Say that you’re a new and/or little-known author wondering how to get your book reviewed, or an Internet-savvy reader wondering whether on-line reviews can be trusted. Here is a look at a few web sites offering book reviews. The list is by no means all-inclusive; new sites appear regularly, and I’ve not examined them all. This column is based on my personal experience and observation.

In a previous column I discussed the decline of newspaper book review sections and the fact that the remaining known reviewers will probably not be interested in your book unless you are famous and/or your book comes from one of the few big traditional publishers. Fortunately, on-line reviews are attempting to fill that void.

Reader Views (http://www.ReaderViews.com) offers a variety of services for authors, mostly authors of books self-published, print-on-demand, or from small, independent publishers. Reader Views is a business, so of course it charges fees for editing, publicity packages, press releases, podcasts, etc. Book reviews, however, may be free.

Reviewers are readers who agree to review certain books; their “pay” is an author-provided copy of the book reviewed. These reviews appear on the Reader Views web site and on Amazon.com, and authors can feature them on their own web sites as long as proper attribution is given. Are positive reviews guaranteed? No, but a potential reviewer may return a book if he/she hates it (and presumably cannot give it at least three stars). The drawback of the Regular or free review process is that it may take many months. Authors must also send a query to see whether or not their book will be accepted for review. Apparently the site is swamped with requests.

For those who are impatient (as I was with my first book), Reader Views also offers Express Reviews. For $75, you’re guaranteed a review within two weeks (I believe the fee was lower when I ordered my express review). The specially-screened express reviewer receives a small fee. The author is notified of the reviewer’s name and address, and sends the book directly to him or her. In my experience, Reader Views delivered as advertised. Reinventing Myself received 4 ½ stars and a positive review: not bad for a first book.

For my second book, Seniorwriting, with its even more limited prospective audience, I inquired about a free review, was accepted, and received a five-star review within record time. Perhaps it pays to be a repeat customer.

Check out the Reader Views web site. I believe it delivers what it promises. Its more ambitious publicity packages can cost as much as $310, but everything is spelled out. As publicity services go, that’s not overly expensive, but I have not taken advantage of such offerings.

Another reliable and respected provider of reviews is Midwest Book Review (http://www.midwestbookreview.com) . Its reviews tend to be shorter than Reader Views’, but they strike me as very honest and professional. The price, again, is a book copy—now two copies, I believe. A “publicity release or media kit” is also required, but they accepted flyers I’d prepared myself, so no publicist is needed. The site claims to receive about 1,500 books per month for review, and to accept and review just 450 of those books. Acceptance is obviously not automatic, so I’m proud to say that both of my books were accepted and received five-star reviews! The process does take time; up to four months, according to the web site, but mine did not take that long. Their reviews, too, are posted on Amazon.com, as well as on their own sites.

Here is some information quoted from the Midwest Book Review web site:

“Established in 1976, the Midwest Book Review publishes several monthly publications for community and academic library systems in California, Wisconsin, and the upper Midwest . . . The Midwest Book Review is an organization of volunteers committed to promoting literacy, library usage, and small press publishing. We accept no financial donations from authors or publishers for our services.”

A relatively new web site, Nothing Binding (http://www.nothingbinding.com) is just beginning a new program “to provide free objective reviews of independently published books.” Nothing Binding was established by author, entrepreneur, and former New York publishing executive Jerry D. Simmons of www.WritersReaders.com. It is “a world for writers and readers alike without subscription fees, distracting advertising, or confusing requirements,” a website where writers can communicate with each other and with their readers. The site has grown to nearly 1,000 members; I am one of them, but not a very active participant.

This new review program sounds promising. The idea is that members with complete profiles on the site may submit questionnaires with complete book information. Independent reviewers, chosen by NothingBinding.com, will select titles from a list of books awaiting review, arrange to have a book sent, and provide a 300-500-word review within 30 days. The reviewer will also fill out a questionnaire, rating the book from 1 to 10 on a provided scale. The author can decide whether or not to have the review and score posted on the site.

If this program works out as planned, it will provide yet another source of free book reviews for lesser-known authors.

Of course there are other sources for on-line book reviews. Various genres, such as Romance, Mystery, and Science Fiction/Fantasy, seem to have their own sites, although I have not checked them out.

If newspaper book reviews are, indeed, an endangered species, we’ll still need a way to find new books to read and new ways to promote our own. Internet book reviews seem to be an important part of the new, ever-changing, democratic publishing world, and I consider such reviews worth reading and considering.

Next: Becoming an Independent Book Reviewer.