Re> Review Site

Elizabeth Eagan-Cox commented Re the new review site posted on June 9, below:

Arline,

As a best-selling author of your pub. company I am struck by a few questions concerning this query, especially because the blogger is advertising line/ad space for sale on her blogspot and she does not state her expertise or professional background as a book reviewer.

I am not sayng she is not qualified or that her site is not a good fit for romance authors.

However this is the kind of 'review' site I steer clear of. While her daily hits may seem like a lot, they are not, and as to Facebook friends, well.....

Any author can reach that many prospective readers by offering one of their paperback books in a GoodReads contest. Sign up for GoodReads (it is free) start your own author's page and create a contest for one of your books. It is easy and an excellent way to reach out to readers and develop a rapport and uin time, the ratings and reveiws will come as readers comment on their opinion about your books.

I'm not on GR often but as with all other social networking sites, readers know they can contact me at my website and that I will answer them.

And btw, many readers have e-mailed me, asking about Shannon Delaney paranormal mystery series, book 4... which (Yay!) is nearly finished. Heads up, Shelly, I could have "A Ghost At Stallion's Gate" on your desk by end of this summer ;-)
Elizabeth Eagan-Cox
www.ElizabethEaganCox.net

Answer: YOU are so right, Elizabeth. No qualifications are required for becoming a book reviewer. In fact ANYone can go to amazon.com and write a review of your book. Just as anyone can start a blog and hope to make money off it. Yet I am constantly receiving inquiries from authors wondering where in the world they can get their books reviewed. Makes me wonder if they don't have any friends...

Still some folks feel they shouldn't ask friends or fellow writers to comment on their books, forgetting that it is also an opportunity for the fellow writer to push his or her books in the signature line. So I always post information about review sites, UNLESS they charge for the review itself. Don't laugh. Some sites certainly do charge.

This person does not charge for reviews only for advertising, which is the author's choice or not. So I passed it along. But not without qualms. Nice to see someone is paying attention.