Jodee Speaks – Page 19 – Self Publishing Advisor

How to Get Your Self Published Book Reviewed on Amazon

Book reviews are a great way to boost your sales and credibility because readers often turn to online reviews by their peers. Online book reviews are like virtual word of mouth marketing; they can significantly impact your self publishing success. People value other people’s recommendations, and Amazon is one of the most popular sources for online book reviews. Here is how to get your self published book reviewed on Amazon.

1) Identity online book reviewers.

Search online for book reviewers. Look for potential reviewers on Amazon’s Top Reviewers list, and try Googling the Amazon reviewer’s name, which will often point you toward their Facebook page or other contact information. Be sure to look for reviewers who review books similar to yours. You don’t want to spend time soliciting reviewers who won’t be interested in your book.

2) Contact reviewers.

Reach out to people who write book reviews and ask them to review your book. Be sure to send them a FREE copy. (It can be a digital version.) Do not send the book before the reviewer as responded and agreed to review your book.

3) Use your contacts.

Besides people who regularly review books for Amazon, you could ask other people to post a review. Consider asking family members, friends, colleagues, social media followers, etc. When using this approach, be sure to encourage people to be honest in their reviews. Readers don’t want to read generic reviews by family members and friends who feel obligated to say they like your book.

4) Value honesty.

Not every review is going to be positive. Welcome criticism and use it to improve. Readers will be suspicious if every review is positive. No book is loved by everyone, and readers appreciate genuine reviews.

According to Amazon, if you spend two or three days contacting about 300 potential Amazon reviewers, you can expect to receive about 40 to 50 responses, and wind up with perhaps 35 reviews, a quite satisfactory result. So start contacting reviewers today, and watch your book sales improve!

To learn more about Amazon book reviews, click here.

ABOUT JODEE THAYER: With over 20 years of experience in sales and management, Jodee Thayer works as the Manager of Author Services for Outskirts Press. The Author Services Department is composed of knowledgeable customer service reps and publishing consultants; together, they all focus on educating authors on the self-publishing process in order to help them publish the book of their dreams. Whether you are a professional looking to take your career to the next level with platform-driven non-fiction or a novelist seeking fame, fortune, and/or personal fulfillment, Jodee Thayer can put you on the right path.

Jodee Speaks, Uncategorized

Celebrate Earth Day by Self Publishing an Ebook

In honor of Earth Day last week, many of you may be looking for ways to reduce your carbon footprint. We all know that resources are scarce, pollution is a growing problem, and we must change how we live if we want to keep our planet clean, beautiful, and healthy. But many people aren’t sure what they can do to help. Well, if you are a self publishing author, one of the things you can do is offer your readers an ebook. Here are a few reasons why self publishing an ebook is a great idea.

Obviously, ebooks equal paperless, and less paper equals more trees. More trees equal a healthier, more beautiful environment.
E-readers, such as the Kindle and Nook, are becoming increasingly popular, so more and more readers are looking for ebooks.
Offering an ebook increases the chance that your book will appear in search results, which increases the chance that readers will purchase your book.
Ebooks offer your readers a quick and convenient way to purchase your book. Today’s market wants to be able to make purchases by simply clicking a button, and unlike ordering a paperback book, readers don’t have to wait for the book to arrive in the mail.

If you are also going to offer a paperback or hardcover copy of your book, consider using recycled paper. Some self publishing companies, such as Outskirts Press, offer this option.

I’d love to know, how often do you read ebooks, and what format do you plan to self publish your book?

Jodee Speaks

Spring Clean Your Manuscript and See What Self-Publishing Dreams Bloom

Yesterday, April 21, was the first day of spring, a time of renewal and, perhaps, new beginnings. For some writers, spring is the perfect season to produce fresh works. For others, dusting off an old manuscript might be just the ticket.

