Let’s talk reviews!
How Unclutter got 30+ reviews across platforms
Getting reviews for Unclutter: A Survivor’s Story has been an ordeal, to say the least. The subject of sexual abuse and self-harm makes readers uncomfortable. Further, since the book’s main plot is not romance, it doesn’t have too many takers. Therefore, I hardly got any responses when I posted ARC requests on social media. However, I still managed to get over 30 reviews across platforms. I’ve been fortunate to receive feedback from abuse survivors, educators, and mental health workers who help survivors.
Every time I considered a platform for reviews, I researched them online. Many authors shared their review experiences on their websites, which helped me immensely. Through this post, I’m doing the same. Read on if you’ve written a book and are wondering where to get genuine reviews.
Unclutter Reviews Overview (as of 11th October 2023)
30+ reviews across platforms
25 ratings on Goodreads and 23 reviews
4 reviews on The StoryGraph
5 ratings on Amazon (includes two verified purchase ratings. Only these show across marketplaces.)
4 written reviews on Amazon (Includes one verified purchase review.)
Reviews on Self-Published Review, Book Nerdection, IndieReader, Reader’s Favorite, Reedsy Discovery, and Redheaded Book Lover
1. NetGalley
NetGalley is the best place to get feedback for your book. It has one of the largest databases of seasoned reviewers and is a guaranteed way to receive well-written, detailed reviews. Quotes from these can be used in your promotional content and Amazon’s “editorial reviews” section.
Posting on NetGalley directly is expensive, but you can join author co-ops and other platforms such as Booksgosocial for more economical options. Though NetGalley is awesome, please remember that the reviewers are blatantly honest. My first three reviews were 2 two-star and 1 one-star reviews. I was disappointed, but we must learn to deal with negative feedback as authors.
I posted my book through Booksgosocial, and below are my final results on NetGalley:
Number of months my book was on NetGalley: 3
Number of downloads: 153
Feedback (Some reviewers filled out a survey sent by Booksgosocial on whether or not they recommend my book to other readers): 15
Written reviews on NetGalley: 14 (one of them deleted their review)
Number cross-posted to Goodreads: 7 ratings (4 with reviews – 2 were five-star and 2 were four-star)
Number cross-posted to Amazon: 2 reviews (1 US, 1 UK)
Ratings breakdown:
2 five-star ratings
4 four-star ratings
2 three-star ratings
3 two-star ratings
3 one-star ratings
Percentage of readers that recommend my book: 64%
Why you must post your book on NetGalley:
Finely written reviews that are easily quotable.
Readers value NetGalley reviewers’ feedback more than most editorial review platforms.
There’s a better chance of getting your book to educators, librarians, book traders, etc.
You receive the contact details of everyone who downloaded your book, and you can request them to post a review. Please don’t email them more than once.
Your cover gets instant feedback. Additionally, you learn why readers chose your book. Was it because of the cover? The book summary? Or something else? For Unclutter, most readers picked the book for its synopsis (46%) and the cover (24%.)
Most people who liked your book cross-post to Goodreads/Amazon.
My tips for NetGalley:
Ignore the negative feedback. Most of them don’t cross-post anywhere else, but some of them do so on Goodreads. Please do not contact people who didn’t like your book.
Include an editorial review in the “advanced praise” section. Unclutter got better ratings after I did this.
I don’t recommend contacting reviewers who don’t cross-post anywhere else, even if they liked your work. I did this (because Booksgosocial recommends it), which might be why one of my favorite four-star reviewers deleted their feedback from NetGalley.
Leaving your book on NetGalley for one month is enough. This is the most economical option. I got 119 downloads in the first month.
Ensure your book is available on Amazon or other stores with the CORRECT categories. My book was listed as non-fiction by mistake, and the initial reviewers thought my novel was a memoir.
Post your book on the ARC NetGalley Facebook Group. I got more downloads during months two and three after I did this. (I was not a part of the group during the first month.)
Take a screenshot of reviews that are not cross-posted anywhere else as proof.
2. BookSirens
BookSirens is my favorite platform to get and provide reviews. (I’m a reviewer there. Send me your BookSirens book link if you want me to review it. Please read my review policy before you do so.) If BookSirens accepts your book, this is the best place to get reviews without breaking the bank.
Below are my results with BookSirens:
Number of months my book was on BookSirens: 3+
Number of clicks: 64
Number of readers: 4
Number of reviews: 1
Number cross-posted to Goodreads: 1
Number cross-posted to Amazon: 0 (I did not want an Amazon review.)
Number of DNFs: 1
Ratings breakdown:
1 five-star rating
Why you must post your book on BookSirens:
It costs only $2 per reviewer that BookSirens finds and is completely free if you get the readers. BookSirens even refunds you for every reader who marks your book with a DNF (did not finish) or does not leave a review.
They have a large database of reviewers and bloggers who may be interested in your book.
You can choose to approve readers before they read your book based on their average rating, etc., for no extra cost. (I didn’t use this.)
They promote your book to their reviewers for three months actively for visibility.
They have the best customer service ever. They respond within a few hours!
They vet every reader’s feedback for offensive language, etc. They encourage cross-posting to other platforms if it’s a positive review (three stars and above)
If your budget is tight, you can limit the number of readers for your book.
Features such as content warnings, type of ending, review quotes, etc., make it easier for interested readers to pick your book.
BookSirens does not allow readers to post a DNF on any other platform. They mark it as DNF on BookSirens, and it’s visible only to the author. You can block DNF readers and ones who don’t post a review from accessing your future books.
If you have multiple books, BookSirens has an annual plan, which will be more economical than their pay-per-reviewer one.
