Hello again, savvy savers! If a mug of soup, a cup of hot tea, and a great, new book sounds like your perfect night, than that makes two of us! If you are anything like me, than you are nothing short of a bibliophile! Well, you are in luck, as this weeks Tutorial Tuesday post centers around being able to score free books.
How can be score free books?
- You can become a book reviewer, with one of several dozen online book reviewer programs.
- The best part is that you do not need to be a designated book blogger, to be able to review books.
- You simply need to have a love of the written word, a social media following, and a verifiable mailing address.
- Each blogger will need to apply for book reviews, and just wait for the reviews to come in.
- Once your books are received (the books will generally be sent via UPS and FedEx for free), you will need to read the books within a 2-3 week time frame.
- After your books are read you will need to write a small, yet promising review online.
- Keep in mind, you will need to keep reviews legal, by always disclosing your reviewer status.
- Beyond this, you will need to review books online, as well as reviewing on an online purchasing outlet, such as Goodreads, Amazon, or Barnes & Noble.
- Books once read are yours to keep!
- Also consider donating completed books, or to use them for giveaway materials for your blog!
- That’s it… easy peasy!
Here are a list of Reviewer Programs:
BookSneeze: They have both print and e-books available. Booksneeze sends out a monthly newsletter informing participants of the latest books available for review.
Blogging for Books: This program is ran by Waterbrook Multnomah. It has a pretty simple sign-up and I like that they send out email notices monthly informing you of the different books they have available.
Bethany House: Here is a link to the latest newsletter with the list of books available for review.
Tywebbin: Offers a quick simple sign-up to be host of one their virtual book tours. Books offered from this review program tend to be primarily African American books.
Cross Focused Reviews: This program is a service of Cross Focused Media, LLC. Once you have signed up on their list, you will receive email notifications of available books on tour.
TLC Book Tours: Offers a quick sign up process to get on their list of tour hosts.
Tyndale Blog Network: This program is hosted by Tyndale House publishers. Each month they send out a list of available books once you have been approved.
NetGalley: This program offers books from a vast number of publishers. According to their website, “NetGalley is a service to promote and publicize forthcoming titles to readers of influence.
The B& B Media: I have done several reviews through this program. Once you’re on their distribution list, you receive an email notification of available books they have and you simply fill out the form to be a part of that book’s tour. They give you a date the review must be posted by.
Tips for Reviewing:
- This list provides a great start for book lovers and bloggers alike, that are looking to review books.
- Each program offers free books in exchange for an honest review and have their own requirements about review length and where you must publish your reviews.
- Remember to disclose your reviewer status online, per 2013 FTC regulation.
- Pick books in your genre of choice.
- Have fun!
It also goes without saying that to be a book reviewer, after you start getting books, it can be hard to keep track of who sent them to you. Right now, I have a pile of books sent to me by publicists, authors, and book review sites making sure to:
- Creating a spreadsheet of all books received allows you to track titles, websites, dates you received the book, and the deadline you need to meet.
- Trust me, you’ll want to do this from the beginning.
- You’ll also want to carve out time to read the books. Don’t let them just sit on your nightstand. Read away!
So, today I challenge you look into saving on your monthly book purchasing costs, by becoming a book reviewer!
Here’s to saving,
