If you’re an author looking for book bloggers, it’s probably so you can connect with them and have them feature your book on their website. It’s a solid marketing strategy, but not all bloggers are the same and you want to prioritize the ones you can trust.
We’ve done some digging and have researched plenty of book lovers who are eager to share authors’ books with their growing audiences.
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Why do book bloggers matter to authors?
Book bloggers provide a great service to authors everywhere. Out of pure enjoyment and a love of books, these bloggers read and review books and share them with their audiences—large audiences. The authors are usually the ones who benefit most from these blog posts reviewing books.
That’s why they matter to authors. When a popular book blogger features and reviews your book, it gets exposure it wouldn’t otherwise get. Oftentimes, the blogger is choosing books based on their own preference, but many have systems set up so authors can pitch their book or submit a request for a book review to be featured on their website, email list, and even social media channels.
It’s a highly effective book marketing tactic for authors.
How to Work With Book Bloggers
Now, I have to say that you can’t just email these bloggers and demand they review your book. It doesn’t work like that and they will ignore you. Or worse yet, they’ll hop on their Facebook group with other book bloggers and blacklist you in the industry. Yes, that’s a real thing.
Expecting book bloggers to bow down to your every whim just because you want your book featured isn’t the way to go about it. Most of them have guidelines and criteria for outreaches, and sometimes they charge to review your book. Which is completely understandable, because they are doing work for your benefit and that deserves compensation.
Here are a few general rules when you want to connect with a book blogger:
- Connect outside of seeking a review: Meaning, follow their social channels and comment on what they post. Actually engage with the person behind the website because there is a real person there (or a few). If your only intent is to have them write a book review, it’s selfish and can come off as slimy and inauthentic. Connect for real!
- Support their blogs & channels: Follow their social media channels and engage with their content. Share other books they review that your audience might like as well. It serves as supporting them and you’re giving your audience quality books within your same genre, contributing to the trust they have for you.
- Follow any guidelines they publish on their sites: Most book bloggers that have any sort of following or reach (traffic) will have a process for submitting your book for review. They’ll usually be posted on their website somewhere fairly easy to find, and might be under pages labeled “advertising” or “promotion” and the like.
- Accept when they decline to review and promote: it’s not usually personal, but it will be if you react in an unhappy or harsh manner. Respect the blogger when they say they can’t review or promote your book. There are probably many reasons a book blogger can turn you down, and most of those reasons aren’t personal. They could have a lot going on or just have their plate too full already. Accept it and move on! But continue to follow the above steps, because they deserve the support and you never know if their capacity might open again in the future.
Remember, none of these “rules” guarantee that a book blogger will review your book. They’re just respectful guidelines to follow in general but will always help.
16 Book Bloggers to Have on Your Book Marketing Radar
There are a lot of book bloggers out there, and plenty to connect with. This list is curated to include trusted people and publications you can reach out to and connect with, along with information on how you can work with them.
Remember to be respectful! Book bloggers work hard to keep their publications up-to-date and their audiences trusting.
1. Book Riot
Book Riot has kind of expanded beyond the “book blogger” name into a large platform that review books of all kinds. It’s a diverse platform featuring an array of book bloggers and contributors who engage in thought-provoking discussions, reviews, and recommendations spanning various genres and literary themes.
If your book gets featured here, just know that a lot of eyeballs will potentially see it because it’s one of the largest sites for book reviews.
How to Connect: Reach out via email to tell them about a book you’d like reviewed. They would prefer that you already browse their list of contributors to determine which one (genre-specific, usually) would be a best fit to review. Click here to get the email address and review the policy.
Social Media Channels:
2. The Book Smugglers
Ana and Thea, the dynamic duo behind this blog, provide insightful book reviews and commentary on literature, with a focus on exploring diverse perspectives and genres. They specialize in speculative fiction, YA, and “popgeekery”, with the publication having been around since 2008.
How to Connect: They’re accepting requests! You can email them at the address listed on this page of their review policies. They also have accounts with NetGalley and Edelweiss for eARCs and can be reached out to there as well.
Social Media Channels:
3. Paper Fury
Cait’s vibrant blog is a haven for bookworms, offering an enchanting mix of detailed book reviews, whimsical discussions, and creative content celebrating the joys of reading. She’s based in Australia and has been a book blogger for the past 9 years with her blog currently amassing over 20,000 views per month.
How to Connect: You can contact Cait about a feature of various kinds—blog post review, social media features, etc.—by filling out a form on this page here.
Social Media Channels:
4. Perpetual Page-Turner
Jamie’s blog serves as a cozy corner for fellow readers, showcasing her reviews, heartfelt reading reflections, and engaging discussions on books and life. She’s been a book blogger since 2010, which makes her a seasoned professional at this point.
Her preferred books to read are YA fiction and adult fiction, so if you write either of those, give her some support!
How to Connect: She’s currently open to review requests, but her time is limited so she’ll be fairly picky with what she chooses to read and review. You can learn more about what she’s looking for here.
