Best Book Reviewers | Book Review Websites

So, you wrote an amazing book, and you’ve published it on a selected platform. Now, you’re hoping for as many new readers as possible so positive reviews can start pouring in. Yet, weeks later, your readers are nowhere to be seen.

What Happened With All Of Your Readers?

Where are dozens and hundreds of sales and reviews that you KNOW your book deserves? The truth is, without an organized book launch that includes pre-launch, launch, and post-launch promotion, it is highly unlikely that readers will even hear about your book.

Best Book Review Sites: Rank Well With the Person Who Reviews Books

You see, platforms like Amazon are highly competitive. There are tens of thousands of new uploads each day, so it’s hard to stand out. Unless you already have your own sales funnels, driving sales from an ebook platform alone could take months, or even longer.

Contacting a Book Review Blog Is a Must!

To avoid that, seasoned publishers have massive advertising campaigns for their books. That way, they ensure that their book gains publicity months before it’s launched. As well as even gaining pre-launch purchases, and with that, good book reviews are almost guaranteed.

Book reviewing is a great way to get high-quality, legitimate exposure for your book at a reasonable cost.

Book advertising, like Facebook or Google ads, could cost tens of thousands of dollars, but book reviewers have a different approach to presenting book lovers with fresh writing.

How Do You Benefit From a Book Review Site? Find Out How Book Review Websites Advertise Your Book

VIDEO: Strategies for Marketing Your First Book - YouTube

Book Reviews as an Advertising Tool: Your Own Book Reviews Become Ads

Book reviews have websites, YouTube channels, blogs, and social media pages dedicated solely to reviewing literature. Some reviewers focus on specific genres, and others may have a category for multiple genres.

A book review website post can be written by a single person, or the faces behind the reviewer’s titular name can be made of dozens, if not more, avid readers, writers, and experts in literature.

Book Reviews From Book Review Sites

Popular book review sites are devoted to writing an unbiased reviews on non-fiction books, romance novels, sci-fi books, women's fiction, children's books, comic books, literary fiction, indie publications, debut author reviews, and pretty much any literary publication that you can imagine.

Now, let’s rewind. What can author book reviews do for you? To answer this question, we’ll have to break down, albeit briefly, what an average book advertising campaign looks like. An average book advertising campaign is divided into four stages:

Get Book Review Sites Free in Marketing Campaign Planning

Every successful book launch has an entire marketing machine behind it. A successful marketing campaign can drive your ebook sales and boost your readership. However, this process starts with a plan. And a good one, for that matter!

Book Marketing Planning Starts With a Goal

Set clear goals for how many copies you wish to sell and by what date, how many book readers you want to reach, and of course, set clear attainable sales goals.

These goals will make for a comprehensive time frame to shape the rest of your book campaign. From there, set a couple of months for each advertising stage, and plan how each of them will go:

Who are Book Reviewers?

Book review writers are either individuals or groups of people who review books professionally. These reviewers read titles and then write about them on their blogs, and websites, post YouTube videos, write social media captions, and do other things to spread the word about books that get reviewed.

There are several types of book reviews, and multiple ways in which they review literature:

Book Reviews Websites: Trade/Professional Publishing/Literature Experts

Having a stamp of approval by an authority figure in your genre can do a massive service to your book’s publicity and profitability. Why not give it a shot?

Trade reviewers come from a broad range of experts in the publishing trade.

They can work in publishing houses, newspapers, and any other organization that publishes or creates literature. Writers, editors, English literature experts, and other persons who’ve built their names within the industry often have blogs and websites where they post about different books.

A lot of the time, they have websites that specialize in book reviewing. In fact, they are among the most popular book review sites in general.

To get a trade review, send a copy of your manuscript to the reviewer’s email address dedicated to that purpose.

If required, write a strong pitch. Similar to editorial teams in magazines, trade reviewers get a ton of pitches, significantly more than they can actually read. For that reason, your book must stand out!

A significant upside to trade book reviews is that good reviews almost guarantee your book’s success and popularity. You may not sell tens of thousands of copies within a week, but your book will be considered a quality read.

However, two major downsides often scare authors away from pitching to trade reviewers. First, they often require high fees for their time and effort, and that’s if you even get their attention. The second major downside is that there’s no guarantee that the reviewer will like your book, or that they’ll post nice things about it.

Worst-case scenario: You could pay good money for reviews only for your book to get a negative review, which is something no one wants.

You may increase your chances of success by sending your work to those reviewers who have an affinity for your genre and category, and whose taste matches yours. That way, there’s a chance that the two of you will be more like-minded, and that they will like your book.

