Home › For Authors › How to Get a Sapphic Romance Book Reviewed
Getting reviews for a sapphic romance novel can be one of the most frustrating parts of publishing a book.
You may have a finished novel, a professional cover and a publication date ready, but where do you actually send the book?
Which reviewers accept lesbian romance? Which accept indie authors? Should you contact reviewers before or after publication? Do you send the complete ebook with your first email? And what should you say without sounding like you’re asking someone to advertise your book for free?
This guide explains how to approach sapphic book reviewers, lesbian romance book blogs and other review opportunities professionally, and how to improve the chances that your book reaches reviewers who genuinely want to read it.
Key Takeaways
- Target fit, not volume. A short list of active sapphic book reviewers who cover your subgenre beats 100 identical pitches.
- Check the review policy first: genres, indie policy, formats, and whether submissions are open.
- Send a short, specific request: title, subgenre, 2–3 primary tropes, short description, publication date, heat level, content notes, length, link and available formats.
- Start several weeks before release for launch coverage; published books can still be reviewed later.
- Always ask for an honest review, never a positive one, and never trade positive reviews with other authors.
The Most Important Rule: Find the Right Reviewer, Not the Most Reviewers
Sending 100 identical review requests is rarely the best strategy. Start by finding reviewers whose audience and reading preferences match your book.
A reviewer who loves cozy sapphic romance may have little interest in an extremely dark mafia romance. Someone specializing in fantasy may not be the right person for a contemporary workplace romance.
Before contacting a reviewer, look at what they actually review. Check:
- Genres
- Relationship types
- Recent reviews
- Tropes they frequently cover
- Heat preferences
- Age categories
- Indie/self-published policy
- Accepted formats
- Whether submissions are currently open
The objective isn’t to find every book reviewer. It is to find reviewers whose readers could realistically become your readers.
Where Can You Find Sapphic Book Reviewers?
Start with places already discussing lesbian, sapphic and queer books. These can include:
- Sapphic book blogs
- Lesbian romance review sites
- LGBTQ+ book websites
- Romance review blogs
- Bookstagram reviewers
- BookTok creators
- Goodreads reviewers and communities
- YouTube book reviewers
- Podcasts covering queer literature
- Genre-specific fantasy, historical or romance sites
Don’t assume that a general romance reviewer accepts sapphic romance, or that a sapphic book site accepts every type of sapphic book. Always check the review policy before submitting.
Our lesbian book resources guide lists blogs, publishers and communities where sapphic readers gather, and our verified sapphic book promotion directory lists review sites, newsletters and other opportunities with current requirements.
Look at the Reviewer’s Recent Activity
An old list of “book bloggers accepting submissions” can become outdated quickly. Before preparing a pitch, check whether the reviewer has published anything recently. Also look for:
- A current review policy
- Recent book reviews
- An active submission form
- Recent social activity
- A notice that submissions are closed
Maintaining a smaller list of active, relevant reviewers is generally more useful than collecting hundreds of outdated contacts.
What Should You Send in a Book Review Request?
Make it easy for a reviewer to understand your book. A useful sapphic book review request contains the essential information without forcing someone to search for it.
| Include | What to write |
|---|---|
| Book title and author | The exact title, including series name and number where relevant. |
| Genre and subgenre | Don’t stop at “romance.” “Contemporary sapphic romance,” “lesbian historical romance” or “sapphic fantasy romance” says much more. |
| Primary tropes | Usually two or three meaningful tropes, e.g. age gap • workplace romance • slow burn, not fifteen loosely related ones. |
| Short description | Enough to understand the central relationship, conflict and reading experience. |
| Publication date | Whether the book is published, on preorder or being offered as an ARC. |
| Heat level | An accurate description, especially if the outlet uses heat classifications. |
| Content notes | Relevant content information, so you don’t surprise a reviewer with material they avoid. |
| Book length | Page count or approximate word count helps reviewers judge whether they have time. |
| Retailer or book-page link | Somewhere the reviewer can verify the book. |
| Review-copy format | EPUB, print, audiobook or another format you can provide. |
Not sure which tropes are truly primary? See Sapphic Romance Tropes for Authors, or the reader-facing Sapphic Romance Trope Glossary.
A Simple Book Review Request Template
Your pitch doesn’t need to be long. A useful structure is:
Hello [reviewer name],
I’m contacting you because I saw that you review [relevant genre/type of book].
My novel, [Title], is a [subgenre] sapphic romance featuring [two or three primary tropes]. It follows [one- or two-sentence description].
The book releases on [date] / was published on [date]. It is approximately [length] and is available for review in [formats].
Content notes include [relevant notes].
If it sounds suitable for your readers, I’d be happy to provide a review copy.
Thank you for considering it,
[Author]
Personalize it. One genuine sentence explaining why you’re approaching that particular reviewer can distinguish your message from a mass email.
Should You Send the Book With the First Email?
Follow the reviewer’s instructions. If the site asks authors to attach an EPUB, use a form, provide a download link or send a particular format, do exactly that.
If there are no instructions, a short initial query can be better than sending a large unsolicited attachment. Your goal is to make reviewing your book easy without assuming the reviewer has agreed to read it.
When Should You Ask for Reviews?
For an upcoming release, start earlier than release week. Reviewers often have substantial reading queues, and a request sent a few days before publication may arrive too late for launch coverage.
