The following is the research details for the post: Getting
Book Reviews: The Methods Award-Winning Authors Use.
Part 1
The study started with an email to the 150+ authors that
have been featured at the HBS Author’s Spotlight.
Part 2
Next, we reviewed the answers to questions about reviews in
our individual Spotlight posts.
Part 3
We finished the study by reviewing answers to related writer
topics in the Spotlight posts. The author responses follow in the three
categories.
Make sure you visit the summary post: Getting Book Reviews: The Methods
Award-Winning Authors Use. That post presents a summary of the author’s methods
plus their opinions about book reviews and what you may expect from the
methods.
Part 1
Initial
Question Asked the Author Spotlight Crew
HBS Author’s Spotlight STUDY - How to get Book Reviews?
This time
I’m creating an
article about How to get Book Reviews.
I want to help authors start in the right direction in promoting their books.
Like I have down several times, I’m contacting the HBS Author’s Spotlight crew
to get their opinions and experiences on the topic.
Readers are
relying more and more on Internet reviews and book rankings to make their
buying decisions. Authors have to make the right moves up front to get reviews
that help them sell their book. In many cases, the methods they use will
determine whether they get good reviews, bad reviews or no reviews at all.
So here it
goes.
What are your
methods for getting reviews for you novels? Some of the options offered by
Spotlight authors in previous articles were:
1.
Paid/Professional
Reviewers/Amazon Reviews
2.
Giveaways/Book
Tours/Contests
3.
Support
Groups/Other Authors
4.
Social
Media/Blogs
What
were the results from your methods? (Lots of reviews, good, bad, ugly, etc.)
Thanks
Sparkle Abbey
Sparkle
Abbey @sparkleabbey - Mary Lee Woods and Anita Carter, Two Bestselling
Mystery Authors writing under the name Sparkle Abbey http://bit.ly/1gI5zZn
1. Paid/Professional
Reviewers/Amazon Reviews
We've
not used any paid reviews of any kind. Our publisher works with NetGalley to
offer copies of our books for review and we've found that to be pretty
successful. For our first book, ARCs (Advanced Reading Copies) were produced
and that still remains the book with the most reviews and the widest range of
reviewers. However, they have now switched to the NetGalley approach.
2. Giveaways/Book
Tours/Contests
We
have also done giveaways via Goodreads, book tours, blog tours, and other
contests. This approach seems to be the most successful as far as what we can
do ourselves. We believe this is partially because it allows us to target
readers that are actually interested in the types of books that we write. While
getting a lot of review copies out there improves the odds of getting reviews,
getting review copies in the hands of readers who like: cozy mysteries,
mysteries featuring animals, and humorous mysteries, is much more beneficial as
those readers are more likely to enjoy the types of books we write and provide
a fair review.
3. Support
Groups/Other Authors
Other
authors and writing groups we belong to have provides a tremendous amount of
advice and support. However, we don't generally look to these groups for
reviews. They will often share with their readership about new releases or
special promotions and that's always helpful. We do the same in return.
4. Social
Media/Blogs
Much
like giveaways, book tours, and contests social media provides the opportunity
for a reach into the reader communities. But again, the goal is really to
connect with readers who enjoy our sub-genre. A group of readers interested in
dark thrillers may not enjoy the light traditional type of mysteries that we
write.
What were the results from your
methods? (Lots of reviews, good, bad, ugly, etc.)
Overall
results have been good though we still struggle with making that connection.
We've been very lucky in that our readers are very loyal and love to help
spread the word. As far as reviews go, you take the good with the bad. There
are many different types of books out there and we realize our books may not be
everyone's cup of tea. Because we're avid readers ourselves, we know readers
will sort through the good and the bad and come up with their own opinions.
Reviews are important but they're only one part of what influences a reader to
choose a book. Or course, that said, good reviews are simply the best. We've
been known to call each other and/or get a little teary when a reader has
posted a great review that makes it clear they totally "got" the
story we were trying to tell. When you write for publication, you put your
heart out there. So it's beyond wonderful when someone takes the time to write
a review and let you know they loved your work.
Arleen Alleman
Award-Winning Arleen Alleman
@aallemanwrites is the author of the Darcy Farthing Cruise Crime Adventure
series. Arleen said this about no impact.
For my latest release, Alternate Currents, I
paid a reasonable fee to a company (Bostick Communications) who sent out
press releases to potential book reviewers in their database. I had a good
response from this, and I sent out about a dozen paper books and ebooks for
review in response to requests. These professional reviewers/bloggers are
posting their reviews now and I'm pleased with the result. Also, several
bloggers interviewed me instead of, or in addition to, reviewing the book.
Bostick tracks and sends updates to me when reviews are posted or
mentioned.
This worked better for me than other methods and I don't
like paying reviewers directly. I prefer to obtain honest unbiased reviews and
I continue to use Twitter and Facebook on a daily basis to generate interest
and try to get folks to post reviews.
Terry Ambrose
Terry Ambrose
@suspense_writer is the author of the McKenna Mystery series and a member of
Murder, We Wrote.
This is an interesting
subject and certainly a hot topic amongst authors. Here are my experiences.
I've never paid to have
a review done, but have paid to expedite/guarantee a review. I've done this
with both San Francisco/Sacramento Book Review and the Portland Book Review. In
both cases, I was pleased with the results. I've used giveaways, book tours,
and contests, but, quite frankly, I think most are a waste of time in terms of
getting reviews. We seem to be moving into a time when contests are viewed as
nothing more than a tool to get free stuff and one more way for readers to never
have to pay to buy a book.
I try not to rely on
other authors for reviews unless those authors are also regular book reviewers.
I do look for opportunities for blurbs from the well-known authors and have had
success in getting reviews through social media and blogs. For my upcoming
release of "Kauai Temptations," I've solicited those who receive my
newsletter for interest in writing reviews. The response was good, but I won't
know for sure how many people followed through until mid-October.
Chrissy Anderson
Chrissy Anderson @AskChrissy - She
writes Chick Lit, Romance, Humor And Comedy novels. http://bit.ly/13sysSo
My method for getting reviews is
simple- Every time a new person *LIKES* my facebook page, I post a
message directly to them on my page thanking them for *LIKING* me and I
ask for them to leave a review on amazon (I provide the link making it as easy
as possible for them) and tell them I’ll look for the review the next
day. The acknowledgment and the call-to-action usually results in a
speedy AND good review.
Also, because of the true life love
triangle storyline of The List Trilogy, I get a lot of personal emails from
women asking me for advice. I’m quick to reply and I always ask if
they’ve left a review on amazon. I constantly reiterating that I rely on
reviews for sales and that I’m grateful for the time and effort it takes to
leave one.
I’ve never paid for a review and the
idea that anyone ever would is over my head. I rely on fair on honest
reviews for inspiration. It’s the feedback of real fans
that gets my creative juices flowing and makes me a better writer!
