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.