For an ARC campaign, having your final or near-final information ready several weeks before publication gives reviewers more flexibility. Prepare:
- Final cover
- Accurate blurb
- Publication date
- Tropes
- Content notes
- Review format
- Retailer/preorder page when available
Published books can still receive reviews later. A review does not stop being useful simply because launch week has passed; reviews and recommendation pages can keep introducing readers to books months or years after publication.
Should You Pay for a Book Review?
This requires an important distinction. There are legitimate paid editorial services, advertising placements and promotional features. But paying for exposure is not the same as buying an independent positive opinion.
Before paying for anything, establish exactly what you are purchasing. Is it:
- Advertising?
- Guaranteed placement?
- An editorial assessment?
- A promotional feature?
- A sponsored article?
- A guaranteed review?
- A guaranteed positive review?
Those are very different products.
At Lesbian Romance Reads, paid promotion, if offered, is kept separate from independent editorial opinion. Payment does not buy a favorable review or rating. See our disclosure policy.
Free Review Copies and Disclosure
Providing a complimentary review copy does not mean an author is entitled to a positive review. A reviewer should remain free to form their own opinion.
Transparency also matters. Where a reviewer has received a book for free, been paid, or has another material relationship that readers would reasonably want to know about, that relationship should be clearly disclosed.
The basic principle is simple: readers should be able to understand the relationship behind a recommendation.
Never Ask for a Positive Review
Ask for an honest review. Do not ask reviewers to:
- Guarantee a high rating
- Remove criticism
- Change a rating
- Avoid mentioning problems
- Review positively in exchange for a free book
- Coordinate reciprocal positive reviews
A review has value because it represents the reviewer’s genuine response. Trying to control that response undermines the credibility authors are hoping reviews will create.
Don’t Trade Positive Reviews With Other Authors
“Review my book positively and I’ll review yours positively” may sound like harmless author support, but it creates an obvious conflict.
The FTC’s Endorsement Guides FAQ specifically addresses a group of authors who agree to review each other’s books. It says such authors should disclose the arrangement, because the connection could affect how readers weigh those reviews, and bad reviews could jeopardize the arrangement.
Support other authors, but don’t turn reviews into an exchange of guaranteed praise.
Why Review Requests Get Ignored
A rejection, or no response, doesn’t necessarily mean the reviewer dislikes your book. Common reasons include:
- The reviewer’s queue is full
- Submissions are closed
- The genre doesn’t fit
- The book doesn’t match their audience
- The requested format isn’t accepted
- The reviewer doesn’t have time
- The request ignored their submission guidelines
But authors can avoid some preventable problems:
Don’t send a generic mass pitch
“Dear blogger, please review my amazing novel” tells the recipient that you probably haven’t looked at their site.
Don’t hide important information
If your novel contains material likely to matter to the reviewer, disclose it.
Don’t describe everything as a trope
Accurate positioning makes it easier for reviewers to decide whether the book fits them.
Don’t demand a deadline
You can politely mention your publication date. That is different from telling an independent reviewer when they must finish your book.
Don’t chase repeatedly
If a site’s policy specifies a response time, respect it. If it says that no response means the book wasn’t selected, respect that too.
What Happens If the Reviewer Doesn’t Like Your Book?
That’s part of seeking independent reviews. Some reviewers publish negative and mixed reviews. Others choose not to review books they cannot recommend. Some provide private feedback instead. Read the site’s policy before submitting.
If criticism is published, avoid arguing with the reviewer publicly. The author created the book; the reviewer is describing their reading experience for an audience. Those experiences will not always agree.
Reviews Are Not the Same as Promotion
Understanding these differences helps authors evaluate opportunities more realistically:
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Editorial review | Someone reads and independently evaluates your book. |
| Promotion | You receive defined exposure, such as an advertisement, sponsored feature or placement. |
| Editorial consideration | Your book is considered for coverage, but publication isn’t guaranteed. |
| ARC | An advance copy supplied before publication so someone can consider reading or reviewing it. |
Can Indie Authors Get Sapphic Romance Books Reviewed?
Absolutely. Many specialist book sites and independent reviewers cover self-published and small-press books. Being indie is not automatically the obstacle. Discoverability often is.
Make the reviewer’s job easier by presenting the book professionally and providing clear information about:
- What it is
- Who it is for
- Why it fits their coverage
- When it publishes
- How they can read it
Submit Your Sapphic Romance Book to Lesbian Romance Reads
Lesbian Romance Reads accepts book submissions from indie authors, self-published authors, small presses, traditional publishers and publicists representing relevant books.
Submitting your book is free. A submission may be considered for appropriate LRR editorial coverage, including reviews and other relevant discovery opportunities.
Submission does not guarantee a review, recommendation or placement.
Book Review Request Checklist
Before contacting a reviewer, check:
- I read the review policy.
- Submissions appear to be open.
- My book fits the reviewer’s genres.
- I used the reviewer’s name when available.
- My title and author name are correct.
- I included the publication date.
- I identified the genre/subgenre.
- I listed only meaningful primary tropes.
- I included a short description.
- I provided relevant content notes.
- I stated the available review formats.
- My retailer/book link works.
- I asked for an honest review, not a positive one.
- I followed the reviewer’s submission instructions.
- I did not add unnecessary large attachments.
If those boxes are checked, you’ve done the important part correctly. The decision to accept the book belongs to the reviewer.
More Resources for Sapphic Romance Authors
Continue with the For Sapphic Romance Authors resource center for guides to book positioning, tropes, blurbs, launches and promotion.
And if your book is ready: