FAQs

As you ask us questions, we add the answers here in the hope they will help the whole Readers First community. But if you don’t find the answer you want, any questions can be sent to team@readersfirst.co.uk.

1. What is Readers First?

Readers First is a new book reviewing community for the UK and Republic of Ireland. It’s different to other book sites as it offers:
- Books to read and review before they’re published (they can be either finished copies or proof copies, this is up to publisher discretion).
- A chance to share and compare opinions on those books with like-minded readers.
- Free books!
- Additional reward points to be exchanged for even more free books.

Simply, we have new books on our home page every week that you can win in a prize draw. If you do win a copy of a book, we ask you to write a review of what you thought of it, and to share that review – the more times you share, the more rewards points you get towards claiming other free books.

2. Who can use Readers First?

Readers First is open to anyone aged 18 or over who is resident in the UK or Republic of Ireland. We can only post prize and other free books to private UK or Republic of Ireland addresses.

3. Can I use Readers First if I am outside of the UK?

Yes, we very much welcome people from anywhere in the world to browse Readers First, use it to find out about new books, read extracts and discuss books on our social media channels. But we can only post books to UK or Republic of Ireland addresses.

4. How can I win books?

Every week we present a book or books on our homepage that you can win in a prize draw (they can be either finished copies or proof copies, this is up to publisher discretion). In order to enter the book draw, you just need to click on a book, read an extract (the ‘First Look’) and write a short comment of just a few lines (a “First Impression”) on what you thought about the First Look. You’ll then automatically be entered into the prize draw for that book.

You’ll also need to have registered with Readers First and completed your address information so that we can send you the book if you win.

All winners will be notified by email, shortly after we draw the winners each Tuesday.

5. How and when will I receive the books I’ve won?

As soon as we’ve drawn the winners each Tuesday we will let the publisher of that book have your name and address and ask them to post you the book immediately (they can be either finished copies or proof copies, this is up to publisher discretion). So we would hope that you would have them within around a week but sometimes it can take a little longer due to postal delays or book availability issues. If you don’t have the book within three weeks, however, please contact us at team@readersfirst.co.uk and we will chase the book up for you.

Occasionally some publishers offer ebooks to read instead of hardbacks or paperbacks. If this is the case, this will be clearly indicated underneath the book on the homepage. Sometimes a publisher will even give you a choice of formats which again will be shown underneath the book image. If you do choose to receive an ebook format, the publisher will email you with details on how to download the copy you have won. Publishers who provide ebooks ask us to remind you that the ebook files are for you as the winner only and should not be copied or circulated to other people.

6. Do I need to review the books I win?

Yes please. In exchange for sending you free pre-publication books we ask that you review the book on readersfirst.co.uk within three weeks of receiving your copy. As a small incentive, you’ll receive 100 reward points for each review (within three months of publication). You’ll also receive an additional 100 points for each time you share a review on another book website (within three months of publication).
Please note: the Review section is only for reviews of the whole book, and not for First Impressions.

7. What can I do with my points?

Exchange them for more books! On Readers First it’s easy to pick up lots of reward points for First Impressions and writing and sharing Reviews. Once you’ve collected 2000 points (we’ll email you when you have), you can exchange them for the book of your choice from the current book draw. Simply click the "Redeem your book with points" button on that book’s page and the book is yours – with no need to write a First Impression or enter a prize draw. If you don’t want any of the books in the current draw, just wait for the next draw with a book you like and redeem your points then.

As exchanging your points guarantees you will receive one of our limited supply of books in the current draw, you won't usually be able to win another book in that week's draw. That's simply to ensure there are enough books to be distributed fairly around our whole community. But that only applies for the week you exchange your points - on other weeks you'll have just the same chance as anyone else of winning.

You can check how many points you have and how close you are to a free book on the My Points page.

8. How do I get points?

It’s easy to pick up points in lots of different ways on Readers First:
- 500 points for joining Readers First.
- 100 points for each First Impression you write.
- 100 points for each Review you write (within three months of publication).
- 100 points for each time you post a review on another book site, such as Amazon, Kobo, Apple, Google Play, Goodreads, Waterstones or WHSmith (within three months of publication).
- 300 points for posting a review to Amazon on the day of publication.
- 100 points for referring a friend to Readers First, when they sign up using your referral code and then activate their account.

We’ll email you when you have enough reward points to claim a free book.

9. How do I share my reviews with other book sites?

We’re delighted if you share your review on other book-related websites such as Amazon, Waterstones, WHSmith, Kobo, Apple and other book retailers; Goodreads and other book review sites; book blogs; and other reputable book sites. So much so that for each book review shared on a different respected book site we reward you with 100 points.

To share your review easily and collect your points, simply use the button "Share your review" on the book’s page. Follow the instructions there to copy your review to other sites (for ease we’ve included quick links to some of the more common books sites but of course do feel free to copy your reviews to other good book sites) and, once we’ve checked the link to your review, we’ll credit the points to your account.

Please make sure that your link points directly to your review on the book site not, for example, just to the homepage, so we can find it and check it quickly. If no direct link to your review is possible, please link to the general book or review page or whichever page will make it easiest to find your review. For the most common sites such as Amazon and Goodreads you’ll see we’ve already set up quick links to the right pages once you click “Share your review” to make life a little easier.

Note: Points for reviews and sharing reviews are not awarded for books that were published over three month ago as we want to reward readers who write and share a review before or shortly after publication of the book.

10. How do I share my reviews for BONUS points?

We’ll give you extra points for linking your review on publication day to Amazon – a whopping 300 points!

For most book sites you’ll be able to post your review just as soon as you’ve read your free copy - even before the publication date. But on Amazon it’s not possible to post a review before publication day, so we ask you to – if possible – post your Amazon review on the day of publication or as soon after that as you can, so that other readers have the benefit of your opinion just as soon as the book is available. As that takes a little more effort to remember to do, we reward you with TREBLE the usual points.

To help you remember the right day so you don’t miss those points, we’ll put a reminder in our newsletter (sign up from the homepage) or we may send you an email reminder. And we’ll also put a reminder at the right time on the My Reminders page of MY POINTS. You’ll then have two days to post your review to Amazon.co.uk to claim the bonus points.

11. Where can I see which books are available to win?

Books that are available to win in the current prize draw are shown at the top of our homepage. A new draw starts every Monday with fresh books and you have until the end of the following Monday to enter each draw. There’s also a countdown on the homepage and on each book’s own page to show how long you have left to enter the draw.

We also inform our newsletter subscribers every week of the books that are in the upcoming raffle so it’s worth subscribing if you want to be one of the first to know, and we also put that news on our Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest pages.

Books that you will soon be in an upcoming draw are shown at the bottom of the homepage with a countdown showing how long until they are in the prize draw.

12. Can I invite my friends to join Readers First?

Yes! You can invite your friends and followers to join Readers First ... and you'll both earn points! Look for your personal Referral Code in your Points Awarded section of your Profile. Click the Referral Code button to generate an email, or copy the code to share online. When someone new joins
Readers First using your referral code, you'll each get 100 points!

13. My friend sent me a Referral Code to join Readers First. How do I use it?

To use the Referral Code, just go to readersfirst.co.uk, click Sign Up, and paste the code into the Referral field of the registration form. Once you activate your account, you will both immediately earn 100 points!