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Named to "Writer's Digest 101 Best Websites," this #SharingwithWriters blog is a way to connect with my readers and fellow writers, a way to give the teaching genes that populate my DNA free rein. Please join the conversation using the very tiny "comment" link. For those interested in editing and grammar, go to http://thefrugaleditor.blogspot.com.

Friday, February 15, 2013

Template for Book Review that Touts Reviewers Own Book

I wanted you--my visitors and subscribers--to see this review because it is an example of how reviews can be used by authors to help promote their own books. Of course, as I mention in The Frugal Book Promoter (http://budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo), it's also great for networking with editors, other authors, publishers of journals, etc.  Just a caveat, though. This technique of mixing information about your own book only works well with reviews you use on your Web site or blog. Don't try it with a review you post on an online bookstore or you may get banned for life!

Here is the example, one of my favorites!


Book Review: The Frugal Book Promoter
By Karen Fisher-Alaniz

Hi there. I’m going to veer way off track with this post. I don’t usually do book reviews, but as I’ve spoken to many, many readers who are also writers, I often field their questions about the publishing industry, marketing, and publicity. There are a few books that I have found so valuable that I want to share them with you.

I read the first edition of Carolyn Howard-Johnson’s, The Frugal Book Promoter, long before my book came out. It was a great way to educate myself. Then I reread it when my book was about to be released. Well, she now has a new edition. I didn’t think there was much to improve upon, but she’s done it again
Whether you’re self-published or traditionally published, Carolyn Howard-Johnson’s book, The Frugal Book Promoter is a must-read. It is so full of useful and practical information that I could easily read it in one sitting. But I didn’t. Why? Because this is not a book to be read passively; it’s a book of action. Written in way that motivated me to immediately apply my new knowledge, the book quickly rose to the top of my pile of author self-help books. Many, many times I not only took notes, or put a sticky note in the margin, but I also opened my laptop and immediately applied the new knowledge to my own book. And I’ve seen results.

Here are a few things I implemented:

Unique Uses of Book Reviews: Reviews by the big reviewers like Kirkus are great. But the average reader has no idea interest in those. My memoir, Breaking the Code: a Father’s Secret, a Daughter’s Journey, and the Question That Changed Everything, had been out for about six months when I started reading Carolyn’s book. I’d had some really nice reviews; some from NY Times Bestselling authors, and others by ordinary people who read my book or heard me speak. Using Carolyn’s book as a guide, I gathered up the reviews to put them in one place. Always asking permission first, I took reviews from blogs, websites, newspapers, professional review sites, and even personal letters I received from readers. Then I not only created a Reviews page, but also interspersed them on many of the pages on my website, depending on what the review was about. The result is a website that is vibrant and full of what other people have to say. I love it!

Contacting Authors in Related Genre: Again using Carolyn’s advice, I contacted an author in a similar genre and offered to send her a book. She read it and loved it, so I asked her for a review. Not only did she post it on her social media sites, but I then advocated for that review to be a blurb on the back cover of my book, when it went into a second printing. Perfect!

Increase Your Books Visual Recognition: Because my memoir is about my father, a WWII veteran, it was important to hyphenate my name. So, my author name became Karen Fisher-Alaniz. That’s a lot to remember and I fretted over whether people would be able to remember it. But as Carolyn so aptly points out, the cover of the book is just as important; it’s so much more visual. The Frugal Book Promoter is all about taking your book promotion into your own hands.

Practicing what I preach – cover of my book!

One thing I quickly realized was that when I spoke at conferences, the pre-prepared placards and name tags focused on my name, not my book. 1) So, I began carrying one of those inexpensive plate holders, to every author event I participated in. When I was speaking or on a panel discussion, I set my book in the holder next to the placard, so the audience could see it as I spoke. Other authors, believing they’d been overlooked by the organizers, wanted to know where I got my book holder. 2) I also adapted the nametag that hung around my neck by gluing a small book image under my name. Funny thing is that again, other authors wanted to know how I got my custom nametag. When I told them I’d done it myself, I always heard an enthusiastic, “That’s a good idea!” And that’s just what Carolyn Howard-Johnson’s book is all about. Good ideas!

Conclusion: I’ve read through The Frugal Book Promoter a couple of times. What I find is that each time, I get something different out of it. Some new idea will resonate with me, and I’ll give it a try. I still have a lot to learn. But the most important outcome of reading The Frugal Book Promoter is that I know that there is a lot I can control about how far my book goes. The life of my book is not determined by statistics, or by what someone else does or doesn’t do. I know that there are steps I can take to ensure that my book stays fresh and continues to reach its audience. And that, my friends, is gold to an author!

~The blogger and reviewer is Karen Fisher-Alaniz. She is author of Breaking the Code: a Father's Secret, a Daughter's Journey, and the Question That Changed Everything (Sourcebooks). Learn more about her at http://www.storymatters2.com .


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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including the award-winning second edition of, The Frugal Book Promoter: How to get nearly free publicity on your own or by partnering with your publisher; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor .

4 comments:

  1. Great information and great review! I have the first and new Frugal Book Promoter books - loved the first, love the second even more!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Karen, I know many have the paperback and the e-book because they use them in different ways, but you do them one better. LOL.

    Best,
    Carolyn

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wonderful! I too have learned much from Carolyn's book. Need to read it again soon!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Heidi,thanks for popping in with a mini endorsement. Do you have the new edition or the old. Let me know so I be sure you have the updated one for the reread. (-:

    ReplyDelete

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