Welcome to the November 10, 2010 edition of the book marketing blog carnival. Our next carnival will be posted on Wed., November 24, 2010. Deadline for submissions is 5 p.m. CT on Mon., November 22, 2010.

We are also accepting articles for publication here at http://SellingBooks.com/. Check out this information on how to submit your publishing articles, then send us your best!

Marketing and Online Marketing

Joel Friedlander presents The 7 Habits of Successful Self-Publishers — The Book Designer posted at Joel Friedlander.

Treff Tourville presents How to create a sitemap posted at The Best Small Business Hosting.

Dana Lynn Smith presents Choosing the Best Photo or Image for Your Social Networks posted at The Savvy Book Marketer.

Shennandoah Diaz presents How Do Authors Make Money? posted at Selling Books.

Jerry Peterson presents G headshot scam | Is G headshot a scam? posted at G Headshot Scam | G headshot review – Do G headshot a scam?.

Sarah Bolme presents Need a Gift? Buy a Book! posted at Marketing Christian Books.

Pat Badie presents Multiply Your Profits with Joint Ventures posted at Thought Food Blog.

Jules presents Marketing tips posted at Blog users marketing.

Other

Key Business Partners presents Author interview with Marcia Conner, co-author of The New Social Learning | Key Business Partners, LLC posted at Key Business Partners, saying, “interview with author Marcia Conner”

Reviews

Missy Frye presents Book Review: The God Hater by Bill Myers posted at Incurable Disease of Writing, saying, “Just a few thoughts on the Christian suspense novel The God Hater by Bill Myers.”

Read Aloud … Dad presents Today’s read aloud: The circus ship posted at Read Aloud Dad, saying, “How can I keep Chris Van Dusen’s The Circus Ship waiting any longer. I feel guilty even thinking about leaving it aside again. It’s a gem! A classic! No…. wait. We don’t need the cliches. Just open it – and you will see. It is simply so incredibly, incredibly good.”

Read Aloud … Dad presents Today’s book order: The Complete Chronicles of Narnia posted at Read Aloud Dad, saying, “A splendid version of The Complete Chronicles of Narnia that will easily help you to keep your young audience spellbound”

Writing and Publishing

Kathy Stinson presents Multiple Viewpoint Novels posted at Turning the Pages: Kathy Stinson’s Blog.

Nathan Segal presents 4 Fast Methods of Finding Freelance Writing Work posted at Selling Books.

Anastasia Valentine presents Journey from Idea to Print #3 posted at My Pempek Publishing, saying, “This blog follows writers from idea to choosing their desired way to publishing their work whether it be a large publisher, vanity press, small publisher, print on demand or self publishing. Read some great stories with tips and words of wisdom from authors who have recently published their work.”

JeremyMDay presents 7 Thoughts on Ebooks vs. DTB’s | Jeremy M. Day posted at Jeremy M. Day, saying, “A really good comparison on ebooks vs. Dead Tree Books.”

Bryna Kranzler presents The Accidental Anarchist (or, This Way to the Firing Squad): Waiting to be Discovered posted at The Accidental Anarchist (or, This Way to the Firing Squad), saying, “Why Self-Publish? The first of several posts making the argument for following this route at this particular point in time.”

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of book marketing blog carnival using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Authors who want their books to be noticed will collect more fans and support by remembering their manners than by expecting people to fall over them as authors because they have a false sense of entitlement. A simple “please” and “thank you” and some common courtesy goes a long way in making authors and their books popular.

Authors care very deeply about their books. Often those books are like children to them. They spend months or years writing their books so of course they want the world to take notice and appreciate their work. However, just as an overly aggressive parent can ruin a child’s chance for success, authors can do the same for their books if they fail to have common courtesy or to remember the human side of those who will make their book successful—the editors, cover designers, and other book production people; the book reviewers; and their readers. Here are some simple pointers for authors about proper etiquette required for getting their books noticed. Ultimately, it boils down to remembering your manners.

Follow Guidelines

As the manager of a book review company, I get numerous requests for reviews each week, including requests for free book reviews. Because we have to make money somehow, we have to charge for the book reviews, and that in turn means paying the reviewers, as well as the many staff members who maintain the website, interview the authors, and do a host of other activities to help promote the authors’ books.