Melody Anne
Melody Anne @authmelodyanne
- NYT and USA Today Best Selling Author Melody Anne. She is the author of many
Romance and Young Adult novels. http://bit.ly/14gv8hx
1. Paid/Professional Reviewers/Amazon Reviews
I did one professional review early in my career. It's great
because they review so many books and it will really tell you what you need to
work on. I thinik that is something for new authors, in my opinion.
As for other reviews, I ask my fans on the social media sites to please give
HONEST reviews of the books. Sometimes a fan will love one series and not
another. Honesty is very important.
2. Giveaways/Book Tours/Contests
Well, where do I begin with this. I give a ton of books away. My
fans support me well, and I want to give back to them, so I do that with
contests and giveaways. I try to do a giveaway at least 1 time per week
on facebook, and throw in surprise giveaways on twitter and other places.
I give out signed books, kindles, iPads, nooks, and many gift cards. I love my
fans and this is the way to say thank you!!
3. Support Groups/Other Authors
I have great support groups with some fabulous authors like Ruth
Cardello, Kathleen Brooks, Sandra Marton, Lynn Raye Harris, Terri Marie,
Jennifer Probst, and so many more that I can't name them all. These authors are
amazing and supportive and we are there for each other. It's so fun when
conferences come and I get to finally see them in person after talking for 6
months online. :)
4. Social Media/Blogs
I haven't gotten into the blogs. I love when my fans blog about
my books, but I don't have my own blog.
What were the
results from your methods? (Lots of reviews, good, bad, ugly, etc.)
I think staying connected with our fans is huge. Then, they are
far more likely to let us know when they find an error or they don't like
something in the book instead of putting out a really negative review. We all
get those, I expect them, but it's nice to get the good ones too. :)
Rachelle Ayala
Rachelle Ayala @AyalaRachelle - experienced
Author Rachelle Ayala. She is an author, blogger http://bit.ly/12wcmkF
I never pay for reviews. That is a bad deal and unethical. The most successful way for me to get reviews is to give away books. I've given away over 70,000 copies of each of my books by running free promos on Amazon and Smashwords [which gets percolated to all of the other sites]. I also give away books to bloggers and at Goodreads. It's true that I gather a few negative reviews in the process, but I believe it presents a fair and equitable representation of my books to the general public.
Annamaria Bazzi
Annamaria Bazzi @AMBazzi is a Mystery & Fantasy Writer and is noted for her White
Swans series.
I haven't had much luck with reviews. When I first queried
websites that said they review books i got no responses from the website owners
except for two DelSheree from The Edible Bookshelf and Judy Shafer from
voracious reader responded. Also an author Karina Gioertz responded to my plea
for reviews. Later Michael Drakich a friend from critique circle started to
review my books.
I keep querying blogs that review books, but all I ever get is
no responses or sorry I'm too swamped at the moment and am not taking any new
requests. I've found out quickly that no reviews means no sales...
So now I've changed my marketing strategies. Kendika, the mc of white swans now has her own Facebook page and website... she has more traffic than my blog and she's been up and running for only one month :)
I've learned that people need to know your book is out there
before you can even dream of getting reviews and sales.
Claude Bouchard
Best-Selling Author Claude
Bouchard @ceebee308 writes
Mystery & Thrillers novels in the Vigilante Series. Claude had this to say.
Always happy to throw in
a word or two. :)
On the subject of reviews,
I've never solicited them with one exception. I had happened upon Tiffany
Harkleroad's book review blog and had sent her a copy of Vigilante. As it
turned out, her review became, and still is, the most helpful one for Vigilante
on Amazon. Past that, I've always let reviews come as they will.
I will point out the
following: When I released Femme Fatale earlier this year, I had been invited
to participate in a group book launch. FF was available for Kindle a few days
before the official group launch date so I informed fifteen people I knew were
impatiently waiting for it. All fifteen downloaded the book the same day and on
the official launch date, a handful of reviews had already been posted, though
unsolicited.
M. R. (Marsha) Cornelius
Best Selling Author M. R.
Cornelius
@marshacornelius writes post-apocalyptic thrillers. Marsha added this.
My best success with
book reviews has been through book bloggers. Now days, most of them will accept
e-books (as opposed to an actual copy), and they are receptive to author
interviews, excerpts, and giveaways as well as reviewing books. I found most
bloggers through Twitter. If you have Tweet Adder, you can search for 'book
reviewer' in the bio. If you don't use Tweet Adder, you can find reviewers
through other authors. i know I'm always posting my books' reviews, so click on
the link, and see who's blogging.
Leti Del Mar
Leti Del Mar @leti_delmar - Romance,
Mystery & Thrillers, Young Adult http://bit.ly/14HWXPH
I've actually just written a book called, How to self-Publish: A DIY
Approach and in I've written
a chapter on getting reviews. I've included an excerpt from this chapter
bellow. Feel free to use as much or as little of it as you like.
Here is the link to the book it is from:
Book reviews are important. Sure it feels great to hear
when other people like what you have written and honestly, a 5 star review will
put me on cloud nine all day. Yet reviews mean so much more than a
congratulatory pat on the back.
Book reviews will help increase your books popularity.
People will be more likely to read you book if they can see reviews and
some book directories and services will only accept you if you have a certain
amount of reviews for your book. Some online booksellers will list the books
with higher reviews first on searches. So how do you get reviews? Here are a
few suggestions.
1.
Ask Book Bloggers. Use the Book Blogger Directories in the Resource section of
this book to find bloggers who specialize in your genre or target audience and
follow their submissions guidelines. Pay special attention to their review
policies to make sure you adhere to what they want. A word of caution,
only expect a small number of the reviewers actually to respond. That is just
the nature of the beast. You might want to start with the smaller bloggers
since they are more likely to respond. It helps if you are already a follower
on their site and have made a presence for yourself by commenting regularly, like
I already told you to. I have had good results with the smaller and newer
bloggers. I asked, and they said yes! Sometimes, they have posted a review
within the week!
2.
Ask Amazon Reviewers. Amazon keeps a list of their top reviewers. Ask them. Of
course, it would be a good idea to make sure they read the genre you write, but
it doesn’t hurt to ask. Again, only expect about ten percent to respond back.
3.
Swap Reviews
. Join online writer’s communities that swap reviews. You read
and review a fellow author’s book, and they return the favor. I’ve had success
finding reviewers on the message boards of She Writes, World Literary Café,
Goodreads Groups, and Book Blogs. When you do this, it is a good idea to be
friendly yet professional. Don’t expect five star reviews just because you are
swapping and don’t be overly harsh when you review. It is always good form to
allow the other author to preview your review so that if they have an issue
with it, they can address the issue before it goes live.
4.
Ask Friends and Family. It is best if they have
actually read your work. It is never a good idea to oversell a book in a review
or it will sound fake. Make sure your family and friends have already reviewed
other books or products on Amazon or Amazon will think it is a phony review and
remove it.
5.
Ask Your Beta Readers. Remember your beta
readers from rewriting? Contact them and let them know the book is now for sale
and ask them to post a quick review.
6.
