INDIES HELPING INDIES
BOOK REVIEW PROJECT
“Have had 80 downloads since yesterday, each one of those responding to your [book review] with [my buy] link!" — IHIBRP Author S.A.Field
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“JB Richards has put together a great resource for indie authors and readers. I've found good information on reviewers and blogs that I can contact and some new favourite authors to follow.” — Sandra Bunning
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“She writes - and she reviews as well, in all genres. An excellent place to look for books to read, or for authors to get reviews!” — Dan Melson
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“[IHIBRP] is wonderful. I learn[ed] things about my own story... [IHIBRP] reviews are like a workshop in good review writing.” — Mike Van Horn, IHIBRP Award-Winning Author
Welcome To The Award-Winning Indies Helping Indies Book Review Project (IHIBRP).
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Finally, help has arrived for Indie authors seeking honest, unbiased, and professional Amazon verified purchase book reviews! The Indies Helping Indies Book Review Project (IHIBRP) is a book review "lottery", allowing Indie authors whose books have less than 15 Amazon reviews to gain a chance at being one of 10 authors each month chosen to receive an IHIBRP Book Review on Author JB Richards' blogs at her website (AuthorJBRichards.com) and Goodreads, an Amazon "verified purchase" book review, and promotions on her social media pages at Facebook and Twitter. Better yet, if your book is deemed to be an IHIBRP 5-Star Recommended Read, you'll earn an IHIBRP Award Badge which you can apply to the cover of your reviewed book and any marketing materials you might use to promote your book (Banners, Pamphlets, etc.)!
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Each IHIBRP submission is personally read and reviewed by Author JB Richards. From time to time, IHIBRP Book Reviews may also appear in various Indie online magazines and publications, in which case the author of the reviewed work will be notified via a Facebook/Twitter tag and/or a PM from JB Richards regarding the promotion of their IHIBRP Book Review. JB Richards’ author teammates, the Indie Fabs (highlight “Indie Fabs” & provide link to Fab section of website-- https://www.authorjbrichards.com/the-indie-fabs), may opt to provide promotional support in sharing IHIBRP Book Reviews via their own social media connections.
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If you are an Indie author with less than 15 Amazon reviews, and you'd like to submit your book for an IHIBRP Book Review, there are a few guidelines you will need to follow. Please read these submission requirements thoroughly so that your book will have the most likely chance of being selected.
At the end of each month, an IHIBRP Submissions Notification will be posted to Author JB Richards’ Facebook wall. The moment the LIVE IHIBRP Submissions Notification post goes up—usually on the last two business days of each month between Noon and 2PM EST (or toward the end of the month, depending on holidays and Ms. Richards’ prior commitments and engagements). authors may enter a single book into the drawing. Please check the Events Calendar on our website Homepage for all IHIBRP Submission dates and times.
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Time Converter Links
Here’s a link that makes it easy to convert time from one zone to another.
Google Chrome also converts times for any place or date here.
IHIBRP Submission Date are listed on the Events Calendar on our homepage.
Selections are made on a first-come, first-serve basis — The first 10 authors who submit their books and meet all the requirements listed below will be selected for an IHIBRP Book Review. To make certain you don't miss any posts, head to the top of Author Jeannie JB Richards’ Facebook wall and "Follow" the author.
Important Note
Be sure to read all the guidelines below (under How to Submit a Book for an IHIBRP Book Review) carefully and post the specific information requested. Do not edit your original post—Editing your post will result in an automatic time adjustment by Facebook that will change the original time of your entry. Rather, you should make any corrections in the comments section beneath your original submission.
How IHIBRP Reviews Are Rated
All reviews are personally rated by JB Richards who bases her opinion on the book’s ability to hold a reader’s interest, character and plotline development, technical ability (formatting, grammar, punctuation etc.), and other factors that may affect a review rating. Qualifying for an IHIBRP Book Review does not guarantee a positive rating. All works are judged on their own merit and the assigned rating will be explained within the text of the review and/or PM.
Star Ratings
IHIBRP bases its Star Rating on Amazon’s review system:
5 Stars—I loved it
4 Stars—I liked it
3 Stars—It was ok
2 Stars—I don’t like it
1 Star—I hate it
3-Star Reviews
Since Amazon defines a 3-Star rating as “It was ok”, a 3-Star rating is considered a neutral rating—In essence, this rating means a book (or product, to be more general) is adequate. 3-Star ratings assigned by Author JB Richards will be explained in her review. Please note that Amazon review ratings are subjective and express a reader’s personal taste and opinion about a book or product—One which is formulated by an individual and may or may not necessarily represent another reader’s opinion. In the end, whether a one agrees with JB Richards’ rating of this item or not, readers are highly encouraged to either mark her review as helpful on Amazon and/or leave their own review.
