How to Start a Profitable Book Review Business

Writers in general are a huge, lucrative, and sometimes desperate market. Fiction writers however, are the cream of the crop. For some reason, it seems like *everyone* dreams of being the next Stephen King.

With the widespread use of the Internet, there's been a dramatic surge in self-publishing, print on demand (POD), and ebook distribution. The problem though, is that even though these methods make publication much quicker and easier - and potentially much more lucrative - writers still need to generate publicity for their works.

And the traditional way is still generally the best: book reviews.

Now first let me explain how the book review process normally works, then I'll tell you how to put a profitable twist on it. And to wrap it all up, I'll share a few insights that should help you avoid headaches or problems.

The Traditional Book Review Process
No matter how a book is produced, there is one aspect that stays the same. The book must be promoted. And more often than not, the author has to be the one who promotes the book. The most common way to promote any book is to get book reviews.

Getting a book reviewed is a tedious, time consuming, and sometimes humiliating process. The author starts by searching for book reviewers. If they're smart, they'll identify those reviewers who cover the genre their book falls into, then they'll send an inquiry via email or regular mail. Identifying a reviewers preferences and/or specialties is a form of targeted marketing. Some reviewers only look at science fiction work, some only romance, and some won't even touch fiction at all. So if an author sends poetry to a computer book reviewer, they're wasting their time and money.

Now, sending an inquiry can mean a variety of things: Press Release, book synopsis, excerpts, or just a general note asking if they'd consider reviewing the work. Some authors simply send the book itself.

In either case, the next step is to wait anxiously.

The Problem With Traditional Methods
Regardless of how well the author researches a reviewer... whether they send an inquiry or just send the book... WAIT is a critical word in a burgeoning author's world.