Ask Participants of Your Blog Tour. When you set up your Blog Tour for your Book Launch, ask them to
review your book instead of doing a guest post. That will mean less work for
you and a review on Amazon!
7.
Use those message boards and forums. Look for groups that
do read-for-reviews. These are places where readers promise to read a book in
exchange for a free read. I have had tremendous success with this. It helps to
include a blurb and cover image to entice potential reviewers.
8.
Ask other authors where they got their reviews. As you network and
make connections, make friends with other authors who write in a similar genre
and ask them where they have found success. One author friend of mine was
generous enough to compile a massive list of review sites and posted that list
on her blog.
You also might want to make your book available on Amazon before
its official release date so that reviewers can post their reviews directly on
Amazon (which is where you want them) and when you have your Book Launch,
readers will see reviews with your book. Ask reviewers to post their reviews
with every bookseller you sell with.
Caroline Fardig
Caroline Fardig @carolinefardig -
B&N Humor Bestseller Author Caroline Fardig. She writes Mystery, Romance
and Chick Lit. http://bit.ly/1d5FSCc
For reviews,
I try to use a variety of sources. My publicist and I have been seeking
editorial reviews from print and online magazines and well-known book review
blogs, all of which have been very positive thus far. There are several
Facebook and online groups whose purpose is to provide honest reviews—the only
thing they ask in return is complementary books to read. At public
engagements, such as book clubs or meetings, I request that people take a
moment to review my book after reading it. I also urge my readers to
leave reviews as well. If someone mentions to me that they enjoyed my
book, I ask them if they have a little time to post a short review on Amazon or
Barnes & Noble. Sales are also a good way to get reviews—when more
people buy your book, the greater the chance that one of them will leave a
review. I have had great success with all of the methods I listed above.
Don’t be shy
in urging your readers to review your work, but know that you might meet some
resistance. Writing a book review might seem daunting to a non-writer, so
I try to explain how easy it is to leave an online review. The readers’
review doesn’t have to be long and verbose to be useful to others. A
sentence or two will suffice, and there is no wrong way to leave a kind
review. “I enjoyed this book because…” is a great way to start. If
your readers are still on the fence, tell them this: Reviews are just
opinions, and there is no reason not to offer yours.
Dave Folsom
Dave Folsom
@davefolsombooks is a Mystery & Thrillers author based in the Northwest.
1. Paid/Professional Reviewers/Amazon Reviews: I have not tried
paid or professional reviewers, mostly because, right or wrong, I'm
suspicious of the quality or authenticity of the review.
2. Giveaways/Book Tours/Contests: I
have received the most reviews through giveaways and contests, though I will
say the numbers are not great for giveaways.
3. Support Groups/Other Authors: I've had the best response by
providing free reading copies to individuals.
4. Social Media/Blogs: As with # 3, while the results have been slow, and spotty,
the reviews I've received are honest and helpful.
What were the results from your methods? (Lots of reviews, good,
bad, ugly, etc.) Not many in number, I believe they were honest and helpful.
Ashley Fontainne
In the past, all of my books were enrolled in the KDP program
and the results of my "freebie" days and my opinion on the program
can be found here:
I had great success with Book Bub (twice) with Accountable to None and Number
Seventy-Five. BookGorilla--not so much.
With the upcoming release of my new novel, The Lie, I am going a different
route. I have signed up for a few blog tours.
Joel Friedlander
There
is a new comment on the post "Should Authors Pay for Book Reviews?".
http://www.thebookdesigner.com/2012/08/should-authors-pay-for-book-reviews/
I do book reviews in my free time and it saddens me how well-researched non-fiction books like "Living Buddhas (the self-mummified monks of Yamagata, Japan)" have no Amazon reviews while others that I wouldn't read even if they were for free have lots of reviews.
This has nothing to do with free/paid reviews - it's just that commercial broad-interest books sell better!
http://www.thebookdesigner.com/2012/08/should-authors-pay-for-book-reviews/
I do book reviews in my free time and it saddens me how well-researched non-fiction books like "Living Buddhas (the self-mummified monks of Yamagata, Japan)" have no Amazon reviews while others that I wouldn't read even if they were for free have lots of reviews.
This has nothing to do with free/paid reviews - it's just that commercial broad-interest books sell better!
See all comments on this post here:
http://www.thebookdesigner.com/2012/08/should-authors-pay-for-book-reviews/#comments
Joel also found this one from his site:
Ron Fritsch
Author Ron Fritsch @RonFritsch is a self-published Historical
Fiction Writer.
Apart from a few reader reviews I didn't
solicit, I've gotten the most thoughtful and favorable reviews for my
three novels (I'll publish my fourth in October) by paying for honest
professional reviews from reputable reviewing agencies. I've also entered
my books in honest and reputable literary awards competitions and won
a number of medals. Except for one favorable review of my first novel that
included a major spoiler, I can't complain about any of the reviews my books
have received.
Have those reviews and medals transformed my novels
into best-sellers? No, and I never thought they would. Am I pleased with
what I've accomplished so far with my writing? Absolutely!
Rayne Hall
Rayne
Hall @RayneHall - award-winning Author Rayne Hall. She is a Fantasy and Horror
Fiction author, editor http://bit.ly/VZWYZo
The best source of
reviews are genuine readers who enjoyed the book. When fans tweet or email me
to say how much they liked the book, I ask "Would you consider writing a
review?" and most are happy to.
I also find reviewers
among my Twitter followers. "Would anyone like to review my bestselling
book Writing Fight Scenes? Free e-book for reviewers." or
"I'm looking for reviewers for my novel Storm Dancer. Free
ebook or paperback available." - or “I want to get 40 Amazon reviews
for Thirty Scary Tales. So far I have 12. Can you help me?”
This always gets a good
response, because I have over 40,000 followers on Twitter, and I genuinely
interact with them, so they know me and are interested in my writing. For a
writer with few followers, or for someone who uses Twitter for constant promos
or automated tweets, this is unlikely to work.
I use many other ways to
find reviewers, too.
One thing I won’t do is
review swaps, because they can easily lead to dishonest reviews or hurt
feelings when one author doesn’t like the other’s book.
Review circles – where a
group of people band together, each reviewing the others’ books - are also best
avoided because they often lead to fake reviews. Authors who are involved in
review circles often get reviews which praise the book in glowing genetic terms
(“Unputdownable! Must read!!!”) which show that the reviewers haven’t even read
the book. Experienced Amazon customers recognise those fakes and avoid the
author. This can seriously damage an author’s reputation. Sometimes, naïve new
authors who think review circles are a good idea invite me to participate in
theirs. I always decline.
I welcome all genuine
reviews, critical or positive, but I stay clear of fake reviews, even the
well-intentioned ones.
Helen Hanson
Best-Selling Author Helen
Hanson @HelenHanson writes
Mystery & Thrillers and Suspense novels.
Here’s
my two-cents on getting reviews. I’m struggling through this now and am
hoping to learn something from your study. Thanks!
