Advertise on TLR
Get your book in front of TLR’s readers with TLR advertising.
This page was updated on 20 October 2023
Advertising vs Getting Reviewed
Advertising is an entirely different process to getting reviewed. We do not and will never charge for reviews. To submit a book for review see our guide here.
Why advertise
Our team is simply not able to review all the amazing books being released and we have had several requests from authors and publishers like you on how you can more proactively access our substantial community of avid LesFic readers and buyers.
To help you do this we offer advertising options in the form of Display Advertising, New Release Listings, Spotlights and Event Sponsorship.
Display Advertising
These are adverts that appear along the side of our reviews and home page.
An illustration of where Premium Adverts are displayed can be seen below
An illustration of where standard adverts are displayed can be seen below. These are displayed below the two premium adverts.
Specs for Display Advertising
When you book a display advert please send us your artwork.
- Size: 350px high X 250px wide (72 dpi min)
- Link: Send us a link that visitors can click on that is relevant to your advert
- Format: Please send us files that are png or jpg
- Note: we no longer support animated gifs due to the enormous file sizes that slow down the website. If you want a rotating banner then simply send us multiple images and clear instructions on order of images and will will load it independently on our side.
New Releases
These are book information listings limited to books published within 3 months of the cycle start date. Each has its own page and the cover and title appear on the home page of the website in a list format. Each title is limited to one new release.
Each new release gets its own page with the following information:
- The Cover (please attach to the email you send us)
- Title:
- Author:
- Release date:
- Publisher:
- Audiobook Publisher:
- Genre and Tropes: (include as many as you have in your book, it helps readers discover exactly what your book is about have something like this: Contemporary Romance, Age Gap, Ice Queen, Medical, Rancher)
- Series:
- Audiobook narrated by:
- Available on KU: Yes/No (for the duration of the four week advert)
- Synopsis: What you used on Amazon is totally fine and feel free to add quotes from review sites or from Amazon reviews. This page is there to help sell your book.
- A tag line: One line that sums up your book. This goes onto the image on the home page and aims to get people to click on your book.
- Your Twitter Handle: and any other relevant twitter handles like publishers, narrators, authors – we use this to tag you in our tweets about the new release
To note about a New Release listing
- You can only add your new release for one cycle.
- A new release needs to have been released within the last three months.
- Publishers – contact us about our Publisher specials for bulk listings.
- New box sets, audiobooks and second editions count as new releases provided they are released within three months of the advertising cycle.
- To qualify as lesfic the book/audiobook/series needs to have a lesbian main character or bisexual woman main character (who ends up with a woman.) Our audience is a lesfic audience.
Book your New Release with this Form
Topic & Genre Spotlights
These are book information listings spotlighting books in a specific genre, topic, trope or theme such as Romance, Erotica, Speculative Fiction or Mystery and Suspense. Each has its own page and the cover and title appear on the home page of the website in a list format. Spotlights are open to any books that fall within the featured focus there are no limitations in terms of publishing period or the number of showcases a title may appear in.
Each spotlight gets its own page with the following information:
- The Cover (please attach to the email you send us)
- Title:
- Author:
- Release date:
- Publisher:
- Audiobook Publisher:
- Genre and Tropes: (include as many as you have in your book, it helps readers discover exactly what your book is about have something like this: Contemporary Romance, Age Gap, Ice Queen, Medical, Rancher)
- Series:
- Audiobook narrated by:
- Available on KU: Yes/No (for the duration of the four week advert)
- Synopsis: What you used on Amazon is totally fine and feel free to add quotes from review sites or from Amazon reviews. This page is there to help sell your book.
- A tag line: One line that sums up your book. This goes onto the image on the home page and aims to get people to click on your book.
- Your Twitter Handle: and any other relevant twitter handles like publishers, narrators, authors – we use this to tag you in our tweets about the new release
Advertising Dates 2023 for New Releases and Display Adverts
Our advertising spots run for 4-week blocks
Cycle 1 runs 9 January – 5 February
Cycle 2 runs 6 February – 5 March
Cycle 3 runs 6 March – 2 April
Cycle 4 runs 3 April – 30 April
Cycle 5 runs 1 May – 28 May
Cycle 6 runs 29 May – 25 June
Cycle 7 runs 26 June -23 July
Cycle 8 runs 24 July – 20 August
Cycle 9 runs 21 August – 17 September
Cycle 10 runs 18 September – 15 October
Cycle 11 runs 16 October – 12 November
Cycle 12 runs 13 November – 10 December
Cycle 13 runs 11 December 2023 – 7 January 2024
Advertising Dates 2024 for TLR New Releases and Display Adverts
| Block 1 | 8 January 2024 – 4 February 2024 |
| Block 2 | 5 February – 3 March |
| Block 3 | 4 March – 31 March |
| Block 4 | 1 April – 28 April |
| Block 5 | 29 April – 26 May |
| Block 6 | 27 May – 23 June |
| Block 7 | 24 June – 21 July |
| Block 8 | 22 July – 18 August |
| Block 9 | 19 August – 15 September |
| Block 10 | 16 September – 13 October |
| Block 11 | 14 October – 10 November |
| Block 12 | 11 November – 8 December |
| Block 13 | 9 December 2023 – 5 January 2025 |
Premium display ad slots are limited to one advertiser per block, Standard ad slots do not have a limit. Availability for premium ad slots are as follows (subject to change):
| Block 2024 | Dates | Premium A | Premium B |
| Block 1 | 8 January 2024 – 4 February 2024 | Sold out | Sold out |
| Block 2 | 5 February – 3 March | Sold out | Sold out |
| Block 3 | 4 March – 31 March | Sold out | Available |
| Block 4 | 1 April – 28 April | Sold out | Available |
| Block 5 | 29 April – 26 May | Sold out | Available |
| Block 6 | 27 May – 23 June | Sold out | Available |
| Block 7 | 24 June – 21 July | Sold out | Available |
| Block 8 | 22 July – 18 August | Sold out | Available |
| Block 9 | 19 August – 15 September | Sold out | Available |
| Block 10 | 16 September – 13 October | Sold out | Available |
| Block 11 | 14 October – 10 November | Sold out | Available |
| Block 12 | 11 November – 8 December | Sold out | Available |
| Block 13 | 9 December 2023 – 5 January 2025 | Sold out | Available |
Let’s do something amazing together
Book your spot now or enquire by emailing us on ads@thelesbianreview.com
Let us know
- Which spot you are interested in
- Which dates you want to advertise for
- For new releases please copy and paste the info for the list above and fill it in
Tamara will get back to you.
