 |
 |
|
 |
 |
Plug Your Book!
41
Amazon’s reviews are effective because they’re often written by
people who are knowledgeable and passionate about the book and its
topic. They’re seen as an objective evaluation from someone with no ax
to grind. Sure, many inept and biased reviews appear, but they’re easily
ignored and far outweighed by the good ones.
In the case of a niche book, an amateur reviewer with the right
expertise in the topic can critique it better than any professional
reviewer can.
Getting more Amazon reviews
Traditional book marketing strategies call for mailing hundreds of
review copies to reviewers at magazines and newspapers. But for a new
author with a niche book, chasing print reviews can be more of a
distraction than a strategy. A better way to launch your campaign is by
finding 100 to 300 readers in your target audience and giving them your
book. Ask them to post an honest critique on Amazon. This costs nothing
more than mailing review copies to traditional book reviewers, but will
likely have a bigger, more immediate impact. Here’s where to find review
candidates:
From Amazon’s list of Top Reviewers who regularly post reviews of
books similar to yours.
Amazon users who have reviewed related titles, or books by authors
with a writing style similar to yours.
Acquaintances and colleagues interested in your book’s topic.
Participants in Internet discussion boards and mailing lists relevant
to your book.
Registered visitors of your Web site or readers of your blog.
You can find more prospective reviewers by posting a message on
Amazon’s discussion board dedicated to customer book reviews:
webtag=am-custreview
Will giving away several dozen copies of your book hurt its sales?
Perhaps you’ll lose a sale or two, but you’ll gain much more from word
|
 |
|
