You’re sitting at your desk, cursor blinking mockingly at you from an empty document. Your coffee’s gone cold, you’ve rearranged your desk three times, and somehow you’ve convinced yourself that organizing your sock drawer is more urgent than finishing your chapter. Sound familiar?
Welcome to writer’s block – that frustrating creative brick wall that makes even the most eloquent wordsmith feel like they’ve forgotten how to string a sentence together. But here’s the thing: you’re not broken, you’re not “bad at writing,” and you definitely don’t need to switch careers to become a professional sock organizer.
What Is Writer’s Block, Really?
Let’s get one thing straight: writer’s block is absolutely real. It’s not just some fancy excuse writers invented to justify binge-watching Netflix instead of meeting deadlines (though I won’t judge if that’s how you spent yesterday).
The majority of writer’s block researchers agree that most causes of writer’s block have an affective/physiological, motivational, and cognitive component. In plain English? Your brain, your emotions, and your motivation are all having a three-way argument, and your writing is caught in the crossfire.
Think of writer’s block like creative constipation – everything’s backed up, nothing’s flowing, and the harder you push, the more uncomfortable it gets. (Hey, I warned you this would be a casual conversation!)
The Science Behind the Struggle
Now, let’s dive into the psychology of this beast. In the research, the main causes of writer’s block were to be found physiological: not having a “free” mind because of stress, intense emotions, or illness. Your brain literally doesn’t have the bandwidth to be creative when it’s busy processing stress, anxiety, or that weird pain in your shoulder you’ve been ignoring.
But there’s more to it. Researchers found that the creative block is oftentimes stemming from unrealistic expectations. You know that voice in your head that says your first draft should read like Shakespeare had a baby with Maya Angelou? Yeah, that voice is setting you up for failure.
The Perfect Storm: What Causes Writer’s Block?
Writer’s block isn’t just one thing – it’s more like a dysfunctional family reunion where all your insecurities, fears, and bad habits show up at once. Here are the main culprits:
Fear and Perfectionism: The deadly duo that convinces you everything you write is garbage before you’ve even written it. Perfectionism in particular can paralyze writers by setting impossibly high standards.
Imposter Syndrome: That charming little voice that whispers, “Who are you kidding? You’re not a real writer.” Spoiler alert: if you write, you’re a writer. End of story.
External Pressures: Deadlines, criticism, financial stress – all the fun stuff that makes writing feel less like creative expression and more like performing for a very judgmental audience.
Busting the Writer’s Block Myths: FAQ Edition
Is writer’s block actually real, or is it just an excuse?
Here’s the thing: there’s no expiration date on writer’s block. Some people shake it off in a few days, others wrestle with it for months. The duration often depends on the underlying causes and how you address them. But here’s what I know for sure – it’s not permanent, even when it feels like it is.
Is writer’s block a sign that I’m not meant to be a writer?
Absolutely not. That’s like saying getting a flat tire means you’re not meant to drive. Writer’s block is part of the creative process for most writers – it’s not a career-ending diagnosis, it’s just a speed bump that requires some strategic navigation.
[Insert image of famous writers with quotes about their struggles with writer’s block]
The Fast Track: Proven Strategies to Overcome Writer’s Block
Alright, enough with the doom and gloom. Let’s talk solutions. Here are some scientifically-backed strategies that actually work:
Try this: Set a timer for 10 minutes and write the worst possible version of whatever you’re working on. Make it deliberately bad. You’ll be amazed how this takes the pressure off and gets your creative juices flowing again.
2. Freewriting: The Mental Warm-Up
Freewriting is like stretching before a workout – it gets your writing muscles loose and ready to perform. Set a timer for 10-15 minutes and write whatever comes to mind. Don’t stop, don’t edit, don’t think too hard. Just let your brain dump everything onto the page.
Work in focused 25-minute sprints with 5-minute breaks. This approach helps prevent overwhelm and makes big projects feel more manageable. Plus, knowing you only have to write for 25 minutes takes some of the pressure off.
5. Talk It Out
Sometimes the block is in the translation from thoughts to written words. Try explaining your ideas out loud first – to a friend, a pet, or even just to yourself. Verbal processing can help unlock written expression.
[Insert image of a writer’s block “toolkit” with various strategies illustrated]
When to Seek Professional Help
Let’s get real for a moment. Sometimes writer’s block is bigger than just creative struggles – it can be tied to anxiety, depression, or other mental health issues. You should consider professional help if:
Your block has lasted months and is affecting your livelihood
You’re experiencing severe anxiety or depression related to writing
You’re having panic attacks when you try to write
The block is accompanied by other concerning symptoms
Create a routine that signals to your brain “it’s writing time.” This could be making a specific type of tea, playing certain music, or even just sitting in the same chair. Consistent rituals help trigger your creative flow state.
Set Realistic Goals
Instead of “I’ll write the next Great American Novel this weekend,” try “I’ll write 200 words today.” Small, achievable goals build momentum and confidence.
Keep a Writer’s Block Worksheet
Track your blocks – when they happen, what triggers them, what helps you overcome them. This data helps you spot patterns and develop personalized strategies.
Writer’s Block Tracking Table:
Date
Trigger
Duration
What Helped
Notes
3/15
Deadline pressure
3 days
Freewriting
Stress was the main factor
3/22
Criticism from editor
1 week
Changed environment
Needed confidence boost
4/2
Perfectionism
2 days
“Crappy draft” method
Permission to be imperfect helped
What to Do When Writer’s Block Keeps Coming Back
If you’re dealing with chronic writer’s block, you might need to dig deeper. Consider:
Addressing underlying stress: Are you taking on too much? Do you need better boundaries?
Examining your relationship with writing: Have you tied your self-worth to your writing success?
Checking your physical health: Are you getting enough sleep, exercise, and proper nutrition?
Here’s what I want you to remember: writer’s block is not a reflection of your talent, your potential, or your worth as a writer. It’s a temporary state, not a permanent condition. Every writer – from the person penning their first blog post to the novelist on their twentieth book – faces this challenge.
So the next time you’re staring at that blank page, remember: you’re not stuck forever. You’re just taking a creative pause, gathering your thoughts, and preparing for your next breakthrough. The words are still in there – sometimes they just need a little coaxing to come out and play.
Now stop reading about writing and go write something. Even if it’s terrible. Especially if it’s terrible. Because terrible writing can be fixed, but blank pages can’t.
Ready to break through your writer’s block? Start with just one sentence. Right now. I’ll wait.
What’s your go-to strategy for overcoming writer’s block? Share your experiences in the comments below – your solution might be exactly what another struggling writer needs to hear.
As a writer, there are times when writing seems like a breeze. The Muse drops by to drop in some much-needed inspiration and your fingers are flying across the keyboard (or page). Then there are times when it seems like you are straining to get even a tiny morsel of creativity.
For those times, you might consider checking out these 6 writing apps that are designed to gently nudge your inner Muse into writing that literary masterpiece.
1. The Most Dangerous Writing App
Jolt Your Brain to Dump Creativity(Web)
Do you have a pesky little habit of constantly revising every sentence that you write in your first drafts? There’s a way to break that habit with an app literally called “The Most Dangerous Writing App”. If you’ve ever encountered “Write or Die” which forces you to reach a certain word count within a certain time frame, this app has the same concept. The only difference is the focus on inactivity.
The screen turns a darker shade of red every time you are inactive (not typing) and completely erases your writing if you stop for more than 5 seconds. Sessions can be set for 5,10, 20, 30 or 60 minutes or tailored to a specific word count (75, 150, 250, 300 or 1667 words).
If you’re up for a challenge, you might want to check “Hardcore Mode”, which won’t let you see all of the words you’ve typed until the sessions ends. (You can only see the letter that you’ve typed.
Good for: Freestyle writing sessions, Stream-of-consciousness writing, Decreasing time spent excessively editing first draft, Creative thinking sessions
Write Your Thoughts Without Leaving a Trace (Android/IOS/Web/Chrome OS/Command Line)
Writing without distraction can be a huge obstacle to getting your writing done. With advertisements, social media, and funny YouTube videos, there is no shortage of distractions. While there are plenty of minimalist writing tools and apps out there to help you, from ZenPen (Web) to Desk 3 (IOS) and Monospace (Android), only Write. As offers distraction-free writing with a host of other features designed to keep that writing private unless you choose to share it with the world.
Features
No login required. Start typing immediately
Private-Writing can only be accessed through URL or when you choose to share
Can write individual posts or combine them into a blog with your own domain
Good For: Quick distraction-free writing sessions that you don’t want on a public platform with more control over sharing options and the ability to store those sessions under an anonymous identity
Price: One initial blog is free (with a 50,000-character limit per post. There is a $10 per year option (3 blogs) or $4 per month option (10 blogs)
Alternate: Novni Alternatively, if you just want to vent anonymously about anything, you can use The Comfort Spot app.
3. JournalJerk
Finally Achieve A Consistent Journaling Habit (E-mail)
Journaling is one of the best ways to develop and refine your writing practice. Even if your journal only makes sense to you, the mere action of putting your words on paper, organizing and processing your thoughts, and committing to write is an excellent foundation. The problem most people have with journals is consistency. JournalJerk is here to fix this problem by leveraging your journaling commitment against a cash .
JournalJerk is more of a service than a stand-alone app or online tool. The service is email-based. JournalJerk sends a daily email reminder with subscribers responding back by email with a journal to hack away at their stated goals (1-7 days). The wager comes into play once the goal is set. Using JournalJerk requires a weekly subscription of $2.99, however, if you complete your journaling commitment for 6 weeks in a row, the price goes down to 9 cents (unless you miss the streak).
Confused?
Here’s an example. Let’s say you commit to journaling 3 days a week. JournalJerk will email you a daily reminder and you will respond back with a journal at least 3 days in that week. (Multiple entries do not count.) After a week, the weekly subscription of $2.99 begins, being charged each week. If I complete 6 weeks of the 3-day journaling habit, I only pay $.99 a week after. If I miss a week, my subscription goes back to $2.99 per week.
Features
Exporting available in text file or JSON (JavaScript Object Notification) file, PDF exports are under development
Daily email reminders
Ability to pause and unpause writing streaks (in cases of vacation, for example)
Price: $2.99/week. Potentially lower (possibly down to a few cents) after 6 weeks
Good for: Personal use (to develop writing habit) or situation where daily journaling is required (like a writing class). The small weekly subscription plus daily reminders can help reinforce a journaling habit when you need it.
Writers, especially those who make a living by writing, will eventually come across the “backlog problem”. You’ve got so many potential articles in the making but so little time to complete them. No matter how much you attempt to knock off some assignments, your backlog keeps getting longer and longer. Enter TheRightMargin. Designed for the writer with lots of commitments, but short on follow-through, this app will break down your writing project into milestones, provide tips and reminders along the way as well as keep track of your entire writing schedule.
Features
Breaks down projects into milestones with tips, prompts, and daily reminders
Visual timeline that shows your progress towards your goals
Flexible scheduling option that can be updated as priorities change
Good for: Scheduling writing projects with more consistent follow-through. The site is geared to help writers reflect on their assignments and plan accordingly.
Price: 14-day free trial. Monthly plans range from $5.99-$9.99 a month (can be paid in quarterly or annual). Includes a $9.99 Pay-as-You-Go option.
Alternate: Any project management system that works for you. Specific ones for writers includes Scrivener ($40 Windows/Mac, $19.99 for IOS) or Wrike (more for a group; prices range from free to $34.60 & higher)
5. FoxType
Get a Second Pair of Eyes to Critique Your Writing (Web & Chrome Extension)
It can be hard to be objective about your own work. There are plenty of tricks include reading your writing out loud, reviewing your text multiple times, and sharing it with a trusted person. FoxType FoxType gives you another option, artificial intelligence. Using artifical intelligence, FoxType can review any text and grade it for politeness, readability, fluency, sentiment, formality, and assertiveness (available as a Chrome extension that works in Gmail
Writer is a tool that optimizes AI to make your writing precise and improves readability. It’s unique because you can create a personalized style guide to make your own rules based on your desired messaging and terminology. In other words, Writer helps to achieve consistency and clarity across all types of writing, from emails to blog posts and reports. In addition, Writer offers a free plagiarism checker that makes sure your text is original and checks for spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors.
Price: Free Grammar Checker, Plagiarism Checker, and Punctuation Checker. For access to all of Writer you can utilize a 30-day free trial, $11/month after that!
Good for: Students who want to make sure their writing is original and well written. Businesses that want to use multiple writers, but maintain a consistent brand tone. Personal use; writing emails, papers, poetry, etc.
Key Features:
Analyzes the text and highlights the paraphrased content.
Unlimited search queries with a 2000 word limit.
Shows the percentage of plagiarized and unique content immediately.
Uses techniques from artificial intelligence, such as deep learning.
Offers extensions that provide real-time feedback on your writing across Gmail, Google Docs, and most web-based applications.
Checks your writing for grammar, spelling, tone, style, and more.
Have any other suggestions?
Feel free to share. The key point is to get writing!
Visibility equals book sales. That’s a pretty strong statement, but it’s true. Think about it–the more people who see your books, and the more times they see your books, the higher the chance is that they’ll purchase. That’s true especially if the people who are seeing your books are your target reader.
But how do you gain that visibility and ensure that the folks who are seeing your books are the ones who are most likely to buy them? In this article, we’ll take a look at 7 tips you can use to increase your visibility and, therefore, your conversions.
