Review Copies for Cryptozoology Titles

Someone asked me about review copies recently, which is an interesting subject that probably deserves a lot more thought than most small publishers actually give it. I've stopped sending out review copies for most of my books, especially for reprints. I have kept track of sales for certain titles and have a pretty good idea of the impact that published reviews have had on sales. It's interesting, but overall, reviews really don't have much influence on my title sales. The only caveat I would put there is that a review in a publication with a large distribution would probably have a noticeable impact just because of the numbers game. But, for example, even the most frequented cryptozoology blogs and popular cryptozoology newsletters are not large enough to create that kind of publicity; thus, a mention of one of my cz titles on those venues may turn a few sales, but not enough for me to readily distinguish it from "background" sales coming from personal marketing efforts (my website and my StrangeArk mailing list). Generally speaking, those who are most serious in cryptozoology pursuits will hear about the books from that direction; and most readers should be familiar with my personal inclinations within cryptozoology, so already have an idea of what to expect in terms of quality and scope for my personal books.

Some publishers have started issuing electronic (PDF) review copies, rather than paper copies. That might be an option for me in the future. The problem with POD, of course, is the high print cost; so, for example, a copy of The Great Sea-Serpent has a print cost of about $10. Can't afford to send out dozens of those even if there was merit in it. But, PDF's can be sent by email without too much of a problem. But even then, it comes back to 1) are there enough sites or publications that even review the kinds of books I publish, and 2) are their readers made up of book-buyers or just casual enthusiasts who enjoy belonging to the cryptozoology community?

What would be a significant boon to both cryptozoology and cryptozoology publishers, I believe, would be a stand-alone website dedicated to cryptozoology books: fiction and non-fiction. Pertinent data, summaries, cover images, purchase information for publications without online access, etc., would all be of interest. (Maybe even forums for personal reviews?) Preferably, it would be operated by more than one individual, so that a wider range of books comes into notice; and, should probably be operated by someone other than primary publishers/authors, just for objectivity's sake. At present, I don't think there is any current site that covers even just the cryptozoology and cryptofiction books published within 2006-7.