About BookLife
BookLife taps the experience, integrity, and authority of Publishers Weekly to help indie authors achieve their goals.
About
BookLife is a website from Publishers Weekly dedicated to indie authors. The site provides a free and easy way to submit self-published books to Publishers Weekly for review, and offers editorial content—success stories, interviews, author profiles, how-to pieces, news, and features—geared toward helping indie authors achieve their goals. Whether an author is focused on writing and editing, art and design, or marketing and distribution, BookLife has valuable resources that can help along the way.
Mission
BookLife's mission is to help indie authors achieve their publishing goals. We aim do to this by providing professional tips, insights, and strategies for creating and marketing books; a place to connect and share with other indie authors; and a simple and free way to submit self-published books for review to Publishers Weekly. Over the coming months, we plan to increase the features offered on the site based on the feedback we receive from our users.
History
Publishers Weekly has been reviewing self-published books since 2010 when it began its PW Select program. Over the years, as the program became more and more popular—moving from quarterly to bi-monthly to monthly—it became obvious that independent authors needed a site dedicated to the type of resources and support that only Publishers Weekly could provide. So in May 2014, Publishers Weekly joined forces with tech company Mediapolis, Inc. to launch BookLife.
Team
Besides being supported by the entire Publishers Weekly and Mediapolis operations, BookLife's key players are:
- Carl Pritzkat, president: Carl is also chief operating officer of Publishers Weekly and was a co-founder of Mediapolis.
- Matia Burnett, editor: Matia has been involved with BookLife since its launch in 2014, and she was Publishers Weekly's associate children's reviews editor before becoming BookLife editor.
- Alan Scherstuhl, BookLife reviews editor: Alan has been with BookLife since 2021, and before that he was film editor at the Village Voice.
- Deena Ali, ad manager: Deena has spent many years in book publishing and at Publishers Weekly.
- Cevin Bryerman, publisher: Cevin is also the chief executive officer of Publishers Weekly.
Press
For press inquires please contact Christi Cassidy: [email protected]; 518-697-8811 or 917-217-4269
Contact
Video Tutorials
To learn more about BookLife and how an indie author can get the most out of it, please visit our video tutorials.
Reviews
BookLife gives you access to two different reviews opportunities, both powered by Publishers Weekly reviewers and both appearing in the pages of Publishers Weekly.
- Publishers Weekly reviews are the most prestigious book reviews in publishing. Books submitted are not guaranteed a review; editors select which books to review. Submission is FREE for BookLife members. Click here for more information.
- BookLife Reviews are paid reviews ($399) and are guaranteed. They are written by Publishers Weekly reviewers, and they appear in Publishers Weekly. Click here for more information.
A book can be reviewed by either or both. Click here for a comparison between the two.
If you would like to submit a title for either Publishers Weekly or BookLife Reviews, you must create a BookLife account and submit your title through the BookLife system. Any reviews submissions outside this system will not be processed. For more information visit our reviews information page.
Prizes
The BookLife Prize is a writing prize that seeks to support independent authors. It is split into two contests, one for fiction, one for nonfiction, each with the $5,000 cash grand prize and $1,000 social media packages from BookBaby for runners up. Each entry receives a publishable critique from a Publishers Weekly reviewer. Click here for more information.
The Selfies Book Awards judges books' entire packages, including cover art, production, marketing strategy, and writing. Winners in three categories receive a $1,000 cash prize and a $5,000 advertising package from Publishers Weekly. Click here for more information.
Promotional Opportunities
BookLife offers a range of promotional opportunties for indie authors as well as indie author service providers. Click on the links below to learn more information about them:
- PW Select - market your book through Publishers Weekly
- BookLife Services Directory - free listings for service providers
- Book Fair Marketing - reach thousands of industrial professionals at book fairs around the world
- Sponsored Q&As - reach a wider audience to tell the story behind your book
FAQs
For answers to frequently asked questions about BookLife, visit our BookLife FAQs page.
