my personal observations you have done a great job writing this Article.Being associated with writing profession, I must mention that AcademicWritingPro are quite helpful nowadays.Furthermore, quality is also an important aspect.

Team Golfwell says:

11/12/2018 – 05:38

We do free book reviews if your book interests us. We are a group of retired people in New Zealand who play golf, read books, write books, and do free book reviews if we like your book. We write books too, so we like to see what other authors are currently doing and it is amazing to see what writers are creating. We try to post our reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes & Noble and our social media. See our book review page for more info > > https://www.teamgolfwell.com/free-book-reviews.html #bookreviews #kindlebookreviews #amazonbookreviews #indiebookreviews https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/4ad92dde2f70456000bf5c44af3489ee638dae511be91f7b8cb1545acb388cdb.jpg

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• Library of Congress
• Research Guides
• Main Reading Room

Finding Book Reviews Online

Sources for general book reviews.

• Introduction

General Inquiries : Ask a Librarian

Have a question? Need assistance? Use our online form to ask a librarian for help.

Chat with a librarian , Monday through Friday, 12-4pm Eastern Time (except Federal Holidays).

Before you start your search you should know the title and author of the book being reviewed. The date of publication will sometimes also be required. Some databases offer a search option to limit search results to book reviews. Where not present, adding a keyword search that includes the phrase "book review" should help. Reviews of popular books are typically published close to their publication dates; find them via book-related websites and indexes that cover general interest periodicals. Reviews of scholarly books may take months to appear in scholarly journals. For more databases that cover scholarly journals, visit the Library of Congress E-Resources Online Catalog .

• Free Web Resources
• Book Review Databases
• Selected General Databases
• Historical Book Review Databases

Free contemporary book reviews are widely available on the web. The sources listed below are some of the most common places to find them.

• Amazon.com External Amazon.com offers book reviews of many of the book titles it sells. Some reviews are by professionals; many are by readers. Find a book and scroll down its entry to read the reviews, where present. For balance, try a variety of positive and negative reviews.
• Barnes & Noble External Barnes and Noble includes professional book reviews with the descriptions of many of the books it sells.
• Complete Review External The Complete Review contains a selected listing of old and new book titles with reviews and links to more reviews.
• GoodReads Reviews External GoodReads offers millions of book reviews contributed by its community members which include librarians, journalists, and many other readers.
• Kirkus Reviews External Kirkus Reviews includes reviews new and forthcoming fiction, non-fiction and Young Adult (YA) books. Kirkus also has a print magazine available by subscription.
• Library Journal Reviews+ External Library Journal reviews books on a wide array of popular and scholarly topics expected to interest a broad spectrum of libraries. Reviews from the most recent 24 months are free online.
• LibraryThing Reviews External LibraryThing Reviews are written by members of the LibraryThing community of readers and book collectors. Reviews are grouped in various ways, including by genre or may be searched by author or title.
• New York Times Book Review (free selections) External A free collection of book reviews published in The New York Times since 1981. A more extensive paid subscription database is also available.
• School Library Journal Reviews+ External Features reviews from School Library Journal from the most recent twenty-four months. Browse by genre, grade level, award winners and other criteria.

Subscription databases are great sources for current and recent book reviews. Many also include historical coverage.

• Children's Literature Review, Vols 1-216

These more general subscription databases cover a wide array of periodicals which include book reviews. Using the phrase "book review" in your search can be effective if no check-box option for book reviews is available in the database's search function.

Some researchers seek reviews that are decades or even centuries old, for example, to see how a book written in the 19th Century was reviewed when it was first released. This listing includes general and book review resources. For the general sources, be sure to Include the phrase "book review" in your search if no check-box option for book reviews is available.

• African American Newspapers, 1827-1998 (Series 1 and Series 2)
• American Business: Agricultural Newspapers
• American Business: Mercantile Newspapers
• American Gazettes: Newspapers of Record
• American Politics: Campaign Newspapers
• American Religion: Denominational Newspapers
• Early American Newspapers, Series 1, 1690-1876: From Colonies to Nation
• Early American Newspapers, Series 2, 1758-1900: The New Republic
• Early American Newspapers, Series 3, 1783-1922: From Farm to City
• Early American Newspapers, Series 4, 1756-1922: The Rise of Industry
• Early American Newspapers, Series 5, 1777-1922: An Emerging World Power
• Early American Newspapers, Series 6, 1741-1922: Compromise and Disunion
• Early American Newspapers, Series 7: 1773-1922: Reform and Retrenchment
• Early American Newspapers, Series 8, 1844-1922: A Nation in Transition
• Early American Newspapers, Series 9, 1832-1922: Protest and Prosperity
• Early American Newspapers, Series 11, 1803-1899: From Agrarian Republic to World Power
• Early American Newspapers, Series 12, 1821-1900: The Specialized Press
• Early American Newspapers, Series 13, 1803-1916: The American West
• Early American Newspapers, Series 14, 1807-1880: The Expansion of Urban America
• Early American Newspapers, Series 15, 1822-1879: Immigrant Communities
• Early American Newspapers, Series 16, 1800-1877: Industry and the Environment
• Early American Newspapers Series 17, 1844-1922: American Heartland
• Early American Newspapers, Series 18, 1825-1879: Racial Awakening in the Northeast