If you have abandoned works rotting on the vine, don’t let them go to waste! Dig them out and see if a little spring cleaning is all they need. Follow these steps to freshen up your manuscript for spring self-publishing:

Awaken. It’s time to wake up and reassess that long-dormant manuscript. You may remember it as either utterly brilliant or complete rubbish (although I suspect if you considered it literary gold, you’d have self-published it by now). All writers feel one of those extremes about their own work just after completing it, and it’s almost never as good or bad as they think. Bring it out of deep freeze and give it one more chance.
Sow. Dig into each page like you’re reading it for the first time — and leave no stone unturned. Set aside whatever feelings or impressions you once had about your manuscript and look at it with fresh, new eyes. You’ll be much more objective about it now that time has passed. Pretend it’s someone else’s work, if that helps. You may find strokes of genius you didn’t recognize before.
Prune. Of course, along with unearthing forgotten brilliance, you’ll likely also find your fair share of thorny passages that inspire “What was I thinking?” moments. Time to yank the weeds and trim back “overgrowth” in your manuscript. Be merciless: This is one time when heavy spring pruning is OK.
Plant. Fill in the “bald patches” – elements of your story that require elaboration, such as further plot and character development. This is where you may choose to replant ugly, unhealthy portions that you pulled earlier.
Fertilize. Cultivate a plan to nurture those parts of your book that are weakest. Sprinkle it generously with notes about what changes you need to make as you review and review again; gradually, your writing and your overall story will grow more lush.
Cross-pollinate. Read the works of others. See a good movie, or listen to your favorite music. Exchange ideas with other writers. The idea is to borrow inspiration that will better inform your book.
Reap. Once all your efforts have born fruit in the form of a juicy new manuscript, take your product to market! There are surely plenty of readers who are hungry for what you have to offer.

Fresh eyes and a few good brainstorms may produce all the fertile ideas you need to turn that literary spring cleaning project into a sizzling summer read. Good luck!

Jodee Speaks

Get Your Self-Published Book into Large Retail Chains by Starting Small

We love ebooks and the unbeatable accessibility and immediacy of downloadable books, but there’s just something about seeing your own work on an actual, physical store shelf that is so appealing — to you and to your potential readers.

So, how do you get your self-published book one of those highly coveted spots? The short answer: one step at a time. Try these step-by-step strategies to get closer to your bookstore goals:

Start with online and in-person sales. Sell at book fairs, on your social media sites, at local events and any place you can set up a table and take payment.
Market. Set up a clear plan for marketing and publicizing your book so you can gather interest and increase sales.
Establish that your book is desirable. Track every sale and look for patterns of growth.
Take your sales figures on the road. Once you’ve established that you have, or are heading toward, positive sales trends, start talking to local bookstores, seeking a commitment to carry your book.
Tailor your product. Armed with your bookstore commitments, work with your self publishing company to change your trade discount and retail price, and add retail returns, so bookstores can carry your book.
Expand to larger markets. Put together a proposal to submit to bookstore contacts and approach larger markets about getting your self-published book on their shelves.

Getting into big retail stores may seem a simple process, but it’s by no means an easy one. However, if you keep your eye on the big picture and work consistently toward your goal, it’s doable.

Jodee Speaks

Top 4 Reasons to Self Publish in April

Authors choose to self publish for a variety of great reasons: creative freedom, control over pricing, the speed of publication and more. But, with the promise of spring in full gear, there are four more great reasons to self publish now:

New beginnings. Spring is the time for renewal. Renew your commitment to your self-publishing dream by publishing that manuscript now.
Tax refund. Put your federal and state tax refunds to work on something meaningful by realizing your dream of self-publishing. If you play your cards right, that investment will pay you back in sales revenue and the deep satisfaction you’ll get from being able to say you’re a published author!
Summer book fairs. April is the perfect time to self-publish if you want your book ready for book fair season, which really ramps up in June. Self-publishers, like Outskirts Press, can get your manuscript to print in a matter of weeks, so you could have your book ready just in time!
National Poetry Month. Honor National Poetry Month in April by publishing your volume of poetry now. (Outskirts Press offers a Poetry Formatting Kit that makes formatting and publishing a high-quality book as simple as cutting and pasting text.)

While there’s never really a bad time to get going on your self-publishing dreams, April’s the ideal time to plant the publishing seed that will bear fruit later in the year.

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