This blog, #TheNewBookReview, is "new" because it eschews #bookbigotry. It lets readers, reviewers, authors, and publishers expand the exposure of their favorite reviews, FREE. Info for submissions is in the "Send Me Your Fav Book Review" circle icon in the right column below. Find resources to help your career using the mini search engine below. #TheNewBookReview is a multi-award-winning blog including a MastersInEnglish.org recommendation.
Monday, November 22, 2021
Wednesday, November 10, 2021
How Listing Your Book on #TheNewBookReview Helps With #AuthorBranding
Has TheNewBookReview Helped You
Get Reviews For Your Book?
by Lois W. Stern
NewBookReview Acquisition Coordinator
Hi!
It's Lois W. Stern here, with some more information on the lists I offer authors seeking reviews for their books, right here on Carolyn Howard-Johnson's TheNewBookReview blog.
If not, don't despair. Just having your book posted on our blog is a good thing, and an especially good thing when it is part of my list of book review requests. Here's why! It helps google discover your book, bringing your title higher up in the search engines. But there's more, something I've learned along the way from all my 'Authors Helping Authors'
The more I lend a helping hand to other authors, the more benefits I get in return, sometimes quite unexpected. It's all about BRANDING. Many of you now know my name. That’s a big plus for any author. And several of you, who likely had never heard of Tales2Inspire® before, submitted stories to my 2021 Tales2Inspire® contest. One of them even became a 2021 winner.
There are some tricks to BRANDING yourself while writing reviews for other authors - spelled out in my article: Taking the Pain Out of Writing Book Reviews, While Adding a Touch of Glory. CLICK HERE to read it now.
If you do write a review for another of our posted authors, we have some neat thank you gifts for you:
GIFT #1:
Our talented banner gal will create a unique banner for you, with your headshot and book cover included, free for you to use for all your marketing endeavors. CHECK IT OUT.
GIFT #2: GO HERE, an
Just scroll down that column to see how we thanked two of our reviewers. And everyone else on this genre list will note that you caught our 'Authors Helping Authors' spirit!
Friday, May 7, 2021
Finding Great Professional Reviewers Using Repected Cision List and More!
- I use this Writers & Publishers Network service from for my new books just as often as I can. And I have a new AUDIO book I want this list of professional reviewers (meaning there is no charge to authors or publishers!) to see! Deadline May 25, 2021.
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Friday, October 9, 2020
Author Dr. Bob Rich Offers His Book-Review Secrets
My way of getting (fair) reviews
Guest post by Dr. Bob Rich
That wonderful lady, Carolyn Howard-Johnson, has set me a task: to tell the world about my method for getting [quite a lot of] reviews for my books. And who am I to disobey her? So, here are a few thoughts on the subject.
Review what?
The first requirement is excellence. No one but no one sees my work until I consider it perfect. Then I send it to beta readers who prove that it isn’t. I am a professional editor, so there are few typos to pick up in my writing, but my raptor-eyed friends do notice even the extra blank space, the missing [quotation marks] and the over-repetition of some word (we all have those).
If you don’t yet have the skills to edit your writing to near-perfection, having it edited by someone knowledgeable is not a luxury but a requirement. As a beginning writer, I hired three different editors for three different books, and each time my writing skills advanced enormously.
Writing is both an art and a craft. When my words make you laugh, cry, seethe or ponder, it is because I designed them so, not in some heavy-handed way, but intuitively, the way a master chef produces a great meal. And all prose is poetry: if you read one of my stories aloud, there will be no awkward sentences to leave you breathless, no “Huh, what was that again?”
Finally, content also needs to be the best it can, though I could write a book about what that means. No, go away, not now!
OK, how?
Being a great magician, I wave a wand, and hex people to read my books and then post 5-star reviews.
When that doesn’t work (it hasn’t yet, but I keep trying), I rely on several approaches. All are applications of my philosophy. This is, the more you give, the more you grow, and also, the more you give, the more you get. When I answer the phone, I say, “Bob Rich here. How can I be of service to you?” Send out good, you get back good. Send out crap, and it hits you in the face.
So, I don’t chase people to buy my book. Certainly, where appropriate, like on my book pages, I do ask people to post reviews, and provide them with very convenient links to the exact pages where they can do so.
Rather, my motivation is to be of service to my friends, followers, fans, and soon-to-be fans. My task is not to get money out of them, or reviews, or referrals, but, depending on the book, to entertain, amuse, challenge, instruct or inspire them.
I also have a policy of many years’ standing. Anyone who emails me proof of purchase of one of my books has the right to a second title free, in electronic format. A review of the book is proof of purchase (unless of course the book was free from me. I may be old, but not that senile yet).
To get reviews, offer reviews
Occasionally, I edit or beta read a book that gets me enthusiastic, and I want to do everything possible to tell the world about it. So, I return it with an advance review. Also, fellow writers have occasionally asked me for an advance review or endorsement, and if I approve of the book, I provide one.
Because I’ve been posting reviews since 1999, a steady sprinkling of writers approach me out of the ether, and ask me to review their book. If the opening looks good, I agree. In addition, if I see what promises to be a good book, I track down the author and request a review copy to be emailed to me (No! Not a paper one! Paper is trees.) I may occasionally buy a book, believe it or not, but since I deliberately live below the official poverty level of my country as a form of environmental action, it is not often I can spare the money. If I have a few extra dollars, I donate it to some charity or movement I passionately believe in, like Medicins sans Frontieres, Greenpeace, Amnesty International, or the Climate Council of Australia. That’s more important than buying even the best book.