C19 Index draws on the strength of established indexes such as the Nineteenth Century Short Title Catalogue (NSTC), The Wellesley Index, Poole's Index, Periodicals Index Online and the Cumulative Index to Niles' Register 18111849 to create integrated bibliographic coverage of over 1.7 million books and official publications, 70,000 archival collections and 20.9 million articles published in over 2,500 journals, magazines and newspapers. C19 Index now provides integrated access to 13 bibliographic indexes, including more than three million records from British Periodicals Collections I and II, together with the expanded online edition of the Dictionary of Nineteenth-Century Journalism (DNCJ).

• << Previous: Introduction
• Last Updated: May 31, 2024 8:50 AM
• URL: https://guides.loc.gov/finding-book-reviews

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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Best Book Reviewers | Book Review Websites

So, you wrote an amazing book, and you’ve published it on a selected platform. Now, you’re hoping for as many new readers as possible so positive reviews can start pouring in. Yet, weeks later, your readers are nowhere to be seen.

What Happened With All Of Your Readers?

Where are dozens and hundreds of sales and reviews that you KNOW your book deserves ? The truth is, without an organized book launch that includes pre-launch, launch, and post-launch promotion, it is highly unlikely that readers will even hear about your book.

Best Book Review Sites: Rank Well With the Person Who Reviews Books

You see, platforms like Amazon are highly competitive. There are tens of thousands of new uploads each day, so it’s hard to stand out. Unless you already have your own sales funnels, driving sales from an ebook platform alone could take months, or even longer.

Contacting a Book Review Blog Is a Must!

To avoid that, seasoned publishers have massive advertising campaigns for their books. That way, they ensure that their book gains publicity months before it’s launched. As well as even gaining pre-launch purchases, and with that, good book reviews are almost guaranteed.

Book reviewing is a great way to get high-quality, legitimate exposure for your book at a reasonable cost.

Book advertising, like Facebook or Google ads, could cost tens of thousands of dollars, but book reviewers have a different approach to presenting book lovers with fresh writing.

How Do You Benefit From a Book Review Site? Find Out How Book Review Websites Advertise Your Book

VIDEO: Strategies for Marketing Your First Book - YouTube

Book Reviews as an Advertising Tool: Your Own Book Reviews Become Ads

Book reviews have websites, YouTube channels, blogs, and social media pages dedicated solely to reviewing literature. Some reviewers focus on specific genres, and others may have a category for multiple genres.

A book review website post can be written by a single person, or the faces behind the reviewer’s titular name can be made of dozens, if not more, avid readers , writers, and experts in literature.

Book Reviews From Book Review Sites

Popular book review sites are devoted to writing an unbiased reviews on non-fiction books , romance novels, sci-fi books, women's fiction, children's books, comic books, literary fiction, indie publications , debut author reviews , and pretty much any literary publication that you can imagine.

Now, let’s rewind. What can author book reviews do for you? To answer this question, we’ll have to break down, albeit briefly, what an average book advertising campaign looks like. An average book advertising campaign is divided into four stages:

Get Book Review Sites Free in Marketing Campaign Planning

Every successful book launch has an entire marketing machine behind it. A successful marketing campaign can drive your ebook sales and boost your readership. However, this process starts with a plan. And a good one, for that matter!

Book Marketing Planning Starts With a Goal

Set clear goals for how many copies you wish to sell and by what date, how many book readers you want to reach, and of course, set clear attainable sales goals.

These goals will make for a comprehensive time frame to shape the rest of your book campaign. From there, set a couple of months for each advertising stage, and plan how each of them will go:

Who are Book Reviewers?

Book review writers are either individuals or groups of people who review books professionally. These reviewers read titles and then write about them on their blogs, and websites, post YouTube videos, write social media captions, and do other things to spread the word about books that get reviewed.

There are several types of book reviews , and multiple ways in which they review literature:

Book Reviews Websites: Trade/Professional Publishing/Literature Experts

Having a stamp of approval by an authority figure in your genre can do a massive service to your book’s publicity and profitability. Why not give it a shot?

Trade reviewers come from a broad range of experts in the publishing trade.

