Results Like All My Other Results (Book Bloggers)

No, I haven't gone hog-wild contacting book bloggers, but I've researched a lot of them and submitted to a few. 

First, let me say this to those authors who peruse the many lists of bloggers found via Google: Don't trust the genres listed; actually research what the blogger is interested in. I've checked out blogs that the lists claim review contemporary fiction, and found that many of them have very specific genres they prefer, and they're not contemporary fiction. Another telltale sign is simply scrolling through the blogger's reviews. Any decent blog will include the book's cover image with their review, and if you're like me, you can spot certain genres immediately. One blogger's reviews feature mostly "shirtless man" covers, which tells me that my serious novel about a woman's journey isn't really up her alley. 

More to look at: When was the blogger's last review posted? Even with a list titled,  "The Best Book Blogs of 2025", I found that many of these bloggers haven't posted reviews in, say, two-to-five years. I wouldn't waste my time on them, obviously. Also, some blogger lists state that the reviewer is open to submissions, when they're not.

Then, of course, is the up-sell. I don't begrudge anyone who wants to push their services, but making that the focus of a so-called review blog is disheartening. I have a list that allows me to filter by various factors, including whether a blogger's reviews are free. That may be technically true, but when I visit some of these blogs, the owner clearly states that if you really want a shot at getting a review, money talks. The thing is, I have no guarantee that a review will be positive, and I'm not about to pay for the opportunity of getting my novel trashed. (Plus, man, I've already spent more than I could afford on promotion.)

One blog I submitted to asked for a media kit. WTF? Why would a lowly self-published author have a media kit? What would it be for? I clicked over to Canva and whipped one up, just to satisfy the requirement, but I found it to be a silly demand. 

Another blogger stated on her site that in order to submit a book for review, one has to first subscribe to her blog. Fine. I signed up, and the message told me to click on the response email to confirm my subscription. I waited and waited, checked my spam folder a few times, waited some more; but the email never came. I suspect this was the blogger's way of ridding herself of unwanted requests. 

Problems I've noticed when clicking on various blogs: Sometimes there is no way on earth to figure out how to submit. I've tried the "about me", the "reviews" section (which turned out to only be, duh, reviews); I've scrolled all the way to the bottom to look for a relevant link. A couple of blogs that allow comments are full of, "How do I submit to you??" questions. (The question is never answered.)

Another issue: a hideously designed site. Why go to all the trouble to create a book blog, then create a crappy interface? I've seen pink lettering on a white background (really, people?) I've seen formatting that's all over the place. Worst of all are the sites that exchange free hosting for tons of pop-up ads. If you're serious about what you do, have a serious site. Shoot, I use (free) Blogger for my author site, and there is nary a pop-up to be found.

On to results: Well, they're terrible. I've received one (count 'em) response. And the response was, "I choose one random submission per month to review free of charge, BUT if you pay me, well, there you go!" I'm not inclined to take her up on her offer. I did contribute to a different blogger once, but it was voluntary and the amount was left up to me. (That's actually a more profitable way to operate, because no one wants to come across as cheap, so they're likely to contribute a decent amount.) This current blogger has a price list ~ with add-ons. So much for "free", as my list advertised.

An author should also do her best to find out the number of followers a blog has. This is something these lists (if they're to be believed) often include. I mean, I could be a book blogger. I wouldn't have any followers, but...

A small readership could be advantageous ~ IF your genre is narrowly targeted. The readers would be more inclined to check out your book, whereas a blog that's all over the place might totally miss the mark. 

I suppose what I've learned from this experience is that there are book bloggers galore, but that most of them should be ruled out, for various reasons. I've also learned that the more popular a blog is, the smaller one's chances are of getting accepted. I may continue researching in my spare time, but right now this appears to be yet another dead-end road.