Tip 1: Get an Attractive Cover
This is an important step in gaining visibility and is often glossed over. The truth is, your cover is your first touchpoint with a potential reader–and they will judge it first before reading your description or peeking at the ‘Look Inside’ of your book.
That means you should try to get your cover to:
Match the other covers in your market. There will be a lot of bestsellers in your market and you’ll probably notice that they use similar cover designs. Take note of this and try to emulate the colors or designs so you’re as close to what your readers expect for your genre as possible.
Entice your reader to buy by wowing them. Once you know what elements your cover needs to have, hire a professional designer or use a service like BookBrush or Canva to create one for yourself. All that matters is that the cover is on brand, to market, and draws readers in.
Just take a look at a sample selection of bestselling clean romance covers:
It’s simple to spot the trends and take advantage of them to better position your book for its intended market.
Tip 2: Write a Great Blurb/Book Description
After your book cover, the greatest selling tool at your disposal is your book description. That might not be music to your ears–most authors (myself included) have day-mares about writing up the book description for their books. How are you supposed to condense that much plot into such a small paragraph?
You’re not. The purpose of your book description is to entice rather than just delivering all the information in one big wall of text. Using power words for your genre is a great way to optimize your blurb for the market you’re trying to target.
Take a look at the top books in your genre and read their blurbs. Note down what tropes and elements they’re focusing on in their descriptions then try to implement them in your book description too.
If you’re feeling a little lost, check out How to Write a Sizzling Synopsisby Bryan Cohen. It’s a great book that will help you figure out what you’re doing wrong so you can sell more books.
Tip 3: Use the Correct Kindle Keywords
Kindle keywords are the keywords that readers type into the search bar on Amazon. These are phrases you want your book to show up for. So, if you’re writing epic fantasy, some of the keywords you want your book to rank for might be ‘epic fantasy coming of age’ or ‘epic fantasy romance’ depending on the content of your book.
Kindle keywords are one of my favorite things to talk about–they’re an amazing optimization tool. That’s why I created Publisher Rocket, a keyword research tool that helps authors find the least competitive keywords that will bring them the most return, both for their Kindle metadata and their Amazon ads.
But how do you get your book to show up for your Kindle keywords? When creating your book in your KDP dashboard, you place your well-searched, least competitive keywords in the 7 empty blocks provided. See below…
If you want to check out a more complete guide on keyword research, check out this resource–it will show you how to research keywords without using a paid tool.
Tip 4: Get More Reviews!
It might seem underrated, but getting reviews on your books provides social proof that your book is popular and worth reading.
The prospect of getting reviews often stresses authors out. It’s like the chicken-and-egg conundrum–you can’t get reviews if you don’t have a readership, and you can’t get a readership if you don’t have reviews. But that’s not necessarily true. There are great tools you can use to connect with readers and get the reviews you need, all within Amazon’s Terms of Service.
You can use BookSprout. This is a paid tool that will connect you with ARC readers–who are all voluntarily leaving a review of your book once it’s live.
You can build your own ARC team. This might take a little extra time as you’ll need to build your mailing list first (see Tip number 6 for more information on this) but it’s well worth the effort. You’ll never have to worry about getting reviews again. It’ll be easy to send them directly to a review link for your book.
Write a good book. That’s how you truly get reviews–write a book that people enjoy reading so much, they want to come back and give it a review to help you out.
Ask for them. In the back matter of your book, put a little message asking readers to leave their review (no incentive of course).
Once you’ve got reviews, sales will come a little easier, and that means more visibility and even more sales.
Tip 5: Update Your Browse Categories
This is a hot tip that a lot of authors are often surprised by–that’s why I’ve been putting the word out high and low about this.
When you initially select your categories in your KDP dashboard (while creating your book) you’re only offered a select few to choose from, and you can only place your book in two.
But what you might not know is that you can list your book in up to 10 browse categories. All you have to do is contact Amazon via Author Central about this, and tell them the categories you want to place your book in.
This will take a little research on your part–you’ll need to figure out which category strings your competitors are in, which are providing the most sales and visibility, and which are the least competitive for you. But it can be very worth your time.
Tip 6: Build Your Mailing List
In order to get more visibility for your books, you need to make every launch better than the last one. Having a mailing list of superfans to send to your book page on launch day will equal higher sales that will, in turn, push your book up the ranks in those 10 browse categories you selected above. And since your cover is perfectly aimed at the market after your research, it’s more likely to stick up there as more and more readers who are looking for a book like yours buy it.
Sounds like the dream, doesn’t it? It’s exactly what will happen when you build your mailing list.
Here’s how:
Create a reader magnet for sign-ups. Place a sign up in the backs of your books so readers will see that they can get their free resource upon signing up to your mailing list. Make it easy for them to click right on their eReader to sign up.
Mail your list once a week at least. Try not to be spammy by mailing them constantly, but don’t leave them by the wayside after only email when you release a book. Try to find a nice balance.
Provide value. Give your mailing list snippets about your life or information they wouldn’t have otherwise received if they hadn’t signed up. Make being on your mailing list worth their while.
Check out Tammi Labrecque’s Newsletter Ninja for some helpful tips on better grow your list!
Tip 7: Try Ads
When all else fails (and especially when it succeeds) it’s time to check out paid options for increasing visibility for your books. Facebook and Amazon ads will help you target new readers in your genre and push your book up in the rankings as a result.
Amazon Ads might seem intimidating at first, but Sponsored Product ads rely on keyword research, just like the type you did for your Kindle keywords above. They’re pretty simple to understand and to experiment with–you can start with a budget of $5 a day when creating them and turn them off at any time.
Here are a few quick and easy resources for learning more about Amazon ads and how to use them to gain visibility:
Increasing your visibility will help you reach new readers and build your author brand, as well as giving you more sales. With these 7 tips, you should have the basis for a good start. Best of luck!
A great book review is one that helps a reader decide whether they will pick up the book and read it. This article will provide guidance on how to write a book review. It will answer the question ‘what is a book review’, help you choose which book to review and explore the key elements that form a successful review.
Whether you’re a seasoned professional, student, or brand new to book reviewing, here’s our strategies and suggestions for writing an effective book review.
What you’ll learn in this article
The purpose of this article is to teach you how to write a book review. By reading this article you will learn the following:
What is a book review?
How to choose a book to review
How to critically analyse a book
The key elements of a book review
Rating a book
FAQs about book reviewing
What is a book review?
Before you even pick up the book, it’s important to understand exactly what a book review is.
A book review describes, analyzes and evaluates a book based on elements including writing style, plot, characters, significance, impact and fitness for purpose. The criteria for evaluating a book are explored in more detail below.
The most important part of a book review is the analysis and evaluation. A book review requires a critical evaluation meaning you must form an opinion about the book and support your opinion with evidence. Evidence from the book can include direct quotes, writing techniques, themes and character dialogue.
To ensure you are critically evaluating a book, it’s important to avoid falling into the trap of simply describing the plot and characters. Your opinion must be clearly stated, whether it’s positive or negative. The following is an example of a simple description, without any analysis or evaluation:
“The unnamed narrator, a woman writer, lives in Vienna with a man named Malina who works at a military museum, and she is conducting an affair with a Hungarian man named Ivan, who lives nearby and has two young children.”[1]
Book reviews can vary in tone and style, depending on the author of the review (i.e. whether you’re an academic writing a scholarly review, a journalist, or an amateur reviewer, etc) and the book you are reviewing.
However, there are key elements that should always be addressed in order to create an effective book review. These include:
a summary of the book,
a critical assessment, and;
a conclusion, including whether or not you would recommend the book to your audience.
You can read more about the key elements of a book review below.
Choosing a book to review
The first and probably most important step of writing a book review is choosing the book you would like to review.
If you’re considering writing a book review then you most likely already have a book in mind. But if not, a good place to start is by thinking about your favourite author, or genre, and finding books in this area.
Don’t be afraid to choose a book from an author you love. Some people can feel intimidated by well-respected or famous authors and hence avoid being overly critical of them. But it’s important to choose a book that you’re actually interested in.
Reviewing a book you don’t really want to read will feel too much like a school project.
If you’re truly interested in the book before you, you’ll find the time to properly research, carefully read, and form ideas about the book – all elements of a good book review.
If you’re hoping to get your review published online, it’s also best to select a recently published book. A newer book is less likely to have already been reviewed by another book reviewer and therefore more likely to get published.
Writing the book review
Now the fun part begins. Getting your opinion out there for the world to see. But there’s much more to a book review than simply writing. A sound structure, supported by thorough research, will ensure your book review gets the credibility it deserves.
Here’s how to get started:
Before you start writing
Before you jump into writing, it’s important that you do your research. It’s easy to know whether you do or don’t like a book. But why you have that opinion needs to be supported by research and evidence (i.e. the elements that inform your critical evaluation).
Download sample book reviews
A great place to start, particularly if this is your very first book review, is to read other reviews. Most of the reviews you read will follow a similar structure and touch on similar points, so use others as a guide for how you should be setting out your work. If you come across a book review that you find really engaging, ask yourself why it was so impactful and try to reproduce those elements in your own work. Because if the review was persuasive enough to encourage (or dissuade) you to read the book, it’s a successful book review.
You can browse professional book reviews from writers all around the world on websites including:
As you’re reading through the book reviews make sure to take notes on factors that will form the basis of your review
What are the common elements of the book reviews you have read?
What do you like about the reviews?
Do you prefer reviews with controversial opinions?
Do you like when a serious tone is used, or do you prefer a more casual review?
What could you do better?
2. Do your research
A good book review is one supported by thorough research.
Understanding the context in which a novel was written will help you form an opinion later when you start writing.
It’s difficult to form an argument about the author’s choice of language, for example, if you don’t understand the time period in which the novel was composed. If you’re reading a vampire mystery book, how can you evaluate the structure of the storyline if you don’t understand the elements of that genre?
There are a number of complex and competing elements that will influence the choices an author has made, so it’s crucial to understand the reasons behind their choices in order to form an opinion about things like style, tone, character development, plot and language. Here is a great example of a book review which considers the historical context in which the novel was composed.
To help you with your contextual research, use the below template as a starting point:
Who is the author?
Qualifications, education, reputation, nationality, personal history, historical context, social and political ideals, influences, etc
What is the genre?
Does the book conform or depart from the traditional conventions of the genre?
What is the purpose of the book?
Why was the book written? What is the author trying to achieve?
What is the thesis of the book?
What are the major themes and how were they revealed?
In addition to the above criteria, you should also be reading actively and critically. As you’re reading, ask yourself questions like;
how did the author structure their argument and how did they support it?
has the book helped you understand the topic?
And most importantly, would you recommend this book to others?
We will explore how to form an opinion and making recommendations more in-depth below.
How long should a book review be?
The length of your book review depends on why you are writing the review and who it is for. Is it simply to provide your opinion to your social media followers, or are you trying to get published online? Is it for an academic purpose? Perhaps it is a university assignment.
Generally, book reviews are around 500 words. However, professional and academic book reviews can be thousands of words in length. If you’re interested in writing a professional book review, check out example book reviews on The Guardian online to get an idea of length. Ultimately, the more words you use, the more thorough your analysis can be. But always be conscious of keeping your writing concise and to the point.
If you are opting for a longer review (around the 1,000 word mark), you can break up long paragraphs of text by using headings and sub-headings. This helps make the content more digestible for the reader.
The elements of a book review
Now that you’ve finished reading the book, made extensive notes, and completed your research, it’s time to begin writing.
Any writer would know that a high-quality piece of writing is well structured. Your arguments should be developed in a logical manner, beginning with the context of the novel and a general overview of the plot, followed by an exploration of the author’s argument, your own opinions about the book, and ending with a conclusion – what rating do you give the book and would you recommend it to others.
The three key elements that you should include in your book review are:
A summary of the content – including the plot, context, author’s argument, etc. (i.e. all the information you gathered in your initial research).
A critical assessment of the book – your reaction to the book and whether or not it was effective in meeting its purpose.
A recommendation – whether or not the audience you are writing for would appreciate the book.
Here’s a breakdown of each point:
1. Introduction
Your book review should begin with a captivating introduction to draw your reader in and make them want to continue reading. Generally, it’ll be around one sentence in length and give a quick overview of the main theme of the book. Here are two examples of short and snappy introductions that hook the reader in:
“For every child kidnapped, another must be taken. Otherwise The Chain will be broken.”[2]
“Throughout college, Evvie, Maggie, and Topher were the best of friends. But time and the mistakes that come with simply being human may strain their love to the breaking point.”[3]
While trying to keep your introduction short, it’s important to also be concise. A complicated introduction can turn your reader away before they’ve even gotten to your analysis.
By trying to contain the introduction to a single, lengthy sentence, the below opening line is complicated and overloaded with commas, making it difficult to read:
The English nature writer Robert Macfarlane’s new book, “Underland: A Deep Time Journey,” has a title that evokes a burrowing theme park ride or an IMAX movie, and indeed, like Alice in Wonderland or Orpheus in the underworld, down we go.[4]
2. Describe the plot
Your introduction should lead into a description of the plot. In a few sentences, Include a description of the book’s setting, the main characters, and a loose summary of the plot. An outline of the storyline will help your audience decide whether or not they’re interested in reading the book.
However, make sure your introduction doesn’t give everything away. There should be just enough details to make the reader want to pick up the book, without giving away the whole story.
Not only do you want to touch on the plot of the book in your introduction, but you will also need to set the context. What is the historical, political, and/or social context in which the novel was written? What is the author’s background? What genre is the book written in? These questions set the scene for your critical assessment. Whether the author was successful in meeting their intended purpose will be informed by the reasons behind writing the novel.