I can’t tell you how many requests we get from authors who think somehow their book deserves special attention or is so special they should not have to pay for the same service every other author does, or authors who simply do not bother to read our guidelines, to take the time to be courteous enough to find out what we do and how best to work with us.

Most reviewers, publishers, or other companies associated with the book publishing world are very reasonable. They have submission guidelines for a reason—to answer the author’s questions and to let the author know what is needed to save the author time and trouble. In turn, it also saves the reviewer or publisher time, not having to chase after the author for information or having to answer multiple emails or phone calls.

Bottom line, if you’re an author and you want your book considered for publication, for review, or for any other service, take a few minutes to read the guidelines and understand how the company or reviewer functions. Those guidelines were put there to make your life easier. If you were invited to a dinner party that started at 6 o’clock, you wouldn’t show up at 5 o’clock, so why would you fail to follow directions for something far more important—getting attention from the people who can help to make your book a success?

Have Reasonable Expectations

In this fast-paced world we live in, people expect things immediately, but being demanding or unreasonable will only turn people off from you as an author.

I have independent editor friends who experience this sense of demand from authors all the time. It can take a long time to edit or proofread a book. It certainly isn’t something that should be rushed, yet my editor friends tell me all the time that authors submit books to them on Friday and want to know, “Can I have it back on Monday?” or “Tomorrow.” Even if editors choose to work weekends, they find few authors thank them for their extra effort spending what should be their free time to finish editing a book.

Perhaps some of these unreasonable expectations are the result of authors not understanding how time-consuming editing can be or that proofreading requires slow diligent reading (although they should considering how long it took them to write the book). The bottom line is “Do you want it done now, or do you want it done right?” An editor is doing you a huge favor, even if you are paying him, in making your book as good as possible. He’s the last person you want to hound since you don’t want him to miss anything in editing or proofreading your book that could hurt it down the road.

The same is true with cover designers, website designers, or book reviewers. While you should receive a reasonable turn-around, such as fourteen days for a book review, simply asking for a timeframe up front and planning ahead so you will give the person providing the service sufficient time is the best policy. Be polite and be conscientious about other people’s time.

Thank People for Their Work

At Reader Views, only about 30% of the reviews we provide result in a thank you from the author or publisher. Perhaps it’s because authors and publishers expect free reviews, but what deserves more thanks than a free review?

Consider how many hours a reviewer has to spend reading the book, not to mention writing the review, and then the time spent posting the review to the website and usually other websites, or even in a print publication. Many reviewers, by the time they get paid, average far less than minimum wage when you factor in the hours they spend to review a book.

A small email or note of thanks is not too much to ask. Furthermore, being courteous to a reviewer leaves the door open for future communication and the likelihood the reviewer will read and give positive reviews to your future books. Even if you receive a bad review, a thank you note is useful and shows not only your maturity but your professionalism.

“Thank you” also makes an author stay in other people’s memories. Let’s face it—book reviewers, and even editors and cover designers will read or work on hundreds of books. They can’t remember them all. Your book may be special to you, but it’s one of many and working on it is part of their job. The author who says “Thank you” will be remembered and receive better service. And I can’t tell you how much editors appreciate authors who later send them published copies of the books, or authors who later send reviewers small thank you gifts—even a thank you card is much appreciated.

Be Courteous to Your Readers

Authors want people to appreciate their books, and they have to remember that most readers will think of them as celebrities. To meet or talk to the author of a book is a big thrill for many readers. Most readers will not expect authors to give them attention, yet readers still stand in line at book signings and they still write fan letters. As an author myself, I can tell you how much it means to me to get letters from people telling me they enjoyed my book or that it helped them. I am always thrilled and touched by people who take the time out of their busy lives to write to me. And because I know how much it means to an author to get a letter about his or her book, I occasionally write to an author whose book I’ve enjoyed. That said, I am always disappointed when I do not get a response, especially from authors who are not well-known and probably don’t receive much fan mail.

