Are you getting reviewed by people within the self-publishing field? Are you getting reviewed by people who really have an influence on your audience? 
All authors can agree it feels really good to get reviewed, but does the person reviewing you have the influence you need to get your message out there? Is their audience your audience? It's tempting to say yes to everyone who offers to review your book, but how about taking a focus into the real influencers with a following in the self-publishing world.
First, who is an influencer?
- well-known authors who publish in a similar genre
- Bookstore owners
- Bloggers who specialize in featuring a topic they are passionate about
- Librarians
- Public figures
Ways to connect with influencers for your book reviews
The self-publishing book awards
It's like the Grammys for books and you want to get into it! Every year, The Self Publishing Review nominates finalists in the self-publishing world of books they've reviewed previously in the year. Contact the Self Publishing Review with a compelling statement about why your book is awesome and ask what address you can send yours to. Once it has been reviewed, engage your audience with the review to improve your ranking on their site to show that you bring your own crowd to the party. By doing so you can help get your book nominated and in front of the right people who want to buy.
Children's books need special attention
Not everyone has a parenting audience, so do your research before you end up sending your book out to a reviewer that usually features romance novels. Publisher's Weekly is a great resource to have your children's books reviewed. Influencers who broadcast children's book reviews via podcasts are a great resource- busy parents don't always have time to read, but they do listen to podcasts while on the go.
Consider paying
While we're not pushing this as the first suggestion, depending on the volume of people you hope to reach or if you have a special subject area, companies such as Kirkus reviews employ genre experts to review your book and get it in front of the right people. Instafreebie offers a similar service where you can send advanced copies for review.
Once you get in with influencers in the self-publishing world, nurture those relationships- offer to interview them, blog about them, do a guest post- be ready to offer a favor as a thank you. Be clear in what you are hoping to achieve when working with anyone reviewing your book and check in regularly to offer guest posts or social media campaigns to keep your book out there in front of their audience.
Have a tip that can help other authors align with the right book reviewers and influencers? Share your experience here.
Keep the Faith and may the Force be with You!
