Book Industry Reviews: Part Two
Who/Where/How to Submit YOUR Book to Book Industry Reviewers
Book Industry Reviewers - Pre-Publication Review Outreach
This post is for subscribers only and details book industry reviewer outreach as part of your book’s book marketing plan that I described in my previous post that kicked off the “countdown to book launch” series.
To briefly review book industry reviewer pre-publication: book industry reviewers are special book reviewers to whom you, or your publisher if you have one, can submit your book or galley or advanced review copy (ARC) well in advance of your pub date for review.
Note: A galley or ARC is your manuscript is a bound (print) or eBook format that is almost complete… complete enough for pre-publication reviewers to get a feel for your upcoming book and to do a proper review. It also can have information on the back cover or inside the cover that includes some of your marketing plan, the details on the book - pub date, price, isbn#, publisher and who to contact for more information (or where to purchase) about your book.
Essentially, a galley is a preview of your book. Have a look at the galley my publisher prepared in advance of the release of my book.
Important: If you have a traditional publisher, your publisher will decide whether to submit your book to book industry reviewers and they will do the submitting directly. Yes, the power is with the traditional publisher but isn’t it nice to know that this book marketing option is available to you? I encourage you to partner with your publisher and encourage them to submit your book to these reviewers where appropriate.
The book industry reviewer may select your book for review and if they do select your book, it will be a happy day! Below I have listed the reviewers, their websites, and how to find their submission requirements.
Submitting your book to a book industry reviewer is part of your marketing plan.
Specifically, it is part of the Pre-Publication Review portion of your marketing plan - those tasks you do in advance of publication date. In this case, up to 6 months in advance of your publication date.
Why submit your galley so many months in advance of publication?
The book reviewers need time to read and review your book so that by the time it publishes (months later), any readers of the review will be able to purchase the book.
The advance timing to submit your book makes sense, right?
Ok. Here we go…
Here are some of the basics to submit your galley or ARC to book industry reviewers for possible review:
Some book industry reviewers require your galley 6 months in advance of publication (ie. Library Journal). Most of them require your galley 3 to 4 months in advance of your publication.
Each book industry reviewer has specific submission guidelines - review them and follow them to the letter. (There are only 9 or so book industry reviewers, so learning what each one requires is doable)
Book Industry Reviewer Lists and Websites - carefully check each reviewer’s specific guidelines regarding deadlines, genres of books allowed, format of submission requirements, and additional required materials.
Note: read the details on submission requirements. ( I know I already said this but its important) Some requirements are pretty specific as to the type of publishing accepted, print book vs eBook availability as a criteria for review, book genres that are NOT accepted, etc. (remember, there are only 9 of them, so check out the details.
Some of these book industry reviewers offer a PAID review option. It is your decision, but I suggest NOT submitting for a paid review.
List of Long-Lead Book Industry Reviewers
Kirkus Reviews: KirkusReviews.com - search “submission guidelines”
Publishers Weekly: PublisherWeekly.com - search “submission guidelines”
Foreword Book Reviews: Publisher.forewordreviews.com - search “get your book reviewed”
Booklist: booklistonline.com - search “get reviewed”
Library Journal: LibraryJournal.com - search “review submissions”
American Book Review: AmericanBookReview.org - search: “frequently asked questions”
Book Page: BookPage.com - search: “submission guidelines”
NY Times Book review - Help.nytimes.com - search “book review”
Midwest Book Review - midwestbookreview.com - search: “submission guidelines”
Good luck in your book industry review submission outreach!
Materials you will need to submit your book for review
You will most likely need an eGalley of your book (maybe a printed galley) and a press release of your book, which includes all of your book’s information and your publicist’s contact information (or your contact information) to submit to long-lead book industry reviewers.
Take the time to review each reviewer’s submission requirements and take the time to follow the instructions to give your book the best chance to be reviewed. All the instructions are right there on the website pages noted above.
ProTIp: Keep a worksheet (can be a piece of paper) that lists each reviewer and the date that your submission was sent. Pop the worksheet in a folder titled “Book Review Outreach.”
Please leave any questions for me in the comments. go get ‘em!
So much good information in here!
It’s a fun subject, right? Book marketing is like learning a whole new discipline, a new practice. Book Industry Reviews (pre-pub) are part of the “practice” of book marketing!