3. Avoid spoilers
It almost goes without saying. Don’t spoil the book!
While your readers will want to know what the book is about, don’t rob them of experiencing genuine emotional reactions to the shocks and plot twists of the book. For example, if the main character dies at the end of the book, keep those details to yourself. There’ll be no point in your audience reading the book if they already know what happens.
It can be really tempting to reveal spoilers in your book review, because more often than not, the big shocks of the book are those that you want to talk about. When forming an opinion of the book’s effectiveness, your emotional reaction to surprising details are likely to be the evidence you need to prove the book’s effectiveness.
But it is possible to review a book without completely revealing the details if you choose your words carefully. After all, the purpose of your book review is to encourage others (or discourage if you didn’t enjoy the book) to read the book, and no-one is going to want to read the book if you’ve already told them the ending.
“The big plot twist in Clare Mackintosh’s first novel, I LET YOU GO, is genuinely shocking. The jolts that follow, right up until the last page, are pretty good too. And if you’re the kind of genre geek who jumps back to the beginning of a book to work out how you’ve been hoodwinked, you’ll find that the author has played fair and square.”[5]
4. Form an opinion
By far the most important part of writing a book review is forming an opinion. As we touched on earlier, your critical evaluation is what takes your writing from a simple summary of a book, to a review.
Keep in mind your critique doesn’t have to be all negative or all praise. A well-balanced book review would explore both sides so that the reader of your review gets the whole picture. A one-sided book review can give your audience the impression that your critique is an unfair assessment. Remember, a bad book takes just as long to write as a good one and every author deserves fair treatment. Even if you hated the book, you’ll be able to find some positives. And ultimately, make sure you are reviewing the book you read, not the book you wished the author had written.
Think back to the list you wrote when you were first reading the book. Here’s where those considerations come into play – the author’s background, the genre, the purpose of the book and the main thesis of the work are all elements that inform your opinion. Whether you did or did not enjoy the book can be supported by opinions based on factors such as whether the author effectively subverted traditional elements of the genre, or whether the author’s thesis didn’t challenge your way of thinking.
This review of the novel ‘Malina’ provides an example of the reviewer evaluating how the author’s academic experience influences her language style and the overall readability of the novel:
“Taken in bites, Bachmann’s prose is often lucid and powerful, enlivened by her poetic gifts. At length, she can be tough chewing. She wrote a doctoral dissertation on Heidegger and was a devoted reader of Wittgenstein’s “Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus,” though she’s nowhere near that tough. For every aphoristic dart she throws at the human condition (“the world is sick and doesn’t want a healthy force to prevail”), there is a sentence or meaning that remains tightly knotted, and a general lack of clear orientation prevails. Whatever verifiable facts about the plot and characters might exist beneath the novel’s psychological static, you can imagine Bachmann insisting, are none of your business.”[6]
Your book review will include multiple different arguments, so aim to break them down into separate paragraphs that each deal with individual aspects. And each paragraph should contain an evaluation with an example from the book to support it.
The following criteria can be used to help you form an evaluation:
importance
accuracy
objectivity
thoroughness
usefulness for intended purpose.
5. Include your favourite quotes
When making an argument you need examples to support your opinion. The easiest way to do this is by directly quoting the book.
For example, one of the key themes of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, is prejudice and the following quote directly illustrates this theme:
“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view … Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.”[7]
The main thing to consider when quoting the book is to keep the quotes short. A lengthy quote will take up too many words and potentially overpower your review. A short quote will help to get your point across while still letting your work shine through. The purpose of including quotes is to simply bring your argument to light.
6. Provide recommendations to your audience
Would you recommend the book to your audience?
In order to recommend the book, you need to determine who your audience is. Who are you writing the book review for? Not every book is suited to every reader. For example, a book written under the magical realism genre, wouldn’t be recommended to an audience that enjoy non-fiction.
This goes back to the point above, it’s important to remember that your individual tastes don’t necessarily reflect those of your readers. Even if you didn’t enjoy the book, there may be readers out there who it would appeal to so make sure you consider diverse tastes when making a book recommendation.
If you’re reviewing children, teenage or young adult books, it’s a good idea to give an ‘age-appropriateness’ recommendation. It can be tricky for parents when buying books for their children to know whether the book would be appropriate or not, so do the hard work for them. Check out Common Sense Media for ideas on how to give an age-appropriateness rating – this site rates books by age and learning value.
A captivating way to make a recommendation is to also compare the book to other similar ones. If the book you are reviewing has similar themes, characters, writing style, or is even composed by the same author, you will be able to make a recommendation based on how it compares to other work. You might write something along the lines of ‘If loved XXX book, you will love this one’. If your audience has already read the other book, they will be able to get a good idea of whether they will also like your book based on this comparison.
7. Rate the book
You might wonder if you’ve already expressed your opinion about the book throughout your review, why give it a rating as well?
Attaching a rating to your book review is a great way to give your audience an immediate sense of how you felt about the book. Before they even begin reading your review, they already know whether you’re recommending it or not.
The simplest way to rate a book is using a star rating. Goodreads uses a 5-star book rating system.
You can see the most popular books published in 2018 here based on the star rating. If you intend for your book review to be published on a website such as this, you will need to use the rating system provided by the site.
But if you’re self-publishing the review, you can choose whatever rating system that works best for you. You could break your rating system down into categories – maybe the book deserves four stars out of five for writing style, but only two stars for the plot development. It’s up to you.
8. Write a conclusion
The conclusion to your book review is the last thing your audience will read so you want to make sure it leaves them with a lasting impression. A reader has most likely come to your review to decide whether they will or won’t read the book, so if you want them to read the book, make it clear.
Summaries the key points made in reaching your position; and
Make a final comment on the topic.
While summarising the key points you should aim to balance the strengths and weakness of the book. What did the author do well? What could be improved upon? And remember, no new information should be included in the conclusion. Any interesting points you want to make about the book should be included in the body of your text.
The racism, classism, and sexism of 50 years ago wrapped up in a stylish, sexy, suspenseful period drama about a newsroom and the city it covers.[8]
9. Bibliographical details
A professional book review will also include a bibliographic citation of the book. Check out some examples on Kirkus Reviews to get an idea on how you can format your citation.
Here are the bibliographic details you should include in your review:
Title:Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices)
Author: Cassandra Clare
Place of Publication: USA
Date of Publication:Margaret K. McElderry Books
Date of publication edition:August 31, 2010
Number of pages: 496
ISBN number*:978-1416975861
*ISBN or ‘International Standard Book Number’ is a unique identifier for books. It is used by publishers, booksellers, libraries, internet retailers and other suppliers for ordering, listing, sales records and stock control purposes. It identifies the registrant as well as the title, edition and format of the book.
10. Editing
After you’ve completed the first draft of your book review, it’s time to start the editing process. Step away from your work for at least an hour to give your brain a rest. When you come back to review your work with fresh eyes, look out for the following:
Is the paper well-organised?
Are the transitions between paragraphs smooth?
Have you backed up each point with evidence?
Is there an introduction and a conclusion?
Have you cited all your references?
Take the time to rewrite your work and make any changes necessary to improve it.
There are also some great tools that can assist in editing such as the Hemingway App. Copy and paste your work into the app and it will give you a readability score as well as highlight sentences that are too long and complicated.
Another useful tool is Grammarly. Grammarly is a handy application that detects spelling, punctuation, grammar, word choice, plagiarism and style, and suggests corrections. It’s also available as an app for both iOS and Android.
11. Proofread
The best way to undermine your credibility as a book reviewer is with spelling mistakes. To critique the work of another writer with a piece of writing that is littered with typos and incorrect punctuation tells your audience you don’t know what you’re talking about.
Before publishing your work, read over it a few times to catch any spelling or grammar errors, as well as double-checking your facts – including double-checking that the quotes and character names you referenced from the book are accurate, as well as the facts you’ve included about the author’s background.
It might even be worthwhile also having another person proofread your work. Once you’ve read over your own work a few times it can be easy to miss things, so a fresh set of eyes could be useful in picking up any errors you haven’t.
12. Have fun!
While it might seem like there are a lot of rules that go into writing a high-quality book review, the most important thing is that you enjoy what you’re doing! Your passion for the book you are reviewing will shine through in your writing.
If you have been book reviewing for some time and begin to feel burned out, take a break and remind yourself why you started writing book reviews in the first place – to share your love of reading with your fellow readers all over the world.
FAQs
What is the objective of a book review?
The main purpose of a book review is to help a reader device whether to read the book themselves. For this reason, a book review should include a brief summary of the book’s content, characters and setting, as well as a critical evaluation on the success or effectiveness of the book.
Book reviews save other readers time and offer them a chance to connect with the book before they even pick it up. They help validate the worthiness of a book – if someone else enjoyed the book, I might enjoy it too.
Book reviews are also very important to authors. They give a book greater visibility and a higher chance of being found by readers whether it’s online, in bookstores, among book clubs or blogging communities. A book review is a great opportunity for an author to expand their reach, as well as a platform for other books written in a similar style or from the same genre to be found.
Can you use ‘I’ in a book review?
Whether or not you use first person to write your book review will ultimately come down to why you are writing the review.
An academic piece of writing, for example, would not use first person. So if you’re writing your review for a school, university/college assignment or to be published in an academic journal or magazine (for example, the Oxford Academic Journal of Communication), avoid using first person.
If you’re writing the review for your personal blog or website, or writing customer reviews online, then it’s okay to be a little more casual. Depending on your writing style and the purpose of your website, first-person can make your review more personal and relatable for your audience. It’s easier to give an opinion about how you felt about a book when writing in the first person, for example – ‘I loved the way the author used XYZ to ABC’.
Where can I get my book review published?
If you’re looking to get your book review published, here’s a step-by-step guide on how to:
Identify where you want your book review to be published
If you’re not interested in going down the academic route, there are a host of websites where you can publish your book review, including This is Writing. A quick Google search will help you find websites where you could potentially have your review published, or check out our list of ‘Book Blogs and Review Websites for Book Lovers’.
Otherwise, you can self-publish your book review on your own website or blog.
Reach out to the editorOnce you’ve decided where you’d like your book review to be published, get in contact with the journal or website. Your email to the editor or website owner should include a brief introduction about yourself, the book you intend on reviewing and why you’d like to write a review for the publication.It’s important to do your homework before contacting the editor or website owner. If you have a book in mind, do a quick search of the journal or website to make sure the book hasn’t already been reviewed by someone else. It’s recommended to select a book that has been published in the last two years, as anything earlier has likely already been claimed by another reviewer.And above all else, be confident! Even if you’re brand new to book reviewing, it’s perfectly alright to reach out to editors to ask them to publish your work. Contact us at This is Writing to have your book review featured.
Read the book and write the reviewOnce the editor or website owner has accepted your proposal to write a review for their publication, it’s time to get started. Refer to our recommendations on how to structure your book review above. If you’re writing for a journal you might even be lucky enough to be sent a free copy of the book.
Submit and waitAfter you’ve completed the final proofread of your work it’s time to submit it to the editor or website owner. Be sure to read the journal or website submission guidelines thoroughly. Each publisher will have unique submission guidelines relating to criteria such as spelling and grammar, and offensive content, etc. Most book review journals and websites will receive a large number of submissions, so if yours doesn’t meet the guidelines it’s not likely to be considered for publishing.If you haven’t heard back after a month, it’s worthwhile following up. Send a second email asking the editor or website owner if they’ve received your submission and tell them you’re looking forward to hearing from them. The most important thing is to keep it polite and respectful. And make sure to check the website’s submission guidelines first to see if there’s a general timeline for feedback before you start harassing them after only a few days!
Can I get paid to write book reviews?
Yes. There are a number of websites that will pay writers to create book reviews for their website.
If you’re just getting started and looking for a bit of unpaid book reviewing experience, a great place to start is by writing customer reviews on websites that sell books, such as Amazon. These websites allow customers to give a star rating for the product as well as leave a comment. On Amazon, others can then mark your review as ‘helpful’ so you’ll be able to get a good idea on how people feel about your reviewing. Interacting with other book lovers and reviewers can also help improve your own reviewing style and build an audience.
You can also share your book reviews via your social media platforms, or start your own website or blog to publish your book reviews. Check out these tips on how to create a website from the Queensland Government.
The book I have chosen to review is not the first book of the series, does it matter?
No. As mentioned earlier in this article, if you want your book review to be published, you should be aiming to review a recently released book. The newer the book, the less likely it has already been reviewed by another review. If the first book of a series was released five years ago, and the second book released this year, review the second book. Chances are, the first book has already been reviewed to death. Reviewing book two is a chance to create brand new content for your audience.
Despite this, it’s still worthwhile touching on the storyline of the novels that have come before your book in the series as this provides context on the effectiveness of the book. Was book two a good sequel to the first book? What was different? What was the same? If the reader of your review has already read the first book, a comparison between the two will help them decide if they want to read the next book of the series.
Teen vampire novels have dominated the YA genre for decades.
What is more fun than your average teen romance or coming of age story?
When you add the complication of vampires to the mix!
These stories focus on teenagers who are either vampires or live in a world with vampires and must deal with them in one way or another. Whether trying to have a forbidden romance or escape death, these books are fun and exciting adventures.
Eighth Grade Bites By Heather Brewer
Written by Heather Brewer, Eighth Grade Bites tells the story of Vladimir Tod, a thirteen-year-old with a big secret.