I
sifted through many book blogs looking for thriller reviewers. When I hit a
site with bare-chested men, white text on deep purple, or an excess of sparkles
and pink, I knew, it was not to be. Eventually, I found bloggers who might
be interested in my geeky thrillers, and I pitched queries their
way. Lately, I’m branching out with giveaways, direct appeal via my
newsletter, and, as time allows, standing on the corner wearing sandwich board.
I don’t have lots of reviews, so I suspect, there are better methods out there.
Brent Hartinger
Brent Hartinger
@brenthartinger is the author of The
Russel Middlebrook series. The movie version of his novel: Geography Club will
be released later in 2013.
For self-published authors, the options are extremely
limited. Unless you have a personal contact at a traditional or industry media
outlet, you're pretty much out of luck. Having worked in media, I know the
reason for this: if you review a self-published novel, you're
immediately overwhelmed by more self-published novels, and most of them
simply aren't very good.
So first, with everything you do, you need to come across as
a total professional: the outreach, the pitch, the cover, and the book itself.
Basically, don't give reviewers any chance to reject your book before they
review it, because a lot of them will take it.
The single best thing I did when I self-published one novel
was NetGalley. It's affordable ($400), and (assuming you give yourself a
great cover and professional write-up), it will get you access to many, many
blogs. When you pair a NetGalley listing with your own blog outreach (or
with some of the marketing NetGalley will do for you, for a fee), you can get
literally hundreds of blog reviews. I think this is the single best bargain in
self-publishing out there, assuming you work it right.
Kirkus
Discoveries, a paid but impartial review program, is about the same amount of
money ($450), and it's much riskier, because it's really only helpful if they
rave about your book (or star it). But if they do, it can definitely move
copies. More importantly, it can legitimize you in the eyes of other media
outlets. It worked for me. That said, there are real kinks in the system so
far. Kirkus Discoveries made multiple mistakes in processing my book, some
rather embarrassing on their part. In the end, they made it right through
freebies, but you really need to keep an eye on them until they get the kinks
out. I'm not ready to say their incompetent (because they seem like nice
folks), but they may not yet be ready for prime time.
Finally, I
think social media can be really effective. But it's not enough just to
"be on Twitter." You need a gimmick -- preferably something
attention-getting and/or outrageous. The gimmick also needs to be closely
related to your book, because otherwise it won't do you any good. Short of a
really good gimmick, I think social media can only help reinforce loyalty in
your existing fans, and perhaps slowly add new ones. But despite all the hype,
it's not a game-changer, at least it hasn't been for me.
John A. Heldt
John A. Heldt @johnheldt - Author
John Heldt. He writes Romance and Historical Fiction novels. http://bit.ly/1bGxisR
I've taken mostly one
approach in getting reviews: I contact bloggers who are most likely to
enjoy my works. I read their review policies and pay attention not only to the
genres they prefer but also to their turnaround times, TBR lists, and how
they've reviewed similar novels. When I learn that a blogger likes one of my
books, I immediately invite him or her to read and review the others. The
result has been hundreds of mostly positive reviews and even a few helpful
critical reviews. I've found bloggers to be indispensable in introducing
my works to new audiences. They're fabulous.
Dawn Greenfield Ireland
Dawn
Greenfield Ireland @dawnireland - award winning independent publisher
Author Dawn Greenfield Ireland http://bit.ly/TGqy2v
The first reviews I received on my novel Hot Chocolate were, of
course, by friends, my critique group members, and family members. Then more
reviews came in from the virtual book tour then regular readers.
Susanne Lakin
Susanne
Lakin @CSLakin - Award-winning Author C. S. Lakin. She is the author of the
seven-book fantasy series The Gates of
Heaven. Also, Susanne is a freelance copyeditor and writing coach http://bit.ly/Z6wwAq
1. Paid/Professional
Reviewers/Amazon Reviews
I would NEVER pay anyone to review any of my novels. We
have read how people like John Locke paid hundreds of people to write 5-star
reviews for his books. Sure, it helped him sell millions of ebooks, but it’s
highly unethical. On occasion I will send out a request for reviewers via
social media, and will provide an e-copy or print copy for their review, but
it’s clearly understood the reviewer is under no obligation to either give any
review at all or a favorable review. Most reviewers print a disclaimer essentially
stating that on their blog or website where the review is posted (or on Amazon,
etc.).
2. Giveaways/Book
Tours/Contests
I just don’t have time to do much of this. I’ve sent out
ARCS, yes, but a giveaway is not done with the intention of garnering a review.
Neither are contests. The traditional way to get reviews is to mail our advance
reader copies to reviewers and request them to read and review. That’s the
model that’s been in place for decades. When doing free days on Amazon KDP Select,
which sometimes results in tens of thousands of free downloads, I will get a
lot of reviews resulting from that. Often, and I’ve heard many other authors
say the same, those who get free books will write lots of 1- and 2-star
reviews. Mostly because they are reading books for free in genres they never
read and would never buy, so they already don’t “like” the book before they
start. If you hate romance, why download a romance novel, read the first three
chapters and grimace, then write a scathing 1-star review? But that’s very
common and the risk a writer takes when doing free days via Select.
3. Support
Groups/Other Authors
I rarely ask other authors to post reviews. I will ask
specific authors if they will read with the hope they’ll provide an endorsement
for the book. Which is a little different.
4. Social Media/Blogs
Yes, I do sometimes put the word out that I’m looking for
reviewers for my novels via Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. I often get a nice
group of reviewers by doing that.
David Lawlor
David
Lawlor @LawlorDavid - Author David Lawlor. David is a Historical Fiction
Writer. http://bit.ly/17LFXIo
I tend to use book
bloggers and my writing support group as ways to get my reviews. Of course, I
do get other people who are kind enough to buy the books and review them but
the best method, for me, are those I just mentioned. It does a long wait before
bloggers get back with their reviews - they are snowed under with requests
- but, foo the most part, they usually come through with one in the end.
I have made contact with several book lovers and writers though
social media, who have also given me reviews, which is great. I would never
consider paying for reviews. It doesn't sit right with me.
Katherine Logan
Katherine
Logan @KathyLLogan - Award winning, best-selling author Katherine Logan.
She is the author of the Celtic Brooch Time-Travel Series. http://bit.ly/VmaOaB
With my second book, I
contacted Twitter followers who had tweeted that they loved THE RUBY BROOCH. I
asked them if they would like to beta read the sequel THE LAST MACKLENNA. They
all said they would love to read the story. Not only did they catch
typos, but they wrote reviews that were ready to be posted on Amazon as soon as
the book went live.
Christine London
Christine
London @ChristineLondon - Author Christine London. She is the author of
Spicy Romance novels. http://bit.ly/176rWVd
I offer a free copy of one of my short stories to sample and
review. Goodreads give aways are supposed to be quite effective. I plan on
trying that with my first print self-pub.
Blog tours I have not
found very effective. My small press has some folks that review and they are
open to help colleagues. My Romance Writers Of America Colleagues tend to
review fellow RWA member's works too.
