Most authors these days understand that writing their book, producing it as an ebook and/or printing it, is only the first part of the journey. The pathway from book store to reader is complex, and the online sales journey of a book is as vulnerable to consumer demand (or lack thereof) as book sales in bricks and mortar book stores are.
The difference between the larger percentage of books that don't sell well and the smaller percentage (maybe 1-5% of each publisher's list) that do is three-fold, consisting of:
In today's blog article I'm going to write about marketing, and within that, a particular piece of the marketing puzzle, professional book reviews.
In traditional publishing, book reviews are sought after for the latest big names in the New York Times, Vanity Fair and various other mass media. Most authors cannot hope to garner such high level media attention, at least not when they are first starting out, so instead they must start out small. Thankfully, online selling platforms like Amazon have a book review system that is both easy and fair. Amazon's system is designed to enable readers to make good purchasing (or book lending) decisions. It is not there to stoke the fires of a writer's ego, or to make the royalties roll in. As long as you understand that, you can work within the system to help your book along.
How does the reviews process work?
Once your epub is finalised we can get you an ARC (advanced review copy) of the epub (or PDF if you prefer) which means it has 'ADVANCED REVIEW COPY - NOT FOR RESALE' stamped all over it. This is meant to limit the potential for piracy, though it is impossible to stamp it out completely. You can then email these ARCs to reviewers, bloggers and advertisers that you contact directly.
The safest way to send an ARC to reviewers is using a book review platform, or sending hard copies directly.
The ultimate aim is to try to get book reviews onto the vendors where you are concentrating your marketing efforts (eg. Amazon). When getting reviews from people you are in contact with, ask them to first purchase then post a review onto Amazon.com so that it is classed as a "verified purchase review". That's what you really need them to do with the review.
We offer a range of review-related marketing services, which you can read more about here:
Marketing Stage 1—Action Plan
http://www.australianebookpublisher.com.au/marketing-stage-1-analyse-option-a-ebook-only-3-books.php
Sales Sheet
http://www.australianebookpublisher.com.au/creation-of-sales-sheet.php
Advanced Book Review Management
http://www.australianebookpublisher.com.au/the-terrific-triple-review-package.php
Ultimately our aim is to help connect the appropriate readers with your book. We use the systems of Amazon, Good Reads and professional book review platforms to achieve this where possible so as to keep everyone happy.
"I have really appreciated your support with my book, Amanda. I'm sure your other clients are of the same opinion. Quality professionalism is never in over supply, neither is generosity of spirit. You have both."—Henry Grossek, radio announcer and author of Game On: Building the Education Revolution
"Thank you, Australian eBook Publisher. I am delighted with the quality of the print edition of my novel, Beast-speaker. The service that Amanda and her team provide is exceptional: friendly, helpful and everything is delivered within the promised time-frame. The print on demand package is easy and affordable, and I highly recommend it to anyone considering publishing with Australian eBook Publisher."—W. A. Noble, author of Beast-speaker