I am a reviewer for a few web services like Book Sirens and when I have the time, I grab a book from there.
My very strict rules for reviewing a book are:
If I consider a book to be worth 4 or 5 stars, I will provide a public review. I’ll publish it in my newsletter Bobbing Around http://wp.me/P3Xihq-1and happily post it on any website the author specifies.
However, I don’t trample on another writer’s baby. If I don’t consider the book to be excellent, I will privately let the author know why, pointing out what in my opinion are its good points, and where it needs improvement.
The return
Hey, but the topic is how to GET reviews, not how to give them, right?
Yes, but every time I read a book for review, I request a review of one of my books in return.
Since my books are good, almost always I get an enthusiastic acceptance. Now, a second aspect of my philosophy kicks in: “I can ask anyone anything, as long as I can accept a no, and vice versa.” I don’t know the other author’s circumstances. There could be all sorts of reasons that prevent this person from doing anything too much more than breathing, so a no-response or a refusal doesn’t make me react in kind.
Amazon considers review exchanges to be dishonest. Well, they can be, if you deliberately lie about the value of the other book, inflate your rating, in the hope of getting the same back. In my case, I am confident my work doesn’t need such sleazy treatment, because it is good stuff, and as I said, I prefer to be of service to the other person with suggestions for improvement instead of a review if I have concerns about quality.
In any case, I read much faster than most people. Typically, my review is posted and buried under many others before the return makes its appearance. I have never had my reviews refused for this reason.
It would be a poor thing if all reviews came from people I have had prior contact with. Whenever I check, there are those from strangers. If I can track them down, I draw their attention to the free book earned, and hopefully expand the single review into a series, and more important, into a friendship.
There is one more source of reviews. Since 1999, I have established a list of subscribers to my monthly newsletter, many of whom are almost family by now. More recently, my blog has been attracting followers. Each time I post something, I get Likes and Follows from complete strangers. I do my best to contact them, which is not always possible, and send a standard message. It is the same each time, but from the heart: “Thank you for choosing to follow my blog, Bobbing Around. I hope my words will be of service to you for a long time.”
Many of my subscribers and followers go out of their way to recommend my books to their contacts, and I am immensely grateful for this. I am glad they benefit from the “More you give, more you grow” rule.
How to write a review?
Being a conservationist, I like to recycle. Rather than give review writing instruction here, I invite you to read a post on the subject: https://wp.me/p3Xihq-1NF
Summary
I make it as easy as possible by placing links to specific web pages where a review will be of help. These are the selling pages of the book, and its Goodreads page.
If someone emails me a review of one of my books, I offer a second book, free.
Rather than seeking reviews as such, I ensure my books are the best they can be, and that I am of service to people in every way possible.
I review many books, and request a return review.
PS: I’m keen to find out what you think of my ideas. I'd love to hear your ideas, too. So, here is a prize: I’ll randomly select one commenter, who will receive a free edit of 3000 words of your work--or a free electronic copy of any of my books, which are listed at https://bobrich18.wordpress.com/bobs-booklist.
This blog is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.
Wednesday, October 7, 2020
Talented Authors Offer Free Books for Review--Paper or E-book - And Here's How YOU Can Do It Too
We welcome you to our exciting new book review project. We invite you to peruse this ever growing list of books written by talented authors just like you who are offering free review copies of their books. We hope you will catch our "Authors Helping Authors" spirit to write a review for a fellow author.
Saturday, October 3, 2020
How Jack and the Beanstalk Can Help Us Authors - Plus Hint #22
What We Can Learn From Jack and the Beanstalk
Plus Hint Number 22 for Getting Book Reviews
by Lois W. Stern,
#TheNewBookReview Book Review Acquisition Coordinator
Wednesday, September 16, 2020
Join Our Team as a Volunteer Reviewer and Get a Free Image for Your Own Marketing
You are part of our team too. All you have to do to get your own image/banner is read through the book descriptions below, select a book of interest to you, and click here to follow the posted directions. What a gift just for reaching out to help a fellow author!
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Get a Free Copy of Any of Our Books to Read and Review.
CLICK HERE TO DISCOVER THE MAGIC OF THESE BOOK TREASURES.
More About Lois W. Stern
Tuesday, August 11, 2020
Use Your Amazon Profile Page to Help Brand Yourself . . Plus Hint #Twenty for Getting Your Name Out There
SELECT ONE OF INTEREST TO YOU.
CONTACT THAT AUTHOR FOR A FREE COPY OF THEIR BOOK.
Remember the lesson we learned from The Little Red Hen!!
WANT US TO LIST YOUR BOOK FOR FREE?
COMING SOON: WATCH FOR MORE GREAT HINTS ON WRITING TIME SAVING REVIEWS - FRUGALLY AND ETHICALLY.
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Wednesday, July 22, 2020
Love to Own the Books You Read, Finally a Place You Can Get Keepers For Free.~ Plus Hint # Nineteen
WANT TO READ MORE BOOKS BUT CAN'T AFFORD TO BUY THEM?
CLICK FOR A NUDGE FROM THE LITTLE RED HEN.
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SELECT ONE OF INTEREST TO YOU.
CONTACT THAT AUTHOR FOR A FREE COPY OF THEIR BOOK.
YOUR BOOK CAN BE LISTED HERE FOR FREE.
