Hullooo! The deeper I dig into this "self-publishing the right way" odyssey, the more I realize that no one knows how to break it big with a book. Robert Bidinotto has one of the more practical list of self-pubbed marketing tips I've come across, but I have yet to find comparative info on four of the biggest dogs in self-pub marketing: Publishers Weekly, NetGalley, Kirkus Reviews, and IndieReads.
So, I'm compiling what I know, which could fit in a thimble and leave room for a thumb. I have used only part of two of the four services below, so this isn't an endorsement, just my research-based opinion. If you have any experience of your own, please share in the comment section. :)
BOOK LIFE (PUBLISHERS WEEKLY)
Once your self-pubbed book is comprehensively edited, you have your ISBN, and you have your cover, you can submit it to Book Life, Publishers Weekly self-pub reviewing arm, to
have it considered for a free review. It looks like they only select the best
of the best to review (approximately 20% of their submissions), which is their prerogative. This Book Life free review option is
definitely worth your time.For another $149, they'll run a small ad for you in PW Select. Ilsa J. Bick offers a comprehensive review of this service, but in a nutshell, PW Select is not worth it. The Book Life site, however, does offer other promising places to find free reviews.
NETGALLEY
NetGalley serves as the go-between for authors and reviewers. Once your manuscript is edited and you have your cover and ISBN, and preferably, at least three months before your launch date, you pay $399-$599 (depending on whether you want to be listed in their newsletter) to have a protected, digital copy of your work on their site, available for reviewers to download. Depending on how many reviews you get out of this, that money quickly becomes worth it. This is why NetGalley is an industry standard. It's a reliable way to build word of mouth. For even more money, NetGalley offers various marketing programs to get attention for your book. If I can find the budget, I intend to try out the $599 service. I'll let you know how it goes. KIRKUS REVIEWS
For $425, Kirkus guarantees to read and review your book in 7-9 weeks. I just received their review of The Catalain Book of Secrets. In typical Kirkus fashion, they had to drop two snark words in there, but the rest of the review was lush, generous, with a brilliant summary of the book. I consider this a good investment because Kirkus is a respected outfit, and their name on your book will open doors. A note, though--they have about a third of the reach as Publishers Weekly. For another $299, Kirkus will let you make a ProConnect page, basically a devoted page on their website where "industry professionals" (agents, film executives, etc.) can discover you. That's nice. You actively open your wallet and might passively get discovered. While a cursory Internet search brings up nothing to specifically say this isn't a good investment, I'd skip this one.
A third option is Kirkus' Marketing Campaign. There are some vague author success blurbs on the side, but no specific list of what a Kirkus marketing campaign would do for you or how much it would cost. That seems like crappy marketing to me, and so I'd follow my personal rule of "never trust a dentist with bad teeth" here (I don't actually have that rule but probably should).
INDIEREADER
When my YA self-pubbed book came out in 2012, IndieReader gave it a wonderful review for free (I think???). Their reviews now cost $225. My experience with them was positive, so I'd recommend them on those grounds. I am, though, curious about their new IndieReader Selects program, which, for $499, gets you a review and into some sort of self-pubbed Book of the Month club with bookstores. This seems like a promising model, but there's not much info about it on their site (it's still in the beta stage). Anyone know anything? I have a couple emails to bookstores and will report if I hear anything from their end.And that's it! :) All I know for today. Thanks for reading, and have a great weekend.
Link to LIVE Kickstarter campaign. If you have time, please check it out, share, give it a little tickle: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1675834533/the-catalain-book-of-secrets
Jess, a year or so ago there was a lot of ruckus about authors paying for reviews. Self-pub sensation John Locke admitted to paying for many reviews in the beginning, but stopped the practice. People questioned whether those reviews had value. Self-pubs question why they have to pay for a Kirkus review when the traditional publishers do not. Or do the traditional publishers pay for Kirkus and Publishers Weekly notice? Your thoughts?
ReplyDeleteThis is such a well-worded question that I wanted to give it a lot of thought, and here's what I think: paid reviews don't bother me. It's inaccurate reviews that bother me. Paid reviews are a reality of the self-pubbed world; there's no other way to manage the thousands of review requests for otherwise unvetted books. Requiring self-pubbed authors to pay (hopefully) encourages them to not simply send on any old pile of words, and (hopefully) ensures there are enough reviewers available. As long as the reviewer evaluates the book on its quality rather than how much was paid for the review, the fame of the author, how much the main character reminds them of their ex, whether they like the author's head shot, etc., then I consider it a legit review.
DeleteTruly, a self-pubbed author is going to pay for everything themselves--editor, cover designer, interior layout designer, printer set-up, reviews, etc.--that a traditional publisher would cover. That's the reality. If there is a paid reviewer giving skewed reviews, then that is a problem worth discussing. A self-pubbed author paying for what traditionally-published authors don't seems more like an issue traced back to the discomfort people (myself included) have with the shifting of the publishing landscape. None of us know what's up, and we're all trying our best to make it.
Good points, Jess. My concern is not so much that reviews will be skewed because you pay for them. My concern is the perception they present to the world: mainly that self-pubbed books can't cut it in the mainstream reviewing world. I hope readers don't look as paid reviews as being "less than" other reviews. Of course, as you said, none of us have any idea what is paid and not paid, for the most part. So maybe whether or not we pay for reviews may not matter.
DeleteThanks for sharing this info, Jess. You saved me some research time, because these services were on my list to investigate. I'll try Book Life and get back with you!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Janet! I figured as long as I'm doing the research, I may as well share it. I would love to hear what you discover about BookLife. I'm going to submit to them as soon as I have my book cover, and we can swap stories.
DeleteThank you for blogging about your self-publishing process! I've decided to go that route with a short story collection. I'd love to hear more about your experience with Spark and your hunt for a publicist.
ReplyDeleteTim, self-pubbing is a great option for short stories. Still not sure whether or not I'll get a publicist, but I will post about it one way or another, and I'll definitely write about my experience with IngramSpark when I get there!
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