Support for Indie Authors discussion

Hi folks.

As many others authors, I'm currently in the process of finding reviewers for my books. It's been difficult, I must admit, after some reviews I got from readers here in GR by giving them free copies of my book, I find myself now with tied hands, not sure where to look for more reviewers.

Could you guys please share your experiences about it? Does anyone has a hint? I just submited to BookButterfly for their review program, it is paid but I will try it because I can't see many other options.

Cheers.

I just launched on 6/3, but I've already garnered 9 reviews on Amazon as well as here. A couple weeks before I launched, I set up a LibraryThing giveaway for reviews, I've contacted some bloggers, and I used the R2R group here. I also added at the end of my book to please leave a review, even if it's just Loved it/Hated it, just something. I'm pretty impressed with how fast they're coming in and hoping for more. About 40 people still have a copy to review, but don't think I'll get all of them, hopefully some. Good luck!

Nancy wrote: "I just launched on 6/3, but I've already garnered 9 reviews on Amazon as well as here. A couple weeks before I launched, I set up a LibraryThing giveaway for reviews, I've contacted some bloggers, ..."

Good results Nancy, congrats and thanks for sharing this info.

So are you working with LibraryThing? I have an account there but honestly, I thought it was more like not a great deal, their website look outdated and with all the fancy about GoodReads... you know. Anyway do you know if they accept ebook giveaways or it is just for printed books?

About the R2R, do you mean this one? https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

As for the "plase leave a review" at the end of the book, yes I did it too, though I think it is not that effective anyway.

Leo wrote: "Nancy wrote: "I just launched on 6/3, but I've already garnered 9 reviews on Amazon as well as here. A couple weeks before I launched, I set up a LibraryThing giveaway for reviews, I've contacted s..."

Sorry, it was from the Making Connections Group here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/..., so definitely add your book! Here's the LibraryThing link to add your ebook, very easy and free! https://www.librarything.com/er/givea.... Just make sure you set up an author page first.

Oh, and when you do set up a giveaway, set it for 100 copies so you'll be closer to the top. Anything less, and you're pushed to the bottom and out of view. :)

Nancy wrote: "Leo wrote: "Nancy wrote: "I just launched on 6/3, but I've already garnered 9 reviews on Amazon as well as here. A couple weeks before I launched, I set up a LibraryThing giveaway for reviews, I've..."

Great! Thank you a lot Nancy! Very useful info, specially about the LT ebook giveaway! I'll do it for sure!

Cheers!

100 copies? For a gr giveaway?

Tara wrote: "100 copies? For a gr giveaway?"

For a LibraryThing giveaway, you can give up to 100 e-copies. I've had 47/100 request in a 2-week span. You can set up as many as you like! :) It's not the same as a GR giveaway, which I'm in currently. I'm giving only 1 copy for that and is up to 317 so far, should pick up steam as it draws to a close on the 30th. You can also do a print giveaway at LT, which I have done for 1 copy each.

Where can you offer ecopies besides Amazon? Do you mean on gr? In their last newsletter gr announced that soon we will be able to give away ebooks.

Also I think it's a good idea to reach out to people who have shelved your book and offer them an opportunity to review a free copy. Win-win.

As mentioned above, LibraryThing https://www.librarything.com/er/givea.... GR will be charging I think $119 to do an e-book giveaway whereas LT is completely free. I wouldn't reach out to those people as it's considered spam.

Ah! Thank you so much - I had no idea!

Tara wrote: "Ah! Thank you so much - I had no idea!"

You're welcome! :)

there are a lot of great groups on goodreads that offer a read to review program. just scroll through groups that fit your gebre. I know that there is a YA group that has one, and Paranormal Lovers group also has one that are greatly managed by the moderators. other groups are self-serve so it can be a bit of a hassle. I also send out a launch invite to the appropriate sites on my list of over 300 book bloggers, looking for reviews, guest posts, and interviews leading up to launch. I garbered about 30 reviews since my book launched in March.

Heidi wrote: "there are a lot of great groups on goodreads that offer a read to review program. just scroll through groups that fit your gebre. I know that there is a YA group that has one, and Paranormal Lovers..."

Hi Heidi!

So what is this about your appropriate sites list over 300 book bloggers? Is this a personal "secret" list of yours, something you made by yourself, or is it something to share? Forgive about my ignorance on this.