Vladimir is only half-human, his father was a vampire, and that has left him in-between worlds and unsure of the full length of his powers. Junior High is hard enough without adding fangs and blood cravings. There’s bullies and girl problems, not to mention that vampire hunter that is after him.
The story is funny, engaging, and takes a unique look at the typical vampire story plot.
Turned By Morgan Rice
Turned, written by author Morgan Rice, is the first book in the Vampire Journals Series.
One day eighteen-year-old Caitlin Paine is a happy suburb girl. The next she is uprooted to a dangerous New York City, high school. Jonah is the light in the dark until things get more complicated. Caitlin is going through a change much more significant than moving; she is having strange cravings and has new powers. But these changes also mean that she is caught in the middle of a vampire war.
Dark, mysterious, and spiced up with some great romance, this is a great teen vampire read.
Marked By P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
Zoey Redbird is only sixteen-years-old when she is marked by a vampire tracker. Initiated into the House of Night, Zoey soon discovers that she has been marked by the vampyre Goddess Nyx. Zoey is able to use powers from all five elements: Air, Fire Water, Earth, and Spirit. Zoey is not the only fledgeling with powers and will have to choose between fitting in and standing up for herself. Written by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast, this is only the first book in the House of Night series which has over ten books in it.
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown By Holly Black
Written by acclaimed author Holly Black, this novel is set in Coldtown. Coldtown is a walled city where humans and monsters live together. But once you enter the city’s gates, you can never leave again.
Tana goes to a perfectly normal party in Coldtown and wakes up surrounded by corpses. Tana is one of three survivors, the others are a mysterious boy with dark secrets, and Tana’s ex. They will have to hurry if they want to survive.
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is an exciting, action-packed, and beautifully written novel, it is a must-read.
Blue Bloods By Melissa de la Cruz
This book takes the vampire legend and weaves it into history. Taking the reader back to the landing of the Mayflower, we see those aboard the ship are actually vampires.
These vampires thrived in America and became the class known in modern-day as the blue bloods. Schuyler Van Alen attends an elite private school with the blue blood class when strange things begin to happen, she develops a craving for raw meat, and a girl in her school is found dead. She will go up against the most powerful beings in the world to uncover a secret they will do anything to protect.
This engaging story was written by Melissa de la Cruz.
Evernight By Claudia Gray
The first book in the series by the same name by author Claudia Gray tells the tale of Bianca.
Bianca is sent to a gothic boarding school called Evernight Academy. The students who attend this school are all perfect, and Bianca does not fit in. When Bianca meets Lucas, she thinks this school might not be so bad. Lucas and Bianca have a deep connection, but Lucas warns her that caring about him is dangerous, but she has no idea just how dangerous.
An enticing love story and a fight for survival, this book is a wonderful read.
Paranormalcy By Kiersten White
Normal for teenage Evie is not what your average teenager would call normal. Evie leads a complicated life. She works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency with the power to see through supernatural glamours. She’s fallen for a shape-shifter, and is dealing with her faerie ex-boyfriend.
And if this isn’t enough, Evie is also the center of a dark faerie prophecy. One that foretells the destruction of all paranormal creatures.
Reading author Kiersten White’s book is a fun journey with strong and smart Evie leading the way.
Born at Midnight By C.C. Hunter
After one terrible night, Kylie Galen’s life is changed forever. A consequence of this is that her mother sends her to Shadow Falls, which is a camp for troubled teens.
What she soon discovers is that the camp is a cover for a training center to help vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, witches and fairies to harness their powers. Those at camp insist that Kylie is meant to be there and is one of them. With her worldview, shaken Kylie doesn’t need the stress that Lucas and Derek bring into her life.
This intriguing adventure was written by C.C. Hunter.
My Blood Approves By Amanda Hocking
Written by author Amanda Hocking, this book is about the complicated love triangle of Alice Bonham.
On the one hand, she has a unique and funny Jack, who is different from anyone she knows. On the other, there is his brother Peter who she is drawn to despite his disinterest. Being caught between brothers is complicated enough, but Alice’s love life is made more difficult by the fact that these two brothers are also vampires.
Quirky, unique, and full of romance.
Sucks to Be Me: The All-True Confessions of Mina Hamilton, Teen Vampire (maybe) By Kimberly Pauley
The first book in the Sucks to Be Me series follows Mina Hamilton, a teenage girl with a huge decision to make.
In the book, written by author Kimberly Pauley, Mina must decide whether she wants to become a vampire, like her parents, or remain human. At the start of the book, she is more interested in her friends and a cute boy rather than the vampire training she is supposed to be doing. All she wants is to be a normal girl, enjoy prom, and spend time with her friends, but she also doesn’t want to disappoint her parents.
This book does a beautiful job of combining humor and drama in this fun read.
Books contain just about everything a person could ask for to escape the mundane realities faced every day. However, there are plenty of additions that can be added to a home or library to make it just that little bit nicer, and a tad more unique.
These items are a must have for book lovers to make your reading that bit more relaxing, with a couple just to make your house, office, or classroom that bit more book lover friendly.
10. Personal Library Embosser
Normally, I’m absolutely against anything that even looks like it’s damaging a book, but there’s a certain warmth in seeing a perfectly pressed seal labelling a book as yours. Whether you’re just looking for that extra level of refinement in your library, sick of lending books to others without return, or just love the crisp seal of ownership, this is a simple (and relatively cheap) must have for the more possessive book lovers out there. There are plenty of options with this one too, with quite a few companies offering a variety of seals/pressers for all tastes.
9. Couch Potato’s Glasses
Trying to decide between lying down and reading? Keep dropping your book on your face after saying ‘Just one more page’ for the forty-seventh time? These glasses offer a simple solution. Lie down, have your book already resting in your lap, and read drop-free!
Alright, so this one is probably more for a niche market of book lovers, but there are some pretty good benefits to these, such as not craning your neck for too long. Just make sure you take them off when you get up. I can’t imagine you’ll be getting too far otherwise.
8. Reading Light with Timer
What’s so special about a light, you say? The timer. I’m sure I’m not the only book lover who has read themselves to sleep on more than one occasion. The beauty of this gadget is in its simple utility. Not only do you avoid waking to that hurtful light in the eyes, but it makes the batteries last significantly longer. Just clip onto either a desk or the book (just pad the clip a bit if you’re worried about damage to the book), set the timer, and you’re all good for a relaxing read to sleepiness. Also useful in stopping the endless cycle of one more page when the light goes out.
7. The Bibliochaise
This one has been around for over a decade, but remains a favourite. It has the equivalent of about five linear metre of bookshelf it’s all its nooks and crannies, meaning as long as you keep it stocked with your favourites, you’ll never run out of things to read! The only downside? I wouldn’t recommend resting a cup of tea on the arm. It hurts to think of how many books such a spill could damage.
6. Book Charging Dock
First and foremost, apologies to the Potter fans. No-one likes to see a book glued together and all in all unreadable, but I think in this case an exception can be made. The best part about this gadget is that the internet is full of DIY instructions on how to make one yourself. Whether using a copy of one of your favourites, or like me you just pick out the cheapest hardcover at your local library’s sale (a history book on the Franco-Prussian wars), any book is likely to look better than a pile of cords on the bench.
5. Thumb Page Holder
These little fellas seem to appear on every list like this that exists. There’s a good reason for that. The utility of these simplistic devices cannot be understated. Cheap, and available in far more styles than just the wooden one displayed above, the thumb page holder is a simple yet effective way of keeping the pages where you want them to be.
4. Book Shaped Folding USB Lamp
The folding book lamp has a multitude of benefits aside from the aesthetics of yet another book in the room. First of all, it’s made from wood and paper, making it seem for all intents and purposes like a book- right up to the moment you open it up and make use of the lamp. Being foldable, this gadget is also highly portable, and stores enough charge for eight hours of light. The USB makes it easy to charge as well, and the versatile design allows you to use it as a desk lamp, hang it on a wall, or simply as a decoration to booksy up the house a bit more.
3. Clear Acrylic Book Weight
For the outdoorsy types who may not find the thumb fitting page holders suitable, here’s a great alternative. The clear page holder ensures no part of the text is covered while you read and makes sure the pages aren’t flapping about all over the place. If you’re the type who enjoys reading on the beach, in the park, or are just getting through a few pages over lunch, this one is a must.
2. The LightWedge Reading Light
While we’re on the topic of acrylics; the LightWedge! By far one of the most considerate gadgets on this list, the beauty of this abstract take on the reading lamp is that by directing the light through the acrylic lens, it can ensure the person next to you is not disturbed. Whether on sharing a dark room with others or reading on a long haul flight, this can light up a whole page and let you read in peace, without giving others cause for complaint. Add in the lack of glare and claimed 40hr battery life, and it’s a very convenient addition to any book lover’s collection of gadgets.
1. The NAP Shiatsu Massaging Bed Rest
Do you have a loved one? Or even someone you don’t really like that much, but is obliged to give you a present of some sort? Get them here, show them this Bed Rest. This is by far my favourite on this list. It has almost everything a book lover could ask for including a massage couch, a cup holder, book sleeve and even a pocket for your TV remote (or bookmarks, whichever you find more convenient). Save perhaps light (there used to be variations with this, but as far as I can tell they were all recalled), and a microwave to heat up some late night snacks, this bed-couch is a ‘just add book’ solution to comfortably read before heading off to the land of nod.
Being an author is just like running any business. Reviews will help build your credibility and integrity and encourage new customers (readers) to try your product (books). Reviews can help both author and readers in many ways; from sales to giving your audience a voice.
Book Reviews Can Increase Sales
There are several ways in which reviews can help with your book sales, but the two main ways are through building your credibility and searchability.
If you are a new author, and particularly if you are a new self-published author, readers have no trust built up in your writing.
A good summary can intrigue people, but most readers want to know more about your book; is the plot done well, are the characters developed, are there great twists. Readers want to know that your book is worth their money before making their purchase, and reviews can do a lot for providing that proof.
Reviews also make it easier to find your book. Reviews can help move your book up the search ranking on sites like Amazon or Goodreads, and reviews can also help your SEO (search engine optimization). Reviewers will use keywords like the title of your book, your name, the genre, and sub-genres of your book. The more times these things are mentioned, the better chance of your book getting surfaced in the search results for those words. Increasing the traffic to your book pages combined with good reviews of your book are the best ways to lead to the sale of your book.
Book Reviews Help You to Understand What Your Readers Want
Reading through the reviews written about your books can really help you better understand what it is your readers are looking for. Answering questions like, what are your readers enjoying about your work? What do they think is missing? And, what do they connect with? Can do a lot to help you understand your audience.
This kind of insight into your work can help if you are stuck in your writing, especially if you are writing a series, by showing things you didn’t notice, work on weaknesses, and motivate you.
Reviews can also show you where there might be miscommunications between you and the reader, such as an aspect of the book that is too subtle or confusing and therefore not getting through to the readers.
Reviews enable the author to have direct communication with their readers and help ensure that they are writing the best books for themselves and their audience.
Book Reviews Help You to Craft and Improve Your Writing
Getting feedback on your writing is incredibly beneficial and integral part of the writing process. It enables you to continue to grow as an author while getting feedback specifically from your target audience.
Getting good feedback on your work is wonderful and can help you see what you are doing well and keep you inspired and motivated, but constructive feedback is just as helpful, if not more so, in improving your craft and pushing you to grow as a writer.
As long as you can remember not to take any of the comments personally and read them with the earnest desire to work on your writing.
Look at 2-4-star reviews in particular. These reviews are more likely, to be honest, and helpful.
1-star reviews especially are more likely to be less insightful, a troll or someone who isn’t your target audience.
When writing a book, you always want to get feedback from readers, book reviews can offer a broader range of perspective than just your friends.
Reviews offer feedback that is insightful and points out things that are hard to see on your own. Edging you ever closer to writing that next best seller.
Reviews Speak for Your Book
Book reviews allow your audience to speak, giving them a voice. Most people who write book reviews are honestly trying to help other readers understand your work.
Reviews promote the book and you as an author.
Good book reviews are your readers directly recommending your book to potential readers, and become an active part of the marketing process. At a certain point, the author has to let go of their work and allow their readers to make up their minds about it.
Reviewers then become the voice of the book, letting people know more than the summary can provide on its own. They speak of your book and for your book.
Book reviews are an integral piece of the puzzle that is writing books and being an author. They help both readers and authors connect and promote writing they are passionate about.
Book Reviews Are Essential to Building Your Brand as an Author
Building your brand as an author helps target the specific audience reading your genre. Your brand as an author is what helps sell your book.
As you build your brand your credibility, and recognizability grows. This builds trust with new readers and turns them into fans who’ll always come back for your next book.
Book reviewers are able to build your brand like no one else. By writing reviews that say things like great characters, excellent world-building, or amazing mystery, those things become part of your brand.
Reviewers can let people know what genre you write in and if you excel in that genre. Adding your genre to your brand is an easy way to show your target audience, you write something that they will enjoy.
Being known as a writer who is great at world-building, especially for sci-fi or fantasy, will help target readers who look for that in the books they choose.
Having a clear brand also makes you more recognizable to your audience, helps them remember your name and what you excel at, making them more likely to think of you when looking for their next read.
The more reviews that say things that build and boost your brand, the more people will have trust in your ability to craft a compelling story.
What did you think of our reasons for why book reviews are important to readers? Let us know in the comments.
Writing a novelette can is tough when the first question people ask is, “What is a novelette?” The short answer is defining it with word length – 7,500 to 17,000 words, generally speaking – but this doesn’t really give a good idea of what it is about.
