Paul Krupin's Trash Proof Marketing and Publicity Blog

I create custom lists of book reviewers for book authors and publishing clients all the time. We have to create the current list each time we do it because the people who are responsible for reviewing books changes day to day.

Even once you get a database of book reviewers you need to hand select media and then make sure you create the right list for your project.

Here is an analysis and summary of the latest and most current data available. This includes book reviewers in: newspapers (daily and weekly), magazines (consumer and trade), news services and syndicates, radio and tv stations and shows, Internet media, freelance writers. It does not include book reviewers at web sites unless they have been online for a sufficient time and have received national recognition and acknowledgement.

This analysis focuses on people who are identified by the working title “Book Reviewer”. It does not include any other type of media executive or beat that may also provide book reviews and feature stories based on books.

Total number of book reviewers identified in the US and Canada = 1,811

Number of book reviewers by type of media:

AM Radio Station Show 20
Cable Network Show 13
Cable System Show 4
Community Newspaper 24
Community Newspaper
– multiple publisher 3
Daily Newspaper 304
Daily newspaper
– multiple publisher 6
FM Radio Station 3
FM Radio Station Show 86
Freelance Journalist 93
Internet Daily 3
Internet Daily online only 1
Internet magazine 14
Internet magazine online only 74
Internet news service
– online only 3
Magazines 1070
News Service/News Syndicate 31
Radio Network Show 14
Radio Syndicated Show 5
Regional Cable Network Show 7
Regional Radio Network Show 3
Regional Television Network Show 11
Television Network Show 1
Television Station Show 12
Television Syndicated Show 5

I also focused on the book reviewers in the magazine and Internet magazine categories only = 1158
The following identifies the number of book reviewers by category.

Accounting 2
Adult Publications 3
Airline Inflight 3
Alternative Health & Spirituality 5
Anesthesiology 1
Art 3
Arts & Entertainment Trade 10
Auto Sports & Racing 1
Aviation Trade & Aerospace 2

Beauty & Fashion 4
Beverages Consumer 2
Bicycling 1
Biotechnology 3
Book & Literary Review 280
Book Trade & Libraries 86
Business 15
Business – Regional 8

Careers & Employment 3
Catering & Food Service 1
Chemical 3
Children 2
Civil Engineering & Heavy Construction 1
Commercial Fishing 1
Computer/Video Games 1
Conservation, Environmental & Nature 16
Consumer Healthcare 4
Consumer Interest Photography 2
Country/Western Living 2

Dental 4
Department & Specialty Retail 2
Disabled/Physically Challenged 2

E M S/Emergency Medical Services 1
Education 23
Education – Regional 5
Electrical 2
Electronics 1
Entertainment & Celebrities 12
Equestrian Sports 2
Ethnic Lifestyle 11

Farming – Regional 1
Finance 2
Fitness & Personal Health 4
Florist, Landscape & Nursery Trade 2
Food & Nutrition Consumer 8
Food Industry & Processing 1
Fraternal & Club 2

Gardening 2
Gay 4
Genealogy 2
General Editorial 30
General Editorial-Metro 39
General Engineering 3
General Farm Journals 2
General Interest Computers 2
General Medical 8
General Outdoor Recreation 1
Gifts, Antiques & Collectibles 4
Government Health & Social Services 2
Grocery – Regional 2
Guns & Shooting 2

Healthcare Trade 4
History 25
Home 3
Home Building, Buying & Remodeling 2
Horses & Horse Breeding 1
Hospital & Healthcare Administration 3
Hotels, Motels & Resorts 1
Hunting & Fishing 2

Industrial 4
Industry Applications 8
Instrumentation & Controls 2
Insurance 1
Interior Design 2
Internet 4

Jewelry 1
Journalism & Writing 12

Legal 9
Legal – Regional 2
Local & National Government 10
Local Arts & Entertainment Guides 3

Management & Human Resources 3
Marine & Boat Trade 1
Marketing 5
Mature Lifestyle 6
Medical – Regional 1
Medical Laboratory/Research 4
Men’s General Interest 3
Metalworking & Machinery 1
Military 10
Museums 1
Music 4
Music Fan 7
Music Trade 2

News Magazines 8
Nursing 14
Nutrition Trade 3

Obstetrics/Gynecology 1
Oncology/Cancer 3
Orthopedics/Physical Therapy 6

Parenting & Family 11
Parenting & Family – Regional 6
Performing Arts 6
Personal Finance 1
Petroleum 1
Pets & Pet Supplies 1
Pharmaceutical Manufacturing 1
Pleasure Craft 1
Police & Law Enforcement 4
Political & Social Opinion 26
Politics 7
Pollution Control/Recycling 2
Power 2
Primary Education 1
Printing, Graphics & Commercial Arts 2
Professional Photography 4
Psychiatry/Psychology 21
Publishing 13

Radiology & Diagnostic Imaging 2
Railroad 2
Real Estate 1
Real Estate – Regional 1
Related Interest 1
Religion 22
Religious Administration 3
Restaurants 1

Science 61
Secondary Education 17
Software/Operating Systems 3
Special Interest Auto: Consumer 1
Specialized Medicine 18
Sports Industry 3
Surgery 4
Surveying & Mapping 2

Technology & Data Management 6
Toys, Crafts & Hobbies 3
Traffic, Shipping & Warehousing 3
Trailers, Motor Homes & RVs 1
Travel 7
Travel Industry 2

Veterinary 1
Visitor’s Guide 2

Waste Management 2
Water & Sanitation 1
Water Sports 1
Wearing Apparel 7
Weddings 1
Welding 1
Women’s General Interest 28

Young Adult 1
Youth/Teenage 4

Grand Total Magazines 1158

What this means is that to do a systematic and effective job reaching the right media for your particular book publishing project, you need to target the right media and people.

Book reviewers are interested in quality books that will be of interest to their audience. While this may seem obvious, it is not easy to identify what book reviewers will choose to focus on without studying the preferences of each reviewer and the publication or media that they writer for. This is best done by researching the reviewer and studying the books they have covered.

I also analyzed media preferences on how they like to be contacted first. Out of 1539 book reviewers who indicated a preference :

Email – 1,029 (66.8%)
Mail – 445 (28.9%)
Fax – 53 (3.4%)
Phone – 12 (0.7%)

Any questions?