Paul D. Marks
Paul
D. Marks @PaulDMarks - awarding-winning Author Paul D. Marks. He is an
Author of noir, mysteries, satire & mainstream fiction. http://bit.ly/13pBpd6
Here's my take on the book
marketing/reviews. If it's not what you need or if you want more just let
me know:
***
I've tried various
options, paid ads in various places, trying to get reviewed in everything from
major book reviews like the NY Times (hahahaha) to boutique book review blogs,
guest blogging, Amazon KDP. The things that seemed to work best are
social networking and word of mouth. Sometimes if you lower your price
and list the book on the e-book promotional sites that seems to work.
Paid advertising in most places didn't seem to do much, though there were a
couple places that gave some good results. Mostly it seems to be a trial
and error thing and hitting markets that want your type of book.
My book just recently won
the Shamus Award for Best Indie PI novel and I'm hoping that that will help get
the word out, get attention and, of course, ultimately translate into sales.
Judith Marshall
Judith
Marshall @whipsandjingles - Award-Winning Author Judith Marshall. She is
the author of Women's Fiction novels. http://bit.ly/18Mih77
When
I was looking for reviews for my novel, “Husbands May Come and Go but Friends
are Forever,” I searched for online reading groups that included my target
audience (baby boomer women.) Among others, I found a Facebook group entitled
“Book Junkies” and based on some of the posts, I posted a blurb about the book
and requested reviews. Within 48 hours, I had two offers. Both
readers posted 5-star reviews on Amazon. It pays to research where your
target market hangs out.
Debra L. Martin
Debra
L. Martin @dlmartin6 - Best-Selling Author Debra L. Martin. She is a
Science fiction and fantasy author. You can also find her writing Romance
novels as Debra Elizabeth. http://bit.ly/Ve0vBW
If I knew the answers to your question, I'd have a lot more
reviews on my books than I currently have. Sorry, but aside from contacting
bloggers who review genre books, I've not come across any one way to get people
to review my books. I spend hours and hours trying to find reviewers just like
so many other authors. I think I'll have to bow out of this study/survey.
M.R. Mathias
Author M.R. Mathias @DahgMahn. He is an award-winning self-published
Fantasy Writer. He is noted for his epic fantasy novels and his prolific social
network marketing activity. http://bit.ly/SqcL4Z
When I first got into self-publishing,
I went through Goodreads reviewers looking by similar genre books, for
reviewers that had over a thousand followers. I asked several of them if
they would review The Sword and the Dragon, and The Royal Dragoneers. Many said
yes, as many said no, and even more didn't respond. But by having reviewers
with over 1,000 followers being my goal, those reviews I did get, had reach.
I am also a member of the Independent
Author Network, Author's Den, and I have grown sizable twitter followings of
writers and readers and movie fans. For a long time there was an author's
review exchange at a few nook and kindle boards, and they shut it down
because we all were a bit overly critical of each other, but it helped.
More recently I have garnered over a
dozen reviews (that turned into series full reviews) just by handing out free
books and book marks, on the tables, and in the fantasy section of my
local library, and more importantly, at the University Library, where word of a
good book can spread like wildfire.
Just like I say in my publishing help
book, The First Ten Steps, If you are your own publisher then it is
ALL up to you. It is a full time job I do besides maintaining four
fantasy series, and the projects I am working on now.
Amy Metz
Author Amy Metz @authoramymetz. She is an Author of
Mystery & Thrillers as well as a blogger and book editor. http://bit.ly/V0gJOg
The best way I've found to get reviews for my book is to contact
bloggers. The rejection rate is high due to their long TBR piles, but I
contacted over one hundred people and had a pretty good response. I've also
been very lucky, in that a lot of readers have taken the time to leave reviews
on Amazon. I would recommend authors look through the many online blog lists
and make a list of blogs that review their particular genre, and then email a
query. The query should briefly state who you are and what you are offering for
review. Also, make a bullet list of the basic information about your book:
title, genre, number of pages, publisher, a brief blurb, the release date,
formats in which the book is available, links to a trailer (if available) and
your website.
Tracy Hewitt Meyer
Tracy
Hewitt Meyer @tracyhmeyer - Author Tracy H. Meyer. She writes gritty, edgy
Young Adult/New Adult fiction and Adult Romance. http://bit.ly/17tXfXQ
In my experience, the most beneficial way to gather reviews is
to send the book out to every single blog review site that reviews your genre.
I put together an exhaustive list by researching blogs on twitter. Some
reviewers will decline to review your book. Some will say they’ll review it and
won’t. Some will review it. Then tap into other authors and friends. Other
authors want reviews too. Offer an exchange-a sort-of “I’ll review yours if you
review mine.” And then make sure you review their work. For my next release, I
will pay for a blog/review tour. This is a guaranteed way to have a variety of
reviews posted around the novel’s release. I regret not having done this for
the release of A Life,
Redefined. When A Life,
Forward releases in early
2014, I hope to have a blog/review tour in place.
Christine Nolfi http://christinenolfi.com/
Feel free to quote me in
your blog post. If you share the link, I'll retweet on Twitter.
Christine Nolfi @christinenolfi is the
Author of Treasure Me, The Tree of Everlasting Knowledge and Second Chance
Grill. Christine has written on our study topic, Reviews. I recommend her book:
Reviews
Sell Books. Her advice:
1.
Build a review list ready and willing to post reviews.
2.
Send ARC copies to trusted fans.
3.
Simply focus on getting ten reviews for your book…
Susan Oleksiw
Veteran Author Susan Oleksiw. She is a bestselling author of
the Mellingham series and the Anita Ray mysteries. http://bit.ly/17oRuhF
First, I have one or two friends who are regular
reviewers for weekly newspapers, and I always send them an ARC.
Second, I know a number of writers in non-mystery fields,
and I often ask them to review a book and post a review on Goodreads or Amazon.
Third, I use giveaways on Goodreads. I post a giveaway
contest for 3 or 5 books, and let GR pick the winners. (For all giveaways on
every site, I tell the winner that I hope they will write a review but it isn't
a necessity. If they don't want to write a review, that's fine.)
Fourth, I offer a few giveaway books on DorothyL and
other sites. I send out copies to the first people who request them.
Fifth, I sometimes ask other writers whose books I've
reviewed or whom I know personally to read and write a review, and post it
somewhere, usually on Amazon.
There are other ways to get your name out there. I always
donate one or two books to gift bags/baskets being used in contests. I
regularly mail out a complimentary copy of a current or OUP book to a small
library in another state.
Getting reviews for self-published books is one of the
biggest hurdles writers face. I don't always know if the person I'm asking
knows how to write a decent review or even wants to, and some people don't know
how to say no, so they may take the book and do nothing with it for months.
It's all right to say no to a request for a review. As writers, we have to be
thick-skinned enough to get over the reluctance to ask others for the favor of
a good review.
