How I Choose Books to Review on My Blog

Sharing your books with others is probably the scariest part of the writing process. Once the manuscript is written, you have to go through the scrutiny of submitting your work for publication and the loads of rejection letters that follow. Then, once it’s published, either by a publisher or via self-publishing, you have to send it out again to reviewers and even just casual readers who you hope will leave a, preferably positive, review to drum up interest in your book.

Have you looked at the reviews section of your favorite books on Goodreads? They’re brutal. Instead of discussing what they thought about the writing style, plot, themes, and characters, readers will judge a book based on a character’s politics, a certain line, or a single action that they didn’t like. We all know the saying, “You can’t please everybody,” but is it possible to please anybody? It sometimes feels like the only people who give positive reviews of products and creative work are those who are being paid to do so through affiliate partnerships and ad agreements.

As a self-published writer of three books and one who has amassed a number of rejection letters over the years, I know how scary it is to put yourself out there. It’s so discouraging to submit your book to reviewers only for them to never get around to reading it. It’s also so gratifying when someone decides to read your work, actually posts a great review, and gives you the confidence to keep writing.

I started my blog as a way for authors to get that free publicity and a genuine positive review of their work. It was about creating a site that lived up to its promises, paired indie authors with a potential audience, and found creative ways to entice that audience to buy a copy of these books.

Unfortunately, I can’t read and review every book that comes my way, but I do make sure that I give every author I do read my full attention and create a polished, thoughtful review that gives credibility both to the author of the book and to myself as a book blogger. Below is the process I’ve developed on how I choose books to review on my blog.

How I started reviewing books

I first started reviewing books for other websites, such as LitPick and Horrorscreams Videovault. These sites would send me books to read, and I would offer my honest opinions about them. Unfortunately, I didn’t always like the books that I reviewed, and I would find even reading those particular entries to be a chore. I also felt bad about giving bad reviews to well-intentioned authors, just because it wasn’t clicking for me personally, either because I didn’t like the writing style or even the genre that I was reading.

I wanted to be more selective in the books I read. I also wanted to find books that I could genuinely recommend and not waste readers’ times reading reviews about books that I didn’t like. There’s really no benefit to writing a lengthy, negative review of a book for the author, the reviewer, or the reader. What if I steered a reader away from a book that they might actually like, just because we have different reading tastes? And if I recommend a book and they don’t like it, they don’t have to finish it, but at least they gave that author a chance.

Reviewing for LBB

My first reviews on Laura’s Books and Blogs were short reviews of books I’d been reading for fun or blurbs of the books I was reviewing for other sites. My very first review ever was Reese Witherspooon’s, Whiskey in the Teacup. It just happened to be the first book I read that year, and it was a difficult book to review because it was a cookbook/memoir that I had read as an audiobook. So, I was missing out on crucial images and layout. The memoir sections were very short. So, it made for a short audiobook that wasn’t very deep as it was written primarily as a love letter to idealized southern culture.

I just needed content back then. I thought blogging was basically just going to be about writing about what you were doing in relation to your blog’s theme each week, and I had the time to come up with topical content and really cut my teeth on this professional blogging endeavor.

At the time, I was still reviewing for LitPick and Horrorscreams Videovault. So, I had a ton of books to read and review for them, but I couldn’t just repost the reviews onto my site. That’s a big no-no in the blogging world as Google will pick up on the duplicate content and drop both posts in their search engine results. So, instead, I just plugged those reviews and kind of wrote reviews of the reviews with a link to the actual post, just to drum up business for LitPick and give me content to write about.

It didn’t take long to get hits on my social media calls for indie books to review, though. My first indie book that I published on my site was Death by Diploma by Kelley Kay, published a little a month after my blog went live.

I admit, wasn’t expecting much to the indie books I was being requested to review, having reviewed a few while writing for HubPages in years past and finding them to be less than stellar. But Kay’s cozy murder mystery, if that’s an appropriate mix of genres to use, was surprisingly delightful, and it really lit a fire under me to review more indie books. They actually weren’t just mediocre first attempts by novice writers. They could actually be good, and that got me excited.

