Where To Find Reviewers for Your Catholic Book
Book reviews matter. I have learned that valuable lesson from personal experience. The book that sold the most for me was the book that also had the most number of customer reviews. (In case you want to check which book I’m referring to, it’s “Poems of Love and Letting Go” that got 64 ratings on Amazon and 108 reviews on Google Play Books.
Book reviews are valuable because they help the potential reader decide whether to purchase your book or not.
They want to know whether other people also read your book and enjoyed it. Reading other people’s opinions and experience give more credibility for your work.
Editorial versus customer book reviews
While the reviews my book got on Google Play were mostly customer reviews, those on Amazon included editorial ones.
Editorial reviews do not necessarily come from people who buy your books. They can come from those who receive a free review copy of your book even before its release. And it is better if this would include reviews from popular bloggers, magazines and websites.
Paid versus free reviews
You have to keep in mind that while you can pay for editorial reviews, Amazon forbids you to pay for customer reviews. This is because it would be detrimental for other customers who would think that the customer reviews your book received came from authentic people who purchased your book.
Editorial reviews are different because they are put in a separate area in your book’s sales page and are properly marked as such.
These professional book reviewers who give editorial reviews are also those who usually provide other services for its clients such as additional exposure for the book in their websites and newsletters.
Getting book reviews for your Catholic book
Aside from the general sources of reviews, you also have to consider your book’s niche. What kind of reviewers would be more helpful for you?
In the case of Catholic books, reviewers with a Catholic background as well as Catholic followers could be more influential. Meanwhile, you shouldn’t disregard other sources which could cater to a wider market later on.
If you would like to get more reviews for your Catholic book, you may want to consider the following list:
Catholic Book Reviewers
(Free and Paid Editorial Reviews)
1. The Catholic Man Reviews
Their website states the following mission:
“The Catholic Man Reviews (T.C.M. Reviews) was launched not simply to review Catholic products. It is a tool of 21st century evangelization and promote the use of Catholic books, media and products. We also strive to find services and organizations that will be of help to Catholic and Christian organizations in their faith needs.”
You can reach out to The Catholic Man Reviews through their email: thecatholicmanreviews@gmail.com
Here is their website:
https://thecatholicmanreviews.wordpress.com/
They also have a Facebook page with 1,500 followers
https://www.facebook.com/thecatholicmanreviews/
2. Happy Catholic
The Happy Catholic has sections for fiction and non-fiction reviews.
Here is their website:
https://happycatholic.blogspot.com/
The author of the site has also left the following email address:
julie [@] glyphnet [dot] com
3. Catholic Reads
Catholic Reads has various genres of books on their website. Their most recent book reviews are prominently displayed on their home page.
Aside from the book reviews being published on their website, such will also be sent to their Newsletter subscribers.
Two important things to note, however, are the following:
1. They charge a fee of $30.
2. Your book must be discounted at 50% off or less for at least 24 hours.
The book should either be written by a Catholic or explores “themes in common with Catholicism”.
Here is the link for book review submissions:
https://catholicreads.com/submit-a-book/
General Book Review Websites
(Paid Editorial Reviews)
1. Reedsy Discovery
To submit your book for consideration, it needs to be due for publication soon or has been published no more than 6 months ago. Submission fee is $50.
If you would like to request a reviewer, you can take a look at their Reviewer Directory , visit the reviewer’s profile and request for a book reviewer. The reviewer will then have up to 48 hours to accept or reject your request. If the said reviewer fails to respond, your book will be sent to the pool of Discovery reviewers in your related genre.
Be sure to read their submission guidelines to avoid rejection. While it is highly unlikely, there is a possibility for a reviewer to deem your book not ready for publication and you will not receive a book review. Instead of a review, you will get an editorial feedback for your book.
2. The International Review of Books (BooksGoSocial)
Their website says that they charge $129 to $299 for editorial reviews. These reviews can be included under the Editorial Reviews section of your Amazon book page. The price seems to be depend upon the length of the book review you choose.
For their most expensive package, you will get the following in addition to the book review:
-A single page ad online. Your page will feature your cover and the review.
-Your page will be promoted to 402,424 followers on Facebook and Twitter for one month.
3. Kirkus Reviews
You can request for a book review for the following review packages:
Traditional reviews starting at $450
Expanded review starting at $599
Picture book starting at $399
After receiving your review, their website says that you may choose to either publish the review on their website or not:
“You may choose to publish your review on KirkusReviews.com where it can be discovered by industry influencers, agents, publishers and consumers. If it is a negative review, you can request that it never see the light of day by simply not publishing it on our site.”
General Book Review Websites
(Free Book Reviews)
While it is not a hundred percent certainty, it is very probable to get book reviews from these websites for free.
1. Librarything
One way to get a good exposure for your books and to gather some book reviews is though the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program. Your book must not have been published more than six months prior to the month in which they are to be offered.
The books you submit should be offered for free, and it’s up to you whether you give away e-books or paperback copies. The minimum number for this giveaway is 5 books.
There is no guarantee, but based on my personal experience, I was able to get some reviews from this site.
Their website lists the following with regards to this program:
“We also promote your books to the close to 100,000 members of Early Reviewers, the more than 1 million recipients of LibraryThing's monthly newsletter, and through our social-media channels.”
2. Goodreads
You can register at Goodreads for free and join various groups that could help you when it comes to book reviews.
I wasn’t able to monitor the effectiveness of these groups, but I remember sending a request to many of these groups during the early part of my book promotion.
Here is the link where you can start searching for groups related to your genre:
https://www.goodreads.com/group
Peer Reviews
When I first started getting book reviews, I asked a lot of my fellow bloggers. They may be those who belong to a common Facebook group of writers. They may also be those you know from Medium or Substack.
Substack has a good community of Catholic writers who may be interested in reading your book.
Last but not the least, you may personally know some possible book reviewers. Try to think of the people you can ask for the favor of providing feedback for your book.
Final Thoughts
The effectiveness of these sites vary from one user to another. You have to assess your needs and balance them with the budget at hand. You can also start small while monitoring the results of your plan.
Be sure to stay subscribed to keep updated for more tips and recommendations on writing and freelancing. Stay tuned for more posts about book reviews and related book marketing strategies.
You may also want to read:
Try These Marketing Strategies Now Before You Give Up Selling Your Books on Amazon
Selling your own book is probably one of the most recommended ways to earn passive income online. All you need to do is to write something you could sell to a target audience, upload the file on a digital platform like Amazon and then announce your new book through social media.
I Got More Book Sales After Posting An A+ Content at Amazon!
I have recently been testing various ways to increase my book sales at Amazon. I’ve tried Facebook Ads that contributed to a few additional sales. I’ve also been trying Amazon Ads. While it’s not the first time I’ve tried to promote my book, I wanted to study these strategies deeper. I also wanted to avail of the latest book promotion features like
As a paid subscriber, you have full access to our Writer’s Resources.
However, if you wish to stop receiving emails about our Writer’s Section, simply “turn off” the notification settings for Writer’s Section at your account page. Click here. (Don’t worry because by doing so, you will only stop receiving topics about writing and you will still receive other emails from Single Catholic Writer).