For example, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is 16,740 words but is considered a novella. Like in any other topic when it comes to a craft, the rules act more as guidelines.
Traditionally, there is a very easy way to tell a novelette from a novella. They tend to be more whimsical, often romantic, and have many of the restraints a short story. Edgar Allan Poe’s The Spectacles is a classic example, describing a man who for lack of wearing spectacles, accidentally marries his 82-year-old toothless grandmother. At just over 9,200 though, many would consider it a short story. By contrast, Daphne du Maurier’s The Birds is listed on many websites as a novelette, yet features all the hallmarks of a short story.
The main tenets of a novelette though, is that they are highly focused, and complete stories.
Why then write a novelette, if it will continuously sit in some no-mans-land between novellas and short stories?
And what makes it different to a short story or novella?
When compared to short stories, the length isn’t the only difference with novelettes. Aside from a less serious form, novelettes generally need greater development of elements. Where short stories generally focus on a single scene, novelettes can expand much further. Not all short story writers will want to expand so much in their work, but even unpublished, novelettes can help shorter form writers. A novelette is a complete story. Conversely, in The Birds, there are elements missing. The ending, for example. Short stories don’t need them. Some of the best short stories start part way through the plot, or finish at the climax and leave the reader to imagine the rest for themselves. Writing a novelette is different because it is complete.
So what about novellas? Well, this is where novelettes have their similarities with short stories. Novellas have sub plots, multiple twists, and complex character relationships. They are constrained or focused novels, for lack of better terms. Novelettes are theme focused, limited in the cast of characters, and can’t really mess around with too many, if any, sub plots or twists. Getting back to Poe, The Spectacles was themed around the debate on love at first sight. Every plot point led to the meeting, marrying, and then revealing the woman, with a single twist revealing the comedic turn. No red herrings, no side quests.
In short, a novelette is more focused than a novella and more complete than a short story. The number of words is important, particularly if the novelette is to be entered into competitions, but the concise yet complete aspect is what really sets them into a category of their own.
It’s also the reason they are so incredibly beneficial to both short story writers and novelists.
The Benefits of writing a novelette – novelists
Writing a novel means writing in length. 100k+ words is not uncommon for a manuscript. Some manage their way into the 300k-500k words. The problem with such long stories is that the elements can wander. There are opportunities for the theme to wander, characters to get sidetracked by a sub plot, or to have chapter upon chapter of world building. They are not all errors. They can make the story interesting, give it unexpected twists, and can set up the sequels. But they can also make the novel lose focus.
The reason writing a novelette is so beneficial is because they force the writer to limit their scope. In short, they are an exercise in concise, succinct writing. In that 17,000 words, they need to establish a theme, introduce and grow the characters, build the world, and progress a logical and believable plot all the way to the conclusion. It makes for a strong story, and is such strength can be maintained for the entirety of a novel, it will be a richer story for it.
Benefits of writing a novelette – short story writers
By contrast, the short story writer can benefit by fleshing out the world and characters that feature in their short stories. Think of it this way; imagine writing a story based in your home town. Use a well-known local character and an event in which you both were involved. You already know the character and how they would react. In fact, everything is a known, so writing the story is pretty simple. It might be less interesting to write, but the story will have depth. Now compare this with writing from scratch. Characters, setting, plot- they must all be created before (or during) the writing of the story. While it is far more interesting to write, the exploration of elements can sometimes come out in the writing as filler.
Writing a novelette allows the writer to create all that supporting information to back up a short story. Whether a short story is meant as a scene in a larger story, or simply as a story by itself, it will always be taking part in a larger world. By fleshing out the world in a novelette, it gives life, believability and substance to the story. A short story doesn’t need to flesh out its elements completely, but it still needs to feel like it is part of a larger world, like the characters have larger motivations and personalities, and like the plot has a depth yet to be revealed. Where a novelette is an exercise in concise, succinct writing for a novelist, it is the completion of a short story. It is the background, the history, and the completion that compliments the scene.
Should I publish a novelette?
Writing a novelette is helpful. Publishing one can be as well, but not in every case. They can be massively helpful in developing the craft of writing, but it may not always be helpful to publish. This is where they share most in common with novellas. Publishing a novelette can be great to give a taste of your work, or show the background of a character. Tolkien’sThe Silmarillionand Martin’s The World Of Ice And Fireare great examples of how these types of books support their primary novels, though they are far beyond the novelette word count!
Publish or not though, the choice is up to the writer. If it supports your writing, or you have the burning desire to let your readers know more, then it absolutely can work. But not all writers will want that. It may just be a supporting text confined to your study. Either way, the writing a novelette can help your other writing in being concise and complete. Whether for you own benefit, or to publish for the world to see, it is an exercise all writers should try at least once.
Famous Novelettes
The Tell-Tale Heart, Edgar Allan Poe, 1843, James Russell Lowell | Word Count: 2093
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson, 1886, Longmans, Green & Co. | 16,740 words
The Fall of the House of Usher, Edgar Allan Poe, 1839, Burton’s Gentleman’s Magazine | 11,165 words
The Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka, 1915, Kurt Wolff Verlag | 16,000 words
The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, 1943, Reynal & Hitchcock | 16,534 wordsThe Call Of Cthulhu, H.P. Lovecraft, 1928, Weird Tales | 11,905
Even the most character driven tales, and those with the most intricate and intoxicating settings, rely on plot to push a consistent line from start to finish. A good plot gives an author the scope to flesh out the characters and themes, even if the plot isn’t the main focus. In doing so, having a good plot contributes massively to reader interest. Reader interest, of course, has its own benefits.
With that in mind, there will always be exceptions. There are success stories out there with plot issues, and each author will have their own focus they place on each element. However, ensuring your story has a strong, interesting plot, it will only serve to bring in more readers. This list is by no means exhaustive, but even just doing a few of these things can help not only ring in readers, but keep them engaged throughout, and after the story is finished.
1. Integrate the plot
No plot exists in isolation. It may sound obvious, but the plot, the characters and the setting all need to playoff each other. If the plot goes along without interacting with either of the other components, then it severely weakens your story.
Creating a link between character and plot is instinctive to many writers, but what about the setting? Whilst stories are almost all character or plot driven, by making the setting essential as well, your story will be better for it. A classic example is Dumas’ TheCount of Monte Cristo. The position of everyone within society, the relationships, the culture, to the geography, contributes to Edmond Dantes’ revenge. The setting adds conflict due to locations, adds time through trade routes, and is used to compliment the plot. While it was all based on real locations, the integration of the plot with this made both more interesting. Just like the way characters and plot build off each other, so can the plot and setting. You don’t have to write as intricately as Dumas, but if you can get those basic reliances going, it will make your plot far more interesting to readers.
2. Don’t confuse it with action
The plot relies on a consistent line of actions from start to finish. The action itself is written around the plot to make it more interesting. Many stories confuse the two. It can be difficult to separate them in more action-packed genres, but it comes down to a simple question; does the action contribute to the overall picture, or is it just filler? Some readers may forgive this, particularly if the writing is good, but not all. This simple question can help ensure you don’t get caught out writing action for the sake of action, at the expense of plot. Because in the end, to take time out from the plot to throw in a fight or a chase removes the readers from the story. This is not interesting. It is frustrating. Even if some readers stick with you for it, others will little patience for frustrating.
3. Surprise them- but not all of them
Everyone loves a good surprise, but they also like to understand it. Some of the greatest mystery writers out there confess to changing their endings just to mess with readers. What they had to do though, was to make sure it still tied in with all the clues, all the foreshadowing. In doing so, they are ensuring that some readers will inevitably work it out before the end.
In this, while giving away the entire ending is not ideal, it should not be a surprise to all. If everyone is surprised, then it means the plot doesn’t make sense. Try to keep them guessing right to the end, but don’t make it impossible. People like to be right.
4. Stick to the rules
This is one of those pieces of advice that relies very heavily on context. It can also have the opposite effect of making a plot interesting if taken wrong, so it’s best considered in the context of the next tip;
5. DON’T stick to the rules
Seems a bit contradictory, so perhaps it is best, to sum up both in a single statement; Understand the rules, then pick your times to break them.
Sticking to the rules with plotting means following the basic outlines. Whether a ‘hero’s journey’, ‘three act’ structure, or a different structure, there will be basic, if loose, parameters around how your plot works. Knowing these and writing to them will write a story that readers are familiar with. Familiarity is good, to a point. In the same way that tropes give an anchor to readers, so does a recognisable plot. However, few writers have made their mark writing stories that stick safely to the same old plotlines. Hence the second component; don’t stick to the rules.
Even within a familiar plot, it only takes a few changes to make a difference. By using the rules to create a familiar plot, then breaking the rules you decide to break them gives you a very tight control over where your story goes. It puts you in charge of where the interest is generated, and that awareness can be utilised to capitalise and maximise that interest.
Whether adding zombies to an Austen classic or changing Shakespearian characters to lions and adding a happier ending, simple changes have big impacts. The same goes for plots.
6. Stick to a theme- and revisit it
A plot without a theme is like a follow-up single of a one hit wonder. It might be fun, but it is soulless and makes no lasting impression. While the characters may explore the theme, and the setting accommodates it, the plot drives theme. It creates the situations that bring it to the fore and challenges the integrity of the theme. Too often though, the theme is not apparent at the start, wanders throughout, or is abandoned entirely. The plot is like the spine that keeps the theme relevant and on track. Revisiting it at the end is what ties it all together and keeps the plotline strong throughout.
7. Make it matter
The best stories are relevant not simply in their own time, but over decades, sometimes even centuries. Characters and settings can be memorable, and themes may be forever relevant, but by making the plot matter to the reader in more than a simple ‘I want to see how this goes’ kind of way is critical in maintaining long-term interest.Think of Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird. The theme, characters, setting and plot are all written with lasting relevance. The theme of equality and the destruction of innocence are still relevant in various ways. The plot itself though is essentially that of a young child growing in her understanding of and impact on the world around her. It is a classic plot used hundreds of time before. Even Tolkien’s The Lord Of The Ringsis based around a (relatively) young character learning about their impact on the larger world. It persists because it is always relevant, and the acknowledgement of the transition from a child’s viewpoint to that of an adult will always matter to readers. The detailed plot is, of course, less so, but the overall summary of the plot is of one that mattered to Lee’s readers in the 1960s, and still matters now.
You’ve been slaving for months or even years over the first manuscript of your book. You’ve spent endless hours into days and nights going over the content and polishing any errors. You think it’s finally really to start its journey into the world of independent book publishing. The question now is where do you start to look for places to promote your work? That’s where we can come in to help.
We’ve compiled the Essential list of Book Promotion Sites that every author needs.
This list will provide you with sites that provide book promotion for free and for a fee. Which site you ultimately choose will be based on what your specific novel needs and this list will provide all of that information for you.
So, what are you waiting for? Let’s promote the next big novel!
Book Promotion Site
Description
Genres Accepted
Price
Advicesbooks
Advice Books is a European book promotion service. They specialize in getting books recognized internationally, specifically in Europe and Italy. They offer a wide variety of different types of promotion and the prices range from as low as 5 to as high as 100 pounds.
Not Specified
5 to 100 pounds
Armadillo Ebooks
Armadillo eBooks only caters to authors whose books are currently free of charge. All you have to do to apply is fill out a form. They cater to a lot of different genres as well. If your book is on sale for .99 to $2.99, you have the option of the eBook Booster Special. The Ebook Booster Special will submit your novel to 25 sites for $25 dollars.
All
Free – $25
Ask David
Ask David is pretty cool because you can submit the same book once every two weeks. This would out the author a lot! Your book must be free to be eligible. In order to be eligible for Ask David’s paid book promotion, you must be a member. Membership costs $15 and is valid for 6 months. As a member you can submit as many books as you want at no extra cost.
Not Stated
Free – $15
Author Ad Network
Author Ad Network will promote your book to 28 different promotion sites and other social media programs. If your book is of the erotica genre, they’ll only promote to certain sites that allow it. The rate is a flat $129.
All
$129
Author Marketing Club
Author Marketing Club offers submission to 28 separate platforms. You must be a club member to be eligible for these services. The basic membership option is free. Premium membership will cost you. Check out the site for more details.
Not stated
$20
Authors Den
Does not give you any information unless you sign up for an account. Due to this, I wouldn’t include it on the list.
Awesome Book Promotion
This website is for stacking your book promo across multiple days. Using the form, you can submit your details once and we will put them across all our book promotion sites. Your promotion will be featured on the homepage of the websites and also go out in that sites newsletters and social media. There are 5 different platforms available. You can choose to spread out your promotion on specific dates on each of the 5 sites or stack them all in one day. This service will run you at $65.
All
$65
Awesome Gang
Another form to fill out to access the free promotion service. Awesome Gang has no length requirement for your book synopsis. Remember, you’re essentially trying to sell your book to them. So, no length requirement is a huge help. In addition to Awesome Gang’s free book promotion service, they have an extra book promotion option for just $10. Get more exposure for your book by listing it on their front page for 2 days, a guaranteed spot in the Awesome Gang newsletters, and a blast out to the Awesome Gang social media channels.
Not Stated
Free – $10
Babs Book Bistro
Bab’s Book Bistro will review and feature your book on the blog at no charge. However, she is currently only accepting certain genres. I would only submit if you have a romance or mystery that is in need of a review.
Mysteries, romance, western romances, historical romances, and Amish romances
Free
Bargain Booksy
Price paid depends on genre. More popular genres have a bigger list and therefore cost more. Check out the site for more details.
