Almost every author dreams of getting a rave review in the Sunday New York Times book section or a recommendation from Oprah. Actually, almost any review (even a negative one) has the power to help you sell books, and reviews will reach many more potential buyers than the blurbs that are printed on your book cover.
There are two general classes of book reviewers (publications, not the actual people who read and write about what they've read): prepublication, and everything else.
Prepublication reviewers expect to receive your book about four months ahead of its publication date. They definitely do not want to receive a book to review if it's already being sold to the public.
In the old days, book reviewers would read galleys (or galley proofs). Galley proofs get their name from hand-set type. Years ago, a typesetter would prepare a book page by arranging pieces of type into a metal tray called a galley. The galleys for a book would be used to print a small number of copies for editing and proofreading, and some would be provided to reviewers and booksellers. After the author and editors marked up the galleys, the typesetter would make corrections and books would be printed and shipped.
Today, it's more common for publishers to provide reviewers with ARCs rather than galleys. ARC has several similar meanings including Advance Reader Copy, Advance Reading Copy, Advance Review Copy but not Advanced anything. Simon and Schuster has used Advance Uncorrected Reader's Proof.
ARCs often do not have the final cover design. The back cover may have blurbs about previous books from the author, and lack the ISBN bar code. Sometimes a paperback ARC my preceds a hardbound final book.
The back cover may include information that will help reviewers and booksellers but will not be on the final book, such as publication date, trim size, number of pages, and even promotional plans. The cover and the copyright page may have disclaimers that the ARC is not the final version of the book and should not be quoted without verification. There may also be a warning that the ARC is the property of the publisher and is not to be sold or duplicated.
Some review copies are also distributed to magazines that may print excerpts, to libraries, or even to movie producers. Some are given away at trade shows attended by booksellers. Authors often visit the shows to autograph ARCs.
Major publishers may print thousands of ARCs. A self-publisher might do 100 or fewer. It may be tempting to simply distribute an ordinary copy of your book, with a stick-on label that says it's an ARC. For a minimal expense, you can make an alternate version of your cover with an ARC notice actually printed on it. This subterfuge should enhance your credibility so you'll be considered more like one of the big guys, and not just an amateur with more enthusiasm than knowledge.
Some publications that require long-in-advance review copies are The New York Times, Publishers Weekly, Booklist, Library Journal, ForeWord, Kirkus Reviews (recently revived) and Independent Publisher. "I.P." prefers advance copies, but after-publication is also OK. Kirkus said it does not review POD or self-published books, but it can't hurt to try. It's possible that its policy may change under its new ownership.
Whenever you like -- even after publication -- you can send review copies to other publications and websites that have book reviews, but it's better to provide them in advance. Even though you can't control the media, by letting potential reviewers know when your book will be on sale and allowing sufficient time for reading and writing, you stand a better chance of having reviews published close to your pub date.
Assorted tips
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Some media and some reviewers have a policy not to review self-published books, so it's best not to state that you are self-publishing. If your book has a decent-looking logo and proper-sounding publisher's name, there's a good chance that you'll be accepted as one of many small presses the reviewer has simply not heard of. If asked if the book is self-published, don't lie, but try to rephrase the answer. I like to say that I'm one of the owners of the publishing company that publishes my books. I don't have to point out that my wife is the other owner or that we have not yet published books written by anyone else.
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Most of the time, you will be seeking reviews, but you may actually be approached by a reviewer who wants to read your book. Some people posing as book reviewers are really free-loaders or -- less charitably -- thieves. They will request a review copy but they have no intention of reviewing the book. They may just want to read it without paying for it, or sell it for whatever they can collect from a used book dealer or a reader -- in competition with you. Since your book probably costs less than $10 to print and ship, there is not much point in spending $500 for a detective to check out a possible scammer. But since a whole bunch of $10 books can add up to real money, it pays to do a little bit of detective work yourself. Unless you know about the reviewer, do not accept a book request by phone or email. Ask for snail mail on a letterhead. When you get the letter, be wary if the return address is a Post Office box and not a street address. If you've never heard of the publication, find its website and look for published reviews by the person who contacted you, or request a sample copy, or at least a fax of a review that was published. If you decide to send the book, call in a week or 10 days to confirm receipt, offer to answer questions, and ask for an approximate publication date.
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If a negative review is published, don't let it ruin your day or your life. Some reviewers have hidden agendas. (Maybe she is currently writing a competitive book.) Others will dismiss a book that they don't like, regardless of merits. Some will scan and skip around and miss important parts or make erroneous assumptions. Some will pan a book simply because it is written for people with more or less knowledge than the reviewer has.
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If a reviewer made important factual errors, send a note to the publication (not to the reviewer), thanking them for the review and explaining the error. It's too late to change what's been printed, but you may get a printed correction which will give you even more publicity. Online reviews can be corrected.
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Make your press release as complete as possible, and make it positive without gushing. Don't rush it. Write it as well as you can. Write something that you'd like to read about your book if someone else wrote it. Some "reviewers" are too busy or too lazy to actually read your book, and will merely rewrite or reprint your release.
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It's unusual for a review to be 100% negative. In an overall negative review, you'll probably be able to find a sentence or two that says something good about the book that you can use to help sell.
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NetGalley is an online service for people who read and rec-ommend books. Publishers pay $199 to upload a book PDF plus marketing information, and invite contacts to read the submitted books online. It's a good, green idea.