Thanks for mentioning LT, Nancy. So you set up an account, then set up a giveaway, and set the giveaway at 100 ebook?

I've launched my first book last March and I'm now trying to get some steam gathering reviews. Several bloggers promised me one, but they are busy people (I know, I'm not complaing) so reviews are slow to come in.
I'd like to try the LT :-)

Sarah wrote: "Thanks for mentioning LT, Nancy. So you set up an account, then set up a giveaway, and set the giveaway at 100 ebook?

I've launched my first book last March and I'm now trying to get some steam ga..."

That's right, Sarah! Very easy! Good luck!

This is why the Fracktured World thread here on gr offers nonreciprocal reviews and why I no longer do review swaps. Scary.

Thanks for the resources Nancy!

I can't find any groups/reviewers that read erotica. Any suggestions?

As far as I know, Shut up and read ( https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/... ) does accept all genres. However, the waiting time can be a few months to a year.

There's also Lovers of Paranormal (if your book is paranormal of course) https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

G.G. wrote: "As far as I know, Shut up and read ( https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/... ) does accept all genres. However, the waiting time can be a few months to a year.

There's also Lovers ..."

I've used LoP as well for my PNR series and gained a fan from there, so agree. Also never knew about the Shut Up and Read group, so will sign up. Thanks, G.G.!

thanks for the links to those groups . . . joining now

Leo wrote: "Heidi wrote: "there are a lot of great groups on goodreads that offer a read to review program. just scroll through groups that fit your gebre. I know that there is a YA group that has one, and Par..."

It is a personal list that I have spent 5 years building.

Heidi wrote: "Leo wrote: "Heidi wrote: "there are a lot of great groups on goodreads that offer a read to review program. just scroll through groups that fit your gebre. I know that there is a YA group that has ..."

Ok Heidi. Thanks for the info!

You bet!

Can someone share some trustable blogs where we could ask for reviews for free?

$47/mo?

Hahahaaa

Ok, thanks for your opinions!

T.L. wrote: "I can't find any groups/reviewers that read erotica. Any suggestions?"

Try this one, T.L. They have some bloggers on there who write/review for erotica. http://bookbloggerlist.com/category/f...

Hi Leo. I deleted your comment because the site you linked is not one we want splashed across our boards. Those services are in violation of Amazon's terms of service and generally do you no good. Most people they reach out to simply flag them as abusive, but some will go ahead and give you a low review because of it.

Your best bet is to seek reviews from folks who are actively looking for books to review. Reaching out to someone otherwise is generally considered spamming. As many have noted, there are groups here on goodreads for reviewers. Check there first.

Great write-up, Grace :) For what it's worth, I have sent dozens of mobis and epubs directly to reviewers' email addresses. I would not consider this a red flag at all, but rather it is what the reviewers here on goodreads expect when they read for review. I prefer epub files but I will also take mobi when I read for review. I believe you when you say it was that much work to get your 20 reviews!

Probably 1/3 of the blogs I have contacted have accepted my book into their queue. But finding those blogs in the first place represents DAYS of sifting through review sites online, seeing who was accepting books, whether they would like my genre, etc. etc. I literally had no clue how many different types of historical fiction books there were! People's preferences can range anywhere from 10,000 B.C. to 50 years ago. That's quite a range. My books are 1915 America, but some historical fiction reviewers will only read WWII, or Civil War, or Revolutionary War for American historical fiction. It has been a circus getting this far, but I think it's worth it :). I have met a lot of AMAZING bloggers through it and it is great to see my work out there!

I am a facebook junkie and I guess I have not even tried there for reviews yet. Great idea :).

I have found the Goodreads review groups to be the best source for reviews. I tried giveaways on LibraryThing three times, gave out 10 print copies and 50 Ecopies, and think that garnered 3 reviews total. Tried Goodreads giveaways as well, with luck about the same.

Found the Goodreads review groups to be more thorough, as you have deadlines when you have to post your reviews, and you are requested to post links to them, which I think helps filter out people who are just looking for an easy review.

Also like the system that they have in place to make sure you stay in Amazon's TOS (no reciprocating, etc), which helps keep things on the up and up.

Maybe I've just gotten lucky with the reviewers in our group, but reviews have been quality reviews, people that you can tell enjoy reading.

