How To Get Your Book Reviewed

I have been reviewing books, independently, for a long time now. Occasionally (not often) I even get paid for it. So I thought perhaps I have some tips to share for people who are wondering what the best strategies are for getting their books reviewed.

First, I’ll start by telling you a little about how my reviewing life works.

Some book reviews are assigned, and I don’t get any say in what I review in that case. This is usually the case for reviews I get paid for. Sometimes, a place I review for will offer me a list of books they have on hand to see if I’m interested in reviewing any of them. And sometimes I will pitch a review idea to a journal, magazine, or blog.

I usually don’t review books by close friends, students or mentors anywhere but on my blog because of conflict of interest. I think that might be an industry standard, but the rules can bend occasionally.

If I’m actively reviewing, I usually get upwards of 40-50 books a year sent to me to review, and that’s on top of what I buy myself or am assigned. Some years I’ve received over 100. On average, in a good year, I review one or two books a month. So, to do the math: most books I’m sent do not get a review. And I’m pretty conscientious, I think, for a reviewer; I’m not out there re-selling your review copies on ebay; alas, though, I have heard of this practice. I genuinely try to read everything I’m sent, and try at least one pitch for each book. (Most pitches, like most poems, are rejected, FYI.) If I don’t like a book, I usually pass it on to another reviewer, or decline to review it (there’s enough negativity out there already – why give space – and mental energy – to a book I don’t like?)

Getting a review out, even of a book I really like, is much harder now than it was five years ago. There are fewer places publishing reviews, fewer places giving as much space as they used to, fewer places paying for reviews. So the reality is, you probably need to work a little harder as a writer to get your book some attention. If you have a publisher that is sending out review copies for you, that’s fantastic! It could be an unlimited number. That would be great! But probably not. Hence, a few tips:

• Target your review copies. Maybe you’ll end up reviewed at the New York Times Review of Books, or Poetry Magazine. It’s possible. But you’ll probably get more return on your investment if you target either literary journals that have liked your work in the past or reviewers who have mentioned liking either you work or work you think is similar to what you are doing. For instance, if you’re writing feminist superhero poetry, I’m probably a great reviewer for you to target. But how would you know that unless you read some of my work? Sometimes reading the actual poetry of the person doing the reviews is a great way to get insight into the reviewer’s aesthetic.
• Write a personal note. I get tons of review copies with no note. I usually can’t remember whether I requested a copy because the time between the request and actually getting a copy of the book could be months. So, make sure you put a little slip of paper in there that says: “Hi there! Remember when you said you’d be interested in my series of triolets on the Old West at the Old West Poetry Conference? Well, now it’s out, and I’d sure appreciate your take on the book!” Or something like that. By the way, this was the number one tip that reviewers posted when I asked this question on Facebook. You’d be surprised how few people (or publishers) put in a personal note.
• Follow up. I know it’s embarrassing, like putting yourself up for a rejection, but honestly? I think if more people followed up with just an e-mail after sending me their books, I would probably be more likely to give their book a serious read. And not just following up, but…
• Follow up with a few suggestions of which literary journals might be interested in a review! This is a key step that few people take. This puts all the work in the lap of the reviewer, and did I mention reviewers are usually working in their spare time for no pay? So, anything you can do to make placing your review easier, you should do. Do a little reconnaissance – write to a few editors to see if they might be open to a review. Then, mention those editors and the names of their journals to your targeted reviewer. Voila! Literary matchmaking!
• Make it as easy as possible for reviewers to “get” your book. Include a press kit. Write a quick summary in your personal note. Reviewer Julie Brooks Barbour posted on my Facebook query: “Jeannine, I review books based on the narrative structure, of what threads the book together. If the narrative is unclear to me, I probably won’t review it.” This again comes down to targeting your reviewers and doing more than just sending a copy of your book with nothing else.
• After your follow up…Don’t expect anything, don’t hold grudges, and be sure to try a reviewer again with your next book because…things happen. I might love someone’s first book, but not connect with someone’s second. I might be unable to successfully pitch a review of your book to anyone. I might get overloaded and burned out and take a short break from reviewing. I would say the success rate from a good targeted book mailing might be 20 percent. If you hold a grudge against a reviewer for not reviewing one of your books, or a journal for not running a review, that means you’ve lost a potential review or review venue for your next venture, and that would be a shame. (Because you’re writing more than one book, right? You’re in for the long haul…)

And last, but not least…

• Write a few reviews yourself! I am likely to google everyone I review, because hey, I like to do a little research on the folks I’m writing about, and if I see that an author has been reviewing books, I’m probably going to feel like they deserve a review themselves. If I’m putting a lot of volunteer labor into reviewing, and I’m a writer myself who could be writing poems or doing paid work, then I probably want to review authors who are also doing some work putting positive energy back into the literary universe. God bless all the editors working for free in their spare time, reviewers who pour their souls into trying to create some kind of intelligent discourse about books, even if it’s just on Amazon or Goodreads, publishers who put their own income into marketing the books they produce. This comes down to Karma, Karma, Karma.
  

Do you reviewers out there have any more tips I’ve forgotten?