Get Your Book Reviewed

How to Get Your Book Reviewed by Independent Book Review

---

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):

How does Independent Book Review (IBR) choose which books to feature?

Independent Book Review wants to sell books to readers. We want to bring indie press and self-published authors into the spotlight and show the reading world that they can put their trust in indies.

So when we’re choosing which books to feature, we pursue those titles which we believe could entice a browser into a book sale. We consider book covers, book descriptions, blurbs, price, and more when deciding to pay our reviewer to review that book.

Looking for tips on how to get your book reviewed from more outlets and more customers? Check out IBR Books’ first full-length publication, The Truth About Book Reviews by Joe Walters.

What are my chances of getting my book reviewed with a free submission to IBR?

That depends! Is your cover standing out among the hundreds of other submissions? Does your description promise something new and enticing to its reader? Have experts said good things about it? Have you published with an indie press we admire? Then, your chances are increasing!

We receive between 500 and 1000 books per month in our free submissions inbox, and we accept only a small portion of them. Usually between five and ten. So while it’s true that more submissions are quietly rejected than accepted, we’ll always take flyers on books we believe can sell.

When will I know if my book was chosen?

When the book review or feature has gone live. We do not believe in putting timers on books, as they can be enjoyed long after the publication date, but if it has been over a year, there’s probably a good chance the book hasn’t been chosen.

What types of books do you review the most?

• Literary & General Fiction
• Science Fiction & Fantasy
• Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
• Poetry
• Middle Grade & Young Adult
• Nonfiction

Are there any books you do not review or feature?

• Books from the Big Five publishers (Penguin Random House, Hachette, Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, Macmillan)
• Some religious books
• Some informational/educational nonfiction
• Hateful, harmful, or offensive books

Do you review books that are already published?

Yup! Most books can be enjoyed years after their release, so we’re happy to review books with any release date. As long as it is still available for purchase from Amazon and/or Bookshop, we’d review it.

Do you use generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) to write your reviews?

Our “How to Be an IBR Book Reviewer” guidebook states that reviewers must refrain from using generative AI to write their book reviews. They must read the book in full and provide their own original thoughts, summary, praise, and criticism in their reviews. Reviewers are free to use AI assistants like Grammarly or a dictation tool to write and edit their reviews, but it is against our policy to use generative AI.

Should I buy a guaranteed book review?

Maybe! Maybe not! It all depends what you’re hoping to get out of it and what your budget is.

Ask yourself, do you want to guarantee a review from us in a specific amount of time? Do you want pull-quotes to use as blurbs? Do you want to make sure your book is given a fair shot by one of our reviewers so that they can review it and consider it for their list of Best Books They’ve Read This Year? Then mayyybbe! But it’s all up to you.

What does an editorial book review look like?

An IBR editorial review is a 400- to 750-word book review sent directly to your inbox within one, two, or five weeks. Once you receive the review, you can start using pull-quotes from within the review on your marketing material. We will publish the review on our website alongside the free reviews, lists, and reader-focused blog posts.