Ah, the magnificent "review copy!" Don't downplay the significance of your recent tip -- review copies save ezine publishers like myself a great deal of money. For example, I review books on the craft of writing fiction for my ezine, FICTION FIX. New books on writing techniques come out every month, and if I had to purchase them all in order to share reviews with my readers, I wouldn't be able to do reviews because of the cost. Right now, I estimate that I save somewhere around $400.00 a year by requesting free review copies. (That's 2 books per month, at an average hardcover price of $16.95.)

Your tip didn't mention HOW to find review copies. Sometimes, if your ezine is big enough, they come to you in the form of authors and publicists hungry for free publicity, and offering a book in exchange for a review. But most of the time -- especially if your ezine is on the small side -- you need to seek them out. Here's the process I use:

First, I go to Amazon.com and search for recently published books on my topic -- writing and publishing fiction. Then, I look for the publisher information. Amazon always includes the book's publisher in tiny print somewhere near the picture of the book jacket. Once I've found the publisher, I head on over to a powerful search engine (I like Google) and run a search for the publisher's name. (I put the search string in quotation marks and search for the exact phrase to produce more accurate results.) Once I've found the publisher's Web site, it's just a matter of tunneling through to find information about how to contact them. A general contact (not an editor) is usually best. I write them and ask who I should contact regarding review copies. Once I've got my contact, I'm on my way.

If the publisher's Web site is difficult to find, try checking a Web community that offers a searchable database of writer's markets, like WritersDigest.com. You should be able to find the publisher's address and telephone number there.

One more thing. It doesn't hurt to maintain contacts within the publishing industry. If you've written a glowing review, don't hesitate to send a copy to the publisher. (Some even request them.) I now receive pre-release copies of books. Occasionally, my review comments (and my ezine's Web address!) are featured on a book jacket or in a press release. Free publicity works both ways!