Joanna Penn
Joanna
Penn @thecreativepenn - Author Joanna Penn (J. F. Penn). She is an
Action-Adventure Thriller Author creating the ARKANE thriller series. http://bit.ly/TFvE3n
I get early reviews by
giving away review copies to my email list. These are readers who have
specifically signed up for my fiction, but of course, the list takes time to
grow. I also email readers who reviewed my previous books and offer them a
review copy. For my new series, I will be pitching book bloggers directly
before release and I'll be offering hard copies prior to launch as well, in an
attempt to emulate traditional publishing ARCs and try to build some more buzz.
Getting reviews is definitely labor intensive, but can pay off over time.
Authors should also
remember that Amazon now owns Goodreads, the social network for readers and
that Goodreads reviews are now incorporated into the new Paperwhite, so it's
worth building your author profile on that site too."
Gary Ponzo
Gary
Ponzo @AuthorPonzo - Award-Winning and Pushcart-Prize nominated author Gary
Ponzo. He is the author of the Nick Bracco series of thrillers. http://bit.ly/12rXqDV
James, I’ve tried all of the methods mentioned, but
honestly the best way to get a review is to sell more books, either with a free
promo or some kind of ad. The ratio of reviews to books sold is probably
around 250—to 1. For every 250 books you sell you’ll probably get a
review. And that number could be low. Maybe it’s close to
500-1. But the best advice I could give is: keep writing, keep promoting
and don’t be too focused on the reviews. They’ll come with time. I
sometimes think they’re overrated anyway. Have you seen the reviews on
some of the most popular books on the NY Times bestseller list? It’s can
be very ugly. Those are my two cents.
Mohana Rajakumar
Mohana
Rajakumar @moha_doha - award-winning Author Mohana Rajakumar. She is an
author based in Qatar. http://bit.ly/VSlppn
1. Paid/Professional
Reviewers/Amazon Reviews -- never pay for a review. Readers can't trust you after
that and as indies we need every fan we can get.
2. Giveaways/Book
Tours/Contests: This is the option I have found most useful in promoting
my books. You pay a small administrative fee, relative to the size of the tour,
for the organizer's time which is different from buying a review. What you are
buying is a chance to audition for reviewers so they can see if they want to
read your book. I would recommend review only tours. Blurbs or cover reveals
don't have the same impact. People love contests as they love to win prizes or
free books.
3. Support Groups/Other
Authors: Finding a group of authors who have an establish platform and
audience can be key to reaching beyond your normal readership. Famous Five
Plus, and Bestselling Reads are examples of groups I've been a part of in the
past. The thinking is that the sum of our contact lists makes a bigger splash
than the individuals.
4. Social Media/Blogs: Engage people on social
media and your blog; ask questions, encourage participation. They're out there
reading but you won't know unless you ask them a question. Don't make it all
about yourself and your books (or sales). We all know that person at the party
who launches into a monologue without the thought for the other person. Don't
be that guy/girl.
Otis G. Sanders
Author Otis G. Sanders @alwaysn4everlov. He is a
non-Fiction author and a professional photographer specializing in personal
stories. http://bit.ly/SUO7WV
My
method(s) for getting book reviews is simply asking, although I may have to ask
many times, I find it works pretty well. I've found that the people that
purchase my book are the best to ask for a review. Thus far I only have
about 28 reviews in my Amazon book store, but those reviews are from people who
were excited about the fact my book was in print because it filled a need for
those who purchased it. I've also given away copies of my book and asked
for reviews. As far as reviews are concerned it's a numbers game,
everyone that reads or purchases my book is not going to write a review, I
expect that but that doesn't keep me from asking each and every person that
purchases my book to write a review.
Most
reviews I have come from readers that post to my Amazon store, but for people
that don't have an Amazon account I have them e-mail me the reviews and I post
them to my book website. I also copy and paste the reviews from my Amazon
store to my book website to have them in both places. Thus far the most
notable review I have, came from Dean Koontz because I sent him a letter and
asked him to review the book.
The
results from my methods have been sufficient, I would of course like lots more
reviews, but at the same time I have more than 4 or 5 so that's progress. As
long as I keep asking I'll get reviews, it's a numbers game. It's my opinion
that getting reviews is like marketing, you have to do it continuously, it
never ends!
Sharon Saracino
Sharon
Saracino @SharonSaracino - Author Sharon Saracino. She writes lightly
humorous paranormal romance. She is the author of DEATH BENEFITS. http://bit.ly/1dacTvb
I’m sorry but I don’t think
I can be of much help with this particular topic. My book has been out for 4
months and I have not had much success with getting many reviews. Those I have
are mostly from other authors. I look forward to your article...maybe I can get
some pointers from others who have been more successful!
Lizzy Stevens
Lizzy
Stevens @LizzyStevens123 - Amazon Best Selling Author Lizzy Stevens. She
writes Paranormal, Romance and Woman's fiction. http://bit.ly/UQQZpO
Wow that is a hard one LOL. It is hard to get reviews. I'll do
my best.
"It's hard to for authors to get reviews for their books.
It seems that the more you sell or give away free on Amazon the more negative
ones you will pick up. The readers who want to do nothing but rip books apart
to make themselves feel better always rush right over to post their review LOL
But the readers who actually like the book never seem to have the time to leave
a good review. As authors that's one of our biggest hurdles. The best way
to battle it is to keep submitting your book to as many places as you can.
www.manicreaders.com has a review depot. Set
up a page with them and then submit your book to all of the review sites at
once. Another way to hopefully pick up reviews is to do a free giveaway on
Amazon. Market that your book is free and post things like 'if you like it
please leave a positive review for it' some people will but you won't pick up a
lot from it.
You can also do a blog tour and ask the host if they would mind
reading and reviewing the book for you. Some will but some simply won't have
the time. These are just a few suggestions that might help you pick up a few
more reviews. There are no guarantees on any of them though."
I hope that works. If it's not usable no problem. If it's too
long you can cut it.
Susan Vreeland
Susan Vreeland - Internationally known author of art-related
historical fiction Susan Vreeland. She is a New York Times bestselling author
of Clara and Mr. Tiffany and more. http://bit.ly/12AXDm9
With the publishing industry expecting authors to do more and
more promotion on their own, the results of your article will provide useful
information to many. Certainly it will be useful to me as I venture out next
year into the world of social media and blogs. I'm not able to contribute to
this article because my publisher, Random House, took care of promotion. Now,
only three years later, the field has changed. I have no experiences as yet to
contribute to you article, but I will certainly want to read it. When it's
finished and posted, will you notify me so I don't miss it?
Cynthia Woolf
Cynthia
Woolf @CynthiaWoolf - Author Cynthia Woolf. She writes in the Sci-fi
Romance and Western Romance genres. http://bit.ly/TPuzZi
I use blog tours, amazon,
and asking on FB for reviews. I never pay for reviews. Never.
P. C. Zick (Patricia)
P. C. Zick @PCZick - Patricia
Zick. She is an award-winning writer for her essays, columns, editorials,
articles, and fiction. http://bit.ly/12SkLyL
I have never paid for a
review, and I never will. I have approached reviewers and offered a book in
exchange for an honest review. The results have been mixed. Some took the book
and never offered a review. Some gave me stellar reviews; others not so
much.
