Crown Publishing, a division Penguin Random House, has a new program to make it easier for online book reviewers to get their hands on the company’s latest releases. Blogging for Books allows reviewers to register and receive complimentary copies of Crown Publishing titles in exchange for their honest review. The site currently has over two million books in its collection.
The program is open to reviewers who have an active blog, as well as to librarians, booksellers and media outlets. To participate reviewers must first register on the site here. American reviewers are asked to provide their postal address so they can receive physical copies of the books, while reviewers based in other countries can only receive eBook editions.
The site uses social media monitors Klout to gauge the popularity and reach of bloggers and those with a higher Klout score are likely to receive more of their preferred titles to review.
Blogging for Books is a significant investment by Crown Publishing in encouraging online reviews of their titles. Chris Sigfrids, Senior Manager of Community Operations at Crown Publishing, explained that the company “values our relationships with bloggers because we recognise the influence bloggers have in the book community and beyond. Finding a new book is all about word of mouth, and bloggers play a critical role in helping make readers aware of new books that are out there.”
Some of titles currently available for review via Blogging for Books
Blogging for Books is free to join and the books reviewers receive are theirs to keep. Bloggers, particularly those in the USA who must follow FCC regulations, are asked to mention as part of their reviews that they received a complimentary copy of the book for review purposes.
Bloggers looking for other places to get books to review may also wish to try the very popular Netgalley site or read Problogger’s 2009 article ‘How to Get Free Books to Review on Your Blog’ for tips on approaching a publisher directly.
The Blogging for Books website can be found at bloggingforbooks.org. You can also follow the program on Facebook and Twitter.