Book Snails Book Group discussion

[I'm making this up as I go, so Moderators & Snails please let me know how we can improve my info below!]

► Are you a published (or soon to be published) Author in need of reviewers?

Post your requests here for reviewers!

SUGGESTIONS :

Important: Please do NOT post your personal email address here, unless you want to get spam. Nefarious people or collector bots scour GR and other websites for visible email addresses to send junk mail or viruses to!

AUTHORS: If you are not already a "Goodreads Author," consider setting up your Author info, which makes it easier for readers to contact you. Visit https://www.goodreads.com/author/program for more info. Once you are set up as a GR author, you can do Giveaways and other promotions for your book, if desired.

AUTHORS: When requesting Reviewers for your book, be sure to give any relevant info, such as:
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1. Book title and author name, and GR or Amazon or B&N link, if possible.

2. The genre(s) of your book, the available languages (English, Spanish, Polish, etc.), a brief description, and possibly the target audience (YA, adult, etc).

3. What kind of reviewers and reviews you are looking for? Genre lovers only? Anyone? Professional/paid reviewers only? Teens only? Short or detailed reviews? etc.

4. IF you are offering free books to reviewers, what format(s) you will supply your published work in? ePub? Amazon Kindle? Printed softcover mailed to reviewer? Online PDF? etc. If you are not offering free copies, please have a link to your GR book listing, or other site where it may be purchased.

5. How to contact you (the Author)? You can list an email address here if desired (but it's NOT recommended). For better privacy, I recommend you ask prospective reviewers to contact you via your Author website/blog, your GR author contact links, or via private GR messaging. (hide spoiler)]


PROSPECTIVE REVIEWERS: When communicating with an Author who is requesting reviews here, consider stating:
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1. Your approximate age (teen, over 30, retiree, etc), since Authors may only be looking for a particular target audience.

2. What genre(s) you typically read, and why you want to review the particular offered book.

3. Whether you are a "professional" book reviewer or not (free? paid only?).
By professional, I mean you have a website/blog devoted to regular book reviews, and/or you charge some fee to read & review a book. Most Authors look for some combination of regular reviewers (normal people/beta readers) and a few professional reviewers.

4. If you have a website/blog or GR or Amazon link where you've already reviewed books -- professionally or not ! -- this can also be helpful to the Author who is seeking reviews.

5. Supply your contact info to the Author (preferably via private GR message, or via the Author's website/blog contact form). (hide spoiler)]

Prospective Reviewers: Please note the Author may only be offering books for review in a specific format (Amazon Kindle, printed copy, etc.). Please do not request formats they do not offer. Not all authors have the resources to reply to every single Reviewer request, so don't take it personally if you don't hear "Yes" or "No thanks" from the Author.

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NOTE: If you authors don't mind putting your book info out there to a larger (non-Snails) audience, there are some existing GR groups devoted to Authors/Reviewers. Just be aware the larger the group the more potentional for scammers (or maybe I'm being paranoid).

Here are 3 examples (search GR Groups for keywords like 'reviewers' or 'authors' to find more):

Goodreads Reviewers group: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

Making Connections group: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

Free Books, Giveaways, Countdowns group (another way to get your giveaways out there): https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

I am looking for reviewers, but this topic doesn't seem to be taking off. I did receive a terrific review from Matt, whom many of you already know about - he's a Top Reviewer for Goodreads and also NetGalley, etc. The book is the revised edition of my first novel, The Earthquake Doll, a Japanese novel set in post-war Japan. I'll send you the Kindle version if you're interested in giving it an honest review. Just PM me with your email addy. Thanks! (Note: this is not a solicitation for the sale of my book; it's a review request only.)

Meanwhile, I'm running a Goodreads Giveaway here: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh....

Hm, I just noticed that Matt's review is on GR's paperback edition (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...) but not the Kindle edition. Aren't reviews supposed to go on both pages/editions? They used to, anyway. ::scratches head:: I've asked two other top reviewers, but haven't heard back from them yet. Oh well.

Thanks for posting the giveaway link, Candace.

I'm happy you've already got 2 books out there! I do some writing, and particpate sometimes in a local writers' group... but I am nowhere near publishing anything.

I don't expect a LOT of traffic here, since we probably don't have tons of authors amongst the Snails yet; we have about 225 members right now, so it's a smaller group (which is fine!). But if any writers want reviews from amongst our group, maybe they will post here.

Candace wrote: "I am looking for reviewers, but this topic doesn't seem to be taking off. I did receive a terrific review from Matt, whom many of you already know about - he's a Top Reviewer for Goodreads and also..."

Candace, I would love to read your book but I'm a terrible reviewer. Well, unless I hate it. Then I can go on and on. But when I enjoy or even love a book I can't quite figure out how to say it without sounding foolish. Maybe with books I don't like I don't care how I sound, cos I'm trying to convey to people the book's a waste of time. But with one I like or love I don't want to put them off with a poorly worded review.
Good luck finding reviewers.

Keli wrote: "Candace wrote: "I am looking for reviewers, but this topic doesn't seem to be taking off. I did receive a terrific review from Matt, whom many of you already know about - he's a Top Reviewer for Go..."

I know what you mean about reviewing. Sometimes I can't think of what to say when I really love a book because I don't want to sound foolish, either. So I'll just haul off and give it 5 stars, although I realize a written review would be much more valuable to other readers (not to mention the author!) As for books I can't stand, I just hate to write a bad review, knowing what it takes to actually finish a novel. Sometimes (rarely) I'll write a bad review, but mostly I'll give a two-star review if I hated it rather than a one-star. Most times, if the book's really bad (to me) I won't be able to finish it, so in that case it goes in the DNF and I don't have to write a review for those, yay. Reviewing, to me, is almost as hard as writing.

Authors need reviews, written or stars only, to generate buzz about their books so others will read it, hopefully review it, and so on. The more reviews, the more impressed a prospective reader will be and therefore the more likely to read it themselves. I was just looking at a book that I mentioned earlier in a different thread - House of Leaves - and noticed its overall rating was 4.1, and it had over 9,000 reviews! So of course that went on my Amazon wish list (because it's pricey.) I should die and go to heaven if I ever got even 90 reviews! But I digress. Goodreads is a great place for authors and readers, and also so reviewers have a good place to recommend, or diss, whatever they read.