All
Price paid depends on genre
Bargain eBook Hunter
Ebook Hunter operates through the book promotion site Hot Zippy. Hot Zippy offers one of the biggest ranges of options and prices available. You can promote your book for up to a month using this service. You can also choose shorter promotional periods, such as one day. You have 3 options to choose from: sale, standard, and campaign. Prices range from $23-$330
Not Specified
$23-$330
Bee Zee Books
Bee Zee Books prides itself on the promotion of books by independent authors. All they have is a form to fill out when it comes to gathering information. So, I would use that as a way of inquiring about prices and genres.
Not Specified
Not Specified
Best Book Board
Best Book Board operates through another book promotion site called Author Ad Network. Author Ad Network will promote your book to 28 different promotion sites and other social media programs. If your book is of the erotica genre, they’ll only promote to certain sites that allow it. The rate is a flat $129.
All
$129
Book Angel
Listing is free and your book could be chosen to receive reviews. But keep in mind those reviews will be honest. Please note that content must be PG-13 and your book must be on sale on Amazon.co.uk, not just .com.
Book must be considered PG-13
Free
Book Barbarian
Book Barbarian specializes in the promotion of books in the science fiction and fantasy genre. Your book must be one of those two genres and be either a stand alone or first in a series. Pricing depends on the price of your ebook and ranges from as low as $25 to as high as $45.
Science Fiction and Fantasy
$25-$45
Book Basset
No explicit content whatsoever allowed. You have two options: featured author post and guaranteed freebie post. Featured author post includes: Book Basset will feature one of your works, featured authors will get a dedicated post in the morning containing up to five of their books. Their post will be tweeted and posted to Book Basset’s Facebook wall and will also be featured in their daily “Today’s Deals from Book Basset” email.The guaranteed freebie post includes all of the previous package’s features plus some freebies thrown in.
No Erotica or explicit adult content.
$8 per day – $22 per day
Book Bongo
Book Bongo offers 4 different packages for the promotion for your book. The free package includes tweeting about your book, Facebook posts, and on their site for a promotional period that is decided by them. Book Bogo offers three different paid book promotion options. First, there is the Book Bump for $10. The Book Bump gets you a guaranteed Bongo Boost and your book permanently featured in up to two genres on Book Bongo’s website. Also includes a mention in their weekly mail out. The second option is the Book Blast which costs $20. The Book Blast gets you a guaranteed featured listing in the weekly mail out. Plus a guaranteed Book Bump, and your book posted on 5 to 10 of the largest Facebook groups that are best for its genre.Finally, there is the Premium Book Bang which costs $30. The Bang gets you all of the features in the other two promotions plus your book featured for a week on the Book Bongo homepage banner and in other prime advertising spots on the site.
Not Stated
Free – $30
Book Browse
Book Browse is another book review service. However, the high demand only allows them to promote 30 books a month. They do not charge for their services.
Novels, Historical Fiction, Mysteries, Thrillers, short stories, young adult, biographies, and narrative history and science
Free
Book Bub
Book Bub is a great site for readers because they have great deals on Kindle books. Of course, readers are only able to get these deals by promotion. Unfortunately, Book Bub has a stricter submission process than other promotion sites. Their prices are also on the more expensive side. Despite the drawbacks, countless authors have reported huge success after being featured on Book Bub.
All
$25-$500
Book Buzzr
Book Buzzr has a monthly and yearly plan. The monthly plan is only $9 a month and new authors will get a 14 day free trial. The yearly plan is $60. Book Buzzr offers many internet savvy features such as tweets and Facebook posts.
Not Specified
$9-$60
Book Circle
Book Circle has three different options for book promotion. These options are free, premium, and professional. The free option is quite limited, which is why I didn’t include Book-Circle in the free list. However, the premium option gets you guaranteed listing on their Free Kindle Ebooks Page, 1 Tweet, 1 Facebook post, and 1 Banner Ad at $9. The professional option gets you everything included in the premium package plus an E-newsletter Blast at $19.
Not Stated
$9-$19
Book Daily
Book Daily introduces authors to new readers by providing readers with a sample chapter from your novel. However, you are required to make an author account in order to use the service. Such benefits from Book Daily includes a video about your book, an author marketing newsletter, promotion from their free widget, press release information, and more.
All except erotica
Free
Book Eel
Book Eel offer a money back guarantee if your book doesn’t get at least 100 downloads for free books, or 30 sales for paid books. They offer two different paid packages depending on your book’s status.If your book is temporary listed as free, your package will cost $10. It includes a boost your book’s free ranking and a money back guarantee. If your book is not free, your package will cost you $30. This package includes a boost your book’s paid ranking and a money back guarantee.
All
$10-$30
Book Goodies
Submit 5 days in advance. Book Goodies has many different paid book promotions that range from $7.50-$45. Check the site out for more details.
All
$7.50-$45
Book Goodies Kids
If you can’t already tell, Book Goodies Kids will only promote books that are aimed at children under the age of 16. But they do have a small section for teens. Their prices range from $49-$229.
Children
$49-$229
Book Gorilla
Book Gorilla does have some guidelines. Erotica is accepted but must have literary quality. Books must have 5 reviews with an average of 4 stars and be over 100 pages in length. Check site for more details.
All
$50 – $100
Book Hitch
Book Hitch offers free as well as paid promotional services. The paid features prices range from $50-$129. These packages include website advertising, newsletters, and advertising.
All
$50-$129
Book Kitty
Book Kitty has two packages at the low prices of $5 and $10. However, your book has to be either free, discounted by 50%, or be a new release.
All
$5-$10
Book Lemur
Book Lemur has no minimum review amount stated. However, the site does state that “the more quality reviews the better.” Pricing depends on the price of your book and genre.
All but erotica
Pricing depends on the price of your book and genre
Book Marketing Tools
Book Marketing Tools has a credit system in place for promoting books. Each book you submit costs one credit and each credit is $29. Your credit will get your book promoted to 25+ sites.
Not Specified
$29+
Book of the Day
Book of the Day has both free and paid book promotion services. The paid services will get you front page exposure, newsletter, Facebook posts, Twitter posts, Google + posts, and much more.
All but erotica
Free-$11.95
Book Pinning
Book Pinning is the self-described “Pintrest for books.” All you have to do is fill out a form and upload your book cover image and book. Once you do that, your book will be “pinned” for readers to find.
All except erotica and Children’s Fiction
Free
Book Praiser
Book Praiser has many different promotional plans; both paid and free. Read up on each plan to figure out which one is best for you.
All
Free-$180
Book Preview Club
Book Preview Club has cheap promotion details, but they probably won’t promote your book if it has anything they deem offensive.
All but erotica
Free-$20
Book RAID
Your book must be discounted by 50% or more to qualify. Free books are also welcome. Fiction books must be at least 120 pages and non-fiction must be at least 80. Books must also have high quality covers and descriptions.
All
Free
Book Reader Magazine
$20 guarantees a featured spot on the Book Reader Magazine homepage for 7 days. Your book will also go out in their newsletter and spread in their social media channels. You also get the option of doing an author interview at no extra cost.
All
$20
Book Review Buzz
Book Review Buzz offers 2 packages for book promotion. The cheaper of the two includes getting your book out there to many different venues, but you would handle getting the reviews. For an additional $10, Book Review Buzz will do that for you.
All
$25-$36
Book Runes
All you have to do to seek book promotion is fill out a form. The cost is only $25 per promotion.
Biographies, history, cooking, health, fantasy, science fiction, fiction, horror, mysteries, thrillers, non-fiction, romance, success and motivation, young adult
$25 per promotion
Book Sliced
Book Sliced asks that authors contact them in order to get book promotion details.
Not Specified
Not Specified
BookPebble
The Book Pebble has some requirements such as no errors, a good cover, a certain star rating, and a certain length. However, their promotions are currently only $5.
Action and Adventure, Contemporary/Literary Fiction, Steamy/Erotic, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Historical, Romance, Horror, LGBT, Non-Fiction, Young Adult, Romantic Suspense
$5 per promotion
BookRaid
Your book must be discounted by 50% or more to qualify. Free books are also welcome. Fiction books must be at least 120 pages and non-fiction must be at least 80. Books must also have high quality covers and descriptions.
African American & Multicultural
Books Butterfly
The really neat thing about Books Butterfly is that they offer a prorated refund if their stated download target is not met. They offer a total of four different packages. These packages are pure gold, all month push, platinum 100, and new release max. Check site for more details.
Not Stated
$50-$500
Books on the Knob
Books on the Knob separates their book promotions by traditional publishers, small publishers, and indie published. However, not a lot of information is given on their services and some of the links are broken.
Not Specified
Not Specified
BookSends
Book Sends has some guidelines when submitting books for promotion. These guidelines include at least 5 reviews, with a high overall average, an attractive cover, and a planned sale price of less than $3 and at least 50% off full price. Price varies by genre.
All
Free-$85
BooksGoSocial.com / TheBookPromoter.com
Your Book Promoter is a 3 month service. Service includes a guaranteed number of Amazon book page visitors. There are three different packages that each lasts for the three months.
All but erotica
$49-$249
Booksie
Booksie offers a medium for writers to post their stories on. They hold contests as well.
Not Specified
Free
Booktasktik
Booktasktik offers writers a whole lot for their buck. They will send their subscribers daily emails about your book, make Facebooks ads about your book, and much more.
Not Specified
$5-$15
BookTweeters
It’s pretty self explanatory that BookTweeeters will tweet about your book. However, they have a very wide range. They will promote your book over 2 Twitter accounts to over 535,000 users 24 times a day. That’s a tweet an hour!
Not clearly specified
$15-$65
Bookworm World
Bookworm World offers three different packages at very affordable prices. The $20 and $30 packages include Facebook and Google + posts.
Not Specified
$10-$30
Buck Books
Buck Books has a few guidelines. Your book must be 0.99 or less during promotion, book must have at least 10 reviews with an average score of 3.8 or higher, must have a well written book description, and a pro cover design. Fees are based off how well your book does.
Non-fiction and Fiction
Fees based on average of books sold
Choosy Bookworm
Choosy Bookworm may be harder to break into, hence the name. However, they have a lot of subscibers. Which means that if you get picked, a lot of readers will be reading your work.
Not Specified
Free-$149
Content Mo
Content Mo enables authors 2 free ads a month that last all day. They will even send you a confirmation email that lets you know what day(s) your book is scheduled to be promoted. Your book must be free of charge to be eligible. Content Mo has a lot of different paid promo deals. Their prices range from $19-$133. Check out the site for more in depth details.
Not Stated
Free – $133
Daily Bookworm
Daily Bookworm has 4 different plans for authors to choose from. Each plan builds up from the one before.
Nor Specified
Free-$50
Daily Cheap Reads
This site no longer provides book promotions, only book reviews.
All but erotica
$5
Daily Free Books
Daily Free Books offers a “highlighting” service, where your book will be seen at the top of all promotions.
No erotica
$7.50-$17.00
DebutCity
DebutCity is unique in that they not only publish novels, but they also promote articles and products.
No offensive content
Free-$20
Digital Book Girl
Digital Book Girl promotes authors and writers for free on Twitter, Facebook, and the official Digital Book Girl site.
Not specified
Free
Digital Book Today
Digital Book Today lists over 95% of submitted fiction books for up to 4 days. You just have to make sure that your book follows the site’s guidelines. Perma-free books will be listed for 2-3 days per month. Digital Book Today has several different paid book promotion options. Check out the site for more details.
Fiction, Non-Fiction, and Children’s Books
Free – $15
Discount Book Man
Discount Book Man offers free promotion by giving your book front page access on their website for 5 days. In order to take advantage of this, you must fill out another form. The form includes title of your book, book synopsis, author bio, author site (optional), link to book on Amazon, Twitter, Facebook Fan Page, book cover image, email address, book category, and genre. Discount Book Man offers a Featured Book Listing for $15. Your book will be listed on the front page of their site for 5 days.
All
Free – $15
eBbook Hounds
Ebook Hounds’ guidelines are as followed: nonfiction books must be over 100 pages, fiction books must be over 150, and the book must have at least 10 reviews averaging on 3+ stars. Price is determined by genre.
All
Price is determined by genre
eBook booster
eBook Booster will promote single or multiple books to 25-45 different sites.
Not Specified
$25-$35
EBOOK CHRISTIAN
Ebook Christian does promote many different genres of novels. However, since they are a Christian site, your novel probably shouldn’t have any offensive content.
Children’s. poetry, fantasy, romance, how to’s, science fiction, religion, biography, self-help, young adult fiction, non-fiction, suspense, drama, mystery, historical fiction, and spiritual
$5
eBook Deal of the Day
Ebook Deal of the Day costs $5 per marketplace (e.g Kindle, iTunes etc). Also offers a specific Kindle India promotion option.
Not Stated
$5
eBook Lister
Just fill out a simple form to apply for free book promotion. This promotion is open to free e-books, as well as discounted one. Just be sure to follow the guidelines. After submitting your listing,be sure to check your email (and spam box) for your confirmation code. After submitting the code, your listing will be placed in the ‘Review Queue. Listings not confirmed within 7 days are deleted.
All except erotica
Free
eBook Lister
Just fill out a simple form to apply for free book promotion. This promotion is open to free e-books, as well as discounted one. Just be sure to follow the guidelines. After submitting your listing, be sure to check your email (and spam box) for your confirmation code from ‘info@ebooklisternet’. After submitting the code, your listing will be placed in the ‘Review Queue. Listings not confirmed within 7 days are deleted.
