A major hurdle for self-published authors is the difficulty of getting reviews in the mainstream media. Few, if any newspapers, magazines or trade publications will review a self-published book without an up-front payment, and even then the finished review is usually banished to a dreary back section of the magazine or sequestered in a cheesy “special supplement” that’s easily overlooked.
But the phenomenal success of the self-published eBook, promoted solely through social media and online communities, has radically changed the definition of a “valuable review,” lessening the power of the traditional gatekeepers. Unknown but talented self-published writers have been selling an extraordinary number of books by simply promoting themselves on Facebook and message boards, where they can introduce and talk up their work to armies of potential readers with no middleman to screen.
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While online promotion can certainly lure people to your book’s Amazon page or website, you need to be ready for them. Seeing few or no reviews or endorsements, a potential buyer might understandably hesitate to “proceed to checkout.”
So, which reviews and endorsements actually matter to potential readers? And, more importantly, how can you get them?
Amazon Customer Reviews…
A positive and clearly-written Amazon review is pure cyber-gold. Connie Shelton, Amazon bestselling author of the Charlie Parker mystery series and creator of the “Novel In A Weekend” writing course explains: “Readers might see an editorial review somewhere but will still go to Amazon or Barnes & Noble to see what “real” people are saying about the book. These recommendations carry as much or more weight as an editor’s opinion.”
Shelton’s views are backed up by hard research: In a study conducted in 2010 by RR Bowker of over 60,000 book buyers, the top reason someone buys a book — as opposed to merely becoming aware of it — is a personal recommendation. This same study shows that traditional review sources such as newspapers or magazines have a comparatively low effect on purchases. Readers learn these books exist, but they need more validation before loading up their shopping cart.
Potential readers want to know normal things, like if the book “dragged” in places, “started off slow but got really good in Chapter 3,” was “laugh-out-loud funny” or “totally ripped off a Chris Rock routine.” Rarely will a New York Times reviewer give such clear-cut information as “Skip Chapter Two; it was really depressing, but the rest of the book is hilarious.”
One of the many benefits of Amazon is that once a book starts selling, no distinctions are made between self-published books and those of larger publishing houses when making recommendations based on what other people have bought. Either readers liked (and bought) your book or they didn’t. Customers recommend it, or they don’t. The ability to excite readers is rewarded with or without a publisher.
| “A positive and clearly-written Amazon review is pure cyber-gold.” |
…and Persuading People to Write Them
Unfortunately, it’s not always easy getting those first reviews. Friends may rave about your book on their Facebook pages, but, when later asked to post an Amazon review, they sometimes need prodding. People are often intimidated when attempting to praise a friend’s book, fearing that one poorly written sentence will reflect badly on the author. This is especially true for more cerebral books where the potential reviewer feels their own writing needs to be at an equivalent level. As a publicist, I’m often asked (i.e. paid) to act as an ambassador between an author and his circle of friends to get online reviews. Even an author’s family can require a little nudging: Recently I had to beg a wife to positively review her own husband’s book.
Authors frequently provide incentives to get the ball rolling, such as swapping reviews with each other or handing out free copies to friends they were originally hoping would pay. One professor pointedly mentioned to all his students at the beginning of term that his self-published book “was open to Amazon reviews” which resulted in an avalanche of glowing five-star postings with the names of the reviewers clearly spelled out.
Sometimes after a little self-promotion, authors simply get lucky. Reports Karen McQuestion, author of six books including the best-selling A Scattered Life:
“I didn’t orchestrate the Amazon reviews; they just suddenly appeared. I attribute many of them to early supporters, readers I didn’t know prior to self-publishing. I was blessed with a very vocal group of enthusiastic readers who took it upon themselves to spread the word. A wonderful woman named Alice was instrumental in jump-starting a lot of the buzz surrounding my books, especially A Scattered Life. Alice loved it, talked it up on the forum. I mean, she really talked it up. Soon others read it and reported back that they’d enjoyed the novel as well. I would turn on my computer in the morning and read whole conversations about my book, the one no publisher had been interested in acquiring.”
How to Get Endorsements from “Influential” People
Blurbs, quotes and blog mentions by “cultural influencers” can definitely lead to sales, depending how their endorsement later gets promoted. One approving tweet by a celebrity can have more effect on sales than an acre-size review in a major newspaper. And these blurbs can be endless recycled on your book cover, author website, Facebook wall and gravestone until the end of time. As Connie Shelton reminds us “Once you have a great review, it is yours for life.”
Obviously, the most influential people in pop culture are the ones most inundated with requests, so unless you already have a relationship with a celebrity or their inner circle, the likelihood of getting a blurb isn__?t great. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try, but it can get very time consuming, so always create a “B” list. These B-listers are once- influential people who haven__?t done anything lately, but whose works are still well known… Because they no longer get requests on a regular basis, they might be looking for a little exposure themselves. Or, their occupations aren’t particularly literary, so they may enjoy the novelty of plugging a book. Possibilities include singers, musicians, chefs, broadcasters (minor and former), politicians, athletes, movie producers, screenwriters, former magazine news editors (who left under good terms) and newspaper reporters in foreign bureaus.
I recently worked with a self-published author who had written a novel about a little-reported event in Southeast Asia. His writing was exquisite and worthy of a review, but he had absolutely zero media connections. I researched the topic of his novel on Amazon and noticed that three non-fiction books on this subject were still selling. Better yet, one author had received the Pulitzer Prize in the 1980s, the second book was written by the head of a major foreign news bureau, and the third had been turned into an Oscar-nominated screenplay.
I knew that endorsements from a “Pulitzer Prize winner,” “New York Times reporter” and “Academy Award nominee” would certainly brighten up his Amazon page and could be milked on a variety of websites and social media platforms. I tracked them down, made a pitch and all three graciously agreed to look at the book. The author and I immediately bought all three books and composed three flattering letters with copious references to each, implying — without actually saying — that they were the inspiration for my client’s novel.
| “One professor pointedly mentioned to all his students at the beginning of term that his self-published book “was open to Amazon reviews” which resulted in an avalanche of glowing five-star postings with the names of the reviewers clearly spelled out.” |
Should You Ever Pay for a Trade Review?
As mentioned above, it is possible for the self-published author to “purchase” a detailed and well-written review or a mention from major trade magazines, such as Publisher’s Weekly, Kirkus or Foreward. Kirkus and Foreward now offer guaranteed reviews for self-published authors for $300-600 and PW Select offers a short listing in its quarterly insert, making the book eligible for a possible review later on.
Determining whether it’s worth the money depends on your overall goals for your work. “Will that review ever be seen by my readers?” asks Connie Shelton. “Kirkus is mainly read by publishing industry insiders, so if you want a large publishing house to notice your indie-published book, this could work for you. Foreword is mainly distributed to librarians and booksellers. If your book is printed in hardcover and is likely to be of interest to the library markets, this may be a good choice for you. If your sales channels are likely to consist of online eBook sales directly to readers through Amazon or Smashwords, these print publications are probably not going to have much effect on your sales. Weigh the costs with the potential in sales before you make that decision.”
As far as “buying” Amazon reviews, there are services such as Book Rooster, that allow an author to purchase reviews in exchange for giving reviewers a free Kindle book and paying a nominal fee. Reviewers can say whatever they want about the book, as long as they don__?t give away major plot points. The one downside reported by authors is that reviewers are required to acknowledge they had received a free book, resulting in the majority of the reviews starting off with the identical line “I am writing this review in exchange for a complimentary book…” which can understandably dampen the effect.
NEXT >> Author Alliances: Pool Your Book Marketing Efforts
Susan Self is a public relations professional living in Los Angeles.
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