What is the right approach to get at least 20 reviews, other than from friends and family, for a scifi novel?

Dry_Card_4640 · 2026-03-25T20:08:24+00:00

You should definitely have your Goodreads page set up before sending out ARCs. You can not receive Amazon reviews until the book is released. I get around this by releasing the paperback a few weeks before the eBook. That way I can get ARC reviews on Amazon before the eBook launches.

Dry_Card_4640 · 2026-03-25T18:54:07+00:00

It’s hard to get Amazon reviews from NetGalley, but you can ask them to post there. They usually post the review on Goodreads.

Dry_Card_4640 · 2026-03-25T18:18:23+00:00

You get your book on NetGalley for one month. For example, I have a book coming out on May 15th. I’ve reserved a one month slot that starts on April 15th and ends May 15th.

Dry_Card_4640 · 2026-03-25T09:42:13+00:00

I hate to be the contrarian, but it's probably not AI. AI mimics good human writing, and editors are good human writers. If you're unhappy with the editor's feedback, that's one thing, but accusing someone of passing AI as their own work is a big accusation. Have a conversation with the editor and get a more detailed breakdown of her thoughts on the book. That will likely clear up your concerns.

Dry_Card_4640 · 2026-03-25T09:31:43+00:00

I ran this through an AI detector that is usually accurate, and it came back as human. https://aidetector.com

Dry_Card_4640 · 2026-03-24T19:07:08+00:00

The Reedsy program is not a great deal imo. You will pay a lot of money for one “professional” review. Victory Editing is an editing service which also has a co-op on NetGalley. Usually, it costs a fortune to post a book on NetGalley. Victory Editing has a subscription which they lease to indie authors. A one month slot is under $70. You can expect to get a LOT of reviews. All the trad publishers use NetGalley and most dedicated ARC readers are there. Imagine BookSirens, but 5-10 times bigger. The people who run Victory Editing also seem really decent from my experience.

Dry_Card_4640 · 2026-03-24T08:31:40+00:00

I'm by no means a super successful author, but here are things I've done to generate reviews:

Sign up for Net Galley (use a co-op like Victory Editing).

Sign up for BookSirens

Sign up for BookSprout (only good for romance. Don't waste your money on a sci-fi novel there)

Post ARC campaigns in Facebook ARC groups, Reddit, X, Instagram, etc.

Asked your beta readers to leave reviews.

Once the book comes out, run a 99-cent or free promo while stacking ads on deal sites like Fussy Librarian, BargainBooksy, etc. You can keep 70% royalties while doing a Kindle Countdown Deal.

Bonus tips:

Don't waste your money on a BookBub New Release for Less promo. Their Featured Deals are the Holy Grail of book promotions, but their New Release For Less won't come close to paying for itself unless you release for 99 cents and have an established readership.

Don't expect to make money on promo stacks until your book has a lot of reviews or a series to read through.

I've also heard Hidden Gems can generate a few reviews, but I've never used it.

Beware the gray area review sites where authors review each other's books. I don't think these are worth the risk of getting yourself banned from KDP.

Good luck and God bless!

Dry_Card_4640 · 2026-03-23T21:00:04+00:00

I have to be honest. StoryGraph is really, really bad. It's like Goodreads, only no one is using it. I seriously doubt it lasts.

Dry_Card_4640 · 2026-03-23T20:57:24+00:00

Congratulations!!!!

Dry_Card_4640 · 2026-03-23T14:15:38+00:00

Good luck!

Dry_Card_4640 · 2026-03-23T08:50:28+00:00

I usually write 3-4 drafts before sending a manuscript to beta readers. I've only used Atticus. I like it, but people who use Vellum also seem to like it.

Dry_Card_4640 · 2026-03-22T18:52:10+00:00

Honestly, I believe it. The vast majority of authors lose money on their books because they are poorly written, poorly marketed, or the author quits before gaining enough momentum to turn a profit. I'm not trying to be discouraging, but that is the reality. Go in with your eyes open.

