So You Want To Be A Thriller Writer, A Discussion Group discussion

So you have written a book and want reviews. The $64,000 question is, "How do I get them?" As an author, what methods have you used to gain reviews?

Begging.

Ha! Begging. Very funny. Goodreads, for sure. Try some of the Read To Review Groups and offer your ebook for free reads for reviews. Also genre blogs but it's a lot of leg work to find the right blog for your book. Whatever you do, don't do the review swaps or exchanges that are going on out there: Amazon and Goodreads bans all author review swaps.

Thanks, Paula. I admit I haven't spent a lot of time looking for Read to Review groups. I have stalked numerous bloggers and had some success that way. But, yes, it's slow. And tedious. And tiresome. And did I mention slow?

Scott wrote: "Begging."

Great response Scott. Do you recommend on hands and knees?

Michael wrote: "Scott wrote: "Begging."

Great response Scott. Do you recommend on hands and knees?"

Depends on the blogger/reviewer. Some only require moderate ego stroking whereas others are barely satisfied with full prostration.

I believe in being flexible.

As a reviewer, as well as a writer, I can tell you how NOT to get reviews. I have a review blog. I am super extended and unfortunately, I haven't been able to accept new submissions for quite some time. On my blog, I have a submissions request page that states that I am not accepting submissions, however I get a number of requests to review. This tells me one important fact: they have not even been on my blog. I even had someone request for a review on submission page, on the comments right under where I note that I'm not accepting submissions! Whether it is fair or not, this tells me that such indifference and lack of attention, may indicate a book that I wouldn't care to read because it is going to be riddled with errors and not researched effectively. So, in my opinion, I believe it's important to do a bit of research on what type of books the reviewer accepts and how they review. If you were to send a type of query to a editor and did the same thing, you can be assured of rejection. Shouldn't you be just as diligent on the person doing your review?

Rebecca wrote: "As a reviewer, as well as a writer, I can tell you how NOT to get reviews. I have a review blog. I am super extended and unfortunately, I haven't been able to accept new submissions for quite some ..."

Absolutely. Despite my flippancy, most reviewers I've run across are great folks who review books because they love reading, and they love finding the diamonds among the dross.

Research the blogger, determine first if they read your genre, then check for their openness to submissions.

Yes, lol, reading and complying with submission requirements is a sine qua non.

Scott wrote: "Rebecca wrote: "As a reviewer, as well as a writer, I can tell you how NOT to get reviews. I have a review blog. I am super extended and unfortunately, I haven't been able to accept new submissions..."

Absolutely!

Pete wrote: "Yes, lol, reading and complying with submission requirements is a sine qua non."

Yes! Hi Pete. I haven't been on LinkedIn for awhile. How have you been?

Scott wrote: "Begging."

I read, I work, I write and I review, but I only work with print copies. I have done BETA reading and had a very bad reaction to comments I made in a personal e-mail to the writer. Since then I have been careful about what I review.

Rebecca wrote: "Pete wrote: "Yes, lol, reading and complying with submission requirements is a sine qua non."

Yes! Hi Pete. I haven't been on LinkedIn for awhile. How have you been?"

Why hello, Ms. Vance! I’ve abandoned LI too. I got sick of hearing from the my-novel-is-soon-to-be-a-major-motion-picture fellow. Heh.

Pete wrote: "Rebecca wrote: "Pete wrote: "Yes, lol, reading and complying with submission requirements is a sine qua non."

Yes! Hi Pete. I haven't been on LinkedIn for awhile. How have you been?"

Why hello, M..."
LOL.. Yes, some of those characters on LinkedIn would be akin to the annoying secondary fiction characters in some books. I'm still plugging away with my debut, but I keep changing my mind and having problems getting started. I'm still trying to plot it. I'm a terrible outliner I think! :)

Try not planning; try to just unleash whatever is running in your mind at that moment.

Skye wrote: "Try not planning; try to just unleash whatever is running in your mind at that moment." Thanks, that makes sense! :)

A while back, I wrote a post about how I get reviews for my books. You can read it here: http://www.martinroyhill.com/martin-s...

As I have a new book coming out at the end of February, I have spent the last three or four months going through this process. It takes a lot of time, but so far I've had four good reviews about my new book published in advance of its release, and more promised reviews to come.