Want to be a book reviewer?
Review new books and start building your portfolio.
Whether you're self-publishing a book for the first time or you're a veteran indie author, handing your book to a professional critic is always going to feel a little daunting. After all, this is the book you've spent months — maybe years — perfecting, and now a stranger gets to weigh in.
But push through the nerves, because an editorial review is one of the most powerful assets an indie author can have — and getting one on Reedsy Discovery is a straightforward process. In this guide, we'll walk you through it step by step, from polishing your submission to putting your finished review to work.
Before you submit your book to Discovery, make sure it's the best version of itself. Ideally, that means three rounds of editing:
You should also invest in professional cover design. Most readers — and every Discovery reviewer — will first see your cover as a thumbnail among many similar designs, so your title and author name need to stay legible at that size.
Remember: you're commissioning an honest editorial assessment, not a puff piece. If your book isn’t shipshape before review, any remaining rough edges will find their way into the write-up. So polish first, submit second.
First-time authors, especially novelists, often struggle to define their book’s genre. Your book might be set on a near-future Earth, but if the heart of it is a family working through grief, it may appeal primarily to fans of literary fiction. If you choose science fiction as your genre, it will be made available to our pool of professional sci-fi reviewers — when it might resonate far more with our literary fiction reviewers.
One way to figure out the best genre for your book is to think of comparable titles. Consider which categories they're tagged under on Amazon — that'll give you a better idea of which genre to choose when submitting your book to Reedsy Discovery.
To give you an idea of what reviewers are facing when they’re choosing what books to review next, we’ll give you a peek behind the curtain.
This is the reviewer’s dashboard, where Reedsy Discovery reviewers browse all the submitted books that are awaiting review. From the dashboard, the synopsis gets cut off after around 23 words (if they click on the synopsis, it will expand to full size). If your synopsis is just a methodical explanation of the plot, that’s a wasted opportunity.
Instead, craft an irresistible hook to capture reviewers’ attention and make them desperate to find out more. For tips on crafting a hook (and the rest of your Discovery synopsis), you can read this article on writing book descriptions.
If a reviewer is intrigued by your short synopsis, their next step is to click the ‘Read Book’ button, which gives them a chance to read your sample chapter before committing to a full-length review.
If your synopsis is there to hook the reviewer, then a great sample chapter is your chance to reel them in.
You can upload any passage you like, but to avoid any unnecessary confusion, we recommend using your first chapter. That said, you also don’t need to use a full chapter — if you’d prefer to just use a section of your opening, you’re more than welcome to do so. Just make sure your chosen passage is broadly representative of the rest of your book (and typo-free!).
If you’re coordinating a launch, it pays to have your editorial review in hand before the big day — ready to populate your Amazon pre-order page and power your promotional campaigns. To ensure your review is ready for launch day, aim to submit two to three months ahead. Your book will remain in the reviewer pool for up to three months. Once one of our pros picks it up, your review will be delivered within 30 days.
Of course, there’s no wrong time to submit! If you’re looking to revitalize a backlist title with an editorial review, feel free to submit it to Discovery. You’ll only be charged the $299 review fee on delivery — if no reviewer picks up your book, you don’t pay a thing.
Once your review is delivered, it’s yours to do with as you please, whether that means publishing it on your Discovery profile or keeping it private. Unlike reader reviews, this is a professional critic’s assessment — exactly the kind of quote that belongs on your retailer pages, in your ads, and on your cover.
Top published reviews are also featured in the Discovery newsletter, and considered for Reedsy’s Editors’ Choice Awards. You're free to commission more reviews if you're happy with your first — up to five per book.
An editorial review is only one part of a healthy book-launch diet. If you’d like more information on how to plan a successful book launch, read our comprehensive guide.
Want to be a book reviewer?
Review new books and start building your portfolio.