I’m sure you’ve heard the stories about some well-meaning but unrealistic “researcher” who goes looking for a famous cryptid. What’s that? What’s a cryptid? Sorry – that’s a creature which is undiscovered but may “likely” exist. It’s your basic Lock Ness Monster, Bigfoot, Abominable Snowman (Yeti) and other such creatures reported to have been seen but always appearing in bad photography.
Well, apparently they read books so that’s where you can find them. No, not really. Actually, the rare creatures you’re seeking as an author are reviewers. The big question is where to find them, not whether they actually exist. So how do you find St. George’s Dragon or El Chupacabra? Here are 5 ways to find them.
1. Amazon – check your favorite books in the genre(s) in which you write for reviewers. This can be time-consuming, especially since many of these reviewers are back-logged or have guidelines.
2. Join a book club – I’m a VIP member of Rave Reviews Book Club by Nonnie Jules where I give and receive author support. Several members have given me helpful, honest reviews and I’ve handed out a few myself (I’m back-logged so be aware of my loooong time-table). Be aware when joining such a club that you may need to review a minimum number of books during a calendar year to remain an active member.
3. Facebook – yep, there are groups on Facebook where authors can meet reviewers. One such group is Reveiw Seekers. Take a look and be aware that there are requirements for such groups such as not plugging your book.
4. Goodreads – cryptids reviewers are lurking all over the place here. The secret is to go out and interact with other readers before asking for reviews. It’s likely that you will attract one just by being in a group and joining discussions.
5. Twitter – it’s a bit more of a tall order but try these hashtags: #reviewers & #bookreviewers. Tweet that you are looking for a reviewer for your book as well as your genre. Someone may just notice and offer to review your work.
As always, when dealing with reviewers be willing to offer a copy of your book for free. Always remain polite and thank the reviewer whether the result is good or bad – the latter being part of life so don’t lose sleep over them.
Bonus Info: Here’s a list of 10 cryptids that turned out to be real. So don’t laugh, that hairy neighbor could be Bigfoot.
Have you been cryptid reviewer hunting? Where have you gotten your books reviewed? Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section. I’d also love to connect with you over social media so check my Contact page for that information. See the News page for announcements and remember to sign-up to receive news and posts by email. I’ve added a new sign-up tab on my FaceBook page to simplify the process. New followers can download The Black Bag via free coupon today! Also, the cover of my book, The Bow of Destiny, was revealed on 11/10/14 so take a look.
Thanks for reading.
P. H. Solomon
Clip art licensed from Microsoft Office.
Bigfoot Crossing photo – Used by Permission of MorgueFile.com, taken by earl53
4 thoughts on “Fantasy Friday! Cryptids Read Books Too – Sorta”
Relevant science trivia: According to my twin, the anthropologist, a high percentage of people in his profession believe there is no reason why Gigantipithecus (“Bigfoot”) couldn’t still be around in isolated places. This species was alive in the past, and scientists have found other species long thought to be extinct (coelacanth, anyone?) living in modern times.
I’ve been doing a lot of the ‘publicity’ stuff for my twin’s novels lately. (*sigh* Since when am I the good-at-talking-to-humans twin??) That means, among other things, doing a bit of looking for reviewers. I’m somewhat picky, though: I don’t want to get reviews from people who are… unfriendly, shall we say, to the science fiction genre as a whole. (If they hate your genre, they’re not going to give you a good review, even if they love your story and give it five stars. “This book is awesome because it’s totally not sci-fi even though it calls itself sci-fi!” doesn’t encourage people looking for sci-fi to read your story, y’know?) Also, I detest blatant spam (don’t we all?), so I don’t want to do anything that could be perceived as such.
One major problem is that so many reviewers — not only the professional reviewers but also the bloggers who have occasional “Let me tell you about this book I just read” posts — won’t touch indie books. “All indie books are full of bad grammar and bad formatting, which is why I won’t look at them.” Um… If you never look at them, even to glanced at a 2-page sample, how do you know they’re ALL badly written? I can personally point to a few I’ve read that were FLAWLESS, or at least a lot closer to that than any trad-published novel I’ve seen lately. (Example: Othella, by Therin Knite. I’m not her editor, by the way, so this is not a ‘shameless plug.’ Whoever does edit her work does an excellent job, although I suspect she gives the editor a very clean manuscript to begin with.)
And yes, cryptids do read books, too. *glances at own novel’s protagonist* Not that I’m gonna name any names or whatever… 🙂
Thanks for the comment. I too have a degree in Anthropology. I’ve been in the classroom with primatologists who surmised that Bigfoot could be a small population of Gigantopithecus. I’ve even heard Jane Goodall on NPR agree that such a species is possibly still around in small pockets. I’m not holding my breath about it though…
Reblogged this on Anita Dawes & Jaye Marie ~ Authors.
Thanks for the reblog