While I understand Stephen King probably doesn’t have time to write back to each of his fans, authors who are not yet at that level of celebrity should take every opportunity possible to be friendly and gracious with their readers. If you’re an author doing a book signing, show up on time. Don’t make people wait. Take a minute to write something special when you sign a book. If you get a fan letter or email, write back and thank the reader. If you really get so many fan letters you can’t keep up with them, you’re probably selling enough books that you can hire someone to help you respond, or at the very least, you can put a nice message on your website’s contact page letting people know that while you appreciate and do read all their comments, you trust they want you to have time to write more books so you apologize that you can’t respond to every letter.

In the end, it comes down to having basic manners, to treating others the way you want to be treated. As an author, a lot of people are necessary to your success, from editors and proofreaders, to book reviewers, and readers. Don’t forget them. Be grateful to them. Ultimately, it’s often the book and not the author that is remembered. It’s often said that people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. If you fail to treat people right, they aren’t going to reciprocate by telling people about the great book you wrote, no matter how great it is.

Irene Watson is the Managing Editor of Reader Views, where avid readers can find reviews of recently published books as well as read interviews with authors. Her team also provides author publicity and a variety of other services specific to writing and publishing books.

Welcome to the October 27, 2010 edition of the book marketing blog carnival. We welcome your submissions on any topic related to writing, publishing or marketing books. See the end of this post for links to submit your blog posts for the next carnival. Our next carnival will be posted on Wed., November 10, 2010. Deadline for submissions is 5 p.m. CT on Mon., November 8, 2010.

We are also accepting articles for publication here at http://SellingBooks.com/. Check out this information on how to submit your publishing articles, then send us your best!

Marketing and Online Marketing

Mike Saxton presents No Book Signing is a Failure posted at Selling Books saying, “Math is great for use in sending spacecraft into orbit, calculating gravitational pull, producing grade point averages, and a whole host of other things. What it isn’t good for is determining true success or failure.”

Ian Lurie presents New ebook: The Fat Free Guide to Google Analytics posted at Conversation Marketing: Internet Marketing with a Twist of Lemon, saying, “Finally my latest Google Analytic’ss ebook is available. Thanks for your consideration.”

Don Harold presents Basic Guidelines on How to Plan Your Budget During the Pre-publication Marketing Plan | BookWhirl.com posted at Self-publishing Resources.

Tom Johnson presents Learn how to generate website traffic posted at Website Marketing Today!.

Frank Gorka presents Can You Imagine Articles That Talk To You posted at Digital Cash Profits.

Joel Friedlander presents Self-Publishers and the Social Media Divide — The Book Designer posted at Joel Friedlander.

Sarah Bolme presents Cashing in on eBooks posted at Marketing Christian Books.

Treff Tourville presents How To Generate Traffic Using Only Free Methods! posted at The Best Small Business Hosting, saying, “To Generate Traffic Using Only Free Methods!”

grayvans@gmail.com presents Facebook – A New Marketing Avenue posted at Seo – Clickbank And Seo Content, saying, “Marketing as an activity is all about reaching the right customers with the right products, and the result sought is delighted customers who are more than willing to open their purses wide enough to boost your revenues.”

Other

Jena Ellis presents 10 Excellent Books That Made Terrible Movies posted at Online Certificate Programs.

Lindsay Samuels presents 10 Emerging Book Genres You’ve Probably Never Heard Of posted at Library Science Degree, saying, “Literature, as with other creative pursuits, exists as one of the most diverse outlets for human expression available. The following emergent genres or subgenres have garnered a fair amount of attention over the past few years. Some have been around for a while. Some have recently sprouted from preexisting movements, lately postmodernism.”

Kobus Venter presents Development books delivered to your door posted at Vuthisa, saying, “I created a link to the the Development Bookshop as I understand how difficult it can be if you find yourself in a developing country, struggling with poor internet connections or a shortage of printers yet needing hands-on, practical books on a variety of subject areas. Titles range from rural building techniques, retort construction, thatching, sustainable land use tips and much more. Unlike other online bookshops the Development Bookshop delivers to ALL countries and the freight charge rarely exceed $3 USD. You can even order a book for someone else.”

Reviews

Read Aloud … Dad presents Today’s book order: Alice in wonderland AND Alice through the looking-glass posted at Read Aloud … Dad, saying, “Children’s book reviews and read aloud impressions from a Dad and his twins. We are reviewing what we read aloud and recommending whether you should Buy, Loan or Pass on the books.”