All except erotica
Free
eBook Skill
The Team at eBook Skill has a very active Twitter account. This will be a big help in giving your novel a broader reach.
Not Stated
Free
eBook Skill
The Team at E Book Skill has a very active Twitter account. This will be a big help in giving your novel a broader reach.
Not Specified
Free
eBook Soda
eBook Soda caters to readers by matching them up with books they like. Your book would be promoted right to its target audience.
Action and Adventure, Africian American and Multicultural, Biography & Memoirs, Children’s & Middle Grade, Contemporary Romance, Cooking & Lifestyle, Crime Fiction, Erotica, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Horror, Humor, LGBT, Literary Fiction, Mysteries, New Adult & College Romance, Non-Fiction, Paranormal Romance,Religious & Inspirational, Short Stories & Novellas, Teen & Young Adult, Thrillers & Suspense, Woman’s Fiction
$6-$15
eBook Stage
eBook Stage offers five different book promotion packages at varying different prices. However, they also use a points system.
Not Specified
$10-$16
eBook Universe
eBooks links your book promotion with your author blog or website, free of charge.
Not Specified
Free
eBookasaurus
Standard book listings will display your book on the first day of promotion on the front page of the eBookasaurus.com website. Your listing will always be available on the site, however, new listings each day appear at the top. Large book covers are required.
All
Free
eBooks Habit
eBooks Habit offers three different book promotion packages. They advertise heavily on Twitter.
No erotica or graphic sex
Free-$15+
eReader Cafe
eReader Café provides book promotion free of charge.
No erotica
Free
eReader Girl
E-Reader Girl’s free book promotion is only available to author’s whose book is currently free of charge to download. Be sure to check out the submission guidelines BEFORE you submit. E-Reader Girl does not accept any novels that contain profanity, graphic violence, or sexual content. You MUST submit your book at least 24 hours before it goes on as free. The paid book promotion option on E-Reader Girl is $20 per entry. Please remember that E-Reader Girl does not accept any novels that contain profanity, graphic violence, or sexual content.
Non-fiction, Children’s ebooks, and Christian fiction.
Free – $20
eReader Love
Not a lot of unformation is available about eReader Love’s promotion service. However, they do have a form where you can contact them about it.
Not Specified
Not Specified
eReader News Today
In order to submit your book to eReader News Today, your book must be available on Amazon and be eiither free or on sale. For more guidelines check out their site.
No erotica or controversal subject matter
$30-$135
eReaderIQ
eReaderIQ offers three different options for getting your book promoted. The first is getting your book featured in their newsletter, the second is being featured on their blog, and the final option is getting a deal with BookSends.
No Erotica or explicit adult content.
$5-$180
Excite Spice
Here’s a site that specializes in the genre of erotica. These are unfortunately hard to come by.
Erotica
Free-$25
Feed Your Reader
This is strictly for your book to be featured on a personal blog. Feed Your Reader does not accept titles that contain erotica, homosexuality or gruesome covers.
No Erotica, GBLT or books with sensual or gruesome covers.
Free
Fire and Ice Book Tours
Fire and Ice Book Tours offers three different packages to choose from. Visit the site to see which one is right for you.
Not Specified
$20-$50
Free & Discounted Books
Here is another free book promotion service that only requires you to fill out a form. You will need to include your name, book title, a book synopsis, your targeted age group, and a link to your author home page. However, if you have your book listed on an independent publishing service such as iTunes books, Amazon, Nook, etc., it must be free to download. If your e-book is not free and for a discounted price, then you can take advantage of Free & Discounted Books paid book promotion services. $8 will get your book posted on their site for 30 days. $20 will give your book a permanent spot on their site, as long as your book is under $3.
All
Free – $20
Free Book Club
Free Book Club is another promotion deal for books that are currently listed as free on Amazon. This service is affiliated with the Publishing Profits Podcast.
Not Stated
Free
Free Book Service
Free Book Service should probably change it’s name because it has some of the most expensive packages on this list. Hopefully, the benefits are worth it.
Not Specified
$189-$1,499
Free Books
Free Books gives you the option of either a temporary promotion or a permanent promotion with their site.
All but erotica
Free
Free Books Hub
Your book will be promoted via email, on the website, and through social media. Extra payments can be made in order to be more prominently displayed on both the site and on Facebook. The paid packages include the priority listing package, book blast package, and the featured author package.The priority listing package is $10. The package includes a free book post in a single page with image, book description, and author details. One tweet to their 50K+ Twitter users. One email to 1000+ eBook subscribers. Finally, if space is available, listing as a featured author.The book blast package is $15. It includes everything from the previous package plus reach ability of more than 100,000+ users and one Facebook blurb with a big picture of your novel.The final package is the featured author package and is $20. You get everything in the book blast package plus a feature in “Featured Author” column on Freebookshub.com and a feature in “Featured Author” column for 1 week of your promotion.
Not Stated
$10-$20
Free Books Hub UK
Your book will be promoted via email, on the website, and through social media. Extra payments can be made in order to be more prominently displayed on both the site and on Facebook. The paid packages include the priority listing package, book blast package, and the featured author package.
Not Specified
5-15 pounds
Free Booksy
Pricing depends on genre. Price ranges from $40-$200. The size of the reader base your book will be promoted to also depends on your genre. Your book will only be shown to fans of that specific genre.
All
$40-$200
Free Discounted Books
If your e-book is not free and for a discounted price, then you can take advantage of Free & Discounted Books paid book promotion services. $8 will get your book posted on their site for 30 days. $20 will give your book a permanent spot on their site, as long as your book is under $3.
All
$8-$20
Free eBooks Blog
Free eBooks Blog does promote books on their website, however, they do not have a lot of information available on their site. You can contact them for more details.
Not Specified
Not Specified
Free Kindle Books & Tips
Free Kindle Books & Tips have 2 paid book promotions options. These options are regular book posting and featured book posting. The regular posting rate is at $60 IF your book costs a $1 or above. If your book is .99 cents or less, the rate is $30. The cost of a featured posting is $100 if your book is priced for free on the day of promotion and $125 if your book is priced at .99 cents or above on the day of promotion.
No erotica or offensive themes
$30-$125
Free Kindle Books 4 U
Free Kindle Books 4 U offers free book promotion. However, due to high demand not all books will be accepted. If you choose to donate to the site, you’ll probably have a better chance.
All but erotica
Free
Free Kindle Deal
Free Kindle Deal is another deal where your Kindle book has to be free to be eligible for promotion. Just fill out the form.
All
Free
Free Me
Not a lot of information available at all. But you can click the various links to try and submit your book.
Not Specified
Not Specified
Free Stuff Unlimited
This site isn’t really about book promotion and is more about finding good deals. But you could still ask them about book promotion.
Not specified
Not Specified
Free Today
This is actually a Facebook page. It does have some instuctions on how to apply for the book promotions and you can always join the group and chat with other authors.
Not specified
Not Specified
Frugal Freebies
Your book must be free of charge to take part in this promotion.
All
Free
Frugal Reader
The Frugal eReader advertises solely on Facebook and Twitter, with a combined 11,000+ fans. However, the submit page seems to be down.
Get Free Ebooks
All you have to do to seek book promotion is fill out a form.
Not Specified
Not Specified
Genre Pulse
Genre Pulse has no special requirements and they pride themselves on this. Their pricing starts at $16 + and includes targeting apps and genre specific email lists, 57 available campaign slots per day, 3,000 to over 12,000 email recipients depending on genre, and automated Amazon localized click through.
All
$16+
Good Kindles
Good Kindles has three different book promotion packages. The cheapest is the standard package at $25. This package will get your book listed on Good Kindles’ homepage and in at least one best matching genre category. Plus a feature in their newsletter and social media profiles.The next package is the standard plus at $35. This package includes the two features from the previous package plus an additional full promotion for both features.The most expensive package is the professional package, which will run you $45. For your money, you get everything from the previous two packages plus the possibility to add your blog and/or website link to Good Kindles’ Popular Authors’ Website List.
All
$25-$45
Goodreads
If you choose to promote your book through Goodreads, you get your own author page.
All
Free
Hidden Gems Romance
Thousands of quality subscribers and growing daily, newsletter goes out twice a week and price varies on package. All genres of romance. Also has an ARC program for attracting honest reviews. Check out site for more details.
All genres of romance
$10-$30
Hot Zippy
Hot Zippy offers one of the biggest ranges of options and prices available. You can promote your book for up to a month using this service. You can also choose shorter promotional periods, such as one day. You have 3 options to choose from: sale, standard, and campaign.
Not stated
$23 – $330
I Crave Freebies
I Crave Freebies gives top priority to books that already have some good reviews.
No explict or controversial content.
Free
I Like eBooks
I like Ebooks has 3 very affordable promotion packages. The first is called silver listing package and is only 99 cents. The package includes a lifetime submission, no monthly fees, and a book cover upload.The second package is the gold listing package and is $5. Gold listing includes lifetime submission, no monthly fees, multiple categories, book cover upload, Facebook and Twitter post, and featured front page spot for 1 week or more.Finally, the sponsored banner page is $10. Sponsored banner includes lifetime submission, no monthly fees, multiple categories, book cover upload, Facebook and Twitter post, 3D realistic book mock-up, featured front page spot for 1 week or more, sponsored banner for one month, and a mention in the I Like Ebooks newsletter.
All
.99 – $10
iAuthor
iAuthor sorts all their promoted books by themes.
All but erotica
$15+
Ignite Your Book
Ignite Your Book has the reputation of being the cheapest paid service available. They only charge you 99 cents for their services, though there are some guidelines. Ignite Your Book only accepts eBooks that are currently available through Amazon.com. They only allow books to be listed once. Your book must be free for the entire time period you list. Your book can only be featured for a total of 14 days. They cannot make changes to your listing once submitted.
Children, Fiction, Non-fiction, Paranormal, Romance, Thriller, and Mystery
0.99
Independent Author Network
Independent Author Network offers many different book promotion services to choose from. Check out the site to see which one is right for you.
Varies
Varies
Indie Author News
Indie Author News asks that you fill out a form to get more information about their book promotion services.
Not Specified
Not Specified
Indie Book Lounge
You must make an author account with Indie Book Lounge in order to promote your book.
Not Specified
Free
Indie Book of the Day
Do you have kindle books that are free? Or are you in KDP Select and about to use your free days? Whatever the reason, if your book is (or going to be) listed free in the next 30 days, Indie Book of The Day will make those free days count. They will share the promotion via their website, Facebook page, Twitter and Pinterest.
All except erotica
Free
Indie Book Promo
Indie Book Promo uses a many different types of social media to get your book will be exposed to a wide audience of readers.
All
$25
Indies Unlimited
Indies Unlimited offers four different free self-service promo features.
No erotica, religious, or poltical books.
Free
InkArcade
nkArcade gives indie authors the chance to promote their book in two ways; through newsletter and a permanent listing on their site.
Not Specified
$20-$30
Inkitt
Inkitt not only offers free book promotion, but you also MAY be offered a publishing deal as well. All you have to do is submit your novel to Inkitt, they will promote your novel to thousands of readers, and if their readers love your novel, they might consider offering you a deal.
All accepted except fanfiction
Free
Interviews With Authors
Interviews with Authors is another book promotion site that runs through Author Ad Netwotk.
All
$129
It’s Write Now
It’s Write Now offers guaranteed submission for only $10. With a guaranteed submission your book will be featured on the front page of the It’s Write Now site for up to 3 consecutive days, permanently listed in their book blog, featured in subscriber newsletter, shared on Facebook, tweeted on Twitter for 3 days, pinned on Pinterest, and have a written author interview permanently listed ItsWriteNow.com
Not Stated
$10
Jacket Flap
There are four ways to advertise on JacketFlap: self-service advertising, permanent monthly sponsorships, traditional CPM-based advertising, and book widgets.
Children and Young Adult
Not Specified
Jungle Deals & Steals
Jungle Deals & Steals does not post ebooks that contain graphic violence, sexual content, paranormal activity, or excessive profanity.
No graphic content, profanity, or paranotmal subjects
Not Specified
Just Kindle Books
Just Kindle Books has 4 different paid packages to choose from. The Premium Kindle Book Promotion is $30 and guarantees maximum exposure. The package includes a top spot on the Just Kindle Books homepage for 1 day, a top spot in the Just Kindle Books newsletter, a custom written Facebook post, a post on all other Just Kindle Book social channels: Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, StumleUpon & Tumblr, a top spot on eReaderNation’s homepage, and a top spot in eReaderNation’s newsletter.The 2nd package available is the Premium Book Promotion Plus and it costs $35. This promotion gives you everything in the previous promotion plus an extra 2-3 days of Homepage exposure in our Hot Books section and an option to add an eReaderNation Facebook post.The 3rd option is for those more on a budget. It’s called the Budget Book Promotion and is $15. For your buck, you will receive homepage placement for 1 day, Just Kindle Books’ newsletter placement, a post on all other Just Kindle Book social channels: Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, StumleUpon & Tumblr, eReaderNation’s homepage placement, and eReaderNation’s newsletter placement.The final option is the Kindle Scout Promotion and the price tag is $25. This promotion is strictly for books up for nomination on Kindle Scout. This promotion helps readers discover and nominate your book on Kindle Scout with these features. You get a top spot on the Just Kindle Books homepage for 1 day, a top spot in their newsletter, a custom written Facebook post on Just Kindle Books’ Facebook page, a post on all other Just Kindle Book social channels: Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, StumleUpon, Tumblr, LiveJournal, Delicious, and Plurk, eReaderNation’s homepage placement, and eReaderNation’s newsletter placement.
