Quite often I receive emails, or comments on the blog, asking for advice about getting into book reviewing (i.e., how to obtain free review copies). This page is dedicated to informing would-be reviewers about how to obtain review copies of books they are interested in. I covered this topic a couple of years ago in a post entitled “So You Want Some Review Books, Huh?” but below I’ll offer a more succinct and direct version of that post along with some places to get started.
The process for obtaining free review books is simple. Follow the steps below and I can almost guarantee you’ll be met with some positive results:
- Contact publishers via email.
- Share a little information about (a) yourself, (b) your blog, (c) your audience.
- List the books you’re interested in.
- Pray for the best.
It’s that simple. Be sure to list your name, contact information, and blog URL in the body of your email. Also make sure to be courteous. If I can offer one piece of advice about what not to do then it would be this: don’t harass the publishers. If you don’t receive a response to your email that doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t be getting a review book although that is a possibility. Some publishers will respond positively, some negatively, and some not at all—be prepared for this.
Some inquirers have asked me to pass along contact information for the publicists I deal with directly but I’m no more comfortable sharing the contact information of professional book publicists than I am sharing the contact information of personal friends. I am, however, more than happy to pass along public information that can be obtained by a little bit of digging on publisher websites; I offer the following links for your convenience:
- Thomas Nelson Publishers — Book Sneeze (a blog reviewer program)
- Bethany House — Bethany House Book Reviewers (a blog reviewer program)
- InterVarsity Press — Media Idea Center — Publicists
- Westminster John Knox — Media/Publicity Request Form
- Continuum — Media Inquiries and Review Copy Requests
- Wipf and Stock Publishers — Review Copy Request Form
- Fortress Press — Exam, Desk, and Review Copies
- Eerdmans — Review Copy Request Form
- Tyndale House Publishers — Tyndale Blog Network (a blog reviewer program)
- University of Notre Dame Press — Review Copy Policy
- Routledge — Marketing Contacts
- Equinox Publishing — Contact page
- Kregel Academic & Ministry Blog Reviews
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