KIRKUS
With 82 years as a leading voice in book discovery, a book review from Kirkus is a valuable resource for indie and published authors alike. The numbers don’t lie. Kirkus published more than 10,000 book reviews last year, lists 1.5 million website impressions per month, and its bimonthly magazine, Kirkus Reviews, has a circulation of 15,000. What’s more, is the company’s impressive roster of publishers it covers, which includes: Penguin Random House, Macmillan, HarperCollins, Hachette Book Group, and more.

A Kirkus-style book review costs authors $425 for standard delivery that will be completed in four to nine weeks. Or, if you’re pressed on time and have the cash, opt for the express delivery at $575 completed in four to six weeks.

Need to hire an editor for your manuscript to help tighten loose ends, or focus on the stylistic elements? Kirkus offers three editing packages authors will find useful as far as cleanup is concerned. Choose from general copyediting, which will cost 2 cents per word with a 15-day turnaround, collaborative editing, which starts at $99 plus 3 cents per word with a 20-day turnaround, or opt for the pro editing package. This specific bundle is ideal if you want to put your manuscript through the same editorial process the major houses follow and will cost $99 to start, plus 6.5 cents per word. Visit Kirkus for more information on its services.

CITY BOOK REVIEW

From author marketing tools, book cover illustrations, video and written book reviews, City Book Review is one of the largest book review companies on the west coast with its primary site, San Francisco Book Review, and its newly launched sister companies Manhattan Book Review and Kids’ BookBuzz. With a staff of more than 120 active professional reviewers and nearly 80 children reviewers ages 4 to 17 years old, City Book Review is a great, affordable resource available for indie authors. The company says it reviews more than 400 books per month and offers two book review options: general submission and sponsored reviews.

General submission reviews are free, but not guaranteed, and must be sent to City Book Review within 90 days of the book’s pub date. Sponsored reviews, however, are guaranteed, but do cost the author depending which route you choose. Standard sponsored reviews start at $150 with an eight to 10-week turnaround. Expedited reviews start at $299 with a three to five-week turnaround. If you’re in the market for an audio or written interview in addition to a review, see City Book Review’s standard review plus interview combo with a six to eight-week turnaround. As far as which website the review will appear, well that choice is up to the author. Whether you’re an indie author from the west coast or a published author from the Big Apple, San Francisco and Manhattan Book Review are two great platforms to share your life’s work. And, if you’re a budding children’s author, be sure to check out Kids’ BookBuzz, the site for kids with reviews written by kids.

GOODREADS

Known to bibliophiles as the world’s largest site for book recommendations, Goodreads receives more than 300 million page views and 45 million unique visitors to its site per month. Since 2007, Goodreads’ book-loving community is 40 million members strong with 47 million reviews posted and counting. When you become a part of the Goodreads community, as a reader, you’re able to find and share the titles you love with friends, family, or colleagues. As an author, you are able to take advantage of the vast number of avid readers, and their bookshelves, but more importantly add to it.

Goodreads is a great resource for indie authors because not only is it a place for passionate readers, it also offers a unique author program designed to help authors reach their targeted audience and also promote their book. There is also the Goodreads Blog with marketing tips and advice from industry professionals. Visit Goodreads to take advantage of these resources and more to build your audience.

BOOKSPARKS

Focused on sparking conversations, BookSparks, a company that is also a part of SparkPoint Studio, says it offers authors more than just book publicity. When an author teams up with BookSparks, they’ll not only receive a custom campaign to promote their book, but also a variety of additional creative ways to propel their brand.

Services include: media and blogger relations, branding, author websites, social media, digital marketing, and advertising.

Whether you’re a debut novelist, a bestselling or seasoned author, BookSparks represents a network of nearly 150 authors and works with more than 10 publishers in addition to its connections with major magazines, newspapers, and websites.

FOREWORD

A reliable source for indie authors, Foreword, has offered its book review services for more than 15 years. The company boasts honest, credible reviews with a staff that’s dozens strong. Interested? Send Foreword a review copy of your indie book two months before its “firm publication date,” and they’ll consider reviewing it alongside some of the best, new indie titles in its quarterly magazine, Foreword Reviews.

If your book isn’t chosen to grace the pages of Foreword Reviews, or is past its pub date, you can opt for a 450-word review and star-rating from Clarion Reviews, Foreword’s fee-for-review service using its team of reviewers. The review process takes up to four to six weeks and costs $499 per book. Once the review is finished and with the author’s permission, Clarion will post the review to its website and licensed to book wholesalers. Partners include: Ingram, Baker & Taylor, Cengage, Bowker and more.

SUBMIT TO NEWSPAPERS

A book review in a newspaper does not have to be from the prestigious New York Times, Boston Globe, or theChicago Tribune. Instead, think local. Where did you grow up? Where were you inspired to take the footsteps toward authorhood? Were you moved by the backdrop of a particular city that you can submit your book to? If so, take advantage of this ginormous list of media outlets. This Easy Media List includes U.S. newspapers, magazines, radio and TV stations.

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