Writing to reviewers

Reviewers are really our life blood. We need those all-important 50 reviews on Amazon before they’ll actually start promoting us. It really doesn’t matter if some of them are only 1*, 2* or 3*. Yes, those can hurt but I know many a book I’ve enjoyed I’ve only read some books myself because of my curiosity about why they got such a poor review.

You have to grow a thick skin.

It’s good to send a nice letter, and further tailor it to the particular reviewer.

Here’s my example:

Dear ( put reviewer’s name here),

I wonder whether you would care to review my book. I can send it to you as a PDF, an –e-mobi file or in hard copy.

(Put your blurb here and be sure to include the title of the book. In fact, what you have  here should be part way between a blurb and a synopsis. It shouldn’t give the game away and it should have all the melodrama of a normal blurb, but it may need a few more acts as well, like target audience, a sense of genre and maybe what the reader might be like. What else might your reader read.)

Your review will mean a lot to me.

I hope to hear from you soon.

Your name. 

And don;t forget to thank them after they've written your review.  

Next up we’ll look at where you might get some reviewers.