#BookReview Platform: BookRoar @bookroar_tweets #Author Must Have! #WritingCommunity #ReadingCommunity

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a good weekend. Today, I’m going to stick my neck out somewhat by recommending an excellent book review platform I’ve been a member of since August last year.

Why have I waited this long to sing its praises?–I hear you ask, and quite rightly so.

The short and blunt answer is: I’ve had my fingers burnt too many times with platforms claiming to offer this, that, and the other for authors; especially in the realm of book reviews … which is something we all want, right?

The longer answer is also due to my ill health and finding the energy and time to sit down and write this post. So, apologies from that side of things, because I’m convinced so many of us writers will find this a valuable resource.

Despite my initial reservations after previous clubs and online tools, with BookRoar, I see this wonderful platform going from success to success and REALLY LISTENING to its members. I can’t recall any company that offers such good customer service and prompt and helpful responses, every single time. And this is with it still being a small team in its infancy.

At the moment, BookRoar is completely free to use, and although they plan to move to a charged basis in the future, that is quite far in the distance.

Well, that’s enough of my gushing. I’ll use some of their own words now to help you learn more about them. Here’s some information from their How it Works Page:

It’s very simple. BookRoar operates on a credit system where each person is rewarded for every book they read and review. The more books you read, the more reviews you’ll earn for your own books.

Here’s how it works

Step 1:Sign up to BookRoar using our secure login page. BookRoar is free to use whilst our website is in its beta stage.

Step 2: Select a book from the Review Pool and head over to Amazon to purchase a digital copy (or download it via Kindle Unlimited if you are a subscriber).

Step 3: Read the book and post a truthful and honest 150+ word review on Amazon and Goodreads. Notify BookRoar when the reviews are ‘Live’ on both sites. (Goodreads will notify you instantly, whereas Amazon may take a day or two to process it).

Step 4:Your review will be moderated by the author you are reviewing. Once they have confirmed that your reviews are visible, a Credit will be awarded to your account, meaning that one of your books can be added to the Review Pool from your profile page. Time to sit back, have a coffee, and wait for your book to be selected!

Step 5: Repeat as often as you like. The more books you read the more reviews you’ll earn.

To keep things ticking along, we ask our customers to purchase the digital version of their chosen book. This way the book is delivered almost immediately and you can get reading and reviewing right away! You will have up to three weeks to compose your review – that way no one is waiting too long to see what others have to say!

We encourage all our readers to provide truthful and honest critiques of the books they read, and we ask that this is reflected in the star ratings they give. True feedback is the best way to allow us all to improve our books and hone our craft. It is what turns normal books into bestsellers!

BookRoar is dead-set against review swaps in any way, shape, or form. They have put in place systems to prevent this from happening, and this also helps prevent revenge reviews and such like from less scrupulous folks. If things do go wrong, the team will work hard to put them right as early as possible and offer a full explanation. I know, because I’ve had first-and experience of BookRoar’s excellent customer support.

The book-review pool keeps on growing, and at the time of penning this post, has over 800 books for you to choose from in many genres. The prices of the books are listed, as well as whether that book is enrolled in Kindle Unlimited or not. And next to the book cover, you get a short book blurb and bit about the author. For more information on a book that catches your eye, it’s an easy click through to the details page, where you’ll also find a link to the book on GoodReads.

From my experience of using the site and looking for books to read and review, I would advise–strongly–that you not over-price your book. This is the one thing that will put me off right away, especially if you’re an author I haven’t previously come across or read. The home page shows you all your books you’ve listed, together with your credit amount and to which books, if any, you’ve allocated those credits. It also shows any reviews you’re waiting to receive, as well as the book you are currently reading and reviewing. You get 3 weeks to read and submit your review; however, if you need to request an extension, an easy button below the book lets you do just that. If, by any chance, you’re ready to submit earlier than the minimum of 3 days, you can easily contact customer service, and they will change the dates to allow you to press the submit button.

This platform is all about fairness and honest reviews and strongly discourages any practices that go against this ethos. I have found BookRoar to be supportive and a useful tool. As well as the bonus of gaining more reviews for my books, I’ve found that it also bolsters my book sales and KU page reads whenever I have a book listed in the pool. So, added bonus!

The best thing of all is there’s no pressure at all. You set your own pace and keep to it. You can choose a book to read or not, depending on your schedule. The only time you’re on a schedule is once you’ve chosen a book from the pool, and even that can be flexible if needed. As of now, I have received 29 reviews, which means 29 sales/or KU book reads. Had I put in more time in reviewing more books, that number would easily be higher. I love how you have the choice of how much to contribute and completely no pressure.

For any of you interested in checking out this awesome free (for now) platform, you can find BookRoar HERE and on TWITTER, where the team regularly promotes book reviews posted. Well, that’s it from me. I wanted to share this great site with you as I’m sure you’ll find it valuable.

Have a lovely day, everyone! 🙂

[Disclaimer: Please note, I get absolutely no benefit from writing this post, other than to help BookRoar and its Review Pool grow ever larger. I am not an affiliate and do not receive anything at all for sharing this with you. Except, of course, the pleasure of helping you, my fellow writers, gain more exposure and reviews.]