From there, I resolved to offer to review anything that came my way. If I didn’t like it, I’d stop, notify the author that it wasn’t for me, and decline to review it, deciding that no review was better than a negative one.

Early reviews

Soon, I was getting book review requests in multiple genres, just based on word of mouth from my social media posts. Twitter in particular was a great networking tool for indie authors. There was a trend at the time to ask indie authors to post links to their books. Many reviewers claimed that they’d buy and read every copy that was posted. I even took them up on these offers and posted links to my books. But once you saw how many hundreds of comments they received, it was no surprise when it turns out they didn’t buy your book.

I took this concept and turned it into a more realistic request. I asked for links and let the authors know that I’d go through the list and pick three titles to buy and review. I’d then actually buy e-copies of those books, read them, and review them on my blog. Most of the time, I’d have no way to contact these authors to let them know I’d reviewed their book on my site. I would post reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, just so they knew, but I don’t think I ever really heard from any of them. One of my favorite books I read using this technique was the first in a horror series called Shadow Avenue. I loved the first book, The Hidden House, so much that I bought the other two sequels and read them in my spare time.

I had specific genre preferences, but I always told the authors that even if their book didn’t fit my preferred genres to submit anyway. I might just decide to take a chance on it. One of those books was Indebted: The Berkshire Dragon. When I hear that a book has a dragon in it, I usually turn in the other direction. But this premise was intriguing because it was more about a princess who ran away from her castle and trained to be a swordfighter. And the dragon part had a really interesting twist that made me so glad that I decided to ditch my expectations and give this book a chance.

Interviews 

Eventually, I had to get choosy about the books I agreed to review, and that meant sending back more rejection emails than approvals. Still, I wanted to be able to give all authors the space to promote their books, even if they weren’t books that I personally wanted to read. So, I set up an author interview series to post once or twice a week.

The demand for author interviews far exceeded my expectations. So, I drafted a list of questions for all authors to answer. Then, they would fill it out like a form, submit it with their bio, book summary, links, and photos, and it gave me an easy way to fill my content schedule and support any author who was willing to take the time to participate.

My first stand alone interview was with sci-fi comedy author G.M. Nair.

Indie author interviews don’t get a lot of views. The reading public doesn’t know them to know why they should look out for them. But I made sure to make the reviews as interesting as possible, switching up the format and questions over the years and keeping the interviews from becoming too repetitive and stale. For awhile, I called it an Author Book Tag, thinking those buzz words would entice readers to click on it. Later, I just called it a standard interview. And even though they still don’t get a ton of views, it’s good publicity, and there are so many posted, that the collection as a whole have gotten tons of views.

When I saw that Stephen Colbert began to ask celebrities the same questions in his “Colbert Questionnaire” segment on his late night talk show, I thought, I must be doing something right because the public loves hearing different answers about the same question and personally answering them themselves. I’ve also received great feedback from authors who have praised the thoughtfulness of the questions, both in their answers and in their submission emails, and it feels good to know that they liked filling them out and felt that I was treating their work with the respect it deserved.

I also was connecting a lot with other bloggers in my early days. So, I left space for blogger interviews as well. I still check in with these bloggers from time to time, and a lot of them are still going strong with their blogs in multiple niches, from makeup to finance including Beauty Boss, Trendsenstylez, and Buffalo Sauce Everywhere.

Eventually, I set up giveaways on the now extinct Rafflecopter. Authors could give away copies of their books to my readers who would enter using a form where they could share, comment, and subscribe to earn more entries. It was a modest success, and it’s an optional addition to the interviews that I still offer today using SweepWidget.

Guest Posts

Another option I started giving writers was to write a guest post on a variety of topics. Initially, I allowed it to be on any topic, but I began to get requests on some topics that had nothing to do with books, writing, or storytelling. So, I had to start setting up topic guidelines.

I also initially used to just let authors plug their books. But those guest posts didn’t do as well. I thought about what makes me want to buy a book, and a lot of the times, it happens after I listen to an author on a podcast or YouTube talking about the themes of their books, their personal experiences, or topics other than the book, other than maybe just plugging their book at the end of the interview. So, I began to tell the authors to write about a theme of their book, offer writing tips in their particular genre or about a particular part of the publishing journey, or any other unique back door into getting readers excited about their book.

