John Scalzi just put up a short post on his own blog about why he doesn’t review books. It’s an interesting read and I agree with his reasoning. Sort of. I agree that his reasons are valid for him, and only him, and not necessarily binding on the rest of the community.
On the other hand, I’m one of those “desperate writers” who wants other people to review my stuff, darnit. Which means I’m incredibly disappointed that more people aren’t reviewing science fiction / fantasy books or short fiction. The flip side of this disappointment is that it never occurred to me to ask Scalzi to review any of my work, so it doesn’t actually matter that he’s not going to review it. He didn’t actually say no because I didn’t actually ask.
I want to hear reviews of my books. The most I’ve gotten is three reviews of Legend of the Beemen (one posted to Long & Short Reviews that propagated to Amazon and Goodreads, and two posted solely to Amazon.) All three reviews are 5 Star, which sends me over the moon with joy every time I read them. I hope to see more reviews of this and my other work in the future. In the meantime, I’d like to share a few links with everyone for places and people that DO do reviews.
Long and Short Reviews – Does several genres, accepts both ebooks and print books, and does short fiction as well as novels. Has very specific guidelines.
The Indie Mine – Does several genres and game reviews. They’re a little short staffed at the moment, and need reviewers with excellent English and communication skills, so if you are looking to review books, feel free to contact them. Authors looking for reviews can check out their contact information.
Manic Readers – You can get access to dozens of review sites (including LAS) through your author’s account at Manic Readers. Haven’t heard of them? Neither had I until early this year. Get an account with them. It’s well worth it (since basic accounts are for free). They also accept independent reviewers and review sites for the Review Depot.
Know of any SF & Fantasy reviewers or sites that I’ve missed? Please post a comment and I’ll add it to the list.
