BookBub Shares Ideas On How To Get More Book Reviews From Readers

Having more consumer reviews for your book helps you sell more of that book.

This is true on the surface, but also in ways that can be surprising: I recently learned that if you don't have at least 20 consumer reviews of your book on Amazon, you won't be considered for a BookBub deal. (Even though BookBub is not owned by Amazon.) Suffice to say, the social vetting of consumer book reviews is really important.

So how do you get more book reviews from readers who liked your book in the first place?

A Guide To Getting More Book Reviews From Readers by AJ Yee presents seven tactical approaches, with examples:

1) Ask your mailing list to review books they’ve read
2) Ask readers for a review in a book’s back matter
3) Ask your fans on social media
4) Run a free deal or make a first-in-series book permafree (the idea is that more readers will lead to more reviews)
5) Thank your fans for reviews (love the example of featuring a different 5-star review and thanking that reviewer every newsletter!)
6) Post a call for reviews from your street team
7) Find new readers and pro reviewers through a paid review service
Bonus) Keep up-to-date with retailer sites’ rules for reviews

How many of these are you doing? Any them spark ideas for new ways to encourage reviews for your book(s)?

Illustrate, Translate, and Write On,
Lee

Open Call for a Paid Writing Opportunity: Apply to be a Guest Blogger for SCBWI: The Blog in 2025

Hi Community!

In 2025 we're going to continue with a guest blogger every month! For all of us who create work for children and teens (authors, illustrators, translators), it's a great way to share what YOU want to share with our community.

As a reminder, posts can be about craft, business, inspiration, helpful tips, advice, interviews... and you can use video, audio, text, images... the sky's the limit, and generally posts should take about five minutes or less to consume.

This is a paid blogging opportunity - you'll receive $50 a post, so $200 for the four posts.

Here's how you apply:

If you'd like to be considered for a guest blogging spot (4 posts in one month), you're welcome to email me at leewind (at) roadrunner (dot) com these three things:

1) a few sentence bio of your involvement with kid lit and scbwi

2) one blog post example

3) a few additional topics you would want to address 

Our goal is to schedule the entire 2025 year by December 2024 - so I encourage you to apply now!

Thanks!

Illustrate, Translate, and Write On,
Lee

Anti-Censorship PSAs with Student Advocates for Speech

Paying attention to and fighting book banning isn't just something to do during Banned Books Week -- this is an ongoing effort for young readers to have access to books that can be life-saving and life-changing.

Watch the video where teens tell us in their own words how important some of these challenged books have been for them

From the press release:

In the face of escalating challenges to our freedom to read, student voices are both crucial and often unheard. That’s why the SCBWI Impact and Legacy Fund (SCBWI ILF) and the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) have joined forces to create this powerful new resource in our shared fight against book banning.

Facing this challenge to our intellectual freedom has never been more important. So we couldn’t be more excited to present this 11-minute PSA featuring thoughtful, well-informed testimonials from high school students across the country. These students share how banned books like The Color Purple, Maus, This Book is Gay, All Boys Aren’t Blue, and Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret have impacted their lives—and inspired them to use their voices to fight for the freedom to read. Their stories underscore why the right to read diverse literature is vital for a thriving democratic society.

This video is more than just a collection of testimonials—it's a tool for you to use in conversations, promotions, and educational settings to highlight the profound impact of banned books. SCBWI hopes you use it to champion the intellectual rights of young readers in your own communities.

Illustrate, Translate, and Write On,
Lee