They can work in publishing houses, newspapers, and any other organization that publishes or creates literature. Writers, editors, English literature experts, and other persons who’ve built their names within the industry often have blogs and websites where they post about different books.

A lot of the time, they have websites that specialize in book reviewing. In fact, they are among the most popular book review sites in general.

To get a trade review , send a copy of your manuscript to the reviewer’s email address dedicated to that purpose.

If required, write a strong pitch. Similar to editorial teams in magazines, trade reviewers get a ton of pitches, significantly more than they can actually read. For that reason, your book must stand out!

A significant upside to trade book reviews is that good reviews almost guarantee your book’s success and popularity. You may not sell tens of thousands of copies within a week, but your book will be considered a quality read.

However, two major downsides often scare authors away from pitching to trade reviewers . First, they often require high fees for their time and effort, and that’s if you even get their attention. The second major downside is that there’s no guarantee that the reviewer will like your book, or that they’ll post nice things about it.

Worst-case scenario: You could pay good money for reviews only for your book to get a negative review , which is something no one wants.

You may increase your chances of success by sending your work to those reviewers who have an affinity for your genre and category, and whose taste matches yours. That way, there’s a chance that the two of you will be more like-minded, and that they will like your book.

In-Depth Reviews From Editorial Media Weekly Magazine

Not all reviews have to come from the world of literature. Other media, like TV and radio stations, TV shows and podcast hosts, and others, particularly from your hometown, might be interested in writing, talking, and posting about your new publication.

Since the persons in question aren’t literature experts, it’s more likely that they won’t be as detailed and harsh when judging your writing as trade reviewers .

In fact, local TV and radio stations most often aim to support local talent, so they might want to give you a boost of confidence by saying the words of praise about your title!

There aren’t many downsides to working with local media except for their limited viewership.

The smaller your hometown is, the less passionate readers are, and the sum gets even smaller when narrowed down to a specific genre and topic.

However, promoting your book locally is a great way to start! You should gain at least a few dozen of interested readers from your local campaign and with the additional flare of having your hometown support you.

Reader Reviews: Your Reader Become Your Book Reviewer

There are many people who are simply in love with literature, so they read multiple books within a short span of time, sometimes even a week. They publish their reviews on different online forums and websites, like Reedsy, Goodreads, Reddit, and others.

There are both advantages and disadvantages of relying on reader reviews .

Each reader has their own opinion, so there’s no guarantee that the reviews your title receives will be good ones, as it is with other types of reviews .

Aside from that, publishing on ebook platforms, like Amazon, have strict rules for which reviews they accept and which they don’t. No matter how many positive reviews you have from your readers , those that come from user profiles who’ve been sanctioned before will likely be disregarded by Amazon's algorithm, and they won’t do much to help your book gain exposure.

Of course, no author ever was harmed by the positive hype surrounding their book. You’ll get more positive reviews if you target your marketing toward those individuals who are most likely to enjoy your work.

Each genre has passionate fans who order several books a month just to get more of what they already read, because they like self-improvement, romance, or mystery that much.

Target those readers , and you’ll find numerous kind words posted about your book.

However, a significant advantage to reader reviews is that they’re free, plus they come from a reader’s perspective. Ultimately, your book is aimed at readers , not publishing professionals. It is the reader that you wish to impress.

For this reason, a book that’s well-received by readers will be successful even if editorial and publishing experts don’t like it that much.

Endorsements: Support for New Titles and Non-Fiction Books

Do you want an industry authority figure to post about your book and validate its quality? If so, pursue endorsement book reviews . Endorsement book reviews are a type of review made by genre or industry names.

For example, if you’re publishing a romance novel, another notable romance author from your area, or someone who accepts online reviews pitches, might write reviews for your book and then write an article about it.

Many endorsement reviews are made between authors with similar writing styles, topics, literary motifs, and other elements.

If you’re publishing non-fiction , you send a copy of your manuscript to someone with a reputable background in the industry.

Book Writing Reviewers FAQs

Ever wanted to become a book reviewer yourself? Perhaps, you’re wondering what skills a good book reviewer must have? The following sections will explore in more depth what best book review sites do.

You might have published a great book, but what if that isn’t enough? The tale says that passionate writers are passionate readers , so you’ve likely become a bit of a niche expert while writing your own book.

Being a book reviewer is a great way to turn your passion for literature into a hobby, and if you learn how to turn it into a business, it could just as well become profitable.

What do Literature Reviewers do?

They read plenty of books.

Most often in one or several niches or genres, and then write and publish reviews of the books they’ve read. Their reviews contain the following elements:

They Give Balanced outlooks on the Book’s Structure, Story, or Plot.

To give a balanced, detailed review means to analyze both the book's strengths and weaknesses. A review shouldn’t be biased, but instead strategic.

