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This poll got us thinking about how hard it is for authors to get thoughtful reviews for their books from people in publishing. Asking for reviews and blurbs can be uncomfortable for everyone— authors, agents, editors, and publicists. It puts both the author and the people the author asks for endorsements in a potentially awkward position. You cast a wide net and end up with reviews from a middle-aged man for a YA romance novel!
Regardless, blurbs and reviews play a crucial role in a book’s success. Nowadays, securing a full feature review or quality blurb is increasingly difficult, with a limited number of slots available for the hundreds of thousands of books published each year. More and more big-name authors are turning down blurb requests as well. In this scarcity of critical coverage, blurbs and reviews become essential.
We noticed this issue, and we did what we always do. We set out to make the publishing world make sense.
CANREADS doesn’t believe that a blurb from a well-known author guarantees better sales. In fact, a blurb from the wrong author can even ruin an author’s reputation, an agent's reputation, and a publishing house's reputation. It's also painful. For every 50 requests sent out, authors get maybe two “I’ll think about it” replies. Most writers are introverts. We’d rather have our head down in the pages than out pounding the pavement, asking for reviews. It's exhausting, to say the least. That's why we created CANREADS, so we can do the work for you.
Book buyers are very, very, different from authors. You’d be surprised to learn how little some authors actually read. And they’re not always as tapped into communities or book clubs in the same way as avid, local readers are. That’s why our roster of reviewers goes well beyond authors and editors—the people who review your book are part of the groups who will actually buy your book and refer your book to others! We are highly selective of who we hire as reviewers, so you can ensure your review will be genuine and professional. You can even request reviewers based on age and other demographics to ensure the most relevant and impactful feedback. We offer Canadian city-specific bylines to promote regional interest in sales.
Along with sponsored blurbs and reviews, our annual CANREADS Book Awards remain a focal point, celebrating outstanding literary achievements. Each year, we round up our vast collection of submissions, carefully evaluating them to recognize and honour the most exceptional works. This rigorous selection process helps to elevate the profiles of talented authors, ensuring they receive the recognition they deserve. The CANREADS Awards cover a diverse range of 38 genre categories. Authors who purchase a blurb or review are automatically entered for free.
Please reach us at info@canreads.ca if you cannot find an answer to your question.
Although these are promotional reviews, we ensure they are entirely honest and provided by readers from your target market. As outlined on our website, our reviewers are carefully vetted and include avid readers in your genre, book influencers, former and current Indigo employees, and industry professionals with deep knowledge of the market. While our reviews emphasize your book's strengths, they remain genuine and unbiased. We always include constructive feedback if necessary.
We prioritize confidentiality with the utmost care. All of our reviewers are bound by strict contracts to maintain full confidentiality, and many of them work in publishing, fully appreciating the sensitivity of pre-publication materials. Access to your manuscript is limited exclusively to our team, who store it securely on a locked drive, and to the single reviewer assigned to your book. If additional security measures are desired, we can provide a legal agreement confirming that everything remains confidential on our end and under your full ownership.
These reviews are only posted on our website, where they are visible to key industry professionals, including literary agents and publishers. We do not publish them on third-party platforms, which would conflict with platform policies. These reviews are designed for your use in promoting your book—whether on the front or back cover, in press releases, advertising, or as part of your book description on third-party platforms. If the assigned reviewer is personally inclined, they may choose to leave a separate review on third-party platforms. However, this would be independent of the CANREADS review and clearly differentiated as such. These third-party reviews are not part of our official service but allow for broader exposure if the reviewer wishes. Once the reviewer submits it to our editorial team, we will ask if they’d like to leave a personal review on Amazon, Goodreads, or any other platform they use.
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CANREADS is closed on all major North American holidays. If you reach out to us or purchase a service outside of business hours, we will get back to you and/or fulfill your order the following business day.
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