Hi there,
Well, my TBR list is stacking up even more than usual. Everytime I scan the Review Pool I find some new and interesting book which I just have to read. This week I have been left in stitches by a hysterical (and very rude) detective drama involving what can only be described as people with some very flexible body parts. And yet, underneath its crude exterior, this book contains a very important message about everyday misogyny and sexism. I can’t put it down! If you see anything in the Review Pool which matches this description then I would highly recommend picking it up straight away. Seriously, don’t even hesitate.
You see, this is what I love about small-press and Indie authors. We can get away with so much in our writing which is either unconventional or a little bit ‘out-there’, and it can lead to some amazing results and some really brilliant stories. To me, this is what makes our craft so unique and authentic — it is our own voices and our own stories delivered in exactly the way we wanted. You’ve got to love it!
Anyway, enough of me gushing over you all. Let’s get on with this month’s news.
A Motivational Pep-Talk
Right, you lot. There still seems to be a great number of you sitting out on the sidelines being all skeptical and wondering if BookRoar will get results for you! Well, it will, I promise, but BookRoar works on the basis that you get out of it what you put in, so if you haven’t dived in and selected a book yet then now is the perfect time to do so! The quicker you do it then the quicker we can get you a review, and the more you do it then the more reviews you should get.
Remember, while we love to see detailed feedback in the reviews our members leave, the minimum requirement isn’t overly onerous (150+ words and at least some engagement with the text) and the process isn’t as daunting as it may appear. As always, a good description, an attractive cover, and a reasonable price point will help you get selected, and the more you repeat the process then the better your results will be. So stop doing what author’s do best (procrastinating) and pick up your next Summer read through BookRoar.
(P.S. Already have a Credit in your account? Well then, why not build up some reserves and add a whole stockpile of Credits to your books. They never expire and you can have multiple reviews ongoing at the same time. Stacking Credits works even better if you are running a promotion or about to unveil your latest release to the world).
Double Credit Competition
OK, OK. So you are after something to sweeten the deal, huh? You want something extra to help you along in your BookRoar journey? Well then, why not take part in our latest competition!
For the whole month of July, we are offering one lucky winner the chance to double the Credits for all the books they read and review on BookRoar. So, for example, if you review one book this month, you could get one extra Credit, but if you review five books then you could get a whopping ten Credits popping up in your account! Ohh, can you imagine waking up one morning and finding all that Credit-y goodness just waiting for you. What on earth would you do with them all?
As they say, you have to be in it to win it, so let’s get started right away. The winner will be randomly selected from our database early next month. Good luck!
Refer a Friend
We always say that the more members BookRoar has then the stronger it will be, and the stronger BookRoar is then the more it will benefit everyone in our community. Our advertisement methods are a little … what’s the word … haphazard to say the least (sliding into your DMs, slapping our logo on our #HomemadeMemes etc.), so we really do rely on word-of-mouth to help us grow.
So if you are part of a writer’s group, a writer’s chat forum, or have friends who would benefit from using our service, then please tell them about BookRoar and send them our way. As a thank you, we will give the referrer an extra Credit for every person they refer after they have read and reviewed their first book (max two Credits per person, but please don’t let that stop you referring more). Once the person you have referred has submitted the review to BookRoar, simply drop us an email to let us know you referred them and we’ll do the rest.
Don’t forget, if you refer someone to us then make sure to let us know if you want them added to your ‘blacklist’, especially if you have reviewed each other’s books before or you know them in real life. This means that the two of you won’t breach Amazon’s Review Guidelines by accident.
Kindle Vella
We’re hearing rumblings in our community about Amazon’s Kindle Vella programme, which is a fairly new concept designed to help authors release their books in short episodic formats. It is certainly a great idea which can help engage authors and readers alike, but a few of you have asked if Vella is compatible with BookRoar.
As much as we would like to say yes, the answer is unfortunately no, not at this time. The reason for this is that Kindle Vella is only available to those in the US (BookRoar operates worldwide) and because the short length of these stories would make it difficult to keep our Credit system fair.
But what do you think? Would you like to see a BookRoar programme running exclusively for Vella authors? If so, then please let us know. The more people we have requesting a feature then the higher up on our list of priorities it will appear, and we will get around to it much sooner.
Triggers and Genres
We have noticed there are still a large number of books without any genres attached to them (tut tut!). If your book doesn’t have any genres attached to it then the odds are that reviewers are unable to see it. Most people are using the Genre Filtering Tool nowadays and if your book’s details aren’t accurate it may be being overlooked. Make sure to update your book with as many genres as are relevant so you have the best chance of being chosen.
Further to this, we have had reports of people not paying attention to what Triggers a book is displaying, and then leaving reviews explaining how they are shocked by what they found inside. The Triggers are there to help you decide if a book is suitable for you, and if there are things which may make you uncomfortable then please consider skipping to the next book. We don’t want unhappy readers and we don’t want unhappy authors because of this small misunderstanding, so please do consider them when you are looking for your next book.
Right, back to my BookRoar book. I must see how this phallic fist-fight ends (I kid you not — it is as epic as it sounds)!
Many thanks
The BookRoar Team
