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I've never understood why more authors don't blurb and review more books. I had the hardest time getting blurbs for my first self-pubbed novel. That was among my motivations to start a small press, Not a Pipe Publishing. Now we all blurb and review one another's books. Sure, it takes some time, but if you can write a good review or blurb and get your name and title on the back of someone else's book, it's basically free advertising that will show up right where your most important potential customers are located: standing in bookstores!

We'll be looking for reviewers and blurbers for new titles this year. If you are interested in getting an email about a book to see if it sounds like something you might be interested in reading, blurbing, and reviewing, please send me an email with your name and the place where you'd be posting your review (Goodreads? Amazon? Your blog? All of the above?) and we'll send you links to the books in .mobi for Kindle, .ePub, .doc, and .pdf so you can choose the format you like to read best. I never encourage writers to swap reviews (Bad idea. You will eventually find yourself in a compromising position writing a review that's overly generous because you feel beholden to someone who has written or may write a glowing review of your work. Don't swap) but building up those relationships with other authors you respect might put a foot in the door to get you a review when they have a huge hit and can have more pull if they like your work. We all know we're all in this together and it's not a zero-sum-game (more readers reading books is better for all of us. We're not competing. We're getting people in the habit of reading and thus helping one another) so if you can take time away from your own writing (that's the hard part) to read and review a great author's work, I promise our company has vetted all these novels and only chosen the best to publish. I look forward to hearing from many of you at NotAPipePublishing@gmail.com

Hi Benjamin,

For me, it's largely a matter of time, but I've been doing reviews of indie novels on my blog for the past few months now, so I might occasionally be able to offer a review or blurb.

Just as an aside, I approached a writer I know for a blurb for "Ice on the Bay," but owing to a lot of things getting in the way (holidays and hospitals, mostly), that never materialized. He is going to read it on release, though, and possibly send me a blurb for promo use. If that happens, I'll surely let everyone know, because he's an excellent writer (originally traditionally published, but now gone indie) who I would be very pleased to have a good word from!

Hello! For me as an Indie (especially one at this under 2 years), I'm still getting over the fear of 'bothering' people. People tell me all the time they like my work, some of them review. But I hate putting them out by reminding that I'll need a review for that ARC, or nagging with newsletters or emails or posts.
I do love CONNECTING with the people that enjoy connecting with me.
As far as the authors I admire, I've only connected personally with one. She's been sort of a long distance mentor, just with me asking off the cuff questions as she speaks openly about topics she feels strongly about (indie pricing, reviews, etc.) But I never even THOUGHT to ask her to read my first novel (even tho she bought it to support me, totally on her own, and shared the buy links with her very large reader group). I felt like that would be asking a lot, to outright ask if she'd read it - almost like it was an unwritten 'no-no'. It's time away from her own writing, and editing, and full time author career. And she probably gets tons of asks like that.
If I'm the one reviewing or blurbing, it's hard to believe someone cares what I have to say about a book. I might love to do it (honestly I love writing my own blurbs for back covers!), but I'm not sure anyone would accept my offer to read and review...because they have no idea who I am.
So, in conclusion...I'd say that's why I personally don't do it. It just didn't occur to me. If I wanted to, where does one begin to offer to, or request of, other authors, without being a PITA, esp. given I have no awards or credits to my name beyond self-pubbing a trilogy of novels in one year? Thx for your post. :) -MJ

M.J. wrote: "Hello! For me as an Indie (especially one at this under 2 years), I'm still getting over the fear of 'bothering' people. People tell me all the time they like my work, some of them review. But I ha..."
If it helps at all, I wrote my first blurb when I was even more nobody than I am now. I think I had one published story to my name. I had given Benjamin positive feedback on an early version of his first novel and he invited me to write a blurb when he published it. Meanwhile, my second story was being published as a Kindle single, so we used that as my credit in the blurb. By the time his second novel needed a blurb, I had one of my own coming out, so he referenced that. And so on to now, when I've written blurbs for 4 Not a Pipe books. I've discovered it's a lot of fun to write a review, then mine it for a blurb another author can use; or mine reviews of my work for blurbs to post on my website. Even if you think you're nobody, So-and-So, author of Such-and-Such sounds like somebody.

Karen wrote: "M.J. wrote: "Hello! For me as an Indie (especially one at this under 2 years), I'm still getting over the fear of 'bothering' people. People tell me all the time they like my work, some of them rev..."
That's a very good point, Karen! I'm sure many of you remember the days when you were getting used to calling yourself an 'author'. I supposed I am still settling in with the idea. I've marketed and produced my books as professionally as I can, and that's paid off with the attention I've received. But sometimes I'm afraid someone is going to peek behind the fake-it-til-you-make-it curtain!
I'll be looking into this! -MJ