Book Reviewers List | 250+ Book Review Blogs

Finding book reviewers and book blogs can be a wearisome task. With few comprehensive lists and guides, it can be tough to know where to look and who to send your story to. 

Some websites and services exist promoting book review services. But their prices can be staggeringly high and the results not guaranteed. That’s why I put together this list, to help you find reviewers. 

Getting reviews is important. Not only do they send a positive message to the world that your book is worth buying, but it gives writers crucial affirmation that they have the ability to do the thing they’ve poured their hearts and soul into.

Most of the lovely people below review books of all genres from self published authors and traditional publishers and everything in between.

They’re all wonderful people and passionate readers who love the written word. And in many cases, they offer free reviews in exchange for a copy of your book.

As well as a list of over 200 book reviewers, blogs and social media profiles, I’ve provided my insights into how to successfully get reviews, where to look and a bit more about what they are and why they’re important.

Jump To A Section

1. List of Book Reviewers And Book Blogs 
2. What Is A Book Review?
3. Why Are Book Reviews Important?
4. How Do You Pitch Your Book To A Reviewer?
5. How Long Do Book Reviewers Take To Get Back To You?
6. The Book Blog Survey – Research On The Perspective Of Book Reviewers
7. More Writing Resources

List of Book Reviewers And Book Blogs

• SFF – Sci-fi, fantasy and speculative fiction as a whole (horror, dystopian etc.)
• Fiction – all types of fiction reviewed
• Defunct – Lots of people use this list of book reviewers and refer back to it regularly. Bloggers and book review sites can and do disappear quickly. It’s a voluntary pursuit after all and some people get snowed under with book review requests. As a result, they shut down their sites. Rather than remove them from the list, I mark them as “defunct” so that anyone who may have submitted can update their own records. 

What Is A Book Review?

A book review is the honest opinion of a published piece of fiction or non-fiction. This review might be published on online stores like Amazon, websites like Goodreads and Bookbub, and on the likes of book blogs.

Many book reviews are given voluntarily and free of charge. Some writers and publishers may solicit reviews, seeking honest opinions in exchange for free copies. Some platforms charge writers for reviews.

Why Are Book Reviews Important?

A book review is a great way for a writer to help spread the word about their book. Honest opinions of dedicated readers, especially ones with followings, can help a writer reach new audiences, especially for an indie author.

And when it comes to convincing people to take a chance on your story, if you have a bunch of flowing book reviews, it’s going to help defeat the cynicism in their minds and encourage them to take a chance.

I’ve experienced the benefit of this first hand. When Pariah’s Lament came out, more people bought copies off the back of the early reviews. People would say to me “the reviews were brilliant; I’ve got my copy.”

Reviews tell people what the book is about, that it’s a good story worth reading. While we writers are supposed to contribute to that end, it can be difficult to remove yourself from the story and present it as a reader. In fact, writing a blurb and synopsis can be more difficult than writing a book!

For the help this can give you, it’s definitely worth giving away a free copy. 

How Do You Pitch Your Book To A Reviewer?

Book bloggers get bombarded with review requests every week. The more popular the blog, the more requests they’re likely to get.

This can make it tricky for a writer to stand out from the crowd. But there are a few things you can do:

• Always be polite and courteous. Appreciate the position the book reviewer may be in—swamped with requests, pushed for time maybe, with this being their hobby, after all.
• Provoke curiosity. This is a pitch. We need to sell the story to the reviewer. Lure them in with intriguing detail. Give them a means to learn more if they want to (a link to your Goodreads page perhaps). But be sure to give them all the key details – book title, word count, genre.
• Read their guidelines and adhere to them.
• Offer to support the book blog in some way. Can you write a guest post or take part in an interview?

It’s important to be patient too. Following up a couple of weeks after not hearing anything is worthwhile, but beyond that, it’s a waste of time.

How Long Do Book Reviewers Take To Get Back To You?

This purely depends on the reviewer, how busy they are and how quickly they read. When you first send your request you may be met with silence. That could go on for weeks or maybe months. Then out the blue you may hear back. However, most reviewers, if they’re interested, will respond to you within a few days asking for more information. 

When a book blogger accepts your story, they will ask when you’d ideally like the review by (often relating to the release date of the book).

Most book reviewers will aim to hit that date. And if they can’t many of them are honest and open so will tell you straight. Generally, the timeframe will be agreed upon at the outset. But remember that everyone is human and a multitude of factors can impact deadlines, so be patient and understanding.

The Book Blog Survey – Research On The Perspective Of Book Reviewers

Last month I conducted some primary research. I asked a number of book reviewers about their perspectives and the advice they’d give to writers looking to pitch their work to them.

The results of my Book Blogs Survey are some of the most fascinating and useful I’ve ever compiled for this website. Below, you can find a breakdown of just some of the findings, with a full downloadable report to follow in the near future. 

What advice would you give to authors querying book reviewers?

Always read blogger’s review policies. Are they open for requests? Is your genre one of their accepted genres? Many of us don’t have time to write back to everyone, so if an author’s query doesn’t respect my guidelines, I generally will delete the email without reply.

The reviewer gives instructions on how to request or query a review follow the instructions completely. Not doing so is the quickest way to get tossed in the discard pile.

Please include a synopsis that is compelling and concise. If a blogger says they don’t read a genre your book falls into, please don’t send a request and waste both parties’ time.

Keep your pitches short. Say “here’s my book if you fancy reviewing it” rather than “would you like a copy of this to review”. Include a link to book file so we don’t have to specifically request. Basically, don’t try to put the reviewer under any obligation. Leave the book on my desk and walk away.

Read their review policy and don’t send a query if they are closed to reviews or don’t read your genre.
They shoud do research on the Blog or whichever mean the reviewer uses before submitting a query

What attracts you most to a book when reading a query?

• 81% of responders said the description of the book
• 5% said the book cover
• 5% said other reviews
• 5% said the genre of the book

What turns you off a book most of all when reading a query?

• 29% of responders said authors who failed to research their blog
• 24% said receiving a generic query
• 10% said a weak pitch
• 5% said not following submission instructions
• 5% said a new author comparing their book to a legend
• 5% said very lengthy descriptions. 

More Writing Resources

If you happen to be looking for publishers for your work, I also have the following lists too, as well as other writing tools and guides:

• List of fantasy publishers
• List of fantasy magazines and journals
• List of writing groups
• Check out my free book description generator here

If you need any help navigating this list of book reviewers, please get in touch. 

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richiebilling

Richie Billing writes fantasy fiction, historical fiction and stories of a darker nature. He's had over a dozen short stories published in various magazines and journals, with one adapted for BBC radio. In 2021 his debut novel, Pariah's Lament, an epic fantasy, was published by Of Metal and Magic. Richie also runs The Fantasy Writers' Toolshed, a podcast devoted to helping writers improve their craft.

Most nights you can find him up into the wee hours scribbling away or watching the NBA.

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