Although getting your book on Amazon may seem like the Holy Grail of authordom, it’s really just the end of the writing stage and the first step of the marketing phase—an arena most authors shun with great dislike and/or disdain.
One of my recent clients (an entrepreneur selling a well-written how-to manual via the Kindle Store), asked me for a few marketing ideas he could do on his own. The easiest task, I told him (and one of the most effective) was getting several positive reviews for his Amazon Kindle book. My suggestion was to send e-copies to colleagues and friends, asking them to give the book a run-through and then post a review.
Do your friends actually have to read the book to give it a review? Well, no. But the plus of giving them a copy is:
- They may catch some doofus mistake you made, saving you the embarrassment of a book buyer who revels in pointing out the dumb stuff they find in a review that will NEVER GO AWAY.
- With a copy in hand, they can write a much more detailed review because they have all of the info at hand – not just the bits you tell them about
- If your book is on a topic of interest to your friends, they’ll probably write a far more enthusiastic review because it’s something they actually care about.
Positive reviews – in my opinion – have accounted for dozens of my own book and article sales. Think about it – if you’re unsure about buying a particular book, don’t YOU read the reviews? I know I do.
Getting positive Amazon reviews is the least of your book marketing efforts – what else can you do? Stay tuned . . . and if you feel like commenting, I’d love to hear your Amazon book review technique suggestions.
Having recently published a book of my own, your post has given me a new angle on helping the marketing portion of the process. Thank you ever so much!