I had a post done and ready to go. I’m eager to tell you more about What She Knew! But as I’ve worked this week, I realized I need to tell you about my new heroes…the book review bloggers. It seemed fitting to take a moment and acknowledge the time, energy, and effort they spend so we readers can find out what’s available and what’s good to read.
I’m contacting bloggers who review books in hopes they will review mine. I’ve prepared a lengthy list of reviewers to contact, and I’ve looked up the links one by one. Sometimes the websites are gone. Some don’t cater to my genre. Some bloggers are way behind and not accepting new reviews. Out of each page-long list I’ve compiled, there are about 5-6 that I can contact.
What I’ve noticed in the process is this: book reviewers are a generous lot. They are reading like crazy and sharing their opinions without compensation. In fact, it’s a no-no for me to pay for reviews (outside of industry reviewers such as Kirkus). These bloggers are doing what they do for the love of it. While some have found ways to monetize their blogs, I’m still impressed. A lot of them have day jobs, but still are prolific with their reading and blogging.
Most respond to my queries quickly. One apologized because it took her a day to get back to me.
Most post their review policies, making it clear what they will and won’t read, thus saving me time. It also helps me to know exactly what they want me to send them.
I wouldn’t have the patience to sort through endless requests…some report getting up to 500 queries in a month. That’s a lot of e-mail to read, even before accepting books!
So thank you, book review bloggers. Thank you for loving books. Thank you for taking time you could spend doing other things to read my query and consider my requests. Thank you for helping spread the word…something every author needs in order to have a chance of succeeding when so many books are available.
And, if any of you reading this blog are interested in reading What She Knew, let me know! I’d be happy to send you a copy…just click on the Contact link and tell me what format you would like and where to send a copy.
What She Knew is now available for pre-order on Amazon. Release date for the ebook version is February 29, 2016. The paperback will be available March 29, 2016. More to come!