Book bloggers, journalists, and librarians reach audiences an author usually can't reach alone, and their reviews carry a kind of independent credibility that customer reviews don't. Getting on their radar takes a more targeted approach than a general ARC list: research who covers your genre, personalize your pitch, and respect that they get far more requests than they can accept.
This is part of the Book Reviews 101.
A blogger, journalist, or librarian isn't reading casually. Bloggers build a following around specific genres and tastes, and their readers trust their recommendations. Journalists write for outlets with their own audiences and editorial standards. Librarians influence what gets shelved and recommended in their libraries, which shapes what an entire community discovers. A review or recommendation from any of them tends to carry more weight than an anonymous customer review, and it can lead to more readers finding your book on their own.
Start with book bloggers: search for blogs that regularly cover your genre, and look at who else they've featured. A blog that reviews books similar to yours is a better fit than a large, general one. For journalists, look at book sections of local newspapers, genre-specific magazines, and websites that cover books in your category. For librarians, many libraries have collection development or readers' advisory staff who consider self-published and indie titles, especially local authors or books relevant to their community. Some sites also maintain directories of bloggers and reviewers by genre, which can save you research time.
Quality of fit matters more than quantity. A blogger who genuinely reviews books like yours, and has an engaged audience, is worth more than a dozen mismatched requests.
Most bloggers, journalists, and librarians who accept review requests publish a review policy on their site. Read it before pitching. It usually covers the genres they cover, how to submit, current wait times, and whether they're open to requests at all. Following these instructions, rather than a generic pitch, makes a real difference in whether you hear back.
Expect a lower response rate than with your own readers. These reviewers get many requests and can only cover a fraction of them. A polite follow-up after a few weeks is fine; repeated messages are not.
Researching and pitching bloggers, journalists, and librarians one at a time works, but it's slow, especially if you're not already connected to reviewers in your genre. Entrada's ARC review service is built for this: for a one-time fee of $155, we make your book available to bloggers, journalists, librarians, teachers, and other influencers whose interests match your genre, similar to services like NetGalley. You review and adjust your book's summary before it goes out, and we personally respond to everyone interested in reading and reviewing your book. No set number of reviews is guaranteed, but requests typically reach hundreds of qualified members of our list, sometimes thousands depending on genre, and we keep coordinating reviews for as long as your book continues to generate interest.
Reach the Reviewers Who Cover Your Genre
Entrada's ARC review service puts your book in front of bloggers, journalists, librarians, and other influencers who match your genre, and we handle the outreach for you.
Search for blogs that regularly cover books like yours, and check what else they've reviewed recently. A review policy page, if the blog has one, will tell you what they're open to.
Some do, especially for local authors or books relevant to their community. Check whether your library has a collection development or readers' advisory contact.
There's no set number. Quality of fit matters more than volume, but expect a lower response rate than with your own readers, so it helps to reach more than you expect to hear back from.
That's normal and not a reflection on your book. Reviewers accept only a fraction of what they're pitched. Thank them for considering it and move on.