Comments on: How to Get Into Book Reviewing as a Blogger

By: Jane

Jane — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 13:50:21 +0000

@Lauri Meyers I definitely think you can start by reviewing books you own. That's how I did it.

By: Lauri Meyers

Lauri Meyers — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 02:51:02 +0000

Is it okay to review the childrens books I have at home as a starting point or am I giving the milk away for free?

By: Miguel

Miguel — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 02:00:31 +0000

I love this post. Being a new blogger myself, I really needed this information. I will post a link of this on my blog. Thank you so much. I agreed with all of your points and I have yet to fully comprehend the importance of marketing a blog. I just started a blog two days ago and I need to share it with a lot of people. Youtube and Twitter are probably two of the most important tools.

Anyway I loved this post and I will surely come back to this all the time if ever I stray from the right path “D

By: Jane

Jane — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 21:07:37 +0000

@fran: I think you can offer to provide that information if asked, but don't need to include it in the first query.

By: fran

fran — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 13:49:33 +0000

Thank you so much for this awesome post! I am DEF sharing it because a lot of new bloggers and older ones need this knowledge.
I used your email form letter yesterday (I changed it a bit to suit my “voice”) & this a.m. I got an email back telling me they want to give me a shot and are sending me a book to read and review :)

Can you please tell me the diff between an ARC & review copies? Are there any more categories of review books out there?

Also is there a place or website of publishers listed we can email, fax, etc. for review book copies?

I just wanted to add I got a letter from a publisher the other day asking me for my unique visitors per month and how many followers I had because they prefer to send ARCS & review copies to blogs with 300+ followers.

Is that info always needed or is a link to the blog and a few review links sufficient?

Thank you again.

By: Britta Kirk

Britta Kirk — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 21:45:41 +0000

@Jane: Thank so much for your help, also had one more question. I am about to approach a self published author enquiring about whether they would be interested in doing an Q and A, and I was going to follow your rubric for the letter above. I was wondering if I should include my questions in the letter, or send the enquiry before the questions? Thanks Again!

By: Jane

Jane — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 22:15:00 +0000

@Britta Kirk: I think it depends on the focus of your blog. If you don't want to maintain a separate blog for books just tag those posts so it is easier for people to find that content.

By: Britta Kirk

Britta Kirk — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 22:03:02 +0000

@Jane Wonderful Post! It’s answered so many of my questions! Just had one question. The blog I write now basically celebrates the plethora of things that inspire me, and feeds my desire to inspire others to follow their dreams. Amongst it, I wanted to make book blogging and important section within it, as I am a writer/avid reader. Do you think that I should create a blog dedicated to Book Blogging in order to be taken seriously, or is this doable?

By: Geraldine C Deer

Geraldine C Deer — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 08:41:41 +0000

Thanks Jane, very informative and helpful.

By: Monday Commentary #30: The Blogging Road PartÂ 3A « Dreams and Speculation

Monday Commentary #30: The Blogging Road PartÂ 3A « Dreams and Speculation — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 10:07:09 +0000

[...] you want to request a book, be specific and polite. The romance review blog Dear Author wrote a wonderful post about approaching Those With The Books quite awhile ago.Â The information [...]

By: Robert S. Nahas

Robert S. Nahas — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:42:58 +0000

Thank you for the blog post. It is very insightful and it will surely help many!

By: Nadine

Nadine — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 09:29:42 +0000

dearauthor.com to GoogleReader!
Nadine

By: Interesting links for September 3, 2009

Interesting links for September 3, 2009 — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 17:33:03 +0000

[...] How to Get Into Book Reviewing as a Blogger by Jane over at Dear Author. The question of how to get into book reviewing, or more specifically [...]

By: Morning Glow

Morning Glow — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:31:09 +0000

These are some great points! I’m actually new to book blogging myself, I just started my blog in July. I wouldn’t say my blog is popular, but I know I feel like I’m doing well for myself. I participate in contests offered by other bloggers, and sometimes authors themselves. Yes, it doesn’t guarentee you’ll get it, and they’re usually not advance copies (though I have gotten a few that are) but that’ll allow you to build up a list to review without breaking your bank. The more reviews you have, the more you look dedicated to it, the more of a valuable reviewing resource you will look to the people that count.

That said, I’m by no means an expert.. as I said, I’m still new to it. But I feel that this is working the best for me.

By: Stumbling Over Chaos :: Peeking out from under the work to bury you in (mostly, but not all) book contests and links

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 08:03:37 +0000

[...] Dear Author has some great tips on how bloggers can get into book reviewing. [...]

By: Jessica

Jessica — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 23:11:43 +0000

I'm probably alone in this, but I don't really want ARC's.

No, there at least are two of us. I do not accept them.

And the navigating blog comments post is one I will be awaiting!

By: KristieJ

KristieJ — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 16:04:01 +0000

I’m probably alone in this, but I don’t really want ARC’s. I’ve never asked for them and never will. I do get them from one publisher and I appreciate them like you wouldn’t believe but that’s because their books are hard to find in Canada.
To be on a list to receive ARC’s implies that I will always read the books they send and I might not want to read some of them I might get.
I read books for enjoyment and when I read one I’ve enjoyed, I want to let others know. So I don’t want any kind of obligation to read attached to it.
Plus – when it comes right down to it – I gave myself a huge budget when it comes to book buying *g* and it makes me feel good when I buy a book, knowing that in some small way, it’s contributing to the author.

By: Jane

Jane — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 13:48:39 +0000

@Maili These are great tips. We should do a follow up post about navigating the hostile blog comment waters!

By: Jane

Jane — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 13:46:48 +0000

@Janet W It’s what Janine said, but I can expand on our policy a bit more. We post reviews near the release date for two reasons:

1) When I was a reader and reviews were posted of a book I wanted two to three weeks before their release, I found it very frustrating, particularly with a good review. I wanted that book right now and having to wait made me irked. When we started getting ARCs, I never wanted to place a reader in those shoes so unless we are having a giveaway, we won’t post a book review more than a few days before the street date release of a book. This may reduce the ability of an author to get enough pre pub buzz, but I think it’s more fair for our readers.

2) Authors and publicists don’t want reviews too late because books will only stay on the shelves for 1-2 months and pre -orders are important in getting on the bestseller lists. Reviews near the release date is our best compromise for coverage. (particularly when we don’t promise a positive review).

By: Jane

Jane — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 13:42:00 +0000

@Jenn What a good question. When I started DA, I hadn't realized that bloggers could ever get ARCs or books from a publisher. It was revelatory to me. I think that you could ask right away if there is one particular book that you were looking at reviewing, but be prepared to a) provide justification as to why you should get a copy (i.e., I am an active member at x site or y forum and just started by review blog at the prompting of all my friends who will visit me everyday and are interested in hearing what I have to say) and b) to get turned down. Also, if you get turned down, don't be afraid to make another request. It will show that you are serious, particularly if you keep reviewing the books you buy and read yourself. An author interview is a lot easier. Go to the author's website and find their contact information. If they have just a contact form, use it (I do all the time). Tell them who you are and what kind of interview that you want to do. Good luck! We were all newbies at one time.