As the number of books published each year explodes, the value of curation continues to grow. For more than fifteen years, Foreword has helped independent book publishers gain attention for their best titles with a review that readers know comes from a trusted source. To find out more about our process, click “more information” below.

Many small and independent book publishers view print advertising as a relic of old-school publishing. We have some news for them. Our reader surveys of hundreds of librarians and booksellers unequivocally document geniune interest in ads that appear in Foreword Reviews. It seems, librarians can’t find enough information about worthy titles from small, independent, university, and alternative publishers and librarians pore over the magazine carefully. Foreword’s website also offers superb advertising opportunities on a cost-effective basis.

Foreword has long maintained a cooperative stand at the world’s six largest book fairs. These “foreign rights shows” attract agents and acquisition editors from tens of thousands of publishers around the world. Foreign rights sales are an important income stream for publishers of all sizes and genres. Over the years, many dozens if not hundreds of rights sales have taken place at the Foreword booth or in the weeks following based on a rights agent’s “discovery” of the title at the book fair.

Notwithstanding our company name, every year Foreword looks back to the best books of the previous year. The Foreword Book of the Year competition provides publishers with a valuable opportunity to breathe new life into the promotion of a distinguished title. These fiercely contested awards are viewed by librarians and booksellers as an important statement about a title they might have overlooked. For over thirteen years, savvy publishers have used the gold, silver, and bronze awards as additional marketing material as their titles drift toward the backlist.

After years of receiving review submissions from thousands of publishers, we can often tell what book will be worth noting by the peripheral materials provided by the author/publisher. A less-than-professional presentation makes it very easy for a review editor or anyone in the media to toss the book aside. In addition, foreign rights agents won’t take a potential project seriously unless an articulate sales piece arrives via email prior to previewing your book.