If you're writing book reviews as blog posts, they shouldn't be a book summary, but instead a commentary about the reviewer’s thoughts while and after reading it. The reviewer can, and should, analyze certain aspects of the book, and its style and structure, but without giving away the content of the book.

What are Good Reviewer Skills?

Being a good reviewer entails the following:

Frequent Reading

The best book review sites read a dozen books each month. They do this for a living, so there’s nothing strange to them about reading five or six hours a day.

Long hours spent reading can also sharpen your cognitive muscle and boost your reading speed. Because of that, many book review sites can read 40-50 pages per hour, and with full comprehension. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself finishing a book in a single morning. For a book blog reviewer, this isn’t unusual.

A Background in English Literature for Author Interviews

If you wish to review books in English-speaking territories, you need some form of education in English language and literature, either bachelor’s degree or a master’s degree.

Favorite Genre and Topic for Best Book Review Sites

Many successful book review sites also have a background in publishing, where they’ve spent at least a couple of years as a writer or an editor.

Book Marketing Skills

A skilled reviews writer knows that reviews have a massive marketing influence. They write with that in mind as well.

Analyzing Literature in Fiction and Non-Fiction

A background in English language education gives you the props to properly analyze and evaluate literature.

Your book review isn’t only about whether or not you liked the book and what you thought about the story and characters.

You need to be able to evaluate the quality of writing, how well the book is thought-out, and whether there are inconsistencies, plot holes, and other flaws in the writing.

Good time management is a must!

Aside from reading books relatively quickly, you also need the ability to write many book reviews in a timely manner. A quality book review is a lot more than just your impression of the book.

Good book reviews require hours of research, then detailed writing, and of course, editing and proofreading.

For this, you need to manage your time well and be able to organize and structure your workday.

How Much Does a Book Reviewer Cost?

Depending on a book reviewer’s price rate, book blog reviews could be free, or they could cost hundreds of dollars, it all depends on the said reviewer’s business model.

Do Book Blogs Charge for Their Reviews?

Those reviewers who post book blog reviews for free may be harder to come by since they receive the greatest number of book pitches, and likely don’t have the time to read all of the books. Your book will have to truly stand out, in this case, for a reviewer to notice it.

Will a Critical Analysis With Book Recommendations Cost a Lot?

There are many popular reviewers and reviewer websites, but they charge high rates that might be too expensive for an average self-publisher. As professionals who take their time to read books, give feedback, then write and publish featured reviews on their blogs and websites, higher-profile reviewers will come at a considerable cost.

How to Get a Good Book Review?

A good book review , first and foremost, results from a good book. Make sure that your book is of impeccable quality, original, compelling, well-edited, and well-designed. A good piece of writing is bound to get a good book review as well.

However, great books often don’t get the attention they should. The main reason for that is that they don’t access a lot of book lovers through self-promotion. The second step to getting a good book is to promote your amazing book as much as you can.

But, if you pitch it to romance-lovers, of a certain age group, gender, and overall demographic that matches your ideal reader persona, you’re more likely to get a good book review.

Is it Illegal to Hire Book Reviews?

Both yes and no. You shouldn’t pay people to give your book positive reviews because that’s considered dishonest at best. Worst-case scenario, if you’re caught using a book reviews service, your book could get banned from the top eBook platforms.

In that sense, it's illegal to plagiarize your own reviews by paying people to give five-star reviews on Amazon, for example.

Hiring book review sites to leave positive reviews for your book could ruin all of your hard work in creating an amazing manuscript.

The only legal and ethically “clean” option is to pitch your book to professional reviewers. Professional reviews, remember, are individuals or groups of people who own websites, blogs, social media pages, and other media dedicated to reviewing books.

Professional book review sites have different ways of working with authors.

The most notable book review site posts unbiased reviews, and whether or not they require payment varies from reviewer to reviewer.

Some may have high pay rates, and others will take a look at your book for free, but only if you manage to craft a compelling pitch that will attract their attention.

What are the Top Book Reviews Sites for Science Fiction and Literary Fiction?

If you intend to write books in the fiction and science fiction niche, visit some of the suggested best book review sites and go on their blog tours to see how they work, how reviews are written and published, and what blog reviews typically appreciate and dislike about books.

Aside from the mentioned, you'll find quality reviews on Book Riot, The York Review, and Kirkus Reviews, which are all great examples of quality book review sites. Kirkus Reviews accept author submissions, and even does author interviews! 

New York Review is yet another place where authors write book reviews and publish them for their New York book lovers. There are also many authors who publish blog posts with detailed book reviews of up-and-coming titles, from world literature to paranormal romance.

