Send a review copy to a journalist or podcaster

By the end of this guide you will have emailed a private download link for your ebook to a journalist, reviewer or podcaster, with a personal note from you. The email carries a download link, so you do not have to attach a file.

The panel is called Send a review copy and it sits on the Press kit screen. It switches on when you subscribe, at $12.99 a month or $120 a year. During your 14 day free trial you can look at it, and the Send review copy button is replaced by a note saying it switches on when you subscribe.

Before you start

The book needs an ebook file. Select My books, then Edit on the book, and upload the file there. If the file is missing, the panel shows a line telling you to upload the ebook under My books before you send a review copy.

Send the copy

1. Select Reviews and press in the menu on the left, then Press kit.
2. In the Book list at the top, pick the book you want to send.
3. Scroll to Send a review copy.
4. Type the reader's address in Journalist or reviewer email.
5. Edit Your message (optional). The box starts with a friendly note offering a review copy with no obligation, signed with your name, so you can send it as it is or rewrite it.
6. Select Send review copy, then confirm in the box that asks if you want to send the book to that address.

The page then shows Sent to and the address.

What the journalist receives

The email arrives with the subject line Review copy: followed by your book title. It carries your message, or a short default line saying that a review copy of your book has been sent, and a Download button with the book title on it. A note at the bottom asks them not to share the file.

The link is private and works for 14 days from the day you send it. After that the journalist needs a new copy, so a second send is all it takes if they were away.

Good to know

• You can send up to 30 review copies a day.
• Each send goes to one address. Send again to reach a second reviewer.
• There is no request or approval step. The copy goes the moment you confirm, so check the address first.

If you also want reviewers to ask you for a copy themselves, the guide to review copies before your launch covers that. For ideas on what to put on your press kit, read our lesson on what an author press kit should include.

Next step

Pick the three people most likely to talk about your book and send each of them a copy this week. A press release makes the email stronger, and the guide to writing one as a PDF takes a few minutes.

You can try all of this free for 14 days. Start with the Indie Author Toolchest.