Missy Frye presents Book Review: Catching Moondrops by Jennifer Erin Valent posted at Incurable Disease of Writing, saying, “A brief review of the final installment of Jennifer Erin Valent’s trilogy.”

Writing and Publishing

Lonni Emmert presents Can You Pick Your Killer Out of a Lineup? posted at Selling Books saying, “Do you know who your killer is when you start your book? Maybe you should let your characters surprise you!”

Tim Leffel presents A Conversation with Joshua Berman posted at Travel Writing 2.0, saying, “Interview with travel guidebook author Joshua Berman, who covers Belize and Nicaragua for Moon Handbooks.”

Cheryl Taylor presents On The Rocky Road of Writing a Book posted at The Official Blog of Cheryl Taylor.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of book marketing carnival using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

As a book publicist I am always on the lookout for new tools and technology to reach consumers and convince them to purchase my client’s books. During the past decade, the most important tool has been the Internet, especially email, online search (like Google and Yahoo), and social media, such as Facebook and Twitter. During the past couple of years, it has become very clear that book promoters need to take advantage of the huge popularity of hand-held devices with Internet connectivity…especially smart phones…especially iPhone Apps.

As part of my book marketing strategy, I have made several contacts and established continuing business relationships with iPhone App developers. The experience and knowledge I have gained convinces me that the successful book promoter will tap into any and every iPhone App that’s related in any way to their book.

An excellent case study is the Kids Book App (www.kidsbookapp.com), an iPhone App created by 1776 Productions that connects book buyers directly with the San Francisco Book Review (SFBR) and Sacramento Book Review (SBR) which produce some 500 new book reviews every month from 40 genres – most of them books for young adults, pre-teens, and children.  The Kids Book App not only provides hundreds of book reviews, but also author-related events, such as tour stops and book signings, in addition to author podcast interviews.

1776 Productions was launched in 2008 by Heidi Komlofske  and Ross Rojek to help readers find new books and authors and to be a means to support and encourage writers, publishers, and readers. One of the latest ventures of 1776 Productions is the Kids Book Review App, which can be downloaded at the iTunes App Store.

Any author of a book written for children, middle schoolers, teens, or young adults will certainly want to do what it takes to get a review of their book done by SBR or SFBR, which can be accessed anytime, anywhere by book buyers using the Kids Book App to make a purchase decision. In offering your book up for review, remember that SBR/SFBR is only interested in new releases that are within 90 days of their release date.

“There are a few options for book publicists or authors to submit a book for review with us,” says Ross Rojek. “We have about 150 books a week coming in for review, with about 130 book reviewers.  Options for submitting a book for review are available at http://www.sanfranciscobookreview.com/submission-guidelines/

The address for mailing books is: 1215 K Street, 17th Floor, Sacramento, CA  94518. http://www.sanfranciscobookreview.com

One author who found this service especially helpful was Karen McFarren, author of “Flaherty’s Crossing”, who comments:  “As an author, reviews are incredibly important and a wonderful tool for marketing your book. My experience with Sacramento Book Review/San Francisco Book Review was nothing short of amazing. I received an honest, timely appraisal of my story and would love to have future novels reviewed by this professional group.  Their name, alone, adds credibility and should be on the top of any author’s review list!”

If the Kids Book App does not meet your criteria, simply go to the iPhone Store and search the apps on sale there for one that is appropriate and relevant to your book marketing needs. Then go to the developer’s website and learn more about the App and how to get your book listed.

Technology opens many new doors for us each month. Let’s be sure we enter every one!

Book publicist Scott Lorenz is President of Westwind Communications, a public relations and marketing firm that has a special knack for working with authors to help them get all the publicity they deserve and more. Lorenz works with bestselling authors and self-published authors promoting all types of books, whether it’s their first book or their 15th book. He’s handled publicity for books by CEOs, CIA Officers, Navy SEALS, Homemakers, Fitness Gurus, Doctors, Lawyers and Adventurers. His clients have been featured by Good Morning America, FOX & Friends, CNN, ABC News, New York Times, Nightline, TIME, PBS, LA Times, USA Today, Washington Post, Woman’s World, & Howard Stern to name a few. Learn more about Westwind Communications’ book marketing approach at http://www.book-marketing-expert.com or contact Lorenz at scottlorenz@westwindcos.com or by phone at 734-667-2090.

