AuthorTools

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Step 5: Get early reviews

Line up reviews before launch day, not after

Advance reader copies (ARCs) go out before publication so you have real reviews waiting the moment your book goes live, instead of launching to a blank page.

NetGalley

The standard platform for distributing ARCs to reviewers, librarians, and booksellers ahead of publication.

Go to NetGalley →

A word of caution: legitimate review platforms never sell you a guaranteed positive review, and manufacturing reviews breaks Amazon's and Goodreads' own terms of service. If an unsolicited email offers to "generate authentic reviews" for a fee, that's not a real service — it's one of the most common scam patterns this site tracks. See Step 8 if you've received something like that.

Once you've got reviews lined up, move on to Step 6: Publish your book.


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