In-Depth Reviews From Editorial Media Weekly Magazine

Not all reviews have to come from the world of literature. Other media, like TV and radio stations, TV shows and podcast hosts, and others, particularly from your hometown, might be interested in writing, talking, and posting about your new publication.

Since the persons in question aren’t literature experts, it’s more likely that they won’t be as detailed and harsh when judging your writing as trade reviewers.

In fact, local TV and radio stations most often aim to support local talent, so they might want to give you a boost of confidence by saying the words of praise about your title!

There aren’t many downsides to working with local media except for their limited viewership.

The smaller your hometown is, the less passionate readers are, and the sum gets even smaller when narrowed down to a specific genre and topic.

However, promoting your book locally is a great way to start! You should gain at least a few dozen of interested readers from your local campaign and with the additional flare of having your hometown support you.

Reader Reviews: Your Reader Become Your Book Reviewer

There are many people who are simply in love with literature, so they read multiple books within a short span of time, sometimes even a week. They publish their reviews on different online forums and websites, like Reedsy, Goodreads, Reddit, and others.

There are both advantages and disadvantages of relying on reader reviews.

Each reader has their own opinion, so there’s no guarantee that the reviews your title receives will be good ones, as it is with other types of reviews.

Aside from that, publishing on ebook platforms, like Amazon, have strict rules for which reviews they accept and which they don’t. No matter how many positive reviews you have from your readers, those that come from user profiles who’ve been sanctioned before will likely be disregarded by Amazon's algorithm, and they won’t do much to help your book gain exposure.

Of course, no author ever was harmed by the positive hype surrounding their book. You’ll get more positive reviews if you target your marketing toward those individuals who are most likely to enjoy your work.

Each genre has passionate fans who order several books a month just to get more of what they already read, because they like self-improvement, romance, or mystery that much.

Target those readers, and you’ll find numerous kind words posted about your book.

However, a significant advantage to reader reviews is that they’re free, plus they come from a reader’s perspective. Ultimately, your book is aimed at readers, not publishing professionals. It is the reader that you wish to impress.

For this reason, a book that’s well-received by readers will be successful even if editorial and publishing experts don’t like it that much.

Endorsements: Support for New Titles and Non-Fiction Books

Do you want an industry authority figure to post about your book and validate its quality? If so, pursue endorsement book reviews. Endorsement book reviews are a type of review made by genre or industry names.

For example, if you’re publishing a romance novel, another notable romance author from your area, or someone who accepts online reviews pitches, might write reviews for your book and then write an article about it.

Many endorsement reviews are made between authors with similar writing styles, topics, literary motifs, and other elements.

If you’re publishing non-fiction, you send a copy of your manuscript to someone with a reputable background in the industry.

Book Writing Reviewers FAQs

Ever wanted to become a book reviewer yourself? Perhaps, you’re wondering what skills a good book reviewer must have? The following sections will explore in more depth what best book review sites do.

You might have published a great book, but what if that isn’t enough? The tale says that passionate writers are passionate readers, so you’ve likely become a bit of a niche expert while writing your own book.

Being a book reviewer is a great way to turn your passion for literature into a hobby, and if you learn how to turn it into a business, it could just as well become profitable.

What do Literature Reviewers do?

They Read Plenty of Books

Most often in one or several niches or genres, and then write and publish reviews of the books they’ve read. Their reviews contain the following elements:

They Give Balanced outlooks on the Book’s Structure, Story, or Plot.

To give a balanced, detailed review means to analyze both the book's strengths and weaknesses. A review shouldn’t be biased, but instead strategic.

If you're writing book reviews as blog posts, they shouldn't be a book summary, but instead a commentary about the reviewer’s thoughts while and after reading it. The reviewer can, and should, analyze certain aspects of the book, and its style and structure, but without giving away the content of the book.

What are Good Reviewer Skills?

Being a good reviewer entails the following:

Frequent Reading

The best book review sites read a dozen books each month. They do this for a living, so there’s nothing strange to them about reading five or six hours a day.

Long hours spent reading can also sharpen your cognitive muscle and boost your reading speed. Because of that, many book review sites can read 40-50 pages per hour, and with full comprehension. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself finishing a book in a single morning. For a book blog reviewer, this isn’t unusual.

A Background in English Literature for Author Interviews

If you wish to review books in English-speaking territories, you need some form of education in English language and literature, either bachelor’s degree or a master’s degree.

Favorite Genre and Topic for Best Book Review Sites

Many successful book review sites also have a background in publishing, where they’ve spent at least a couple of years as a writer or an editor.

Book Marketing Skills

A skilled reviews writer knows that reviews have a massive marketing influence. They write with that in mind as well.

Analyzing Literature in Fiction and Non-Fiction

A background in English language education gives you the props to properly analyze and evaluate literature.

Your book review isn’t only about whether or not you liked the book and what you thought about the story and characters.

You need to be able to evaluate the quality of writing, how well the book is thought-out, and whether there are inconsistencies, plot holes, and other flaws in the writing.

Good time management is a must!

Aside from reading books relatively quickly, you also need the ability to write many book reviews in a timely manner. A quality book review is a lot more than just your impression of the book.

Good book reviews require hours of research, then detailed writing, and of course, editing and proofreading.

For this, you need to manage your time well and be able to organize and structure your workday.

How Much Does a Book Reviewer Cost?

Depending on a book reviewer’s price rate, book blog reviews could be free, or they could cost hundreds of dollars, it all depends on the said reviewer’s business model.

Do Book Blogs Charge for Their Reviews?

Those reviewers who post book blog reviews for free may be harder to come by since they receive the greatest number of book pitches, and likely don’t have the time to read all of the books. Your book will have to truly stand out, in this case, for a reviewer to notice it.

Will a Critical Analysis With Book Recommendations Cost a Lot?

There are many popular reviewers and reviewer websites, but they charge high rates that might be too expensive for an average self-publisher. As professionals who take their time to read books, give feedback, then write and publish featured reviews on their blogs and websites, higher-profile reviewers will come at a considerable cost.

How to Get a Good Book Review?

A good book review, first and foremost, results from a good book. Make sure that your book is of impeccable quality, original, compelling, well-edited, and well-designed. A good piece of writing is bound to get a good book review as well.

However, great books often don’t get the attention they should. The main reason for that is that they don’t access a lot of book lovers through self-promotion. The second step to getting a good book is to promote your amazing book as much as you can.

But, if you pitch it to romance-lovers, of a certain age group, gender, and overall demographic that matches your ideal reader persona, you’re more likely to get a good book review.

Is it Illegal to Hire Book Reviews?

Both yes and no. You shouldn’t pay people to give your book positive reviews because that’s considered dishonest at best. Worst-case scenario, if you’re caught using a book reviews service, your book could get banned from the top eBook platforms.

In that sense, it's illegal to plagiarize your own reviews by paying people to give five-star reviews on Amazon, for example.

Hiring book review sites to leave positive reviews for your book could ruin all of your hard work in creating an amazing manuscript.

The only legal and ethically “clean” option is to pitch your book to professional reviewers. Professional reviews, remember, are individuals or groups of people who own websites, blogs, social media pages, and other media dedicated to reviewing books.

Professional book review sites have different ways of working with authors.

The most notable book review site posts unbiased reviews, and whether or not they require payment varies from reviewer to reviewer.

Some may have high pay rates, and others will take a look at your book for free, but only if you manage to craft a compelling pitch that will attract their attention.

What are the Top Book Reviews Sites for Science Fiction and Literary Fiction?

If you intend to write books in the fiction and science fiction niche, visit some of the suggested best book review sites and go on their blog tours to see how they work, how reviews are written and published, and what blog reviews typically appreciate and dislike about books.

Aside from the mentioned, you'll find quality reviews on Book Riot, The York Review, and Kirkus Reviews, which are all great examples of quality book review sites. Kirkus Reviews accept author submissions, and even does author interviews! 

New York Review is yet another place where authors write book reviews and publish them for their New York book lovers. There are also many authors who publish blog posts with detailed book reviews of up-and-coming titles, from world literature to paranormal romance.

List of Book Reviews That Publish Author Interviews and Give Honest Reviews on Traditionally Published Books Worth Reading

Self-published authors benefit from the understanding of which best book review sites to contact and send a free copy of their book. You might be writing books for middle-grade, young adults, or a more mature audience. Perhaps, you publish true crime, or even self-help manuals for spiritual growth amid a chaotic American life.

Either way, you benefit from engaging with communities where you can get constructive feedback that helps all independent authors grow.

Best Book Review Sites

• If you’re publishing a book and you’re looking for favorable reviews, the good news is that you’re on the same page (literally) with readers who are looking for the right books to read.

• With so many books available, readers can have a hard time finding titles that they know won’t let them down. There are so many talked-up books that disappoint in the first chapter that readers just won’t take that risk!

• The great news for you is that there are many places where you can submit your book for review, like Goodreads, Amazon, and others.

• Before you submit your book to be reviewed, here’s a short list of what you should and shouldn’t do.

Do:

• Learn all about the reviewer’s policy, the kind of content they accept, and the sort of writing that their community doesn’t like.

• Be mindful of the reviewer.

  • Reviewers take their work seriously, so be respectful and considerate when pointing out what you think your book’s benefits to be.

• Send a copy of your book for free.

  • Unless a reviewer openly stated that they post only the titles that they purchase on their own, don’t expect them to order your book reviewed.

