Looking For A Children's Book Reviewer?

All writers know that book reviews can be a great way to get the word out about a new book. The hard part is sifting through the thousands of reviewers that can be found online. My criteria for a good book reviewer is as follows: First their site must look attractive, be easy to navigate, and their reviews must be of high quality. This is not to say that every book will receive a good review (honesty is important) but that the reviewer took the time to explain what was great about the book or what was lacking in a friendly and non-combative way. Secondly, they must review for the love of literacy and not for the love of money. I want to be sure when I receive a review good or bad that it is on the merit of my writing and not on the merit of my pocket book! And thirdly, I want a reviewer that actually reads my book. If a reviewer is claiming to have read a thousand books in one year let's say, then there is a good probability that they aren't really reading all the books or that they are just skimming the books. My book is important to me and I want it to be important to the reviewer.

So to this effect, I have put together a list of six children's book review sites that I feel meet these criteria. I seriously suggest before sending any book to a reviewer or review site, that you send a query e-mail briefly describing your book and asking if there is an interest (many times contact information is available on the site). If no e-mail contact information is mentioned, be sure to send a short letter with your book thanking them for taking the time to review your work.

1. Stories for children e-zine magazine

2. National Geographic Kids

3. Christian Children's book Review

4. Booklist Online

5. BookReview.com

6. Biblio Reads

And as a last note, always remember to send a personal thank you to any reviewer that reviews your book. Signing off for now with wishes for a bright and beautiful day!

The Power of Persistence

The power of persistence is about more then just not giving up. The power of persistence is about not letting a little two letter word like "no" intimidate you. Sure, nobody likes to hear no, especially when it comes to your book. After all, your book is like your child, you gave it life, you nurtured it, and now you are trying to send it out into the world. But no is a word you will hear often in the publishing business. You will be rejected many times when you send out your manuscript; and if you are blessed enough to finally hear a yes we love it, don't think that is the end of hearing no.

When you begin to market your book you will probably hear no over and over again, but don't think of no as a negative. Each time someone tells you no, that just means you have not yet asked the right person. The world is full of billions of people that you have not yet spoken with, people that might just be waiting for what you have to offer. It would be a horrible thing if the very day you decided you had heard no enough and threw in the towel, unbeknown-st to you the next person you would have spoken to would have said yes. So turn no into your own personal motivator, thinking of it as a challenge to be overcome, a wall to be scaled, a channel to be swum across. Eventually if you persist long enough the odds in your favor will increase. Signing off for now with wishes for a bright and beautiful day!