After reading: How to Get Free Book PR, a recent blog, you might ask: How to Find influential Book Bloggers?
These bloggers receive so many books from new and self-publishing authors, they are totally overwhelmed. If your book is just another one “on the pile”, they might not ever read it. To become “friends” with a blogger before asking for a review can make a all the difference. Building a trusted relationship, and to support them first, before asking for a review is a good idea. Most book bloggers are very nice people, and worth getting to know, not only for a book review. To grow a mutually helpful, long term support group of friends for your writer career should be your goal, not only to get reviews.
Start your search with these links, or google “Book Blogger + ….. (your genre)”. You will find dozens more in your genre.
http://futurebook.net/content/book-blogger-and-reviewer-listing-0
http://bookbloggerdirectory.wordpress.com/category/uncategorized/
http://bookbloggerappreciationweek.com/about/
http://montrealbookbloggers.weebly.com/
http://www.chrisbookarama.com/2008/09/best-thrillermysterysuspense-blog.html
http://www.theindieview.com/indie-reviewers/
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Tips For Building a Relationship with Book Bloggers
- Find book bloggers who “fit” with your genre best and who have a large readership
- Check the popularity of their website with www.Alexa.com (should be less than 100,000)
- Search for bloggers who have already reviewed other books in your genre
- Check their availability, and if they actually accept books to review
- If you are on Twitter, re-tweet the best of what they tweet and give supportive opinions on those tweets, same applies to Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+
- Ask for their opinion on related matters – by blog comment, by email, and on Twitter.
- Leave positive and constructive comments on their blog
- You both have a fascination for books, which is the main point!
After at least several weeks, you will be familiar to them. When you are certain that you really have developed a great relationship, you can introduce your book for review – but be patient!
In the meantime submit your book to reader/writer forums, found in the latest listing here on this blog.
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Rayne Hall (@RayneHall)
October 31, 2012 at 5:35 am
The Alexa ranking should be less than 100,000? Hmm, I’m not sure I agree there. Sure, it’s nice to have one’s books reviewed by such illustrious reviewers – but that’s not likely to happen often, and for many authors, that’s not likely to happen at all.
To make it more realistic, add a zero: 1,000,000. Any site with a ranking of 1,000,000 or better gets enough traffic to create substantial exposure. Indeed, I’m happy when even smaller sites carry a review of my book.
More important than numbers is the target audience. If blog specialises in reviewing just one type of book, then it attracts followers who are devoted fans of that genre, and this means every single one of the followers is a potential buyer for my book.
I’m looking for sites of any ranking that specialise in reviewing fantasy, horror and writing craft books, because that’s what I write.
Whereas if a big blog reviews all kinds of books from romance to science fiction, only a small number of its followers are potential customers for horror, fantasy and writing craft books.
Of course, the ideal review site has a tight genre specialisation AND great Alexa ranking… and picks my book.
What do you think?
Rayne Hall