Marie wrote: "Great write-up, Grace :) For what it's worth, I have sent dozens of mobis and epubs directly to reviewers' email addresses. I would not consider this a red flag at all, but rather it is what the re..."

This, a million times this. Actively seeking reviews is work.

The "Review Group" group mentioned above occasionally has 18+ rounds that accept erotica. There's one forming right now that may still have some spots left in it.

A lot of the reviews I've sought out have come from interacting with people and groups here on Goodreads. Oftentimes, someone will post a link to their blog/website and say they're accepting books for review, and if it looks like my writing might interest them, I contact them.

Yep, it's a lot of work and it's frustrating. I had a few review blogs accept my debut novel for review and add it to their queues, and I've never heard back from them nor received a review. So even if they accept it, there's no guarantee you'll get a review.

Just keep plugging away!

A lot of good information nere.Thanks all you guys.

I tried GR many groups before, got like 19 people interested, only 5 or 6 really reviewed my book.

Never tried the group that E.P. just posted, will give a shot now.

Anyway it seems that the keyword is work, work and more work.

Joe wrote: "Yep, it's a lot of work and it's frustrating. I had a few review blogs accept my debut novel for review and add it to their queues, and I've never heard back from them nor received a review. So eve..."

I would consider the fact that you've heard nothing back as something of a red flag. I've dealt with some sites that have accepted my book, but were up-front that it would probably take a while for them to get to it... and then they would message later when they started reading. Ultimately, like anything else, it's about communication.

Nancy wrote: "T.L. wrote: "I can't find any groups/reviewers that read erotica. Any suggestions?"

Try this one, T.L. They have some bloggers on there who write/review for erotica. http://bookbloggerlist.com/cat..."

Thank you Nancy! I will look into it. :)

Where did my post go? If it was removed due to having something illegal on it, I would sure like to know so I don't do that again. I want to be a law abiding citizen of the group! :)

Grace wrote: "Where did my post go? If it was removed due to having something illegal on it, I would sure like to know so I don't do that again. I want to be a law abiding citizen of the group! :)"

Hi Grace! I just replied to your email. :)

I am a first time writer as well. I launched my e book in late February this year and it took me about 2 months to realise that bloggers and reviewers are the new gateway to getting noticed.
I wondering if there is a swap program where you can review someone book on Goodreads and post an honest review here and on amazon and they do the same for you.
I was also wondering if someone has used Story Cartel and if you could share your experiences on it. The site promises a few reviews.

Luke wrote: "I am a first time writer as well. I launched my e book in late February this year and it took me about 2 months to realise that bloggers and reviewers are the new gateway to getting noticed.
I wond..."

Yes Luke there is
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/group...
You just pick the genre that applies to your book, from a group that is listed as 'now forming'. Then you get assigned 4 books to reads, 4 other people get assigned to read your book, and everyone gets reviews IAW with Amazon's TOS

For fantasy and sci-fi authors there is also this group: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

They have a couple of different options for giving and receiving non-reciprocal reviews.

I'm personally not a fan of review swaps. I'm going to be brutally honest here. What if your book is great and the person's book you review is horrible? Or vice versa? Do you give the person a three and they give you a five and you cause hard feelings? Do they give you a five when they really think your book is a three and then no one ever gets an honest review? If something in my book absolutely STINKS, I want to know so I can correct it for the next one. what is anyone's thoughts on this?

Grace wrote: "I'm personally not a fan of review swaps. I'm going to be brutally honest here. What if your book is great and the person's book you review is horrible? Or vice versa? Do you give the person a thre..."

Reciprocal reviews are avoided. Groups like that generally sort reviewers/books randomly and they do not allow two authors reviwing their books to each other.

Tara wrote: "Where can you offer ecopies besides Amazon? Do you mean on gr? In their last newsletter gr announced that soon we will be able to give away ebooks.

Also I think it's a good idea to reach out to p..."

I never thought of that, thank you. Good advice. An I haven't seen ebook give away here yet either (that's all I have)

Goodreads ebook giveaways will cost 119$

My guess? No one will pay for this, it will be a fail.

That was pretty much my reaction too. I thought: "Ebook giveaways? Fantastic!" When I saw the price attached, I went, "Hmm ... no."

I think story cartel was a waste for me.

John wrote: "

Thank you John. For some reason it was just copying my post when i tried to reply.