How do I send a copy of my book to a Reviewer?

First you ask: One way to do that is to send out the press release announcing publication set for a certain date in the future. Quite often, when the press release is read by the newspaper's editor he will pass the information along to whoever does book reviews and that person will contact you and ask for an advance review copy.

If you know a reviewer because you read their reviews regularly, contact them by letter or e-mail and ask if they would be willing to review your book..

Another way to contact reviewers is to advertise in the Publisher's Marketing Association's catalog that is circulated to book reviewers.

Then you prepare the book:  Prepare? A book is a book, right. Well yes, and no. First the book should be clearly marked "advance  review copy."  If you don't have ARCs printed separately, you can mark it with a rubber stamp that says "Advance Review Copy" on the flyleaf.

It is also a good idea to prepare a label to go inside the front cover of the book with all the pertinent information, for the convenience of the reviewer. Half a sheet of paper will fit nicely.

As an author, when I make my own review book labels, I include my name, address, phone number, and email address at the top. Opposite that, I print a small picture of the cover. Below that goes the title (centered), author's by line (centered), Publisher's name,  ISBN, and price (at left), with the publisher's website and release date on the next line (also left)  Below that, I put  a short  blurb (indented and justified)—think flap copy—designed to make someone WANT to read the book.

How you lay out the label doesn't really matter, as long as all the pertinent information is in one place and easy for the reviewer to find.

What if they say, "No!"?  Ask someone else. In fact it's a good idea to make a list of reviewers to contact before you begin to prepare the book.

What if they review it and say it's AWFUL?  It will not be the end of the world.  Your book was published because some pretty savvy people believe in you. As Ricky Nelson said, "You can't please everyone…." Some readers like one thing, some another, same goes for reviewers. We are all human, and have our good days and bad days. Maybe your book is about a dog and the reviewer's dog bit him that morning.

As long as they spell  your name right someone will see it and think about it. There are actually reviewers who always hate books I like and I buy  everything they make fun of.

After the Review, what should I do?  Send a copy to your publisher. Keep a copy in a safe place. And write the reviewer a thank you note -- yes, even if the review wasn't terribly positive, thank them for taking time to read and review your book (and for putting your name in the paper so that others can find out about you).