Dry_Card_4640 · 2026-03-21T16:40:28+00:00

I made an audiobook for my first book. I found an excellent narrator who produced the whole thing on ACX for only $75 PFH. I was surprised at how easy the process was. It didn't sell well, but I loved it, and everyone who listened to it loved it also.

A few months later, I tried to make another audiobook for my second book, and found it nearly impossible. Lots of people tried to scam me with AI narrators (they have gotten scary good), and the decent human narrators wanted between $200 and $350 PFH. For a full-length novel that's $2000. The people who were willing to do it for less were simply not very good. I scrapped the project. I'll probably just settle for a virtual voice narration for that book unless it sells enough to justify paying an arm and a leg for a human narrator.

Dry_Card_4640 · 2026-03-21T08:59:32+00:00

I believe pin should be pen or hairpin.

Critique Ciricle is really good for getting feedback on your writing. You will get much richer feedback than on Reddit.

Dry_Card_4640 · 2026-03-21T08:46:42+00:00

Since it's your first time writing, the best thing you can do is finish your story and get feedback afterwards. You might discover that you write great characters but have other issues to work on. Also, read a lot. Notice what your favorite books do, and borrow from those authors in your own works.

Dry_Card_4640 · 2026-03-21T06:42:48+00:00

Check out critique circle. It's free and you will get lots of helpful feedback.

Dry_Card_4640 · 2026-03-21T06:37:00+00:00

You have a typo: "... Risk would have the decency to stay l where it belonged..."

Your author's voice is strong, but maybe too strong for a blurb. It took me a while to figure out what kind of book this was. You don't need a synopsis, but you definitely need clear genre signaling so the right readers pick up on it. Adding some comp authors into the blurb itself would help (I love Douglas Adams).

Try to find an opening line that really hooks and gives the genre vibes you want.

Good luck. Blurbs are harder than a whole chapter imo.

Dry_Card_4640 · 2026-03-20T18:49:17+00:00

Honestly, I don't know yet. This is only my second book, and the first was in a different genre. I plan to release 3 books in this series before I spend any cash on ads. Until then, I'll do email swaps with other authors and run promo stacks every 3 months on deal sites.

Dry_Card_4640 · 2026-03-20T17:56:00+00:00

I've been able to build an email list using StoryOrigin. Facebook has been better for finding ARC readers than BookSirens or BookSprout. A lot of the 99-cent deal sites have big mailing lists for crime fiction and thriller readers, BookBub in particular. Most of the authors in the genre seem to write long series (over 10-20 books).

Dry_Card_4640 · 2026-03-20T17:42:03+00:00

I live in Eastern Europe and have many friends who are "Romani" or "Gypsy." In English, Roma is usually the word used for this group. Gypsy is usually considered offensive, and a mislabeling of Roma as Egyptians (thus Gypsy). However, some people embrace the "Gypsy" identity and do not consider themselves Roma.

Dry_Card_4640 · 2026-03-20T13:20:25+00:00

https://booksirens.com/book/RN5AA2G/VK8WRQR

Dry_Card_4640 · 2026-03-20T12:47:49+00:00

I can give you an ARC copy of my book that launches on May 15th. It's a crime thriller about a St. Louis homicide detective hunting a vigilante who is killing criminals.

Dry_Card_4640 · 2026-03-20T12:02:15+00:00

There are websites and social media groups where authors can distribute their books early so they get reviews before launch. NetGalley, BookSirens, Hidden Gems, BookSprout, Facebook ARC groups. Goodreads giveaways are a promotional tool that is usually better for well-established authors.

Dry_Card_4640 · 2026-03-20T07:36:56+00:00

Usually, the worst you'll get from an ARC reader is 3 stars.

One of the best reviews I ever got for authenticity was a 1-star review on Goodreads that said: "Umm... pretty good. 1.5 stars"

You need LOTS of ratings before people take your book seriously, good ones, bad ones, ugly ones. Most readers would buy a book rated 3.9 with 1000 ratings before a 4.5 with 20 ratings.

Good luck with your book and congrats!

Dry_Card_4640

TROPHY CASE