PREPARATIONS TO FINDING A GREAT REVIEWER

By: Gigi Frost

You’ve finally finished your masterpiece. Now what do you do?

Well, you need buzz. Someone who will honestly read your work, understand the content and deliver a whopping review to validate what you knew all along: that your writing would make a great impression on another human being. Getting an awesome review, or three, could potentially be the difference on the success or failure of your final product.

So do you go through and request comments from every reviewer that you found on Google? No. Finding the right reviewer is something that is easier said than done. This article will help in prepping to find the right reviewers that you need.

Step 1: Research, Research, Research

A boring word, but absolutely necessary. Think about it this way, you spent months, maybe even years finishing your masterpiece but now you drop the ball when you query for reviews. To avoid that horrible mistake, here are a few things that you should always check for:

• What kind of content does the reviewer usually cover? Generally, this is when you would find a section similar to “Content Reviewed” or “What We Review”.
• Always follow “Submission Guidelines” or “Review Requests” thoroughly. The last thing you want is your work to be ignored because you didn’t follow a specific rule or format.
• Keep a running list of where the reviewers actually leave their reviews. Those sites will be useful for linking to your own website or book.
• Go away if they ask you to pay. Corny. But true. You will never ever gain legitimacy, as it is a conflict of interest if you pay someone to review your book. Usually, a free copy is provided to the reviewer for “reviewing purposes” alone.
• Start a list of reviewers and develop a strategy to engage. It is always better to meet someone on their playing field. Connect on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and other social media entities where the reviewers stay and play. Be engaging, respectful, and always be professional.

Step 2: The Details

Did you say format?

I know I did. The word is repeated in this article because you need to hook the reader. No one wants to do a review for someone who sends them a one sentence request along with an attachment. So prepare and follow this list before actually requesting a review:

• Include your name and the title of the book. Yes, that’s right. You would be surprised at how many people forget something so ridiculously simple.
• Let the reviewer know whether your book is in digital or paper format (there’s that word again). They will need to know if you are self-publishing, have an official online or brick-and-mortar publisher. This is an important detail, because the reviewer will specify that information in the review.
• A great introduction, genre, description. Show the reviewer a small glimpse into the intriguing world that encompasses your story. Include an excerpt or two... Just don’t go overboard.

Step 3: Gratitude

Established reviewers are a small community that is donating their time and effort into helping authors potentially achieve their dreams. Keep in mind that reviewers are under no obligation to oversell or undersell your book. Remember to be courteous and thank them for their work.