When I first began the
journey of the Indie Author, I pursued reviews through friends, fellow authors,
and lists of reviewers. I discovered that friends will either not review the
book or they give a 5-star review without much substance. I've quit asking.
Fellow authors are busy but many such as myself write blogs and offer guest
spots and reviews. I've pursued that avenue again to mixed results. I find that
hosting other writers and writing reviews on books I enjoy, brings me more
attention, but perhaps not more reviews.
Hands down, the best (as
in most honest) reviews come from the folks who have downloaded my books during
the KDP free days. They trickle in, but my book Live from the Road was
released May 2012 and I just did two days of KDP free days. I've since received
five more reviews.
Reviews sell books, no
doubt. However, I've found that doing my blog and tweeting through Triberr
about other folks' blogs, brings me the most attention, and when that happens,
readers buy my books and the reviews come. No sense in pushing the river.
Part 2
Spotlight Q/A answers on: How to get Book Reviews?
What is your method of getting reviews for your novels? Do you seek
professional reviews or no you rely on your reading audience to supply them?
Leti Del Mar @leti_delmar http://bit.ly/14HWXPH
My amazing editor, Maudeen
Wachsmith, takes sole credit for the quote on the cover by Deb Stover. Thank
you, Maudeen. Other reviews are ones that I, with the help of my husband and
daughter, have solicited. I read an article by an experienced author who
advised newbies, like myself, to never, ever read the reviews. I try to take
his advice.
I would love to hear from
readers. I have an email address for just that purpose: Write2me@AnnetteDrake.com.
Ashley Fontainne @ashleyfontainne http://bit.ly/17K8f5w
All reviews are welcome! I have
submitted my books to the bigger blog review sites and reviewers in the past.
Some have answered back and reviewed, others have not. I don’t have a strict
set of rules I follow, I just play it by ear.
I will say this—the KDP program
has been a wonderful tool. The thousands of downloads of my books when they
went “free” truly helped get my name out in front of a large amount of readers.
The majority of those who
read/reviewed my books enjoyed them and each time a new book was released,
those who enjoyed my previous work picked up the new release.
R.S. Guthrie @rsguthrie http://bit.ly/1b92Uaz
I rarely solicit review (never
pay). Reviews are important but I think the Amazon system is VERY broken.
Doesn’t matter.
The books need reviews; it’s one
of the first thing anyone (including me) notices, right next to the book.
Amazon also uses the number of reviews in their algorithms on whether they are
going to “help” promote your books.
I’m no authority (read above) on
how to get them. Setting your book at free for a few days and buying a BookBub
ad ($150-180, depending on genre), will get you at least tens of thousands of
downloads from mostly real readers not what I can Kindle Hoarders (which the
free-listing sites attract). They download EVERYTHING free and will likely
never read your book. It’s been proven that about 1% of readers write reviews.
That sounds about right to me.
That means if you get 50,000
downloads, that could equate to 500 new reviews (plan for half or less but
still).
You get your book from 30
reviews, to, say, 200 reviews—BIG difference.
I’m told there are review blogs
out there by the hundreds and they are a great way to get book reviews.
Research them. Make sure they read your genre.
You’re unlikely to be accepted or
get a great review from a Romance reader/reviewer if you write
Action/Adventure.
Katie
Jennings @dryadquartet http://bit.ly/18kIhEC
I seek professional reviews by
sending out a few advanced review copies of my books, and after that I leave it
up to my readers to review. Getting reviews is something that plagues so many
of us authors, but we need to be patient.
Readers are not easily fooled; if
they see a book with two hundred glowing reviews, they may get suspicious.
Better to have only a few, verified, thoughtful reviews that truly reflect the
book. Quality over quantity, as they always say.
Jinx Schwartz @jinxschwartz http://bit.ly/1cd2WOM
Free books garner reviews...not
always good ones, but that's the risk you take. I review other author's books
and they mine. I am all over the charts for garnering reviews and am not above
begging.
L.J. Sellers @LJSellers http://bit.ly/18y6I6W
I do both. In the past, I’ve sent
hundreds of emails to bloggers and reviewers asking if they’d like to consider
my novels. With every new book, I send out print and ebook review copies to a
core list of about 30 reviewers who have read and praised my work. On my blog
and in the back of my ebooks, I encourage readers to post reviews…if they enjoy
my stories. And more recently, my books have been posted on NetGalley to reach
a wider reviewing audience.
Mike Wells @MikeWellsAuthor http://tinyurl.com/kvnygxd
At first I was sending free
e-copies to book bloggers, but now I have enough readers where I can simply
publish the book on Amazon, iBooks, B&N, etc., simultaneously, and get a
steady flow of reviews from readers.
Part 3
Great answers about reviews in various topics
Anne Allen @AnneAllen21 http://bit.ly/OHi1kj
Topic: next book
I think I’ll just have to keep
trying to raise my profile through blog features, book reviews etc. in the US.
Perhaps it will be easier once my second book is published!
Chrissy Anderson @AskChrissy http://bit.ly/13sysSo
Topic: Social media
Now I’m a gutsy girl, but it took
A LOT of guts for me to unveil my work. Trust me, a lot of cocktails were
involved the day I gave the green light on part I of the trilogy, The Life
List. But once it was out there, it got
great reviews on Amazon. I’m not just
talking about the first ten five-star reviews I forced my friends to leave so I
wouldn’t look like a fool.
I’m talking about the fifty or so
from total strangers that came after those.
It was only then that I breathed a huge sigh of relief that I’d created
something special. Those reviews were the validation I needed and then I sat
back and waited for more reviews to flow in.
Chrissy Anderson @AskChrissy http://bit.ly/13sysSo
Topic: Free Books
As a virtual unknown, giveaways
are essential. I’m primarily reliant on
word of mouth to drive my sales and the most effective way to get my work into
the hands of the most people is by giving it away for free.
I think the only aspect of
giveaways (at least the ones done via Amazon’s KDP select program) that I hate
is that someone who obtained my work for free, someone who’s probably not even
remotely interested in my style of writing…someone who just grabbed something
for the simple fact that it was free, can review it. It feels very…take my soul
at no cost and rip it to shreds.
I’ll never know how many
five-star reviews of my work were obtained from giveaways, it’d be interesting
to know. But I do know the crappy reviews I get as a result of them.
…gave it a one-star review
because he thought it was supposed to be about bird watching. It makes zero sense to me how his mistake is
able to drag down my Amazon ranking.
Sandy Appleyard @sandyappleyard http://bit.ly/15qKFxR
Topic: support groups
Twitter is also helpful for
getting you through tough times. I recently received a bad review and tweeted
about it. A few of my ‘tweople’ chimed in and got the review bumped down so it
was less visible. Its stuff like that that makes social media so worthwhile.
Diane Capri @DianeCapri http://bit.ly/18FAsJK Topic:
Free Books
I've only had one significant
experience with giving away free books on a mass scale. A few months ago, Wattpad
featured my book Due Justice along with books from several other indie authors
in a promotion called "Wattpad Loves A Mystery." Because Due Justice
was free on Wattpad for that month, we also ran it free on KOBO, iTunes, and
Amazon. The number of reader reviews on the book skyrocketed. Readers joined my
mailing list and wrote to me and friended me on social media and read more of
my books. The experience was astonishing.