All
$15-$35
Kate Tilton
The Kate Tilton’s Book Blogger Reach-Out service was designed to be a more flexible option for authors and bloggers than a standard blog tour. For $105, Kate will reach out to her list of bloggers (the Kate Tilton’s Book Blogger Group) with your book or request for reviews/interviews/guest posts/giveaway hosts.
All genres except erotica and steamy romance are accepted.
$105
Kindle Book Promos
If you’ve used the Kindle Publishing Service to publish your book, then Kindle Book Promos is a great option for you. All you have to do is fill out a small form and you can pay for additional days for your promotion. Kindle Book Promos offers 4 different paid options. The guaranteed listing for up to 2 days is $10. The guaranteed listing for up to 5 days is $20. The Featured Freebie for up to 2 days is $25. Finally, the Featured Freebie for up to 5 days is $40.
Not Stated
Free $40
Kindle Book Review
Kindle Book Review has several diifferent options for book promotion. All you have to do is fill out a form.
Not Specified
Free $59+
Kindle Books & Tips
Kindle Mojo
Kindle Mojo offers a wide array of options including Twitter, creating a VIP page on the site, and even having ‘prime time tweets’ sent out for a slightly higher price. Kindle Mojo is currently changing its packaging features, since the site is becoming better known.The Featured Author option is a one-time fee of $25. The VIP option is a one-time fee of $75. Check the website for more details.
Not Stated
$25-$75
Kindle Nation Daily
You can buy either daily, weekly or monthly packages, and have the option of choosing to promote to specific genre pages or to the whole site in general. Prices range from as low as $30 to as high as $130.
Not Stated
$30-$130
Korner Konnection
Korner Konnection asks that authors visit their facebook page before submitting their book.
Not Specified
Free
Kufads
Kufads offers cheap advertising fees and a wide choice of how and where you advertise and market your book.
No sexual content
$7.50-$17.00
LibraryThing
Want to know something cool about LibraryThing? Famous authors actually use it. Laurie R. King is a LibraryThing author. My mom loves her.
Not Specified
Not Specified
Love Lust and Lipstick Stains
Not much information on this site, but you can submit your book to appear in their newsletter.
Not Specified
Not Specified
Lovely Book Promotions
Lovely Book Promotions has many different options for paid book promotions. A standard paid book promotion will cost you $20 and includes book cover photo, links, book description, a small author bio and photo, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Google+ and Email Promotions, Front Page Feature for 7 days, and a permanent listing on the Lovely Book Promotions website.
Not Stated
$20+
Many Books
Many Books’ promotional service has a flat rate of $29. For that you will get, a listing in their daily newsletter and they link your book to major retailers including Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Apple, Google & Smashwords.You also get a feature on the Many Books website. This feature includes your book featured on the Many Books homepage with links to Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Apple, Google & Smashwords the same day it is featured in the newsletter. It will then be available in its genre for up to 30 days depending on the length of your promotion/discount. You will also have the option of adding an Author Profile to your book listing with links to your social media profiles and website.
All
$29
Market List
Market Lisr has been around for a long time and allows authors to promote their books by communicating with other writers.
Not Specified
Free
Masquerade Crew
Masquerade Crew will tweet about your book starting at just $2!
Not Specified
$2-$50
Mobile Read Forum
This site allows you to self promote your book by the use of a message board. Read the guidelines before posting.
No erotic or explict content
Free
My Book Cave
My Book Cave promotes your book by either promoting it on retailer sites and/or putting it in their newsletter.
Not Specified
$5-$20
New Free Kindle Books
For $5 you can guarantee that your eBook is placed on the book shelf on the “Upcoming Free eBooks” page or the “Books Deal” page with a larger image and a partial description below the shelf.
Not Stated
$5
Novel Finds
Novel Finds creates content that matches the theme(s) of your book in order to sell it.
Not Specified
Starting at $39.95
Obooko
Obooko is only interested in authors who want long term book promotion.
All but erotica
Free
On BookTalk
On Booktalk offers five different packages for book promotion. Just be sure that your novel has no offensive content.
No offensive content
$30-$585
One Hundred Free Books
One Hundred Free Books offers free and paid book promotion. But if you go with the free version, you are not guaranteed a spot.
Not Specified
Free-$100
Online Book Club
You won’t get much information from this site until you submir. However, they are more of a book review service than a promotional service.
Not Specified
Not Specified
Penny Pinchin Mom
The Penny Pinching Mom may review your book if you contact her.
Not Specified
Not Specified
People Reads
People Reads are not accepting Children’s or Middle Grade books at this time. Your book must have 10 reviews on Amazon (US and/or UK) with an average rating of 3.9 stars or better. For books with 50+ reviews an average of 3.8 stars or better must be maintained and for books with 200+ reviews an average of 3.5 stars or better must be maintained. People Reads has many different paid book promotion deals. Way too many to write about here. Go to their site, read up on the different offers, and pick the best one for you.
Not Stated
Free – $20
Pin Your Book
PinYourBook.com is a free service provided and maintained by Author Marketing Club
All but erotica
Free
Pixel Scroll
Pixel Scroll is run by Hot Zippy. Hot Zippy offers one of the biggest ranges of options and prices available. You can promote your book for up to a month using this service. You can also choose shorter promotional periods, such as one day. You have 3 options to choose from: sale, standard, and campaign.
Not Specified
$23-$330
Planet Ebooks
Planet Ebooks has 4 different packages that depend on the stare of your book. Books with reviews are preferred, but no minimum quantity/score is required. If your book is free, your two options are a $19.95 package and a $29.95 package. If your book is not free, your options are a $29.95 package and a $59.95 package.The $19.95 package includes adverting to 130,000+ worldwide followers on Facebook with multiple posts, a tweet from their Twitter account, a post on their Google + page, a pin on their Pinterest pin board, and a feature on the Planet eBooks website homepage.The $29.95 package has all the benefits of the $19.95 package plus a boost to your Facebook post with paid Facebook advertising and a team up with partnered Kindle book promoters for extra exposure, your book appears in thousands of newsfeeds, your Facebook post pinned to the top of the Planet Ebooks timeline for one day, and links on their website to your own website and Amazon author profile.Next, is the $29.95 package for books that are not listed as free. This package includes advertising to 130,000+ worldwide followers on Facebook with multiple posts linking to your book on Amazon, a tweet from their Twitter account, a post on their Google + page, a pin on their Pinterest pin board, and a feature on the Planet eBooks website homepage.Finally, there is the $59.95 package. This includes everything from the $29.95 package plus a boost to your Facebook post with paid Facebook advertising and a team up with partnered Kindle book promoters for extra exposure, your book appears in thousands of newsfeeds, your Facebook post pinned to the top of the Planet Ebooks timeline for one day, and links on the Planet Ebooks website to your own website and Amazon author profile.
Not Stated
$19.95- $59.95
Pretty Hot Books
In order to submit to Pretty Hot Books, authors must submit a form. On the form you will give a synopsis of your book (there is no length requirement), and introduction of yourself as an author. This service is free, but Pretty Hot Book also has a featured option for $25. Get more exposure for your book by listing it on their front page for 7 days!
Not Stated
Free – $25
Read Cheaply
Read Cheaply targeted daily email reaches over 70K subscribers across 23 genres with passionately engaged readers eager to discover new books and authors.
Not Specified
$25-$100
Read Freely
Your book must be sold at a discount in order to get this service.
All
Free
Reader’s Hideaway
Reader’s Hideaway will pin your post about your book to their front page for a specified number of days. Once it is done on the front page, it will remain listed in the Featured Books Category.
All
$20-$99
Readers in the Know
Unlike most book sites where you have to submit your details every time you run a promo, and then wait / hope for someone to add your books on the correct day, Readers in the Know gives you total control over your book and promo management.
Not Specified
20 pounds
Reading Deals
No sexual content or hate speech allowed. Good quality covers only. 10,000 words minimum. Books must have at least 5 reviews with a 4 star rating average. Must be at least 33% off, or free. Reading Deals’ guaranteed submission will run you at $29. This includes guaranteed promotion to over 40,000 readers on their list and more!
Do not approve books with graphic sexual content or hate speech
Free – $29
Red Feather Romance
Each package comes with guidelines that your book must follow.
Not Specified
$80 – $125
Riffle Select
Riffle Select’s guidelines include that the book must be over 150 pages and be professionally edited and presented. Riffle Select offers pricing at $25, $50, $75 and $100 based on list size, category, ebook price and availability.
All
$25-$100
Ripley’s Booklist
Ripley’s Booklist specialuzes in Young Adult and New Adult fiction.
Young Adult and New Adult Fiction
$15
Robin Reads
Books are promoted specifically by genre. Erotica is allowed but featured separately. Books must have a good cover and good reviews to be selected. No minimum reviews. Price is determined by genre.
All
Price paid depends on genre
Shameless Book Deals
Shameless Book Deals specializes in erotica.
Erotica
Not Specified
Snicks List
Snick list is one of the cheaper paid promotion options. You can choose the number of days your promotion will run, with very small price increases for extra days. If you have a permafree book, your promotion will run for a year for only $5.
All except for erotica
$1-$5
Steamy Romance Books
It is actually quite difficult for erotica writers to find good promotional services. This is because most publishers like to advertise to a larger demographic. Not to say that erotica doesn’t have a large fan base, it just eliminates younger readers. Steamy Romance books specializes in this sometimes hard to market genre. Their rate is $25 dollars for a permanent listing on their site. Really, not a bad deal.
Romance and Erotica
$25
Story Finds
You won’t get much information from this site until you subscibe to it.
Not Specified
Not Specified
Sweet Free Books
By listing your book with SweetFreeBooks, you will reach a dedicated audience with a voracious appetite for books in your target genre.
All
$7
The Books Machine
The Book Machine offers a Kindle Daily Deals package and a blog post.
Nor Specified
$35-$55
The Digital Ink Spot
The Digital Ink Spot focuses on audio books. reviews, insights, promotions and sales.
All
Email for inquries
The eBook Bandit
The eBook Bandit only promotes free or discounted books.
Not Specified
Free
The Fussy Librarian
Your book must also have at least 10 reviews with an average of 3.5 stars +. Once again, pricing depends on genre.
All
$12 – $18Pricing depends on genre
The Page-Hungry Bookworm
The Page Hungry Bookworm offers many different promotion packages at very affordable prices.
Not Specified
$3.99 – $10
This Is Writing
This Is Writing is not only a great place to find your next favorite book, but is also a great source of free book promotion! This Is Writing offers you such features as the Author Spotlight Interview, a guest post related to your genre, a book excerpt for readers to get a taste of your talent, book reviewers, and an author and book page.
Any as long as story is fictional.
Free
Topless Cowboy
If you can’t tell from the name, Topless Cowboy specializes in specific subject romances and erotica.
Romance/Erotica
Free
Wanton Reads
Here is another promotion service that may cater to erotica. However, romance is their main game.
Romance and Adult Romance
Not Specified
Whizbuzz
Your book will be promoted on the Whizzbuzz website, to over half a million Twitter users, on Facebook, and Pintrest.
No erotica or offensive themes
$50
WhoWroteWhat
WhoWroteWhat offers three different package deals.
No language or offensive themes
$35 – $100
xtme: gute eBooks
Promote your book here and hundreds of readers could download your book.
Not Specified
$9-$29
Your Book Promoter
Your Book Promoter is a 3 month service. Service includes a guaranteed number of Amazon book page visitors. There are three different packages that each lasts for the three months.The first package is the basic package and it will run you at $49. The basic package includes 2 weeks of tweets to 747,380 readers, 3 months full membership, email and Facebook promotions, 700+ Amazon book page visitors guaranteed, global book promotion, book reviews and support, a free guide, blog post boosts for each month, and online video readings promotion.Next is the mid package, which costs $99. The mid package includes 5 weeks of daily tweets to 747,380 readers, 3 months full membership, email and Facebook promotions, 1,750+ Amazon book page visitors guaranteed, global book promotion, book reviews and support, a free guide, blog post boosts for each month, online video readings promotion, and virtual marketing and training.The final package is the premium package and it is the most expensive at $249. The premium package includes 8 weeks of tweets to 747,380 readers, 3 months full membership, email and Facebook promotions, 2,800+ Amazon book page visitors guaranteed, global book promotion, book reviews and support, a free guide, blog post boosts for each month, online video readings promotion, and virtual marketing and training.
No erotica
$49-$249
Zwoodle Books
Just fill out the form to submit your book. Once again, your book must be free of charge to be eligible. Zoodle will promote your book on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, and Google+.
Strict anti-hate policy, no Religious books, no erotica
Free
Conclusion
With such an extensive list, you should have no problem finding a site that suits your particular needs. Though, keep in mind that there is a lot of information here. It could take you some time to go through it. Also, try not to get too overwhelmed.
My suggestion would be to keep a list of all the sites that meet your requirements and submitting to each one. Eliminate the ones that don’t suit your needs. By submitting to all of the sites that cater to your book, you will have a better chance of getting promoted.
There is enough sites here to suit anyone’s budget as well. Whether you have no budget or a big budget. You can also try the sites you can’t afford right now at a later date. Though keep in mind, you never know when a particular site might go down. We sincerely hope you find what you are looking for and happy promotion hunting! You may even find your next read as well.
And if you’re looking for even more book promotion and marketing sites be sure to check out this articles:
