The most coveted endorsement of any author’s book is the right review. Today’s educated and discriminating consumer is bombarded with so much information, it’s hard for an author to know how to go about getting a book reviewed and which book reviews are most beneficial. Follow some basic steps to getting your published book reviewed, and you’ll see a boost in sales that will make all the work worthwhile.
You’ve Signed a Publishing Agreement! Now what?
- Create the book’s Web site and go live. Your site is the hub that every single review on the Web will link to, so make it gorgeous and engaging and make every click trackable. Take advance and e-book sales through the site, or have sales hosted by a giant like Amazon.
- Put the e-book on Amazon. Some readers won’t buy books that don’t have an Amazon review, and they’re more likely to buy a book that has just a few positive peer reviews than one that has none or only “professional” reviews.
- Get the book into the hands of regular people. Look on Amazon and Barnes and Noble sites and find books similar to yours. Track down the top reviewers (check out the top reviewers page on Amazon), send them a message introducing yourself and your book, and ask if they’d like a free hard copy. You can suggest reviews, but you can’t require them.
- Swap reviews with other authors. Find authors within your genre and offer a review swap, or visit a review swapping site. Again, there shouldn’t be any hard and fast agreement that a review will come of this arrangement, but it’s worth a shot to get other authors’ feedback on your work. And, if a positive review comes out of it, it’s worth it to spend a little time producing your own review.
- Start pitching local reviewers, then move on to bigger fish. Once you’ve gotten some traffic on Amazon and your own Web site, start looking at book review blogs. Remember that these bloggers get tons of requests, so be very selective about approaching with simple, succinct e-mail offers only to those bloggers who have shown some acumen reviewing books in your genre and similar subject areas.
Bring It All Together
Take your time, trust your instincts and don’t be pushy, and you’ll have reviews all over the Web that will get your book some serious sales power. Pick your favorite reviews and keep them forever in the form of an online review plaque. That way, you’ll always remember how much work it was to climb to the top of the best-seller list, and which reviews helped you get there.
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