Reviews Below 3 Stars
If, for any reason, during/after reading your book, JB Richards determines that a book review will not attain a minimum level of 3 Stars, the author of that book will be contacted directly via PM to discuss the issue. At that time, the author of the book may decide whether or not to have IHIBRP proceed with their book review. Please note that JB Richards reserves the right to decline any book for any reason at any time.
Your Feedback On IHIBRP Reviews
Authors and readers have the opportunity to comment on any IHIBRP review by Author JB Richards on her Facebook wall and/or the book’s Amazon page.
IHIBRP strives to provide quality, candid, and unbiased professional reviews. All IHIBRP reviews are based on the text contained in a book at the time it is read and reviewed. Typographical and grammatical issues may be pointed out if the reviewer determines that they are numerous enough or blatant enough to detract from the enjoyment of the author's story, and the IHIBRP review associated with this work will not be amended based on any changes or corrections that an author has made to their book subsequent to the initial review date.
Do not be discouraged by the number of applicants or the time of their submissions—Not all authors read and follow the instructions and may be disqualified.
IHIBRP Requirements
These are the requirements an author/book must meet:
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The book must be available on Amazon Kindle at a retail price of $5 or less and must have less than a total of 15 reviews.
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No sexually-explicit content (X-rated, BDSM, etc.) or graphic violence will be accepted.
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Authors must enter their book information exactly as indicated below—Do not list any additional details such as website information, extra buy links, or descriptions of the book since this information is already available on Amazon.
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Authors must post just ONE book per submission period. In fairness to all our IHIBRP entrants, and in the interest of time spent reading and reviewing each individual qualifying work, volumes containing multiple books from a particular novel series will not be accepted nor will they qualify for an IHIBRP review—Each book/chapter in a novel series must be submitted to IHIBRP separately and in subsequent rounds.
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Authors must post their own book. No books posted by another author or PA will be accepted.
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Authors with pen-names must indicate their actual name and pen-name (please state which is which) in the comments section at the time of submission.
If any of the above requirements are not met, or if any of the requested information is omitted in an author’s initial submission, their book may not be selected for an IHIBRP Book Review. Additionally, Author Jeannie JB Richards reserves the right to decline a book at her discretion.
IHIBRP’s Author/Book Provisions
Here is what IHIBRP will provide for a selected book:
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The selected book will be featured in an IHIBRP Book Review on The IHIBRP Blog at https://www.authorjbrichards.com/ihibrp-reviews.
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The selected book will receive an Amazon “Verified Purchase” Review.
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The IHIBRP Book Review will be featured on Author Jeanie JB Richards Goodreads blog at http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14837653.J_B_Richards/blog, as well as the Goodreads Book page.
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The IHIBRP Book Review will be promoted on Author Jeannie JB Richards’ Facebook wall (https://www.facebook.com/Author-JB-Richards-IHI-Book-Review-Project-Indieverse-Resource-Library-206903979347028/), and on her Twitter feed (@JeanneRichard11).
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Any book which earns a 5 Star Recommended Read rating will earn an IHI-BRP Award Badge which the author may affix to the cover of said book.
How to Submit a Book for an IHIBRP Book Review
The IHIBRP submissions process works similar to a lottery; The moment the IHIBRP Submissions Notification is posted to Author Jeannie JB Richards’ Facebook wall (at https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJBRichards/), authors may begin posting their book for consideration in the Comment Section (underneath the IHIBRP Submissions Notification Facebook post) by entering the following information:
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Post the book’s Amazon Buy link. If the cover photo of your book does not show, or the cover is different from the one depicted, post the alternate book cover photo underneath the link.
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Post the author’s Twitter link.
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Post the author’s pen-name, if applicable.
There is no need to post any further information, but please make sure you "Friend" Author JB Richards on Facebook so that she can communicate with you via PM.
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How To Ask For A Special Request Review
On occasion, Indie authors may ask for a Special Request Review. If an author is unable to attend our LIVE round IHIBRP Submissions on the date and time specified on our Homepage Events Calendar, or their book does not meet the qualifying criteria for an IHIBRP review, contact Jeannie JB Richards via Facebook PM, or at her email address at jbrich1226@gmail.com.
Please indicate the Subject as “Special Request Review”. In your communication, kindly provide the reason you are asking for a Special Request Review, your US Amazon Buy Link, your pen name, your Twitter handle, and your Facebook link.
We will be happy to respond to your communication within 24-48 hours of your request.
How IHIBRP Notifies Book Review Selectees
All books will be reviewed and selections will be made by Author Jeannie JB Richards who will notify each author regarding the selection status of their book via PM within 72-hours of the initial posting of the IHIBRP Submission Notification on Facebook.