3. Book Sprout
Book Sprout is another great platform to get honest reviews. It’s slightly more expensive than BookSirens, but worth a try. They have different annual plans depending on the number of reviewers you need, starting at $90/year (or $9/month.)
Below are my results with Book Sprout:
Number of months my book was on Book Sprout: 3+
Number of readers: 4
Number of reviews: 1
Number cross-posted to Goodreads: 1
Number cross-posted to Amazon: 0 (I did not want an Amazon review.)
Number of DNFs: 1
Ratings breakdown:
1 five-star rating
Why you must post your book on Book Sprout:
They send multiple reminder emails to readers to post a review. (Two days before the due date, on the due date, and two days after the due date.)
They have a large database of reviewers and bloggers who may be interested in your book.
4. Hidden Gems
Hidden Gems is perfect to get pre-release reviews on Amazon. They are the only ones I trust for Amazon reviews. Hidden Gems has a big database of Amazon-verified reviewers.
Below are my results with Hidden Gems:
Number of months my book was on Hidden Gems: 1
Number of reviews on Amazon: 5
Ratings breakdown:
2 five-star ratings
3 four-star rating
Why you must send your book to Hidden Gems:
They have a large database of Amazon-verified reviewers
The pricing is reasonable for the excellent quality of the reviews
Customer service is fantastic
5. Contact bloggers who may be interested in your book
IndieView lists bloggers who will read and review your book for free. (You have to register on the website to view this list.) Please read the review policy and rules of every blogger before contacting them. I highly recommend NOT sending a bulk email to these bloggers. Follow their work and genuinely support them before requesting them to review your book.
Below are my results with bloggers:
Number of bloggers I contacted: 20+
Number of reviews: 2
Ratings breakdown:
1 five-star rating
1 four-star rating
6. Giveaways
I ran many giveaways for Unclutter before its release. (There are more going on right now. Click here to learn more.)Besides my own, I gave away free eBook copies with Goodreads, The StoryGraph, and Voracious Readers Only. I got almost 5,000 entries for these and many reviews.
Voracious Readers Only is a platform that allows authors to give away 20 eBook copies in exchange for signing up for your newsletter. I got only one review from the twenty who downloaded my book for free, but it’s alright because it’s free. But I won’t use this again for my next book.
Goodreads and The StoryGraph are expensive. I took the featured giveaway (beta) option on The StoryGraph because I was not receiving much response on my social media or any groups. Since it was a beta program, I got a 50% discount.
But I have yet to decide if I’ll do either giveaway again. If I get more reviews from either, it may be worth it. Otherwise, there is very little return on investment. Instead, I plan to lean on Instagram Hops, Book Sweeps, multi-author promotions, and my own giveaways. They won’t burn a hole through your pocket. But I may be hitting myself in the foot with this decision since both Goodreads and The StoryGraph are extremely popular. Only time will tell.
Below are my results with giveaways:
Number of ratings: 13
Number of reviews: 12
Goodreads giveaway ratings and reviews: 2
The StoryGraph giveaway ratings and reviews: 2
Ratings breakdown:
6 five-star ratings
4 four-star ratings
1 three-star rating
1 two-star rating
1 one-star rating
7. Other Editorial reviews
Many indie websites provide reviews for self-published books. Some do this for free, but most charge a fee. These are not against Amazon’s policy as long as you use quotes from them in the “editorial reviews” section. I contacted many of these,e and below are my results:
Paid platforms: Reedsy Discovery, Indie Reader, Book commentary, Self-Published Review, Book Nerdection, Redheaded Book Lover
I submitted my book to the above because Kirkus was beyond my budget.
Verdict on paid platforms: I will use only Self-Published Review and Book Nerdection again for the quality of the reviews.
Self-Published Review (SPR) writes professional editorial reviews that are crisp, concise, and quotable. I’ve shown off their quote on my book’s front cover because of its extremely high quality. They are also recommended by Publisher’s Weekly, New York Times, Kirkus, IndieReader, and many other reputed organizations in the publication industry. Compared to some of these, their prices are reasonable (~$100.)
Book Nerdection writes a full-page detailed review about your book that really makes readers want to buy the book. (I actually got preorders because of this review.) They use quotes from your book and feature all your links on their website. They also cross-post on social media and Goodreads. They are recognized as one of the best review bloggers by Reedsy, and I can’t agree more.
All the other reviews were not professional enough for the price I paid. I will not be using them again. Besides, readers care more about NetGalley, Goodreads, and Amazon-verified-purchase reviewers than these editorial reviews. That’s been my experience.
Notes:
Some of these services also have Amazon review (not editorial) services. I will never use them, nor will I comment on them.
Redheaded Book Lover has been red-flagged by many authors. I will not use them again, but I will not comment on the red flags either.
Free platforms: Reader’s Favorite, Publishers Weekly (BookLife)
My book got rejected by Publishers Weekly. (They have a paid version too. But you can’t apply for both.) They were kind enough to email me, though they usually don’t contact authors if they don’t plan on reviewing their books.
I will use Reader’s Favorite’s free review service again only because it’s free.
Conclusion:
If you’re on a low budget, use these options to get reviews for your book:
ARC form on Google Forms on social media and book groups.
Free giveaways (Voracious Readers Only for debut authors, Book Sweeps, your website/social media)
Include a short review request in your emails: “I can’t wait to read your review of my book.”
Post on BookSirens with a reader limit if necessary
Hidden gems with a cap of 10 reviews
Contact bloggers for free reviews on IndieView
Reader’s Favorite’s free option
Include a “review request” page at the end of your book. I have one that says: “Please consider leaving a review. Thanks for reading. Please leave an honest review on your favorite store.”
What else have you done to get reviews? Let me know in the comments below.
Contact me if you have any questions.
