How nice it is to hear from a customer who is using one of your books. I received such an email yesterday. The author said that it was five years ago when she won a copy of The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book in a drawing and that she has read it numerous times and has used it to successfully produce a children’s book. She wrote in order to thank me for writing such a useful book for authors.
Nice!
Are you collecting testimonials, customer comments/reviews and so forth? Do you know what to do with them when you receive them? First, you want to thank the individual for taking the time to comment. What a rare gift. It is so atypical of us to go out of our way to offer such feedback. We can only hope that the satisfied customer is telling others about your wonderful book, even if he doesn’t think to reach out and give you the praise.
There are ways to initiate comments. If you have a customer list and you contact those customers from time to time with announcements, news, information or, perhaps, a regular newsletter, you just may receive a comment occasionally.
Post these comments at your website. Use them in your promotional material. Include them on your testimonials pages in the reprint of your book. Do not publish the name of the individual without permission.
On the other side of the coin, do you contact authors of books you find of particular value in your studies or that you have enjoyed reading? It’s a good habit to get into. Consider it your way of giving back or your contribution to encouraging this author to keep writing.
If you think your positive comment doesn’t mean anything, this is something you should reconsider. Feedback to an author is like a breeze to a sailor. It’s encouragement. It’s what keeps them going. Readers are vital to an author’s career. Without readers, an author has no purpose. And knowing those readers are out there and that your words are touching them in some way is terribly important to an author.
This week, I’d like to urge you to send a note of praise to some of your favorite authors. Believe me, you will feel almost as good to be giving as the author does when he receives your praise.
If you’ve read my book, Promote Your Book, you can leave your positive comments at the book’s Amazon page. http://amzn.to/oe56Ia
If you haven’t ordered your copy in print or on Kindle, yet, this is the place to do so. The print version can also be ordered at IndieBound and B&N.com as well as at the following sites:
http://www.matilijapress.com/PromoteYourBook.html
http://www.allworth.com/Promote_Your_Book_p/1-58115-857-1.htm