List of Book Reviews That Publish Author Interviews and Give Honest Reviews on Traditionally Published Books Worth Reading

Self-published authors benefit from the understanding of which best book review sites to contact and send a free copy of their book. You might be writing books for middle-grade, young adults, or a more mature audience. Perhaps, you publish true crime, or even self-help manuals for spiritual growth amid a chaotic American life.

Either way, you benefit from engaging with communities where you can get constructive feedback that helps all independent authors grow.

Best Book Review Sites

If you’re publishing a book and you’re looking for favorable reviews, the good news is that you’re on the same page (literally) with readers who are looking for the right books to read., with so many books available, readers can have a hard time finding titles that they know won’t let them down. there are so many talked-up books that disappoint in the first chapter that readers just won’t take that risk, the great news for you is that there are many places where you can submit your book for review, like goodreads, amazon, and others., before you submit your book to be reviewed, here’s a short list of what you should and shouldn’t do., learn all about the reviewer’s policy, the kind of content they accept, and the sort of writing that their community doesn’t like., be mindful of the reviewer., reviewers take their work seriously, so be respectful and considerate when pointing out what you think your book’s benefits to be., send a copy of your book for free., unless a reviewer openly stated that they post only the titles that they purchase on their own, don’t expect them to order your book reviewed., acquaint yourself with the reviewer’s style, taste, and preference., check how the reviewer liked books similar to yours when it comes to topic and writing style., be rude, entitled, or unprofessional. treat the reviewer the same way you’d treat a coworker- in a friendly fashion, but with a respectful degree of professional distance., ask for the reviewer to buy your book. some reviewers do this to show support for authors and so that readers wouldn’t accuse them of bias, but unless they specifically said that they’re willing to purchase the book, send them a free copy..

Now, let’s start… reviewing reviewers!

If you're hoping to get one or several reviews for your book, these book review websites that can help gain exposure include the following:

Goodreads Review of Books

Goodreads posts community reviews. It is one of the best book review websites that draws from numerous Facebook groups where book bloggers and other users share and publish book recommendations and reviews on romance books, tech tips, and other literature.

Goodreads is a good place for the review of books by influencers and other celebrities whose tastes and book recommendations appeal to young adult audiences. Check out their staff reviews and current articles to get a grasp of how books are judged.

Your book might easily end up on one of Goodreads discussion boards or guest posts, so you want it in its best possible shape!

The New York Book Blogs Reviews for Every Young Adult Book Lover

Submitting to The New York Review isn’t difficult, but it’s hard to get exposure due to the popularity of the website.

Book Riot for Different Genres

Book Riot is another book review site where you can pitch your book and hope for an opportunity to see it come out. Book Riot publishes in a variety of genres, from children’s books to science fiction.

Book Riot also reviews audiobooks, so keep that in mind!

Library Thing

Library Thing is another great place to get blog reviews, and it’s popular with young adults. Debut authors use this space for writing reviews. Even better, the review policy entails that your use templates for adding new reviews.

That way, other users can all discuss each other’s books, but in an orderly fashion that allows everyone to find the book review they’re looking for!

Affaire de Coeur

Find book reviews with this magazine that has a long tradition of over 34 years. It’s being published every two months. It is based in San Francisco and publishes reviews on a multitude of genres. The magazine reviews both fiction and non-fiction, including paranormal, contemporary, historical, young readers, and erotica novels.

A broad range of literature acceptance

Accepted titles featured in the next print issue

Limited availability

Barnes and Noble Review

You can submit a wide range of different works to Barnes and Noble . They not only review fiction and non-fiction books but also essays and interviews.

American Book Review

This magazine too is issued every two months and has been running for over 30 years. This magazine is the one to reveal hidden gems that often get overlooked by those reviewers who put more emphasis on popular, more commercial titles. The American Book reviews do the opposite. They pay attention to those valuable, high-quality written works that get overlooked.

The American Book review gives attention to overlooked creative non-fiction, fiction, and poetry words from small publications.

This magazine has a significant limitation though since it doesn’t review how-to and self-help niches.

Booklife Website and Blog

While there are many great review websites, not all of them work with self-publishers. The Booklife By Publishers Weekly does, and they evaluate both traditional and self-published submissions.

However, the books that they review have to follow certain standards.

Compulsive Reader

Now over 20 years online, The Compulsive Readers emphasizes literary fiction and poetry. However, they also work with music and other genres, so don’t dismiss them just yet if you’re from another genre.

This website gives an in-depth review of a multitude of genres, of course, if you follow their guidelines.

Rain Taxi Review of Book

This magazine comes out quarterly, and it only publishes reviews of high-quality books. However, they focus more on non-fiction, poetry, and fiction works that don’t get mentioned in the mainstream media.

Like many other magazines, Rain Taxi too omits the self-help niche from their reviews. However, they publish literary analyses of a broad range of genres, from art to audiobooks, and graphic novels.

