Although a number of self-published authors are climbing today’s bestseller charts, alongside big-named traditional publishers, these new breed of independent writers still need to strive harder to prove themselves.
Fortunately, as self-publishing gains ground, indies have more available tools to get noticed.
In 2005, self-pubbed book review service Kirkus Indie Program was launched by trusted US book review company Kirkus to respond to the changing publishing industry landscape. Since then, many self-published authors have had the chance to get professional and fair assessment of their works and somehow managed to be on par with the likes of traditionally published bestsellers.
Kirkus invites you to have your book reviewed to stand the chance of getting picked as one of the Kirkus Best Books of 2013. Entries are accepted until August 31, 2013, so hurry and submit your book now!
Kirkus was established in 1933 to assess literary works in their pre-publication stage. Kirkus founder Virginia Kirkus (1893-1980) would give her critical evaluation published in a bimonthly bulletin titled Kirkus Reviews. Over the years, the report has expanded to reach over 5,000 industry players.
Xlibris author Margaret Sisu turned to the Kirkus Indie Program, knowing that a self-published author like her would benefit from such a professional book marketing backup. This move bore fruit, as her book The Nude made it to the list of Kirkus’ 100 Indie Books of 2012. Here’s an excerpt from Margaret’s Xlibris Blog where she talked about this literary feat:
That first novel—The Nude—I self-published because I figured agents were unlikely to take on a nobody. Then I chose to get official book reviews but chickened out when the email arrived and wouldn’t open it for a week so as not to ruin my Christmas.
When I finally sucked it up, Kirkus had given it a star, calling it ‘a masterful debut. An enthralling first novel.’ Whooppee!
Everything seemed to have fallen into place following the Kirkus acclaim.
Writer’s Digest remarked, ‘This book was extremely well-written. The plot was fantastic.’ And Readerviews said, ‘[The Nude] is a perfect combination of romance and intrigue…Readers are sure to be surprised.’ It was even recommended on USAToday.com.
Find out how to get your Kirkus book review here.
More Xlibris author success stories are here on the Xlibris Blog and the Xlibris Indie Authors Roundup. For free writing, editing, and book marketing tips, visit the Xlibris Writer’s Workshop.