Most authors strive to get book reviews. Book reviews sell books. But it is irritating when your book is misrepresented by the reviewer. Yet, it happens more often than one would think.
You see your book in one light—you wrote it with a certain audience in mind and you believe that you spoke to that audience throughout the book, for example. But a reviewer might see the book in a different light. The reviewer’s assessment of your book might not jive with yours. He may focus on an aspect that you feel is insignificant to your purpose for the book. A reviewer might even pick apart what you feel is the best quality of your book.
The thing is, you never know how your book will affect a reviewer or what they are will say about it. And when they reveal what they believe is a flaw or criticize an element of your book, it can be quite painful for the author. Some authors are so sensitive that they won’t even put their books out there for review. It’s not easy to have your work criticized, especially if you feel you’ve been criticized unfairly.
You’re all familiar with my new book, Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author. This book has collected around two dozen reviews—18 of them appear at the book page on Amazon.com. I’ve been a tad put off by a couple of comments that a handful of reviewers have made.
One is that the book title says the tips are low-cost, yet I mention hiring a publicist and I suggest advertising. Yes, I do include one 6-page chapter featuring a couple of more pricey things you can do to promote your book. It’s a viable option, don’t you think? I also talk about creating a book trailer. And I say that, for those who can’t do this on their own, they may want to hire a friend or a company to do the work for them. I added these things in an attempt to be thorough—to include every option. You’ll still find over 250 low-cost tips, techniques and resources PLUS a few that might cost you some money.
The criticism that makes me really crazy, however, is when reviewers (or readers) say, “This book is for those who write nonfiction.” Say what? Have you read the book? I purposefully mention how some of the tips, techniques, etc. can be used by authors of fiction books and children’s books at least 120 times throughout the book. I did this because authors of fiction have a difficult time relating book promotion ideas to their projects. So at least 120 times, I said, basically, “If you have a book of fiction or a children’s book, use this idea in this way.”
I expected authors of fiction, children’s books, poetry books, etc., to take it from there. I thought that with my explicit suggestions, they’d begin to understand that, yes, they can also implement this idea and that one and many of the others. And, certainly, some novelists do.
For others, it takes exposure and training and practice to adopt the marketing mindset. If you are writing a novel or a children’s book or you are compiling a book of poetry, for example, I suggest that you order my book today and start studying it. Get used to the concept of book promotion because, without it, you won’t sell many books. Adopt at least 5 activities that you can and will engage in—some that you can pursue before your book is a book and some that come after publication.
After you’ve been using these promotional activities for a while, add to your marketing plan. And remember, your book will sell only for as long as you are willing to put in the effort toward promoting it.
There is very little difference in the way you promote a nonfiction or a fiction book. In fact, you could use many of the ideas in Promote Your Book for an ebook, as well. But you must be able to look at the world of publishing and book promotion with a realistic marketing eye in order to see the possibilities. Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author is your marketing education. Order your copy now at http://amzn.to/oe56Ia