Every author wants good reviews, ideally 5 stars, but it can be a great marketing tool to get reviews before publication and include a page or two of reviews at the front of the book.
To do this, you’ll need to build time into the schedule for publication to allow your chosen reviewers to read your final draft and provide their review.
This means that, while you’re writing (or even before that) you’ll need to identify people who would be good reviewers – and ask them if they’re willing to do a review.
Who makes a good reviewer?
People who are authorities in your area of expertise are usually the first choice. They don’t have to be celebrities or famous, but they do need a track record that gives them credibility.
Having said that, well-known people in your area – like best-selling authors, media celebrities, high profile speakers – are all potential reviewers. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know them, ask – they can only say ‘No’ and they might say ‘Yes’!
I know of a couple of authors who both approached well-known authorities in their field of expertise and got a ‘Yes’ and a great review from a very high profile ‘name’.
How many reviewers do you need?
This is a ‘how long is a piece of string’ question! Some of the people you ask will say ‘No’ for all kinds of reason, often, they’re just busy. Start making a list as early in the process of creating your book as possible.
Ideally, you’ll need about ten reviews to include a page in your book, but to get ten, you might need to ask 20-30 people. Some will say ‘No’, some will say ‘Yes’, but then forget or run out of time and don’t meet your deadline. It’s a numbers game.
Asking for a review
Give them an overview of what your book is about and who it’s for. This might be an expanded version of the back cover blurb.
Be clear about how you’ll use their review – that it will be included in the book and in your marketing (e.g. on social media).
Ask them how they would like to be listed, e.g. Full name, who they are – ‘Best-selling author of [their book]’, or ‘TEDX Speaker and Entrepreneur’.
Give them the date that they’ll receive the manuscript (and form – usually a pdf file) and the deadline for getting their review. Don’t give them more than a couple of weeks between receipt of the MS and the deadline for the review, or it will slip into their pending folder and they won’t get around to it.
Thank you
Don’t forget to thank them – not just formally, but by sending them a signed copy when the book comes out.
