Authors, you're in for a treat today. Giacomo (Jim) Giammatteo is like the Pied Piper of reviews. What impressed me is that he makes it looks so effortless and transparent. He uses no hidden agendas or ploys. But as you read his post below, you'll come to understand just how seriously he takes his responsibility for keeping his books visible.
It's not just asking for reviews, but taking every opportunity to secure new readers and fans. That's a talent surrounded by hard work and dedication.
You can't argue with his stats, so I am pleased to introduce my friend and peer.
Take it away, Jim!
The Agony and Ecstasy of Book Reviews
It is damn near impossible
to get noticed when you're a new author. Think about this—there are more than
2,500,000 books listed on Amazon.
“Showing 1 - 48 of 1,981,178 Results”
The above was taken from Amazon’s Kindle store list of books. And yes, that
is almost two million books on the Kindle store alone.
The city of San Francisco
has @ 800,000 people! (City limits) The picture above is from a protest and it
was estimated to be about half a million people. In Amazon’s Mystery
genre there are @ 300,000 books. So how the hell is an author going to get
noticed in a crowd like that?
I
decided that working hard to get reviews would be the key to getting noticed. I
figured if I got enough reviews, readers were bound to take notice. Little did
I know how difficult getting reviews would be.
The Process of
Getting Reviews
◆
Your Book—In the
back of your book put a statement about how important reviews are, and ask the
readers to please leave a review. Don’t ask for a “good” review, just an
honest one.
◆
Bloggers—This
bit of advice is perhaps the most important. Do your research. Find the
bloggers who read and review in your genre. Follow their instructions and
guidelines. Most of them have their policies posted on the site. Read them.
Did I mention—Read the Review Policies?
◆
Giveaways—This
is huge. I have done three giveaways on Goodreads and two on
LibraryThing. I gave away 16 print books on Goodreads and more than 60 ebooks on
LibraryThing. What was huge about it wasn’t the number of reviews the
giveaways generated—which wasn’t nearly what I anticipated—but the additional
exposure, especially on Goodreads. During the most recent giveaway I had more
than 100 people add my book to their TBR shelf, and more than 900 entered the
giveaway. That generated a lot of exposure, which will pay off in the long run.
◆
Giveaways—I know
I just said this, but now I’m talking a different kind of giveaway. These are
personal giveaways and this can payoff in a big way. Talk about your
book. Don’t be a pest but, if you see an opportunity, talk about it, and give
the book away to anyone you think might enjoy reading it.
◆
Giveaways—What? More
giveaways? Yes. Absolutely. Now I’m talking social-media giveaways. If you get
in a conversation on Twitter—give your book away. If you’re talking to someone
on Facebook or Linked-in—give the book away. G+, Pinterest—give them away. Any
chance you get, give a book away. And don’t forget to politely ask for a
review. The keyword in this section is conversation. I’m not talking
about spamming your book all over Twitter, or mentioning it in every Facebook
post. I’m talking about actually engaging people and getting into a
conversation with them. As a side note, I seldom mention my books in social
media—unless I’m doing a promotion of some kind.
◆
Bribery—Perhaps
the biggest opportunity of all. If a reader writes to you to tell you how much
they liked the book, don’t pester them for a review, but offer
them your next book free if they leave a review. You’ll get a high percentage
of people take you up on this, and the best thing is you can keep the chain
moving. If they leave a review on the next book, give them the one after that
free. But make sure to say, “It doesn’t have to be a five-star review. All
reviews help.” Otherwise, they might feel pressured to write a five-star
review, and if they aren’t comfortable with that, they simply won’t write one.
The Bottom Line
This is not an easy road. I
spend more than three hours every week. Yes, every week, doing something
related to getting reviews, but in the long run I know it will be worth it.
What I Don’t Do
•
I don't trade reviews with other authors. I'll read another author if I
like the kind of book they write, and, if I’m inspired, I’ll write a
review.
•
I won't buy reviews. I bought a Kirkus, and a few other
"editorial" reviews for Murder Takes Time last year, but I wouldn't
do it again.
Ciao, and thanks for listening,
Giacomo
I know I have a lot of crime readers out there. If you haven't tried one of Jim's books, please do. You won't be disappointed!
Let's discuss. How do you normally ask for reviews? Is there anything that hasn't worked for you?