Guest posts give writers a chance to publish some writing, and I’m always confused as to why authors don’t always want to take me up on the chance to write an original piece that will be published online. For awhile, I was offering a $10 stipend via PayPal to anyone who contributed a guest post and whose post reached at least 100 views as an incentive to obtain more guest posts. After all, who doesn’t want to get paid for their writing?

My calls for submissions

My review guidelines are located on my Contact page on my blog. It includes my preferred genres as well as the genres I tend to shy away from. But I still welcome requests in all genres because once in a while, I do make exceptions. The exceptions that you find on my “book review” page are examples of times when I was glad that I had made an exception.

But I should warn you, don’t expect that a book you pitch to me outside of my preferred genres to be the exception. And don’t be surprised if, after I take a chance, I get back to you and tell you I can’t finish the book or write a review. It usually has nothing to do with the quality of the writing. It usually has to do with the fact that the story just isn’t for me, but that doesn’t mean that other reviewers, and readers, would agree with me.

I also use a star rating system. Since I already submit a star rating on Amazon, Goodreads, LibraryThing, and BookBub, it only seemed right to include that rating on my blog as well. I only review books that I can rate three stars or higher. If I start a book and don’t like it, I will email the author and let them know that I could not finish. And I never request a hard copy of a book unless I’m absolutely sure that I’m going to like it.

Five stars means I love the book. If, when I email you after reading and say that I liked it, it means that I’m going to give it a three-star rating. If I say, I really liked it, it will be a four-star rating. If I say I loved it, it will be a five-star rating.

Surprisingly, few authors have asked me to explain my rating system over the years. Those who do tend to think that every review they receive should be a five-star review, and if that’s the case, it likely means that no one outside your friends and family have read and reviewed it. Goodreads is a particularly brutal place to receive reviews. People will rate a book one star for the most minor issues, such as colorful language or they don’t like an action that one character takes against another. So, if a reviewer gives you three stars or higher, consider that a win.

I also stay away from long books. If a book is over 400 pages, I’ll usually say no. Agreeing to read a book is already going to take hours of my time. Even a picture book, which only takes a few minutes to read, can still take hours to review, come up with interview questions, format, create a photo banner and Pinterest pins, schedule, and promote. So, I have to have a limit on the time it takes to read. You can read more about my thoughts on long books here: Why I Avoid Reading Long Books.

The pitches

That brings me to the pitching part of the review process. Query letters are big part of the traditional publishing submissions process, and a lot of publishers have commented on how few query letters are well written or adhere to their specific guidelines. I’m finding this to be true as well.

Some authors will send me a two-sentence pitch that basically asks, “Do you want to read my book or not?” If I’m lucky, they’ll throw in a link to the book’s listing on Amazon as well. But otherwise, it’s just a short blurb that they seem to have copied and pasted to every book reviewer they could find and hope that something sticks.

Others are overly promotional, listing their credentials, adding quotes from other positive reviews, and basically overselling their book, promising me that it’s the best thing I’ll ever read. They can be a bit much, even obnoxious, with this approach.

Some authors take the humble approach, telling me that I maybe, sorta, kind of will like it. It almost feels like a guilt or sympathy tactic, especially when they’re pitching a book that is not in one of my preferred genres.

Basically, all you need to do is send me a brief summary, your Amazon link (which includes sample pages), and/or a few sample pages. Then, I’ll take it from there.

Sample pages

The element of a pitch that will essentially help me to determine whether or not I’m going to review the book are the sample pages. The author’s writing style is ultimately what will hold a reader’s attention. It can elevate a dry plot or make an overly complicated plot more manageable.

In the past, I would assume that the synopsis alone would be enough to help me determine how the book would play out for me. As a result, I found myself unable to finish a lot of books and regretfully emailed the author to tell them I was sorry for getting their hopes up.

Those sample pages are like the first impression when meeting someone. They will help to gauge whether or not you’re going to like the book. If I don’t get sample pages with the pitch and the Amazon link doesn’t include them, I’ll reach out to the author myself for them before I officially agree to review.