Discovers “hidden gems” of literature

High standards for acceptance

Don’t publish reviews in self-help and children’s books niche.

Readers’ Favorite

Readers’ Favorite Book Review and Award Contest publishes reviews on published and unpublished work, and for over 100 genres. They have a hefty database of diverse reviewers who choose their reading and then post about it.

You may speed up your acceptance and review process if you pay a fee.

One of the major benefits of this website is that they don’t give poor reviews to authors. If your review does come out, it will mean that the reviewer had a high opinion of your title. If not, you’ll receive constructive feedback.

The Los Angeles Review of Books

This non-profit organization has a mission to create fresh, digitally-oriented book reviews. They work with a variety of genres in fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.

The Rumpus celebrates authenticity and art, posting reviews in a diverse spectrum of genres from comics, to film, music, essays, and interviews. They also love talented, high-quality authors who get overlooked by mainstream media.

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The 6 Best Book Review Sites

Are you looking for websites with the best book reviews online?

This post is for you.

By the end of it, you will know where to go when you need detailed and unbiased reviews of non-fiction books.

#5. Google Books

#4. goodreads, #3. derek sivers, #2. nat eliason, #1. the power moves, the new york times, book review websites, what to look for in site book reviews, best book review sites.

This list of best book review sites is not for all kinds of books.

It indeed focuses on non-fiction books. Specifically, for the types of books that will help you grow, learn, and move forward in life.

Albeit some novels might also fit in that category, most do not. So all the sites focusing on reviews of novels, romances, and generally reading for reading’s pleasure, are not included here.

You might have heard of this one :).

Amazon is the most popular book review site.

I make a stop on Amazon for almost every single book review I write . First of all, because I get affiliate links from Amazon :). And once I’m there, I also always visit the review section.

With time I have learned the ins and outs of the system, and this is my opinion on Amazon as a book review site:

• Quantity of books: there is a review for almost any book out there
• Quantity of reviews: plenty of reviews for each book
• Sorting: I love the option of sorting by stars or by highest voted
• No expert reviewers: anyone can review on Amazon. That’s a bigger issue for information products than for, say, a vacuum cleaner.
• Average rating = average of average folks : most people are average, and few are experts. Average people are less likely to be power-aware , logical, and critical thinkers. And they’re more likely to fall -and mistakenly provide high ratings- to useless naive self-help
• Swayed by fans/hater reviewers : at Amazon, you don’t even need to buy a book to review it.  I’d be surprised if lots of reviewers didn’t even read the book, but only vented their opinion or supported a friend/idol ( or trashed an enemy )
• Most fake reviews : since Amazon is mostly there to sell books, and not to review them, it also happens to be the most targeted by fake reviews. Including, of course, from the author themselves
• Smaller book reviews are completely unreliable : albeit all books have fake reviews, the less popular ones are the easiest to swarm with fake reviews
• Confirmation bias : people tend to buy what they like, so you get more fans and fewer critical reviews
• Not really a book review site : finally, Amazon reviews are not a content reviews section. Many conflate the book quality with the Amazon or seller service. You’ll often see 1-star reviews complaining about the book handling, shipping, or status. Those add up in the final rating.

I’ll give you an example that covers a lot of the cons of Amazon as a book review site: the book The Secret .

The Secret is a book that tells you not to work on your dreams and goals. Anyone in his right mind who wants to achieve his goals wouldn’t know what to do with such advice. But The Secret is a best seller and it has a sky-high rating.

People who buy The Secret are probably already the law of attraction aficionados, so their ratings are as credible as Trump supporters on Trump’s mental fitness (or Clinton supporters on her pay-per-play habits, let’s not be partisans).

A solid, all-season place to get book reviews from all sorts of readers. Just keep in mind the shortcomings (and the high number of fake reviews).

Google Books is smaller than Amazon, but I found the book reviews to be slightly better and more objective.

As an open, grassroots project, it has many of the same advantages and disadvantages as Amazon. Such as:

• Higher quality reviews compared to Amazon
• Easily deceived, especially for smaller books. If you read a book like Published you will realize that in an open system, lots (most?) of the reviews can be fabricated.

Goodreads is a social network of book reviews.

The idea is just awesome: you can write your own reviews, exchange opinions with friends, or simply just follow people you trust.

• You know the reviewers
• You can better target subject matter experts compared to Amazon/Google Books
• Facebook of books : I joined it with the idea of only following reviewers I liked, but I immediately got friend requests from pretty much all the Facebook friends who were also in there 🙂
• The best reviewers are not there : not all the top reviewers are on Goodreads because they have their own websites

I sent an email to Derek some time ago and I can attest that he really replies to all the emails he receives :). I love the honest reviews and I am adding several titles from his list to my reading list. Good stuff!

