Matchmaker for Early Book Reviews

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LibraryThing.

LibraryThing is full of great conversations about books with groups talking about every little sub-genre, every aspect of books and reading, and lots of other stuff too. It’s a site for READERS.

LibraryThing is a website that allows people to catalog their personal libraries, discover new books and connect with others who share their tastes.  It is an open, collaborative project.  The best reason to join for AUTHORS is to have an e-Book or print book giveaway with high possibilities for REVIEWS.  The great benefit of LibraryThing is that you can even have your e-books as giveaways – and that you can use the reviews you might get for promotional purposes. 

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A section of the site is called Member Giveaways – which are an informal way for members to give away copies of books to other members. Authors can use this to give away copies of their books in the hopes of getting a review. You upload the cover of your book, add the blurb, as well as a line saying something like “reviews are not compulsory, but would be greatly appreciated”.

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While at Goodreads (an Amazon company) you have to buy – in advance – one- hundred eBooks to offer them all for giveaway prices, at LibraryThing you can choose the amount. It might be as small as only one eBook. And you send it out to the lucky winner at the end of the contest.

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LibraryThing Advises:
“You must indicate how many books you are giving away, and what the time limit is for members to sign up (one week is the minimum).  Once the allotted period is up, you will be emailed a list of the “winners”, and it’s then up to you to send out the copy of the book.”

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As a new member, explore the site first and build up your library before you consider doing a giveaway – you will receive a much better response.

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Questions and Answers About Book Giveaways
What is “LibraryThing Early Reviewers”?
“LibraryThing Early Reviewers helps publishers distribute advance copies of books to interested readers. The publisher provides books, LibraryThing members sign-up to request them, and then we match up books with members based on the rest of their LibraryThing catalog. Books find their way to readers who are likely to enjoy them! LibraryThing members get books, publishers get reviews—LibraryThing plays matchmaker.”

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How does it work?
“You supply LibraryThing with a list of the titles that you’ll be offering to the Early Reviewers. We announce the titles (in monthly batches), and LibraryThing members sign up for whichever books they’re interested in. We use an algorithm to find the members most likely to enjoy and create buzz for your titles. We send a list of the winning members and their addresses to you. You send out the books. Early Reviewers read the books, and then post reviews to LibraryThing. They are encouraged to also cross-post to their blog, etc.”

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What does the publisher (You) get out of it?
“You get a community of readers, creating early buzz about your book and giving you insight into how it will be received. The publisher and author are granted perpetual non-exclusive permission to use the reviews.”

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What formats of books can I offer through Early Reviewers?
“We are happy to list paper copies, ebooks, and audiobooks. If you are offering an ebook, you must specify the file type (epub, Mobi, PDF, etc.) in the description.”

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How many books do I have to provide?
“We ask for at least fifteen copies of each title, and welcome more than that! We encourage both diversity and quantity.”

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How far in advance of the release date should I offer my titles?
“That’s up to you—whenever you want the buzz to start. Early Reviewers is completely free. We reserve the right to charge for this service in the future.”

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Who ships the books or emails a PDF version?
“The publisher is responsible for shipping. LibraryThing provides a list of names and addresses.”

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How do you pick which LibraryThing members do receive a book?

“We use an algorithm to calculate winners, which is based on a number of factors, for example the contents and organization of the reviewer’s LibraryThing account. How many books the reviewer has received from LTER in the past, and whether they’ve reviewed them. Factors that suggest someone likely to review a book, and talk about it widely, on LibraryThing and elsewhere.”

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Do the books I provide need to be pre-publication?
“In general, we prefer books that have not yet been published. Publishers who don’t produce advance reader copies, or publishers with less “release-driven” titles should email loranne@librarything.com to discuss when to offer books.”

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Can authors offer review copies to LibraryThing members outside of North America?
“Absolutely. Most publishers that we’re currently working with offer books to residents of the United States and Canada—we’d love to open it up to members around the world and are eager to work with publishers to make this happen.”

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I’m an author, can I offer up my books for Early Reviewers?
“We only accept Early Reviewer books directly from trade publishers. If your publisher isn’t participating in Early Reviewers, then you can offer your books up for review yourself! Use our Member Giveaway Program.”

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What about self-published authors and vanity presses?
“Self-published books and books from vanity presses are encouraged to use our Member Giveaway Program, which is similar to but separate from Early Reviewers.”

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What Else Can You Find on LibraryThing?

  • List of current titles on offer.
  • Frequently asked questions about Early Reviewers.
  • Read LibraryThing blog posts tagged “Early Reviewers”.
  • Check out the Early Reviewer discussion group.
  • Find out about other ways publishers can use LibraryThing.

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Join Almost 2 Million Readers on LibraryThing and Start Your e-Book Giveaways

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