Frequently Asked Questions For Advertising on TLR
General
If I advertise will I get a review?
No. TLR is committed to only publishing non-biased reviews. To uphold this we do not do paid for reviews or guarantee reviews to anyone. This ensures our reviewers are not pressured to give good reviews to books that they don’t enjoy. It’s important for us that nothing affects the integrity of our reviews and so the folks who handle the adverts and the ones who handle the reviews are entirely separated. Not even the admin for them is done by the same people.
How do I get hold of you if I have more questions or want to book an advert or new release?
The best way is to email us on ads@thelesbianreview.com
Please be clear on the reason for your email so that we can get back to you as efficiently as possible.
How long will my ad or new release run for?
We work on cycles of four weeks. Ads and new releases for a cycle go live at midnight (South African time) on the first Sunday of the ad cycle and stop showing a minute before midnight (South African time) on the last Saturday of the cycle.
What is a cycle or block?
An advertising cycle is a four-week period. Ads and new releases for a cycle go live at midnight (South African time) on the first Sunday of the ad cycle and stop showing a minute before midnight (Portugal time) on the last Sunday of the cycle.
Blocks and Cycles are the same thing – we rotate the terminology between years to keep it clear, for example one year will be block 1 to 13 and the next will be cycle 1-13 that way when you are booking for block 1 it’s clear which year you are referring to.
Why does TLR work on cycles or blocks and not months?
Four-week cycles are consistent, easier to manage and give every advertiser the same amount of exposure. It also means that all our data and statistics can be measured against one another.
Does TLR sell ad space in the newsletter?
Currently we do not. Keep tabs on this page, though. We may do so in the future.
Do we get statistics from our adverts or new releases?
New Release Posts: We can measure page views but we cannot accurately measure clicks as these are not adverts.
Premium and Standard Display Ads: We can give you the data from your display advert if you request it before the ad goes live. This allows us to track it accurately and send you the data when it stops showing.
New Releases
If I buy multiple new release spots can I get a discount?
We do provide special offers for folks who advertise regularly. Contact us on ads@thelesbianreview.com and tell us how many new releases you want to have in the next year and we will get back to you with rates.
Can I link my new release listing to a page that is not Amazon?
Absolutely, just let us know where and send us a link and any artwork you want to use for that link.
What is a tag line and why do I need it for my new release listing?
We use Tag Lines on the image which appears on the home page of TLR, in the newsletter as a short teaser for readers and on the tweets we send out. It’s the text that will get readers to click onto your full new release listing.
Can I advertise my new release for more than one cycle?
Unfortunately we don’t allow new release listings more than once. After the first cycle it no longer becomes a new release.
How old can a release be in order to be considered a new release?
We consider it a new release for the first three months after a book is released for sale. So you can advertise your new release any time during that period.
If you then release the same book as an audiobook later then the audiobook becomes a new release and if your book is turned into a box set then that too is a new release from the date of release.
Should I advertise my new release before it is live in store?
It doesn’t work well to advertise your book before it goes live. You miss out on all the people who want to buy immediately. Rather pop your new release into the first advertising block after it goes live.
Display Adverts
Do you design the adverts for me?
We don’t.
How can I advertise my book that was published more than three months ago?
We have display adverts that we do not limit to newly published works and we have Spotlights that we do not limit to a timeframe, just a genre.
Can I link my display to a page that is not Amazon?
Absolutely, just let us know where and send us a link.
Can I advertise services like editing, cover design or my publishing house using display adverts?
Absolutely. We do not limit our display adverts to books only. As long as the advert is not inappropriate we are happy to run it.
If I buy multiple ad spots can I get a discount?
We do provide special offers for folks who advertise regularly. Contact us on ads@thelesbianreview.com and tell us how many adverts you want to have in the next year and we will get back to you with rates.
Do BIPoC (Black, Indigenous, Persons of Colour) authors get special rates?
Yes, we are currently doing free New Release listings and Spotlights to all BIPoC authors. All you need to do is send us the information and let us know you are BIPOC.
Publishers please send listings for all your BIPoC authors and let us know they are BIPoC.
Terms: We limit this to one free listing per author per cycle or block or spotlight.
Why does TLR offer special rates to BIPoC authors?
Visibility matters and we can help improve visibility, so we do