IHIBRP Timeline Guidelines
Each book selected for an IHIBRP review will be read and reviewed in the order in which it was received. Authors will be notified by Author Jeannie JB Richards via PM when she starts reading their book, and she will provide an estimated date for completion as well as when a review can be expected. All follow up communication, including book review links, promotional information, and any questions or comments will be communicated between Author Jeannie JB Richards and the book author via PM. Upon completion of the review, authors will be tagged or PM’d with the associated link for each IHIBRP Book Review blog and/or promotion.
IHIBRP reviews can take an average of 45-90 days to process, either when a high volume of requests is received or due to unforeseen circumstances, so please be patient. Authors should keep track of the Round in which they were accepted (Round numbers are posted on each LIVE Round Submission, and subsequent announcements of each qualifying Round of books may be found on our website under the tab “The Writers Block”.).
If you ever have any questions or concerns about your IHIBRP qualifying entry, please feel free to contact JB Richards via Facebook PM or email at jbrich1226@gmail.com.
Subscribe to the Indieverse Newsletter
Our Indieverse Newsletter provides a great deal of information concerning IHIBRP submission dates, and keeps you up-to-date on qualifier announcements, completed reviews, IHIBRP awards, special book promotions, and other important news regarding the IHIBRP program.
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Don't miss a thing—Subscribe to our Indieverse Newsletter by going to the top of this page and clicking the subscription prompt, "Join Our Newsletter."
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A Note About Amazon Reviews
Please note that although your review is guaranteed acceptance on the IHIBRP Blog, Goodreads, and Bookbub, Amazon’s Review Guidelines (Please attach link below) are strict and not all book reviews submitted to them by the Indies Helping Indies Book Review Project (IHIBRP) may be accepted. In the case where an Amazon verified purchase review by JB Richards is declined, an appeal will automatically be filed and the book author will be notified via PM of the final result.
Click to see Amazon Review Guidelines:
On occasion, IHIBRP will continue to share a book review on social media. 5-Star IHI-BRP Book Reviews may be nominated for various awards (i.e. Summer Indie Book Awards (SIBA’s)), featured in magazines (Indie Publishing News, Golden Box Books Publishing Magazine, etc.), or receive special mentions.
If you have any questions or concerns about the IHI Book Review Project, or wish to communicate with Author Jeannie JB Richards, please send a PM or email to jbrich1226@gmail.com. We’re looking forward to seeing YOUR book on IHIBRP’s submissions list!
A Word From Author Jeannie JB Richards, IHIBRP Founder & CEO
It's been over two years since I self-published my first novel, “Miriamne the Magdala – The First Chapter in the Yeshua and Miri Novel Series”, and I’ve learned a lot since then. I’ve also made many friends and associates within the Indie community, most of whom have done a great deal to help me advance in my career as an Indie author. Among the most important group of individuals I’ve had the pleasure to come to know and love is my author team - my dear “Indie Fabs”—a group of women who may have randomly come together, but changed my life completely. Where once we were all novices, shaking in our boots and wondering where to go from Square One, we took our experiences in self-publishing and promotions and developed a diverse set of skills that—combined—molded us into business-women who are now exceptionally capable in helping out each other and our Indie community to grow strong. The Indie Fabs, which include Aliya DalRae, Renee Gauthier, Eva Pasco, Lyra Shanti, Joanne Van Leerdam, and myself, have developed a motto. It is this:
"'All for one, and one for all!' We are Indies Helping Indies, paying it forward by offering support, assistance, and guidance to Indie authors in order to build a strong bond of cooperation and fellowship within our community. In turn, the only payment we expect for helping you is that you extend the same courtesy to your fellow Indies. After all, the only way we can achieve our own goals to be successful authors is by working together as a community!”
With this motto in mind, and considering the number of Indies who have helped me reach many of my own goals, including my Indie Fabs, I have decided that it's time for me to do my part by helping out our Indie community with a few vital book reviews for authors in need. Please know that I do not accept any monetary compensation or trade-for-trade offers for IHIBRP Book Reviews. I pay for these books on my own to return to the Indie community what it has so amply given to me. My greatest hope is that Indie authors will someday be recognized for who they are … talented, professional, and creative writers who wish to share their journey with like-minded readers!
IHIBRP Book Reviews
All IHIBRP Book Reviews may be found here
IHIBRP 5 Star Recommended Reads
The following books have earned an IHIBRP 5-Star Recommended Read badge, indicating that this book has been rated as an exceptional read!
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Free Book Review Resources
There are sites that provide FREE book reviews to Indie authors. Please refer to the Indie Resources Library under Book Reviews.
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