When it comes to promoting my books, I haven’t always been
the best and definitely not the most proactive. I wish I could say it’s because
I’m so modest or that my books are so amazing, my work speaks for itself. The
truth of the matter is I’m not good at self-promotion.
People ask what my book is about and I struggle to come up
with an answer. Even now, I can’t think of a good example of a bad answer! This
is probably why I struggle to come up with those taglines that are supposed to
draw readers in, after your cover of course.
When This Time was released, I made a conscious decision to
invest more time and money in promotion of my novel. One thing I did, which
I’ve never done before, is actively solicit reviews of my book. I offered
reviewers a free copy of my book in exchange for their honest review being
posted online for whole world to see. You have no idea the effort it takes to
do something like this, not to mention the anxiety is causes a writer!
Querying a reviewer is much like querying an agent. Each
reviewer has different specifications with regard to how they want to be
contacted. Failure to follow their criteria can result in your work being
passed over for review much like an agent would pass over the chance to represent you. And much like agents, reviewers are inundated
with requests for reviews, particularly from emerging authors looking for more
exposure. As a result, reviewers are sometimes forced to be choosy when it
comes to what books they’ll read.
Then there’s the amount of time it takes, both for the
initial response and the final review. The number of authors asking for their
books to be read means that reviewers are often backlogged in completing
reviews. The waiting game can be nerve wracking, but it’s part of the process.
I have to confess it’s not the querying the reviewer or waiting
for the response that’s the worst for me. It’s getting that notification the
review has been completed and posted online for anyone to see. In that split
second before I click the link, I’m a mess. My heart beats twice its normal
speed and my fingers actually shake over the keyboard because this is it. The
moment of truth is here.
I am now going to find out if someone liked my book or
thought I should make sure I don’t quit my day job. And not just anyone either.
I’m going to find out what a perfect stranger thinks and believe it or not,
that’s an opinion I trust more than those of my family and friends. Not only am
I going to know, but anyone who cares to look will know. Not to mention, this
is all a direct result of something I asked for. Good or bad, I have to live
with that reviewer’s opinion and I have no right to be indignant or angry with
her because I asked her to read the book and tell me what she thinks.
I’m happy to say that so far, all reviews for This Time have
been favorable. Most are four stars and I think there’s been one five star
review. For those who aren’t familiar with the rating process, five is the
highest number of stars a book can receive.
Asking for book reviews is hard. Waiting for the reviews to
take place is harder. Reading the reviews and fighting the urge to respond is
the hardest of all. As difficult as the
process can be, I wouldn’t change it. Reviewers validate the work of a writer.
Reviewers get the writer more exposure which equals more readers. And most of
them do it for free; something every writer should keep in mind the next time they're frustrated.