• Acquaint yourself with the reviewer’s style, taste, and preference.

• Check how the reviewer liked books similar to yours when it comes to topic and writing style.

Don’t:

• Be rude, entitled, or unprofessional. Treat the reviewer the same way you’d treat a coworker- in a friendly fashion, but with a respectful degree of professional distance.

• Ask for the reviewer to buy your book. Some reviewers do this to show support for authors and so that readers wouldn’t accuse them of bias, but unless they specifically said that they’re willing to purchase the book, send them a free copy.

Now, let’s start… reviewing reviewers!

If you're hoping to get one or several reviews for your book, these book review websites that can help gain exposure include the following:

Goodreads Review of Books

Goodreads posts community reviews. It is one of the best book review websites that draws from numerous Facebook groups where book bloggers and other users share and publish book recommendations and reviews on romance books, tech tips, and other literature.

Goodreads is a good place for the review of books by influencers and other celebrities whose tastes and book recommendations appeal to young adult audiences. Check out their staff reviews and current articles to get a grasp of how books are judged.

Your book might easily end up on one of Goodreads discussion boards or guest posts, so you want it in its best possible shape!

The New York Book Blogs Reviews for Every Young Adult Book Lover

Submitting to The New York Review isn’t difficult, but it’s hard to get exposure due to the popularity of the website.

Book Riot for Different Genres

Book Riot is another book review site where you can pitch your book and hope for an opportunity to see it come out. Book Riot publishes in a variety of genres, from children’s books to science fiction.

Book Riot also reviews audiobooks, so keep that in mind!

Library Thing

Library Thing is another great place to get blog reviews, and it’s popular with young adults. Debut authors use this space for writing reviews. Even better, the review policy entails that your use templates for adding new reviews.

That way, other users can all discuss each other’s books, but in an orderly fashion that allows everyone to find the book review they’re looking for!

Affaire de Coeur

Find book reviews with this magazine that has a long tradition of over 34 years. It’s being published every two months. It is based in San Francisco and publishes reviews on a multitude of genres. The magazine reviews both fiction and non-fiction, including paranormal, contemporary, historical, young readers, and erotica novels.

Pros:

• A broad range of literature acceptance

Cons:

• Accepted titles featured in the next print issue

• Limited availability

Barnes and Noble Review

You can submit a wide range of different works to Barnes and Noble. They not only review fiction and non-fiction books but also essays and interviews.

American Book Review

This magazine too is issued every two months and has been running for over 30 years. This magazine is the one to reveal hidden gems that often get overlooked by those reviewers who put more emphasis on popular, more commercial titles. The American Book reviews do the opposite. They pay attention to those valuable, high-quality written works that get overlooked.

The American Book review gives attention to overlooked creative non-fiction, fiction, and poetry words from small publications.

This magazine has a significant limitation though since it doesn’t review how-to and self-help niches.

Booklife Website and Blog

While there are many great review websites, not all of them work with self-publishers. The Booklife By Publishers Weekly does, and they evaluate both traditional and self-published submissions.

However, the books that they review have to follow certain standards.

Compulsive Reader

Now over 20 years online, The Compulsive Readers emphasizes literary fiction and poetry. However, they also work with music and other genres, so don’t dismiss them just yet if you’re from another genre.

This website gives an in-depth review of a multitude of genres, of course, if you follow their guidelines.

Rain Taxi Review of Book

This magazine comes out quarterly, and it only publishes reviews of high-quality books. However, they focus more on non-fiction, poetry, and fiction works that don’t get mentioned in the mainstream media.

Like many other magazines, Rain Taxi too omits the self-help niche from their reviews. However, they publish literary analyses of a broad range of genres, from art to audiobooks, and graphic novels.

Pros:

• Discovers “hidden gems” of literature

Cons:

• High standards for acceptance

• Don’t publish reviews in self-help and children’s books niche.

Readers’ Favorite

Readers’ Favorite Book Review and Award Contest publishes reviews on published and unpublished work, and for over 100 genres. They have a hefty database of diverse reviewers who choose their reading and then post about it.

You may speed up your acceptance and review process if you pay a fee.

One of the major benefits of this website is that they don’t give poor reviews to authors. If your review does come out, it will mean that the reviewer had a high opinion of your title. If not, you’ll receive constructive feedback.

The Los Angeles Review of Books

This non-profit organization has a mission to create fresh, digitally-oriented book reviews. They work with a variety of genres in fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.

The Rumpus

The Rumpus celebrates authenticity and art, posting reviews in a diverse spectrum of genres from comics, to film, music, essays, and interviews. They also love talented, high-quality authors who get overlooked by mainstream media.