How to get book reviews
Find reviewers to review your book before you publish
This is the preface to my revised book marketing guide, you can find the whole series on Medium or download the free PDF.
Many authors make the mistake of trying to sell their book before their platform is ready; but even if your book and website look great, people may still be reluctant to trust you. This is where “social proof” or reviews come in. You need to get as many reviews as you can, hopefully at least ten, before you start doing any serious marketing.
But how do I get reviews? You say. It’s tough, I know. Giving out copies to your friends and family doesn’t work as well as it should, and sometimes puts them in an uncomfortable position between their integrity and their loyalty to you. You can buy some if you have to (paid reviews do not equal “fake” reviews; they can be both professional and honest, like Kirkus or Foreword, although I wouldn’t pay that much for a review.) These go under the “editorial review” section of your book description, not on Amazon directly.
You can also nag the hell out of a few people until they post something, but you probably shouldn’t. To start, I’d make a list of 30 to 40 or so dream people who may review your book…