Face it. Bad reviews happen. Even the most acclaimed writers get bad reviews. Evaluating a book is a subjective process, and personal preferences won’t always match the book. Unfortunately, too many writers take bad reviews personally and even go to the extremes, engaging in negative banter, slander, and threats. Here are a few tips to help you take those bad reviews with grace.

1. Remember that it’s not a personal affront. The reviewer just didn’t like your book. Do you like everything you read?
2. Take a deep breath. Cool off. Put the review away in a dark place for a few days. Taking time to let the fresh emotions wear off will help you think more rationally and calmly when you look at it again.
3. Look at who the reviewer is. Are they known for giving glowing reviews, or is negativity their forte? It may have nothing to do with you.
4. Look at the review objectively. Are there constructive comments you can use to improve your next project? It could be a learning opportunity.
5. DO NOT under any circumstances send a rebuttal. Just let it go. You may think you are defending yourself, but it only makes you look bad, not the reviewer.
6. DO NOT slander or in any way bad-mouth the reviewer on your social media accounts or through other outlets. Not only does this make you look unprofessional, but you can also set yourself up for legal claims.
7. DO be gracious and poised. Acting professional, taking bad reviews with a grain of salt, and maintaining a positive working relationship with book reviewers will only help you in the long run.

Remember, as an author you have put yourself out there for public scrutiny. Bad reviews show that people are reading your book and that you have drummed up enough interest to warrant a review. Also, they provide balance. An article from iMedia Connection (link), shows that too many good reviews can become fluff, and a bit unbelievable. Bad reviews from valid third parties let the reader know that reviews of your book are authentic. Also, the majority of the time, the number of bad reviews are small compared to good reviews. Plus, all reviews, good and bad, help by prequalifying book buyers and weeding out those who may not be a good fit for your topic.

All in all, take bad reviews with a grain of salt. They don’t spell doom, and sometimes can even help. By taking the high road and maintaining your composure in the face of bad reviews, you’ll come out on top in the end.

Shennandoah Diaz is a freelance writer, editor, and consultant specializing in strategic communications and publishing. She currently serves as the Business Development Assistant for Greenleaf Book Group, a publisher and distributor supporting independent authors and small presses, and as the Nonfiction Editor for Reflection’s Edge Magazine.

I did an email survey to 1767 book reviewers on August 9 and just tallied up the results. It does have some critical business intelligence that publishers can use to understand how far we can go with eBooks at the present time. I was really surprised with the depth of feeling and reluctance to the trend towards eBooks.

At least based on the number of respondents, perhaps half the media say they will review an eBook if offered to them. Even then, it looks to me that less than ten percent of those who say they are willing to look at one will actually conduct a review of an eBook they receive upon request by email. That’s perhaps means that only 1 to 2 out of a hundred will act favorably on the offer. That’s is what we are seeing repeatedly right now when we offer eBooks with emailed news releases along with an invitation to receive a hard review copy of a book shipped by street mail.

My initial observations based on the comments and data received from this survey:

1. Authors and publishers will still best address their goals and objectives for getting publicity and satisfy media needs (to make the best impression and persuade media to give the best coverage) by creating and offering both the hard copy and the eBook, since right now so few media will really be willing to conduct their review of just the ebook version.

2. Book reviewers do for the most part recognize and predict that ebooks will play an ever increasing role in the publishing industry and the future of education.

3. However, about half of those who responded express a serious reluctance to the use of the technology. They identify and express a number of common concerns which have been fairly well recognized:

Cost, enjoyment, ease of use, personal preference or dislike of the technology, physical difficulties (eyesight), standardization, limits on how it can be used, note-taking, highlighting, cross utilization, re-utilization, loss of the equipment and stored books.

4. Authors and publishers may be able to save some money getting reviews by offering and asking media if they will look at the ebook before sending the hard copy. Media preference has to be determined individually.

