I hope you won’t get uncomfortable if I share a few examples here.
A book marketing virus you don’t want to cure
Why quality counts
Not long ago, one of my newsletter subscribers sent me a copy of his self-published nonfiction book with a note requesting that I review it on Amazon.com. It was part memoir, part rant, and all awful.
Much of the content, while important to the author, was irrelevant to the book’s topic. In addition, because there were few paragraph breaks in the text — imagine a book with page after page of text with no white space — it was hard to read. So . . . I chose not to.
The author kept hounding me for an “honest” review (reminding me, of course, of how much that review copy cost him to print and mail . . . ). I finally read several pages to get a feel for his style and content, scanned the rest to confirm that it was a book fueled by a vendetta and not by a need to help others, and posted the most upbeat review I could. I focused on the positives — his passion and topic knowledge — and gave it a three-star rating instead of a more honest one-star assessment.
It wasn’t the glowing five-star comment he expected, so he sent a scathing e-mail about me to a friend . . . or — imagine “Dateline’s” Keith Morrison asking this question — “Did he?”
How to get unfriended on Facebook
Are you an author with too many Facebook friends? Are you worried that your social network is so big that your platform might be getting out of control? Maybe you’re concerned that you’ll run out of books if all of your Facebook friends actually buy one!
Help is here. I’ve got eight spring cleaning tips designed to help you get rid of a large percentage of those pesky online friends. (You can thank me later.)
Where to find online book reviewers
When the subject of book reviews comes up, most of us think of traditional book review publications such as The New York Times or Publishers Weekly, or about online review sites that include ReviewtheBook.com.
We often forget, however, that we can get positive, powerful, and meaningful book reviews from just about anyone who loves books — including you and me. As the Association of Booksellers for Children reported in late 2010, more than half of the people it surveyed on book purchasing influences cited “books my friends and family recommended” as a major factor in their book buying decisions. The survey noted that just over one-third — 38 percent — of the respondents said they were influenced by book reviews in magazines and newspapers.
The shy author’s guide to book promotion
While some authors embrace book publicity and promotion with enthusiasm, many just wish it would go away.
Getting “out there” and talking about the book can be downright painful for shy people or those who prefer to write, not talk. Then there are those who aren’t shy, but aren’t comfortable in situations that make them feel like they’re the center of attention. Still others are afraid they will be labeled as “shameless self-promoters.” Can you blame them? I’ve seen some who are beyond “shameless” – they’re downright undignified.
How do you overcome your reluctance to promote your book, regardless of your reason? Here are the “I can’t do this” excuses that I hear most often and how to get around them:
