Goodreads Authors/Readers discussion

I'm halfway done with the final draft of my debut novel (final edit passes aside) and I'm wondering when is a good time to start looking for reviews. One of my published friends said it's a good idea to try to get several reviews before your book is even released. So, I'm wondering, is that now, or should I wait until the final drafts and edit passes are finished?

I am also at the stage of thinking about reviews but I find that most people prefer to wait for the finished product for the best impression. Do reviewers also read digital copies of finished manuscripts and what is the best source of genuine reviewers who are interested in your genre?

So one of the differences that might be helpful to be familiar with is the difference between BETA readers vs ARC readers.

Beta readers look at unfinished manuscripts and give you commentary from another set of eyes (we all get lost a bit in our own work, especially the longer we labor over it). So if you have an unfinished manuscript in progress you might be looking for BETA readers; mostly if you think you will still change a substantial amount.

I personally don't use BETA readers, but once I copyright my work I do send it out to ARC readers. But I don't do that until I have a copyright for it! That is just my personal approach.

As per modern industry standards... as a rule of thumb, you do want to have at least some ARC reviews before you launch. Especially if you decide to do some paid advertisements its nice for potential readers to see that and how some other people have connected with your work.

There are lots of people on groups here who like to do ARC's. It is helpful from a larger marketing/PR perspective to network and try to get a few people who have a blog, booktube or bookstagram to do an ARC review fro you as well because their reviews will also find their way into their audience's eyes.

Also, I know that Sheena Monnin provides awesome free reviews because she is super cool like that through her project with Luminosity Media Group.

To answer Hilary's question as well, most ARC's are digital. However, once you have published, it doesn't hurt to offer to send physical copies to reviewers that have a good sized audience. But for most independently published books you won't be able to do that until after publishing unless you find someone who can print you a couple of copies to send out for reviews.

Lastly, keep in mind that reviews take a while to come in! So you want to have some copies out for review months before you actually publish. I totally fought the idea that a book launch should take 6 months, and now I wish I had done a whole year of prep. On an actual final note (you can see why I write books I am thorough and wordy, to say it kindly)... sometimes, friends and colleagues also say that they have time and would love to give you a review and fall short on their promises, so make sure you cast a wide net! (some of these lessons I have learned the hard way myself).

Hey Hilary & Samantha,

(Thank you Daniel for the mention) :-) I love reading and have read lots of ARCs and indie books over the years. Happy to read & offer a review (free, because I love reading and supporting indie writers!) on each of your books! Please message me if you’d like to add me to your list of ready-to-go reviews when your book publishes! I post my reviews on Goodreads & Amazon.

Excited for you!! :-D

Cheers,

Sheena