5. Publishing and promoting books in eBook form only is risky if you seek to use and leverage media publicity to jumpstart sales. The media for the most part will simply not play.

I feel that the results of this indicate that we are still very early in the beginning of a 10 to perhaps even 20 year transition.

The comments of the individual reviewers are perhaps far more enlightening than the numbers.

Comments anyone?

Paul J. Krupin, Direct Contact PR
Reach the Right Media in the Right Market with the Right Message
http://www.DirectContactPR.com Paul@DirectContactPR.com Blog.DirectContactPR.com
800-457-8746 (TF US) 509-531-8390 (Cell) 509-582-5174 (Direct)
Free eBook download http://www.directcontactpr.com/files/files/TrashProof2010.pdf

One of the most important parts of my writing process is to find beta readers. Oh, there’s different types of beta readers and all of which I use for different reasons. They are indispensable in the process of getting your writing in shape.

YOUR STORY AND THE READER’S

Oh, yeah, there is always more than one side to a story. I’m sure you heard that one before. Well when it comes to writing there is the story you’ve written. The story that’s in your head, and the story that the reader reads.

The best part of reading a book opposed to seeing a movie is that no two readers play out the exact same story in their head when they read. Having people test read your writing shows you the things you forgot to tell them. Let’s you know when you tell too much. Picks out the times you forgot to show the story.

As an author, we know the story we want to tell in detail. And those parts that are our tough spots – places in the tale where we get too lazy to figure out. The reader picks up on them with clarity and reminds the author to fix those vague spots.

WHY WRITERS SHOULD BETA

In order to turn your caterpillar of a story into a butterfly, don’t skimp on the Beta Readers. I have several sets of beta readers that I use. I break them up into groups and my expectations for them are different. I also find that coming up with questions for that group or a checklist helps them to focus their reading and gives them permission to be nitpicky.

AUDIENCE – This is the age, gender, group that the book is written for. I usually get a hand full of kids to read my YA books. They usually flush out lags in the story, dialogue issues, believability and story likeability.

PEERS – These are fellow writers. This is my secret weapon. Other writer’s are really good at picking apart grammar issues, plot holes, character issues and structure problems. They are golden and definitely never let anything go out without running your stuff by this group of beta readers at least 2 times.

RANDOM READERS – This is usually adults I get to read my middle grade and young adult books. They don’t usually read YA, but can give me a good indication of hidden audiences. If the story is strong enough to transcend the intended group and go mainstream.

AUTHORS SHOULD BETA TOO

As an author, beta reading others’ work is invaluable. I’ve become a better writer, editor of my work and others through beta reading. Also, it is a give and take. I love doing beta switches with other authors and critique their work at the same time they are critiquing mine. It ensures that they have an invested interest in helping my story succeed as much as I do in theirs.

LM Preston, author of The Pack and Explorer X-Alpha, www.lmpreston.com and http://lmpreston.blogspot.com

You can’t win them all. It’s as true in book publicity as it is in any other part of life. So when you open up that newspaper or log on to that blog only to find your book torn to pieces by a rabid reviewer, how do you possibly walk away with some positive thoughts?

The first thing to keep in mind that while many reviewers will give their honest opinion, some aim to dish out a terrible review for the sake of entertainment purposes to build up their own notoriety (enter the old phrase “sticks and stones…” here). For the bad reviews that may hold some merit, instead of envisioning running them over with your car, you, as an author, need to take it as constructive criticism.

If the editing job of the book is under attack, take a look at your book and see if you perhaps missed some grammatical or punctuation errors. Having these bloopers pointed out in a public forum is a tough pill to swallow, but unless you want to continue to make the same mistakes, you need to take a lesson from it and move on. Is the editing of your book stellar but the format or design of the book under fire? Is the reviewer critiquing your character development? As hard as it may be, take these observations and lay them against your book – it’ll hurt, but it’s important to know what areas you need to strengthen before moving on to the next project.

Bottom line: if your dream is not only to be a published author, but the best writer you can be, you need to take the good reviews with the bad, and use it all to your advantage.