• Does not mince words
• He’s been a successful entrepreneur: he has the results to back his business book reviews
• No categories: summaries are all mixed on a single page, going from history to biographies to self-help

I love Nat’s articles and reviews.

Nat has a very critical mind, and he’s not afraid of calling things like they are.

I find that we often agree on many books -with some due exceptions-. I discovered Nat’s website recently and I will soon be going through some of his top book picks that I haven’t yet read.

The book reviews page on this website is one of the biggest available on the Internet.

In terms of quality, well, I might be biased here so I will not write much. You be the judge of that.

Not Good Book Review Sites

I didn’t find the following book review websites to be very good sources for prioritizing your reading list:

The New York Times reviews read more like a book themselves than book reviews. You might like that, or you might not. Personally, I don’t.

There are many book review websites. But they are more for people who want to sit with a cup of coffee, a blanket on their feet, and a cat nearby. Best if with a partner nearby and with a fire during winter.

These websites cater a lot to people who “read for reading’s sake”.

That doesn’t fit my goals and my audience’s goals. We read to improve, develop and move ahead in life -of course, most of us also love reading too, but it’s not the only motivator-.

General book review websites include:

• Omnivoracious.
• Bookreporter.
• You can find quality men and quality women for good, loyal , and stable partners
• No for high achievers: reading for reading’s sake is not for highly driven people

How to Use Book Review Websites

As I explain how to efficiently absorb knowledge , I often read reviews before I start reading the book.

It helps me prepare my mind for the information I am about to absorb, which makes my reading and my knowledge acquisition all the more efficient.

I also read reviews after I read the book, especially so when I’m not sure I fully got the message.

On my after-the-book review reading, I look for the following:

• Criticism of the book (some imperfection I missed?)
• Opposing information (what are other theories in the field?)
• Similar books (which I might get)
• Is the book still valid (or are there new current thoughts and/or studies that disprove the book?)

To make your reading efficient, you should find book review websites that give you clear and concise information. I especially look for reviews that highlight:

• Main concepts in the books
• Main drawbacks
• Criticism (from the reviewer or from the rest of the literature)
• And finally: does the reviewer recommend the book?

That’s why for me it’s so crucial to trust the reviewer. I need to trust the reviewer almost, and sometimes even more so, than the author of the book.

That’s why I’m not the biggest fan of Amazon reviews.

And that’s why I don’t like book reviews from big newspapers -like The New York Times-. They all tend to be too flowery, long, and unstructured. You finish reading the book review and you’re not even sure: did the reviewer liked the book or not. Does he recommend it or not?

I’m not looking for a literary piece. I’m looking for information that makes my knowledge acquisition as efficient as possible.

Also, read:

• Best book summaries websites
• Book reviews

About The Author

Lucio Buffalmano

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15 Of The Best Book Recommendation Sites To Find Your Next Book

If you have run out of books you're interested in reading, look through these fifteen book recommendation sites for your next pick.

Abigail Clarkin

Abigail can often be found holding a book in one hand and an ice cream cone in the other. When she is not devouring stories (or dessert), Abigail trains for marathons and writes poetry about growing up with eight brothers and sisters. She enjoys working in marketing for a real estate developer and creating Instagram content for fun (@marathonandmunch) about all the tasty eats found in Providence, RI.

View All posts by Abigail Clarkin

At some point, you’ve likely encountered a long, bleak patch when your reserve of recommended books ran dry. A few years ago, there was a stretch when I didn’t have people in my life who understood my taste in books. I’d finish a fantastic series and then be disappointed when I realized that there was no rebound read to help me recover from the last series. Thankfully for the readers like us who are still nursing book hangovers, there are personalized book recommendation websites across the internet to save us.

If you have run out of books you’re interested in reading, look through these fifteen book recommendation sites.

Subscriptions

Book Riot has its very own subscription service called Tailored Book Recommendations . TBR is made up of staff who dedicate their time to carefully tailoring book recommendations for readers based on what they like to read personally. Sign up for either a recommendations-only level subscription or a hardcover level subscription (which includes having three books mailed to you).

Thank you for signing up! Keep an eye on your inbox. By signing up you agree to our terms of use

If you’d like free and discounted reading deals sent straight to your email, sign up for BookBub. Based on the genres you choose when signing up, BookBub will send personalized recommendations of ebooks that can be purchased for a reasonable rate. Themed lists are also available on their site.