It used to puzzle me when I was pitching to publishers as to how they could tell that they liked a book in the first five pages. Now, I get it. I only get a fraction of the submissions that even a small publisher receives. And yet, I can now tell within the first few paragraphs whether or not I want to continue reading. That’s how essential a strong open and solid writing style can be to the success of a book and why I highly recommend sending every potential reviewer sample pages.

Charges

A lot of authors ask me what I charge for reviews. The answer is simple: nothing. My blog earns money via my affiliate links, not from other authors. I have no intention of ever putting together a paid package to offer to authors. I can’t guarantee that being featured on my blog will lead to any sales. I also don’t want readers of the blog to think that I only liked a book because I was paid to like it.

Indie authors should never pay to submit their book for publication or pay for reviews. Likely, you’re already going to spend a ton on editing, cover art, and advertising. Keep that part of the process free.

The unfairness of rejections

I’ll admit, my reasons for rejecting a book can fluctuate with my mood, what I’ve been reading lately, and even an author’s lack of ability to properly pitch me their work. If I’ve just gotten three books to review in one day, those three books have inadvertently put themselves into competition with each other.

I already have my own personal TBR pile along with my professional one. And if that pile gets too long, it can overwhelm me. So, I don’t like to have more than three or four books in line to review at a time.

If I already feel overwhelmed with my review schedule, I’m likely going to be more particular about which books I choose to take on. Or if the book has a similar plot to one that I’ve just read, I may have to reject it for that very reason. I can only read so many books about a lost animal or a kid trying to earn money to buy something that they want. If a lot of authors are writing about a topic similar to yours, you may find that you have to have the best version of that story in order to get any attention for that story.

Subject matter is a big deal to me these days as well. I’m drawn to dark subjects, but if a book is going to be all about a character or the author experiencing a slew of dark experiences, such as drug abuse, suicide, rape, and/or domestic violence, I’m out. I’ve read a lot of these, and they don’t leave me feeling entertained or enlightened. They usually just wear me out.

I love funny books, but I say no to a lot of “comedies” as well. Humor is super subjective, and it’s very hard to make a book funny, unless you’re a famous comedian whose voice we all know and whose comedy style is very familiar. These authors tend to try to be funny in their pitch email, but it can usually come off as corny, obnoxious, or just plain unfunny, and it quickly makes me want to say no. Let your humor speak for itself in your sample pages.

An author’s platform

I like to get authors with some sort of social media presence, and I will always check out their website if they send a link. If that website seems like it’s not well-maintained and there are no links to social media sites, I might be hesitant to read and review.

As a small blogger, I need help promoting the review, and more often than not, I get minimal support from authors on this. So, if I know up front that I’m on my own in promoting their book, I’ll probably hold out for another author who might actually help me out.

Even authors who are represented by an agent or are working with a publisher don’t usually help out in this area. Agents tend to go silent after they send me the book to read. Even when I send them a link to the post and ask them to share it, I usually don’t hear back or receive a short email back stating that they will. But I don’t usually see that reflected in the post’s views.

However, lately, I am finding that there are plenty of authors without an online platform whose book review posts do well, sometimes even better than those who do help me promote. So, I have been easing up on this requirement. But I still encourage you to put together an email list, a website, or at least set up one social media account and try to gain some followers so that you can help spread the word.

Final thoughts on book reviews

Ultimately, what draws me into a book is the premise, the writing style, and a professionally polished product with a decent cover, a nice review request email, and one that meets my basic guidelines. That’s all there is to it.

This process tends to work for me, and it has given me the opportunity to discover great books, great authors, and help support the writing community. The books I’ve read have taught me what makes a great book, a great writer, and has confirmed that just because a writer isn’t signed with an agent or publisher, it doesn’t mean that they aren’t good enough to be represented or that their story is too quirky or not mainstream enough for the publishing industry.

It’s just that there are so few publication spots open that a ton of good writers fall through the cracks. And lucky for me, I get to root through those cracks and occasionally pull out some diamonds. They just have to help me dig for them.

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