Melissa Sileo is the Director of Publicity Services at Smith Publicity, Inc. Beginning in 1997, Smith Publicity is one of the world’s leading promotional firms, specializing in book publicity. Fueled by a passion for making good things happen for clients, the company has worked with over 900 individuals and companies–from authors and entrepreneurs to publicly-held companies and businesses representing a wide range of industries. The Smith Publicity reach is international with offices in New Jersey, New York City, Los Angeles, and London. For more information about Smith Publicity, Inc., please visit www.smithpublicity.com.

Reviews are the least expensive and most effective form of book promotion. More than 300 titles are published each day. There is no way anyone can know and rank them.

That is why bookstores, libraries and readers rely so heavily on book reviews. Reviews sell books.

Occasionally a book receives a negative review. The reviewer might be having a bad day, might be envious of your success or may dislike your stand on some issues. Take heart. Any review is a good review because it results in ink. Exposure, kind or unkind, will bring in orders. Focus on the amount of ink, not the character of the words.

While some readers may be discouraged from buying your book from a bad review, others will see through the review and buy the book because the subject interests them.

No one remembers the negativity of the review but they do remember the title of the book. – John Kremer, 1001 Ways to Market Your Book.

Most reviewers are underpaid and overworked. Their contributions to bookselling go unrewarded and unrecognized. No one ever built a statue to honor a reviewer.

Many book reviewers are mean spirited. Even if a reviewer likes a book, he or she must find fault and write snide and/or patronizing little asides about the author’s character or motives that demonstrate the reviewer’s intellectual and moral superiority. – Andrew Greeley, author.

Just write the best book you are capable of writing; then, take solace in the fact that most people do not buy books on the basis of any review they actually read. —Steve Wasserman, book editor, The Los Angeles Times.

Few new products get the free publicity showered on books. Authors, publishers and booksellers owe a debt of thanks to reviewers. Hope for good ink and be grateful for bad ink. Ink is ink and ink is free.

A bad review is better than no review.

© Dan Poynter, the Voice of Self-Publishing, has written more than 100 books since 1969 including Writing Nonfiction, 4th Edition: Turning Thoughts into Books and The Self-Publishing Manual. Dan is a past vice-president of the Publishers Marketing Association. For more help on book publishing and promoting, see http://ParaPub.com.

Book reviews are an easy and effective way to promote your book. People like hearing about new books and what others think of them.

You’ve probably seen book reviews published in your local newspaper or in your favorite magazines. You may even have seen them on T.V. during news or talk shows.

Those are all good places to have your book reviewed, of course. But newspaper columnists, magazine writers and television hosts simply don’t have time to review every book that comes their way. And as popular as they are, their audience may not be the ideal audience for your book.

If you want to reach a lot of people with your book very quickly, try having your book reviewed on blogs that are popular with your target market.

Why Ask Bloggers to Review Your Book?

Bloggers and often overlooked but powerful social influencers. Well known bloggers have thousands, and sometimes hundreds of thousands, of loyal followers who read their posts daily. They then share those posts with their friends and on social media sites.

Lesser-known, tightly niched bloggers are influential too. If you can find a blog that’s not as popular, but that is highly relevant to your topic, it is worth asking if the blogger will review your book.

How to Find Bloggers to Review Your Book

What some authors do is just mail out their book to every blogger’s address they can find, and hope for the best. If that’s the approach you take, you will likely be disappointed. As well, an out-of-the-blue email asking a stranger to review your book will probably get a similar, unenthusiastic response.

Bloggers are busy people – the key word being “people” – who write to build connections with other people. To get their attention, you will likely need to do some sincere relationship building of your own.

When you find a blog that you think would be a good fit for your book, it’s time to slow down and do some research. Begin reading the blog regularly, reading the comments left by readers, and leaving insightful comments of your own.

Before you approach any blogger about reviewing your book, you’ll want to know:

Is the topic of your book highly relevant to the topic of the blog?

Are the blog’s readers looking for information like what you offer in your book?

Does the blogger review books or products?

Once you’ve established that your book would definitely be beneficial to the readers, and you have established a rapport with the blogger, that is a good time to approach him or her about reviewing your book.

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Tip: Another good way to get bloggers to review your book is to offer review copies through Blogger LinkUp. Learn more about this free service at http://BloggerLinkUp.com/.