A key piece in the book promotion puzzle for authors/publishers is obtaining editorial reviews from an authoritative source such as a newspaper, magazine, or website. Freelancers often write these editorial reviews, oftentimes as a labor of love (i.e., a volunteer gig). However, if the review site charges authors/publishers for reviews, it most likely pays freelance writers to write them.

Different from reader reviews, which focus on the individual’s experience with the story, editorial reviews lend the credibility of an expert opinion and are a valuable promotional tool. Many respected entities review authors’ books for a fee, others provide free reviews, and some have both options. Book promoters reprint these reviews, and they can be the source of pull quotes on a book’s back cover or Amazon product page.

Big publications such as Kirkus charge authors significant reading fees ($450 or more), while smaller websites like Reader’s Favorite, Literary Titan, and Independent Book Review are lower in cost (less than $100) or even have free options. I write editorial book reviews for Independent Book Review (IBR). I started as a volunteer and then moved into a paid freelance position. Now they serve as a steady source of income as well as interesting reading material. And I learn as a novelist!

I applied to write volunteer reviews for IBR’s free review program, providing a sample review from my own blog, and was accepted. IBR supplied a rubric, sample reviews, and feedback on my early efforts. Thus, when a paid freelance position became available, I was already familiar with the process. IBR emails the book as a PDF, which loads to my Kindle where I can highlight and make notes. I also write physical notes, sometimes easier for me to navigate. I generally get four weeks to read a book and write a 400-to-750-word review.

According to IBR’s editor-in-chief, Joe Walters, “A good editorial book review isn’t the time to display your high-quality critiquing skills…[you] are not talking to the author about what they should do, but rather presenting the review as if it was speaking to a potential reader about a finished product.”

Reviewers can specify what sorts of books they want to read, and some websites only review certain genres. By accepting a wide range of books, including nonfiction, I always have at least one book to review on hand. It’s important to read a bit as soon as possible. If a reviewer is unable to say anything positive about a book, the website editor needs to know right away to make alternative arrangements for the review.

However, while few books are perfect, few have no redeeming qualities. The review just needs to be fair to the author/publisher and honest with the book’s intended audience. This does require some imagination—I’m often not the intended audience, but my job is to bring my experience and knowledge of storytelling to evaluate the book on their behalf.

I make $40 to $50 per review, paid promptly via PayPal. Of equal importance, each review, which is published not only on the IBR website but also widely distributed on social media, carries my byline and a link to my website. Thus, it becomes a way to promote my books and my name as an author. I retain copyright to the reviews and am free to use them after their first run, and I often use these reviews as blog posts, a win-win for me and the reviewed-books’ authors.

According to Walters, a successful book reviewer is punctual, communicative, kind, and considerate. And loves books!

Bio – Speculative Fiction with a Historical Twist! Kathy L. Brown lives and writes in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. Her hometown and its history inspire much of her fiction. When she’s not thinking about how haunted everything is, she enjoys hiking, crafts, and cooking for her family. Montag Press published her award-winning first novel, The Big Cinch. She has three novellas available: Wolfhearted, The Resurrectionist, and Water of Life. Her blog and other musings live at kathylbrown.com, and she lurks on the usual social media platforms like Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads..