Where Can I Get More Book Reviews?

We have all heard that reviews are a crucial part of book marketing. The reviews from your neighbor or best friend, don’t really hold much weight with a reader. They want to see a review from a reputable source or recognized reviewer.

How do you get those professional reviews?

You pay for them!

I’m going to discuss four different review services, their products and pricing.

Let’s start with a Kirkus review. When I was a library director, Kirkus was my go-to when selecting books for my collection. Now there are other options, but Kirkus still has the prestige.

KIRKUS Reviews

Cost: $425

Connects your ebook with multiple reviews

“About 250-300 words, our reviews include summary to give our readers context, along with a concise, unbiased opinion that can be positive, negative, or, most likely, mixed. Each Kirkus review gives both a general sense of a book’s worth and specific information about its strengths and weaknesses. No matter the outcome, you will have the option of keeping the review private and simply using the assessment as feedback to improve your craft. Otherwise, you can publish the review and use it to market your book to consumers or to try to catch the attention of a literary agent or publisher.”

IndieReader

Cost: $275

Connects your ebook with one reader

How It Works

1. You pay IR to connect you with unbiased readers, interested in reading and reviewing your book (all genres are welcome).
2. Once a match is made, the reader buys your book(s) on Amazon (making them an Amazon Verified Purchase).
3. Within 4-6 weeks, the reader will post their review* on your Amazon book page.
4. IndieReader will send you an email with the links to your Amazon+ GoodReads review.

*There is no guarantee of a positive review and reviews cannot be shared with authors ahead of time.
** Your book must be available in Kindle format and for sale on Amazon US. 

Your IndieReader book review will be distributed and/or available for distribution to the following outlets: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieReader, and Ingram.

Reedsy Discovery

Cost: $50

Connects your ebook with one reviewer

“When you submit your book to Discovery, it will instantly be available to over 1,000 reviewers on our platform. Reviewers select books on a first-come, first-served basis, and if they choose yours, they will have until your launch date to publish a review. On the week of your launch, your book will have the opportunity to feature on Reedsy’s newsletter and homepage.”

Netgalley

Cost: $450

Connects your ebook with multiple reviewers

Netgalley is an author service that gives secure digital files of a book to approved readers and reviews who, in turn, write reviews. The author receives an email list of all the readers. All reviews are published – both the good and the bad.

Six Month Standard Title Listing–$450.00

• Titles are available and active on the site for six months.
• NetGalley Support is made available to help you setup your account
• You have the ability to view any requester’s profile to determine if they are the right reviewer for you.
• NetGalley will provide you email support, but no phone support.

BookFunnel

Cost $100/ yr.

Does not connect you with a database of reviewers; you must create your own.

Bookfunnel is a service that hosts an author’s ebook and sends a watermarked copy to anyone with the link from the custom landing page. It does not provide a mailing list, but will collect the names and emails from the landing page and make them available to the author.

Features include:

• 2 Pen Names
• 5000 Downloads/Month
• Unlimited Books Stored
• Custom Landing Pages
• Direct Sales Delivery
• Group Promos
• Collect Reader Email Addresses
• Distribute Audio MP3
• Watermarked Files
• Secure ARC Delivery
• Book Gifting
• Printable Download Codes

Now you know about four unique review sources. There are many more. You need to select the one that is right for you.

I would appreciate, and so would our readers, any experiences you’ve had with reviewers and any reviewers that I haven’t covered. Please comment below.