Social Media Channels:
5. Caffeinated Reviewer
Kimberly’s blog is a caffeinated hub for reviews and musings about books, particularly centering on speculative fiction genres that range from thrilling mysteries to magical fantasies. She also loves books with diversity and has recently started accepting audiobook review requests!
How to Connect: You can submit a form on the website, found on this page, in order to request a review along with reading any additional information about the process.
Social Media Channels:
6. A Well Read Wanderer
Constance is a book blogger specific to the nomadic lifestyle around travel. She focuses on traveling and reading in places where her favorite authors have lived and wrote. It’s super niche, but could be really cool depending on what your books are like and what they’re about.
You’ll find luck if you’re an author of historical fiction, literary fiction, and travel or reading-related memoirs.
How to Connect: She has some great, comprehensive material on her review policy page to check out along with the email to contact her.
Social Media Channels:
7. Little Bird Book Blog
Rosie has been a reader for many years, even going on to study English Literature in college. This is her second time running a book blog where she’s starting fresh. A fan of video games, and all things Japan, she loves to spend her time reading and reviewing books spanning genres like fantasy, horror, historical, literary fiction, science fiction, and more.
How to Connect: She typically buys and reviews books on her own, but there is potential to reach out, along with additional information you can find here.
Social Media Channels:
8. Inquisitive Book Worm
Ana is one of the book bloggers who have taken to social media as a primary method of sharing book reviews. While actual blogs are still plentiful, there are many who consider themselves “book bloggers” but don’t actually have a blog.
Instead, she has 123,000 Instagram followers she shares content with.
How to Connect: A good method for any social-only book bloggers is to follow their social media profile, engage in the comments, and reach out via DM asking about what their policies are when it comes to reviews.
Social Media Channels:
9. Read at Midnight
Aentee’s nocturnal haven features imaginative book reviews, creative content, and engaging graphics that showcase her love for literature and storytelling. By day, she’s an optometrist recommending books to her clients, and by night she reads and writes her own reviews!
She’s also an avid creator of fanart in Photoshop and shares many of her creations on her book blog.
How to Connect: You can reach out to Aentee via the form on her About page by clicking here. She’s open to many different genres but will not review erotica or sequels in book series she’s never read.
Social Media Channels:
10. Brainboost Reading
This is another social media book “blogger” who uses their channel to promote books that are primarily nonfiction and have to do with getting your brain to work in different ways. There are 117,000 followers on Instagram, which means a lot of visibility should this person choose to promote your book.
How to Connect: Follow the account, engage on some posts, and send a direct message asking what their policy is for reviewing or featuring books on their profile.
Social Media Channels:
11. That Artsy Reader Girl
Jana runs this book blog, as a 30-something graphic designer and book lover. She covers a few different genres, but romance genres are by far the largest, so if you’re writing a romance novel, definitely check out her policies to see if she can feature your book on her website!
How to Connect: She’s open to accepting review requests, but you do have to read all of her policy information before reaching out. You can do that at her page here. There are a few types of books she will not read, so make sure to read the entirety of her policy!
Social Media Channels:
12. Once Upon a Booksta
If you can’t tell by the name, Faten is one of the book bloggers who keeps everything on social media. She has over 126,000 followers on Instagram and regularly posts a ton of books to read, with challenges, round-ups, and more that can be really helpful to promote your book.
How to Connect: If you want to collaborate with Faten, follow her account, engage with some posts, and reach out via the email lists in her Instagram bio ([email protected]).
Social Media Channels:
13. Frank Chillura – Oh You Read
Frank is the voice behind the OhYouRead Instagram account where he shares book reviews, new books, and challenges for readers to take part in. He’s grown his profile to over 21,000 followers and has a solid, engaged audience to view his posts.
How to Connect: Follow his Instagram and send a message via direct message asking what his policy is for reviewing or featuring books on his profile.
Social Media Channels:
14. Beware of the Reader
Sophie is a book blogger who loves creativity, colors, and of course, books. She shares plenty of aesthetically pleasing content on her Instagram that’s amassed over 16,000 followers, along with book reviews, book reading lists, and plenty more on her website.
How to Connect: She has a policy page where she goes into more detail, but doesn’t accept payment for reviews due to her dedication to honest book reviews. That said, this does mean she will be more particular in which books she takes on.
Social Media Channels:
15. Nose Graze
Ashley’s blog is a treasure trove for book bloggers, offering insights into the art of blogging, WordPress tips, and a sprinkling of book-related content that adds a personal touch. She has a great directory of book reviews that allows a reader to further the specificity in their search for a book, which is really helpful.
How to Connect: Check out her about page to learn more about what she does and how she could help you as an author!
Social Media Channels:
16. Books Love Readers
Steph is the person behind a book blogger Instagram account that’s garnered over 53,000 followers. She shares really cool imagery and reviews of books, special edition copies, and more book-lover related content for her audience.
How to Connect: You can reach out to the email address listed in her Instagram bio ([email protected]) to inquire about how to collaborate and see your book featured in her feed.
Social Media Channels:
Connecting with book bloggers is such a good way for authors to form relationships that can serve not only their own careers, but book lovers as well. Keep it authentic and have fun!
