Book Marketing - Ignore This Bad Advice and Sell Your Book
As an author and prolific book reviewer, I get numerous requests from authors who want me to review their books.
I like to say yes and I love to give great reviews.
Alas, often that is just not possible.
Many authors really want to get their books reviewed, and for good reason.
Online book reviews really help sell your book these days.
Even top publishers know: they send review copies to "amateur" Amazon reviewers.
How do you get reviews? Some authors read everything that's available on the Internet and others actually pay for advice (or worse, reviews).
Here are 3 pieces of really bad advice I've seen around the Internet.
Bad Advice #1: "Always send your book to the top reviewers.
" Choose the reviewer who's right for you and your book.
Top reviewers are fussier than most.
They have bigger backlogs.
They may decline to review your book if they don't like it.
Anyway, not all reviewers will like books in your category.
Bad Advice #2: "Follow up with the reviewer.
" As Tony Soprano would say, "Fuhgeddaboutit.
" Sorry, no guarantees.
Often I agree to review a book that sounds great...
and I hate it.
If the author is self-published or published by a small press, I will choose to say nothing.
Why clobber the author who's already down? Alternatively, I may be just too busy and your book gets shifted to the back burner.
Reviewers get inundated with books and they have lives outside book reviewing.
Whenever you send a book, you take a risk that nothing will happen.
Even the Vine program doesn't demand reviews of 100% of all books sent under their auspices.
Bad Advice #3: "Ask for feedback even if you don't get a review.
" I have learned - the hard way - never to give feedback unless someone wants to pay me for a consultation.
Writing up my thoughts takes time and by the time a book is published, it may be too late.
Once I felt sorry for the author of a book about Internet marketing.
He had put so much effort into the writing and he created a nice layout and cover design.
Unfortunately the advice was outdated and simplistic.
Clearly he wasn't familiar with the Internet and chose a topic he thought would sell.
I took the time to write a short email but never received a reply If you want feedback, pay for a consultation while you still have time to revise.
The reviewer's job is to help future buyers make an informed decision about a book.
Feedback tends to be phrased quite differently.
I like to say yes and I love to give great reviews.
Alas, often that is just not possible.
Many authors really want to get their books reviewed, and for good reason.
Online book reviews really help sell your book these days.
Even top publishers know: they send review copies to "amateur" Amazon reviewers.
How do you get reviews? Some authors read everything that's available on the Internet and others actually pay for advice (or worse, reviews).
Here are 3 pieces of really bad advice I've seen around the Internet.
Bad Advice #1: "Always send your book to the top reviewers.
" Choose the reviewer who's right for you and your book.
Top reviewers are fussier than most.
They have bigger backlogs.
They may decline to review your book if they don't like it.
Anyway, not all reviewers will like books in your category.
Bad Advice #2: "Follow up with the reviewer.
" As Tony Soprano would say, "Fuhgeddaboutit.
" Sorry, no guarantees.
Often I agree to review a book that sounds great...
and I hate it.
If the author is self-published or published by a small press, I will choose to say nothing.
Why clobber the author who's already down? Alternatively, I may be just too busy and your book gets shifted to the back burner.
Reviewers get inundated with books and they have lives outside book reviewing.
Whenever you send a book, you take a risk that nothing will happen.
Even the Vine program doesn't demand reviews of 100% of all books sent under their auspices.
Bad Advice #3: "Ask for feedback even if you don't get a review.
" I have learned - the hard way - never to give feedback unless someone wants to pay me for a consultation.
Writing up my thoughts takes time and by the time a book is published, it may be too late.
Once I felt sorry for the author of a book about Internet marketing.
He had put so much effort into the writing and he created a nice layout and cover design.
Unfortunately the advice was outdated and simplistic.
Clearly he wasn't familiar with the Internet and chose a topic he thought would sell.
I took the time to write a short email but never received a reply If you want feedback, pay for a consultation while you still have time to revise.
The reviewer's job is to help future buyers make an informed decision about a book.
Feedback tends to be phrased quite differently.