by Penny C. Sansevieri
Every once in a while, I’ll talk to an author who says, “I have enough book reviews,” so they don’t want my help in that area of their book marketing.
But I can tell you that 99% of the time, they’re wrong.
If you don’t need any more reviews for a title, then consider that title done. Move on, put your focus elsewhere. If you can’t appreciate having more reviews, then realistically other book-marketing strategies won’t matter either. Assuming you’re like me and you don’t fall into this category, let’s go over some ways to get you more book reviews.
Make it easy pre-publication
If your book isn’t out yet, there are things you can do to make the book-review process easier for potential readers. Have ARCs ready. Set a timeline as well as expectations.
If you’re asking someone to read an ARC, give them a reasonable amount of time to read the book based on genre and length. Check in with them as your publication date gets closer.
If you’re soliciting busy professionals who don’t make their living reviewing books, you can create some template reviews to give them inspiration. This is common and acceptable in the realm of professional book marketing. Template reviews should include wording and phrases that are particularly appropriate for your genre and topic. They should also allude to standout aspects of your story, character development, or tips since not all who agree to write a review will be able to finish the book cover-to-cover before the deadline.
Start close to home
Family, friends, colleagues, fellow authors, street team members, and superfans should be your go-tos for book reviews. Send them personalized requests, let them know why their review is important to you, and ask if they’d like a free copy of the book. Keep in mind that people are busy. You may not hear from someone immediately, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t interested. Respectfully follow up with people as often as needed.
Use your professional networks
If you belong to any professional organizations or writing groups, be sure to make your needs known to them. Professional groups will likely appreciate the opportunity to use your book-review templates, so keep those current! A lot of social-media groups are increasingly using self-promotion days and posts as well. So while it’s not in good taste to blast your needs on a daily basis, be sure to take advantage of self-promotion opportunities when offered.
Consider professional reviews
There are varying opinions on using paid reviews like Kirkus and Foreword in your book marketing, but I can tell you that they’re generally honest. You may end up paying for something you don’t want out there! Keep that in mind when deciding if you want to go this route. Perhaps keep it in your back pocket until after your reader reviews start coming in and you feel confident people other than you and your mother like your book.
Create a call to action in your book
All of your books should have a review reminder in the final pages. If a reader is using the Kindle App, Amazon helps you with this, which is really nice. If you can sweeten the deal in any way, do it. Offer a free novella or a free workbook. Tell them to forward their review confirmation to your email to receive their free or bonus gift. You should always have some sort of collateral swag in your book-marketing arsenal!
Cozy up to book bloggers
Bloggers have a lot of clout, so don’t waste their influence. Be sure to do your research and find all the book bloggers who read and review your type of book. Keep it professional yet friendly, and be sure to adhere to any special rules or requests they give regarding submissions. Don’t be a pest, but plan to approach them more than once. Sometimes the timing just isn’t right; for example, going after Christmas reviews in November is a long shot.
Stroke egos
If you’ve written nonfiction, there’s a good chance you’ve mentioned other people in your industry or complementary industries. Be sure to let them know they’ve received a shout-out in your book, and use that as a lead in to offer them a free copy and request a blurb or review.
Schedule discount promotions
Discount ebook promotions are good for getting books in hand, so this is also a solid book-marketing strategy for organically building reviews. I recommend a discount promotion once a month if you have a library of titles, and at least once a quarter if you have just one book.
Be grateful
If the reviewer is from your professional or personal network, make sure to send a handwritten thank you card, or at minimum a personalized email. Take this up a notch by using the comment option on Amazon to thank every person who has posted a book review. Yes, that seems like a lot of work once reviews start pouring in, but that’s a high-quality problem to have. If they’ve posted criticisms, be tactful, and if their comments are valid, thank them for their insight. Bow out gracefully if you feel their comments are unfair. If you can’t say anything nice or constructive, don’t say anything at all. Or if you’ve written other books, consider offering them a free copy in exchange for giving you another shot. These personalized touches go a very long way to support your continued book-marketing and sales goals. Customer service is important, even as an author.
The takeaway
Book reviews are a crucial part of your book-marketing plan, but they’re not always easy to get. As an indie author myself, I know how overwhelming it can all get. Maybe you just need a launching point, and a book-marketing professional who knows her stuff can help. Using a professional doesn’t mean you’ve failed, it means you take yourself and your work seriously!
Leave no stone unturned. I’m willing to bet most of you have a few more opportunities up your sleeve you haven’t tapped into yet. And if you’re the rare author who has tried all these things and you still feel frustrated, go for another round.
Don’t be too proud to beg. I can’t stress this enough. People are busy, but for the most part have good intentions. You’ll be surprised how many will thank you for pushing them.
Good luck!
Penny Sansevieri, CEO and founder of Author Marketing Experts, Inc. (AME) and an adjunct professor at NYU, is a best-selling author and internationally recognized book marketing and media relations expert. Her company is one of the leaders in the publishing industry and has developed some of the most cutting-edge book marketing campaigns.
These are wonderful suggestions and I do need more reviews. My problem, besides timidity, is that my nonfiction book is a mental health memoir about a largely unknown/misunderstood disorder that carries the stigma of most mental disorders, so it’s a select audience so far. People who struggle with it and therapists, as well as other memoir writers have praised my book, and I’m afraid I might have “wasted” many of those contacts on my blurbs. I am in process of trying to get on someone’s national podcast, (he’s reading the book) and I also have an article coming out on the NAMI blog in August (National Alliance on Mental Illness). I have begun writing reviews for others and posting them on Amazon. I’m frankly afraid to invite the whole world of readers who sign up to do reviews indiscriminately. I have one good-hearted review (of three) on Goodreads who was in fact educated about my disorder and healing, but her major response was anger at my childhood situation… and frankly, many people turn that anger into something uglier that frightens me. I would like to leave no stone unturned, as you say. Perhaps there’s something more to be done in followup for such a niche book.