Erik Christian @SimplyAfterDark http://bit.ly/TKEcGc
Topic: His next book
I have not asked for reviews from
anyone and “Dear Dad” has received 4 and 5 stars reviews based on merit itself.
I believe that if a book is truly good it will speak for itself.
Back in April, I signed up to do
BookBub for “Whether I’ll Live or Die” as a $0.99 feature. It was put into the
Women’s Fiction category. The first day it was listed, I sold 518 copies. Over the next few days I sold an additional
317 copies because it had thrown my ranking up into the number 1 spot in
several categories.
So, I signed up my newest novel,
“Garda ~ Welcome to the Realm” and got turned down for a paid spot. They said
it was to new. It has been out for about 3 months. A month later, I requested a place for a free
promotion for that same book and got turned down again. This time they told me
I didn’t have enough reviews on the book.
I’m not sure what they “require”
a book to have in way of reviews, or if they only do books above a certain star
rating. I tried to search that information, but couldn’t find anything about
it.
In a perfect world, I think I
would have done things differently. I would have taken the time to build my
social network and introduce myself to book reviewers and bloggers before
publishing my first Indie book. I'd have 'done it right' by stirring up a little
anticipation before launching that first book.
Donna Fasano @DonnaFaz http://bit.ly/WoZjND
Topic: Free Books
People love getting something for
nothing. I currently have a book running for free on Amazon and iTunes. It's
called Return of the Runaway Bride, and I've given away thousands of copies at
both venues. I believe it gives readers a 'taste' of my work. I think it’s good business to offer samples, and I hope the
readers who enjoy my work will be willing to come back and buy a second or
third novel. I've given away paperback novels via Goodreads, and I've given
away ebooks through book review blogs.
Christoph Fischer @CFFBooks http://bit.ly/174TlKj
Topic: Free Books
I have given my book only to
reviewers and to some prize giveaways so far and I have found the recipients
appreciative and pleasant. Many of them then recommended my books to their
friends.
Other authors recommend giveaways
but only in connection with the right marketing and publicity strategy. One
friend told me her giveaways have connected her with the wrong type of audience
and it has brought her some unnecessary poor reviews on Amazon by readers with
wrong expectations and people that were not interested in the subject she wrote
about. I am going to look into some giveaways on Amazon over the summer and
will get back to you on the success.
Rayne Hall @RayneHall http://bit.ly/VZWYZo
Topic: Marketing
Ebook publishing is
international, and many readers who have previously been only exposed to their
country's form of English are startled to see different words and spellings.
Some American readers think that British English is wrong; they write reviews complaining
that my books are “filled with errors” (referring to words like colour,
travelling, enquiry, jewellery, and to grammatical differences such as which vs
that), and some who are aware of the difference demand that I “should learn
American before publishing a book.
John Hanley @jf_hanley http://bit.ly/16ehMAZ
Topic: Free Books
The only books I gave away were
to non-author friends on the understanding that they would write reviews in
return. Most of them did oblige but few of them had any experience of or skill
in reviewing though their 5 star ratings were helpful. My publisher persuaded
me to use the Amazon Vine program which did produce some excellent well written
reviews. They also distributed review copies through their database and to
other sources I suggested. I do read about other authors' experience of
giveaways but I'm not sure there is any real relationship between free copies
and ultimate sales.
Matthew Iden @CrimeRighter http://bit.ly/11YfbKH
Topic: Social Media
Funny you should ask--I just did
a presentation on the importance of social
media with fellow scribblers Karen Cantwell and Misha Crews.
To be blunt, once you're past
issues of the writing craft, there's nothing more important to a writer's
career than taking advantage of social media, and this applies to both
traditionally published authors as well as independent authors such as myself. The
landscape of the market has changed--if you want to make connections with your
readers and reviewers, you must use social media to reach out to them.
Having said that, I think one
mistake is attempting to try everything at once: setting up a blog, a Facebook
page, a Twitter account, a Pinterest board, a tubmblr page, etc. all on the
same day. You'll spend too much time on technologies and not enough time
connecting with people (and writing).
A second mistake is sticking with
a social media channel that you don't enjoy using or don't understand. For
instance, I was a professional web designer and IT manager for years, but I
can't wrap my head around Twitter. It's not intuitive to me and I don't use it.
It would be a mistake for me to make it my go-to social media channel. But I'm
simpatico with Facebook and I love Goodreads, so I spend a lot of time on both
and it pays dividends in the form of fantastic contacts, an increase in sales
and reviews, and just generally spreading the word about my writing.
Regarding the book launch
process: yes, I use social media to spread the word when a book has been
released and also when it's free or a low price. It would be crazy not to.
Carol Davis Luce @CarolDavisLuce http://bit.ly/YKlLGr
Topic: eBooks
With the advent of ebooks,
relationships with readers have reached a more personal level. I am truly
interested in what my readers have to say. I welcome honest and constructive
reviews and email comments.
Negative reviews are still
painful and probably always will be. Although we writers try to develop a thick
skin, it can never be thick enough.
Alan Orloff @alanorloff http://bit.ly/164gHx1
Topic: Free Books
People do like FREE. Over the
course of five days in the first quarter of this year, I gave away about 47,000
downloads of FIRST TIME KILLER. After the promotions, I did get a modest bump
in sales and a ton of reviews. On the other hand, I recently gave away about
4500 copies of THE TASTE and didn’t see much change in sales afterward. So, who
knows?
Jinx Schwartz @jinxschwartz http://bit.ly/1cd2WOM
Topic: Free Books
Free is good for me. Amazon gave
away almost 50,000 Just Add Water ebooks over the weekend, and sales on the
second in the series, Just Add Salt, is now in the top 100 paid in Humor. AND,
50,000 NEW readers have now heard of me, and hopefully will read the book they
downloaded. That said, every time you have a freebie promo, you get reviews
like, "not my cup of tea" but that's the way it goes.
L.J. Sellers @LJSellers http://bit.ly/18y6I6W
Topic: eBooks
Ebooks changed everything! Until
I put my books on Kindle, my readership was growing at a snail’s pace, and I
spent more money promoting than I earned. Once readers could buy digital
versions of my Jackson stories at a reasonable price, they were willing to try
them. And they loved them. I started getting good reviews online and good word
of mouth and quickly was able to earn a living. My life changed in a huge way
for the better. What has changed with readers is that now I have them!
Follow me:
Follow me:
Follow Me on Twitter: @jimhbs
Or EMAIL at: jim@jamesmoushon.com
View my website: James Moushon – Mystery Writer
Or visit my blog: The eBook Author Corner
Take a look at my Author’s blog: HBS Author’s Spotlight
Or my Mystery blog: HBS Mystery Reader’s Circle
Check out the Jonathon Stone Mystery Novels:
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