22 Books Coming in 2018 Recommended by Librarians https://t.co/Sil3Wvs6Lh @tarawestover @thuglibrarian @CommerceLibrary @randyribay @alicewriterland @anglophilelibr pic.twitter.com/Uu6cIJuuxx — BookBub (@BookBub) March 2, 2018

3. Library-Specific Sites

If you’re a patron at a large library, there’s a chance that your library offers personalized book recommendation services delivered via email. A few libraries currently offering this service include New York Public Library , Denver Public Library , and Sacramento Public Library . Ask your librarians to see if this is a resource for you as well.

Themed Lists

4. epic reads.

Epic Reads is one of the largest young adult fiction communities online. Along with their endless energy and passion for YA, one reason for their popularity is their interactive quizzes, lengthy lists, and colorful book charts that point readers towards their next favorite read. A few years ago when I met a reading slump, I worked my way through much of their amazing Young Adult Retelling Chart . Many of my favorites were found through this resource.

5. Penguin Teen

The Penguin Teen website features book lists, news about young adult authors, and a helpful book suggestions tool that focuses on genre specific book recommendations.

6. Reading Rockets

If you’re looking for children’s books for the kids in your life (or for the child in you), check out Reading Rockets. Reading Rockets provides specific, lengthy themed lists for young readers. With list topics ranging from “Books About Kids Who Find Reading Hard” to “That’s So Gross,” you are sure to find a book for any occasion. This site can be a wonderful resource for teachers, librarians, and educators.

Tor is the online hub for fantasy and science fiction. Check out their many lists to find stories that will transport you to fictional lands.

A project from Netgalley, Bookish offers a wide range of book lists, including fiction, audiobook, and young adult. What makes this site stand out is these are all brand new releases or forthcoming titles, so you can get your library holds or preorders in early.

All of the recommendations on Olmenta are submitted by passionate readers. The site allows you to peruse titles by genre or category, and it’s a fun way to let someone else pick a book for you (without needing to do any real work on your end). You can submit your own suggestions, too.

10. Shepherd

Who could offer better recommendation lists than authors, experts, and passionate readers of books on aa topic? Shepherd offers a wide range of book lists, including everything from best YA books about immigration to novels where something queer’s afoot. In the near future, Shepherd will make it possible to sort lists by genre, as well, so you could find books set in China that are romance, nonfiction, YA, or otherwise.

Made-For-You on the Spot

11. whichbook.

On Whichbook, book recommendations are calculated by one out of two categories: 1. Mood, or 2. Character, setting, and plot. The reader has the choice to use sliders on the “Mood” section to rate what they’re looking for in a book. Do you want a book that is completely happy? Or on the border between safe and disturbing? There is also the option to select your desired character characteristics, the story setting, and/or plot points that you’d like included in the recommendation.

Maybe AI knows the perfect book for you. Readow starts by asking you some simple questions about recent reads and uses technology to pair you with your next great book.

13. What Should I Read Next

14. readgeek.

Registering is optional when using Readgeek to receive book recommendations. In order to get ahold of book suggestions, simply rate a few books that you’ve read on a 1–10 scale. After you finish rating as many as you’d like, Readgeek calculates which books you’d most likely enjoy based on your previous ratings.

15. Literature Map

At Literature Map, you can type in an author’s name and then view similar authors that other readers are enjoying. The site generates a map that displays author names in relative states of closeness. The closer the authors, the more likely other readers enjoyed both.

Another simple but fun AI-driven recommendation site is Gnooks. Pop in your three favorite writers and you’ll get a recommended author to try. It doesn’t end there, though: you can rate whether or not you like the author suggested for even more recommendations.

17. Goodreads

Goodreads provides a space for people to track their reading, write reviews, and view books, lists, and authors that align with their interests. When creating an account on Goodreads, the reader has the opportunity to create original book lists. One of my favorites is the “Want to Read” option: every time you view a book description that sounds interesting, you can save the book to a list that is dedicated to books you plan to tackle later. For those of you who are looking to build a never ending To-Be-Read list, Goodreads is a perfect place to start.

18. Narrative Muse

Are you interested in reading books specifically written by underrepresented voices? Narrative Muse serves as a recommendation site for those who are looking for both films and books created by women and nonbinary writers. Create an account to be matched with books that fall under these categories.

19. The Storygraph

Billed as an alternative to Goodreads, The StoryGraph is a book tracking site, a community making site, and offers book recommendations. You can import your Goodreads information to The StoryGraph, and both the website and app have clean but visually appealing interfaces. Here’s our full StoryGraph review .

20. r/books

Numbering at almost 21 million subscribers, Reddit’s main book subreddit is a haven for book discussion and recommendations. Want to know what Reddit users across the massive site are reading? There’s Reddit Reads for that.

Still looking for more ways to find your next favorite book? Take this quiz on what you should read next to receive an immediate recommendation. If you’re willing to look for suggestions in places off of the internet, check out 31 Ways to Find the Best Book Recommendations .

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