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Social media, getting book reviews, promoting yourself, and of
course actually writing! There is not enough time in the day!
Can you relate to that feeling? If not, please tell me your
secret! Lack of time and focus is the biggest issue that I hear from my clients
trying to marketing their books.
I have good news - you don’t have to make hours and hours of
new time appear out of no where. The actual secret is to spend a small amount
of time consistently every single day taking steps in the right direction. It
is amazing how far you can get following this method. Best of all, you won’t
burn out doing it. Book promotion might even, dare I say it, become fun!
The marketing piece I want to talk about for this specific post
is getting book reviews. Reviews matter in so many different ways. Here are
just a couple:
● Getting
better Amazon rankings
● Encouraging
new readers to try your work
● Promoting
yourself to the media
● Creating
blurbs for your print material
● Helping
you know what to write next
● Generating
social proof
So how do you get these reviews? There are so many things that
authors do wrong that completely shut down their efforts before they even
start. But if you master these five essentials you will be on the right track.
1) Find Great Reviewers
This seems obvious, but many authors are so desperate for
reviews that they don’t vet the reviewers at all. While there are many great
reviewers who have an audience they can share your book with, there are also
people who just want free books. Or worse, are charging authors money for
reviews for nothing in return.
So how do you weed out the good from the bad? Start by asking
these questions:
● Do
they have an engaged and active social media following?
● Do
they review so many books each month that they can’t be giving each one the
time it deserves?
● Has
it been more than a month since the last review?
● Does
their site look like a quality and professional site or like something built in
the 90s?
● Do
any of their posts have comments on them?
There is no single clear cut rule, just use good judgement and
know exactly what is being offered. And be very, very careful if you are ever
asked to pay for a review.
2) Do Your Research
Make sure you take the time to read a few reviews on the
website before submitting your book. Do they actually like the genre you are
writing? If not you will probably get a bad review no matter how good your book
is.
It is also critical to follow any guidelines given to you by
the reviewer. These might include things like how to submit the book and what
additional information they need.
And don’t be afraid to ask questions such as when they expect
the review to be published. A good line of communication between you and the
reviewer is an essential piece.
3) Follow Up
It is a good idea to follow up if you don’t get the review back
within a couple weeks. Ask if they have an expected date for the review to be
live.
The other piece of follow up is to promote the review once you
receive it. And always send a thank you note to the reviewer. Good feelings go
a long way in getting your book more exposure.
4) Be Polite
Another thing that should be obvious, but based on past
experience it isn’t. If you get a bad review or the reviewer doesn’t follow
through, chalk it up to experience and move on. No need to waste your energy on
something unproductive.
Being rude or angry never got anyone anywhere.
And on the flip side, again, use common sense manners. Ask for
a review, don’t demand one. Respond in a timely fashion to requests. And give
credit where credit is due.
5) Leverage Your Review
The final, and perhaps most important point is to leverage your
review. Otherwise all that time and effort getting reviews will end with
crickets.
● If
a reviewer just posts the review on their own site, ask if they will post it on
Amazon too
● Announce
the new review on social media (and tag the reviewer if possible)
● Add
a quote from the review to your website
● Use
appropriate reviews on your book blurb and print materials
● Include
a great book review quote on the back of your business cards
Book reviews are a critical piece of the book marketing puzzle.
Make it your mission to spend at least 15 minutes each day working on getting
new reviews for your books and you will start seeing the difference!
Rivka Kawano is an
author, speaker, and book marketing coach. She has worked with all types of
books and authors and loves everything about the literary world. When she is
not busy reading or promoting books she loves spending time with her three sons
running 5k races, baking cookies, or drinking tea. Follow her @AuthorSensei on
Twitter, or visit AuthorSensei.com for more information.
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