A professional review is written by a reviewer you pay to read your book, an ARC review comes from a reader, blogger, journalist, or librarian who reads an advance copy and gives an independent opinion, and a customer review is posted by a reader on a retail site. "Editorial review" is a term for professional reviews that appear in a book's marketing and listings. Each does a different job, and most authors benefit from all of them.
This article covers who writes each type, what it costs, and how much control you have over it. For the bigger picture, see the Book Reviews 101.
| Professional / editorial review | ARC review | Customer review | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who writes it | A reviewer who reads your book for a fee | Readers, bloggers, journalists, librarians, and other influencers who receive an advance copy | Readers who buy or borrow the book |
| Cost to you | A one-time fee (Entrada: $289 standard, $389 rush) | Free copies, or a service fee to get your book in front of reviewers (Entrada: $155 one time) | None. Reviews can't be bought |
| Your control | You can choose not to publish it | None over opinions | None |
| Guaranteed? | A review is guaranteed by the deadline. A positive one is not | No set number of reviews | No |
| Length | Set by the service (Entrada: 250-350 words) | Varies from a star rating to a full blog post | Varies |
| Best for | Quotable credibility for your listings, website, and marketing | Early buzz, discovery, and independent opinions | Social proof on your sales page |
| Timing | Weeks; plan ahead | Before or around launch | Ongoing after launch |
A professional review is written by a reviewer who reads your complete book and writes a polished review, usually a few hundred words. You pay for the service and the review is yours to use. It is not a rating from a customer; it's a credible, quotable evaluation from an outside reviewer.
At Entrada, a professional review is 250 to 350 words, costs $289 for a standard 5 to 8 week review or $389 for a rush 3 to 4 week review, and is honest and unbiased. You aren't guaranteed a positive review, and if a review is not positive, you can choose not to have it published. When you quote a review, you keep the byline intact.
Where you use it: your book page on retail sites (as an editorial review, see below), your website, social media, your email signature, and your cover or marketing materials.
About the term "editorial review." Retail sites like Amazon have a separate section on a book's page for editorial reviews, which authors can add through the retailer's author tools (for Amazon, Author Central). That's where a quotable professional review belongs. It is separate from the customer reviews section, which is for reviews written by actual customers.
An ARC is an advance review copy: a copy of your book given to readers, bloggers, journalists, librarians, and other reviewers before or around publication. They read it and choose whether to review it, and their opinions are their own.
ARC reviewers can post on blogs, social media, Goodreads, and retail sites, which is how many books get their first reviews. Because the reviewers are independent, you can't control what they say, and you can't guarantee how many will post a review. Free advance copies are allowed by Amazon as long as reviewers aren't required to write a review or pushed toward a particular opinion. See Amazon's Review Rules for Authors.
Services help you reach reviewers. Entrada's ARC reviews service, similar to NetGalley, makes your book available to bloggers, journalists, librarians, teachers, and other influencers who match your genre. For a one-time fee of $155, we send out your book announcement, respond to every interested reviewer, and coordinate reviews for as long as your book keeps generating requests. There's no set number of reviews guaranteed.
For more, see What Is an ARC?
Customer reviews are the ratings and reviews that readers post on retail sites after buying or borrowing your book. They give shoppers social proof right on your sales page. You can ask readers politely for an honest review, but you can't pay for them, and you shouldn't ask for only positive ones.
A blurb or endorsement is a short quote from another author or public figure praising your book. It's different from a review: it's usually requested by you, it's brief, and it's meant for your cover and marketing. See Getting a Blurb for Your Book.
If you're launching a first book with no reviews yet, a professional review gives you something credible to quote right away, and ARC reviews build early buzz alongside it. On a tighter budget, start with ARC outreach and a polite request to your own readers, then add a professional review once you can afford it. If what you really need is a quotable line for a cover, website, or agent query, a professional review is the more direct route. If instead your goal is getting more bloggers and librarians to notice the book, ARC reviews are the better fit. And if the book is already out with only a handful of reviews, ARC outreach paired with steady requests to readers is usually the fastest way to add more.
Whichever you choose, get the manuscript in its best shape first. See Beta Readers vs. Critique Partners vs. Editors and our Complete Guide to Beta Reading.
Get Reviews That Work Together
Start with a professional review you can quote everywhere, then add ARC reviews to reach bloggers, journalists, and librarians who match your genre.
An editorial review is a professional review written by an outside reviewer that appears on a book's listing or in its marketing. On Amazon, editorial reviews go in a separate section from customer reviews.
A professional review is written by a reviewer you hire, and you can choose whether to publish it. An ARC review comes from an independent reader or reviewer who receives an advance copy, and you can't control or guarantee it.
Many authors use both. A professional review gives you credibility and a quote for your marketing, while ARC reviews create early buzz and reach reviewers who match your genre.
No. Paying for customer reviews violates retailer rules and may violate consumer protection law. See Are Paid Book Reviews Legitimate?