MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Advice for Ethical Requests of Amazon Reviews?

Lima Bean · 07-31-2015, 05:06 AM

There are lots of bloggers out there who are willing to review indie books. They usually have a page explaining what genres they read, how to contact them, and the format they prefer. In my experience, most reviewers want digital copies, which is good because unlike physical books, sending them out doesn't cost anything. However, bloggers are swamped with requests. Expect a low percentage of takers, so don't get discouraged if it takes a while to get any bites. A Google search is a good place to begin looking for indie reviewers.

Here is a place you can go to find bloggers who review books:

http://www.theindieview.com/indie-reviewers/

Another way to find reviewers is by sending out physical copies of your book through Goodreads Giveaway program. It's going to cost you the price of the book and postage though. Recipients aren't obligated to review your book, but many of them do. I suggest getting familiar with Goodreads in general.

https://www.goodreads.com/author/program

Another way to give away copies of your book is through Library Thing. Unlike Goodreads, you can give away digital copies so it doesn't have to cost you a dime. You can specify in the giveaway that the free copy is in exchange for a review. Even so, be warned, the rate of recipients who actually leave reviews is low. I'd guess about 20 percent. Still, it's an easy and free way to get a few reviews, so it's worth it to me.

https://www.librarything.com/home

Note: The instruction for a giveaway are hard to find on LibraryThing. Look at the bottom of the page for Early Reviewers. Then at the top of that page, click on Member Giveaway .

That's my advice for finding reviewers. I hope it helps.

Oh, BTW, in reply to the comments about Amazon Gifts . . . I have gifted copies of my books to numerous reviewers. Amazon did not remove the reviews. However, and this is very important to note, gifted copies DO NOT show up as VERIFIED PURCHASES. Neither do copies borrowed through KINDLE UNLIMITED. A lot of people are unaware of this, but I discovered it through lots of firsthand experience. So there really is no added value in sending out a book as an Amazon Gift over simply emailing the PDF, mobi or EPUB file yourself.

07-31-2015, 05:06 AM	#19
Lima Bean Groupie Posts: 172 Karma: 527094 Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: USA (near Lima, Ohio) Device: Kindle	There are lots of bloggers out there who are willing to review indie books. They usually have a page explaining what genres they read, how to contact them, and the format they prefer. In my experience, most reviewers want digital copies, which is good because unlike physical books, sending them out doesn't cost anything. However, bloggers are swamped with requests. Expect a low percentage of takers, so don't get discouraged if it takes a while to get any bites. A Google search is a good place to begin looking for indie reviewers. Here is a place you can go to find bloggers who review books: http://www.theindieview.com/indie-reviewers/ Another way to find reviewers is by sending out physical copies of your book through Goodreads Giveaway program. It's going to cost you the price of the book and postage though. Recipients aren't obligated to review your book, but many of them do. I suggest getting familiar with Goodreads in general. https://www.goodreads.com/author/program Another way to give away copies of your book is through Library Thing. Unlike Goodreads, you can give away digital copies so it doesn't have to cost you a dime. You can specify in the giveaway that the free copy is in exchange for a review. Even so, be warned, the rate of recipients who actually leave reviews is low. I'd guess about 20 percent. Still, it's an easy and free way to get a few reviews, so it's worth it to me. https://www.librarything.com/home Note: The instruction for a giveaway are hard to find on LibraryThing. Look at the bottom of the page for Early Reviewers. Then at the top of that page, click on Member Giveaway . That's my advice for finding reviewers. I hope it helps. Oh, BTW, in reply to the comments about Amazon Gifts . . . I have gifted copies of my books to numerous reviewers. Amazon did not remove the reviews. However, and this is very important to note, gifted copies DO NOT show up as VERIFIED PURCHASES. Neither do copies borrowed through KINDLE UNLIMITED. A lot of people are unaware of this, but I discovered it through lots of firsthand experience. So there really is no added value in sending out a book as an Amazon Gift over simply emailing the PDF, mobi or EPUB file yourself. Last edited by Lima Bean; 07-31-2015 at 08:44 AM.