Author Name: Jay Thomas Willis
Book Title(s): Implications For Effective Psychotherapy With African-Americans; As Soon as the Weather Breaks; The Cotton is High; Born to be Destroyed; Paranoid but not Stupid; Why Black Americans Behave as They Do; Hard Luck; When the Village Idiot Get Started; Educated Misunderstanding; The Devil in Angelica.
Marketing Subject: Marketing Through Book Reviews
Part of the key to turning a book into a bestseller is exposure. The goal is to get as many people exposed to the existence of your book as possible. One way to accomplish this is to get book reviews published in as many newspapers, magazines, journals, Web sites, and blogs as possible. The more exposure a book gets, the greater the number of people exposed to the existence of the book.
There are many ways of handling book reviews. One way is to target publications and sites that generally review books in your genre. Don’t send out books for reviews without adequate research beforehand. It is likely to result in your book being tossed in the wastepaper basket without being read. Search for Web sites with similar subject matter to your book. Make a list of every magazine, journal, Web site, or blog that does book reviews on your particular genre. Include a wide range of media sources, including local media. Then check to see if they do book reviews. If they do, before sending your book, send a letter asking if they’d be willing to review your book. That will keep you from wasting a copy of your book. It can get quite expensive sending out unsolicited copies.
Some media have a policy against reviewing a self-published book, but you don’t necessarily have to tell them it’s a self-published book. Also, nonfiction hardbacks are more likely to get reviewed than paperback fiction.
Different media sources want information sent to them in different ways, so avoid a standardized press pack or author packet. Respond to each editor according to their individual needs.
Be sure to send out your book for reviews much ahead of your books publication date. Most reviewers want a copy of your book at least three months prior to publication. Some people argue that by getting reviews you’re not guaranteed that your book will sell. Some books have gotten rave reviews and sold only a few copies, while others get few reviews and sell many copies.
If the editor wants you to email the information in your press pack then do so. Some editors can be particular about their chosen method for you to send them information, but however they want it, it’s best to send it that way—if not they will likely reject your materials.
There are many ways to get your book reviewed: newspapers, magazines, journals, or online. There is no best way to get your book reviewed. The best way, of course, is whatever will sell the most books for you. Since most editors require a copy of your book, be sure they’re a good source for a potential review before sending them your book. Book reviews can turn books into bestsellers.
