Advice on getting reviews of self-published eBook?

Hi all,

My question ...

I am about to self-publish an 80k (word count) SciFi story using Kindle / Smashwords.

Does anyone have any advice on how best to get SciFi readers to read it and offer a review (on Amazon, or elsewhere)?

I have a few ideas, but would love to hear from the crowd here.
(I did search the logs for a similar question and found zilch)

thanks
nick

I've heard that contacting prolific genre reviewers (those with renown who enjoy and critique similar stories) and asking them politely (no bribes or demands) can often work.

Good luck!

There are bloggers who specialize in indie fiction. Here's a link to a site that lists 351 such people.

I can only suggest taking a look at Mark Coker's marketing tips on Smashwords. The guides are all free and the man knows what he's talking about.

I'm not going to sugar coat this.

It is not that easy to do. Oh yes there are many reviewers you might solicit for this task and you may even be lucky to get some to do it for you.

Some will want money.
Some will want a hard bound copy sent to them.
Some actually have seeming altruistic motives and will just ask for a review copy.

The trick: Getting an honest review is the trick because you might end up with a sweetened version of some generic rhetoric made just for all of the e-books that are out there. But there are some few that do make honest efforts and those are the ones who are quite flooded with requests.

If you are certain that it's what you want then I would suggest trolling around to different review sites to look for the ones in your genre and start sending out requests.

Honestly though I've given away as many as 1500 copies and gotten one review.

You can, once again, buy a review but those don't always work out that well especially if the few reviews you get are known to be the ones that are paid for.

The best bet is to get the exposure and hope that people respond favorably, although sometimes it does look as though some authors have hundreds of good friends.

If the writing is good and the exposure is just right [maybe even involving the planets aligning just right] you might be one of those lucky enough to have several people who want to share the experience. Just keep in mind that it goes both ways and when the real reviews come in there will likely be some on the lower end of the scale.

But then even a bad review beats no review at all.

Nerds_feather said:

There are bloggers who specialize in indie fiction. Here's a link to a site that lists 351 such people.

Click to expand...

That's a very nice list, there. I've bookmarked that one. Thanks!

Nerds_feather said:

There are bloggers who specialize in indie fiction. Here's a link to a site that lists 351 such people.

Click to expand...

Interesting list, I'll have a look at that. I'm on a shorter list as a reviewer and I get far more requests than I can prioritise. I'd be interested to read of success stories in getting a 'high ranking' reviewer to read their work.

If anyone want to trade an honest review let me know. I have two short stories (6k words) on Amazon at the moment and I'd be very happy to trade reviews if anyone else is doing short stories

thanks for this info
very helpful

Some authors provide a number of free copies on Goodreads in exchange for reviews. Bear in mind those reviews will be public and they will generally be pretty honest and often brutally so!

Honest reviews are what you want - unless you're going to use a new pen-name for every publication you make. Because if you get known for having bad reviews then even when you do publish something very good it will get a stunted exposure in the market as your tack record won't propel it to the front.

Paid for reviews or family/friends on Amazon (for example) also tend to stick out like a sore thumb and you want an honest score at the end of the day.

I'd advise trying to get the book exposed to the world before launch - that is consider a limited freebie run on GoodReads - consider approaching reviewers etc... You want this for two reasons;

1) When you DO launch you've got a body of reviewers and reviews ready to appear on the net to help market your book. Having an excited interested population before a launch is very important. (just look at the fortune Hollywood spends telling you how amazing a film is going to be sometimes years before it comes out)

2) If the reviews you get are unfavourable it gives you a moment to pause and reconsider. They might show that the story is solid but that the grammar is poor; something that you could pause, repair by working with an editor and re-release with; or it might show that your work requires a more considerable overhaul.

Whilst you have to temper reviewer opinions somewhat, if you get resounding negative feedback or a series of faults commonly identified from various sources then you've got a reason to consider a delay the publication.

Thanks for this info.

The link to the Indie View list is invaluable, though you will need to check all relevant sites as many have periods when they are closed to submissions. I don't know of any simple way of getting reviews - it is just a case of slogging around and knocking on (digital) doors to get reviews. Many of the sites have long reading lists, so if you want your book read by a certain date (e.g. publication day) that might be tricky. Make sure you carefully read - and adhere to - each sites rules for review submission, and as MatterSack said above, politeness and professionalism can go a long way!

Good luck - hope you have success finding reviews.