What Should I Do About a Bad Review on Amazon?

It's frustrating to get a bad review, but it happens to most authors sooner or later. 

My advice for authors is to try not to take it personally and to remember that books (especially fiction) are subjective - some people will love your book and others won't. And many book buyers realize that most books will have some negative reviews, even if most of them are positive.

If a review contains factual errors (for instance stating that a nonfiction book was missing important information) you can click the "comment" button on the review and leave a note. But be very careful not to sound defensive - just state the facts. (e.g. Perhaps you missed chapter 6 where I discussed that topic in detail.) 

If you think a review was really unjustified, you can also click the "no" button next to "Was this review helpful to you?"  

If a review violates Amazon's terms you can ask Amazon to remove it. Amazon will not remove a review simply because it's unfavorable or you think it's unfair, but they sometimes remove reviews that are reported for violating their terms.

Also focus on getting more good reviews to offset the bad ones. 

And finally, take an objective look at negative reviews and see if there are any legitimate comments that you might use to improve your writing.

Tips for Getting Booked on National TV

Serve, support and assist. When you're pitching to a national television show, your job is to add value, not to sell your book or be the star. Throughout the process, you need to be prepared to help in any (and every) way you can.

Being the most helpful guest the show staff ever worked with, while also delivering a stellar on air performance, can take you a very long way.

(Most bestselling authors I know refine this skill with professional media training, which teaches you how to balance self-promotion with delivering valuable content to viewers.)

Research is king. Before you write the first word of your pitch, you "need to know the audience, the people watching the show you're pitching." If you're pitching a morning show, for instance, your story should appeal to stay-at-home moms and seniors, who are most likely to be home during the day.

Short is good. Punchy is better. Given people's packed schedules and abbreviated attention spans, the length of your pitch definitely matters. "Shorter is better, punchy is best, and sexy is always good. Try to hook them in 9 or 10 sentences".

Be the squeaky wheel. The goal of your pitch is to get attention. Once you've done that, you'll need to follow up, often multiple times, by email and phone. Pitching major media, requires that you "aggressively pursue" each opportunity.

Work the system. Your initial point of contact at a television show is typically the booking department. Approach them first, but remember also to pitch the show's producer(s). The more points of contact you have, the better your chances of getting on air.

Never discount the "little gal." The more senior the person you're pitching to, the less time they have to look at your pitch. Assistants and associates, whether in the booking or production department, can be valuable allies -- if you approach them in an interesting, respectful way.

Be exclusive. The shows you're pitching want to offer their viewers fresh stories, so listing all the other shows you've been on can be "a real turn off," because it makes you look "overexposed." Share your media resume if and when you're asked for it.

5 Ways to Make Google Your Publicist

1.  Push out timely blog posts.Every author should have Google Alerts set on at least five keywords related to their topic area. Each morning, review the stories that are running in your topic area and consider how you can add to the discussion. Odds are the media members are searching for resources and insight on those timely topics and when you create a blog with your take and tag it correctly, you widen your net to attract attention from journalists looking for experts just like you. Extra tip: host your blog on your website and make sure one of the main links will take media members to a “press room” where they can find links to previous media coverage, press materials and contact information for you or your publicist.
2. Conduct an online brand audit.If I am a radio host and my friends at Smith Publicity have told me what a perfect guest you would be for my show and I Google your name to book you, what will I find? If you don’t currently have a website or any online platform, do I have any way of getting in touch with you? If I can’t find you quickly, I’m moving on to the next guest. If you do have a website or blog, is what I find when I arrive there going to reinforce my decision to have you on my program or make me wonder about your credibility? Also, think about those media members who may not know your name, but are searching for someone with your exact credentials . . . does your website or any of your blog posts come up in even the most specific search? Extra tip: Watch every single video that comes up in a simple search for your name on both Google and YouTube. Put yourself in the shoes of a producer at a top morning show and ask whether or not the video would encourage or discourage them booking you. Take down any videos that detract from your brand.
3. Pay it forward to journalists doing a good job in your topic area.When you read articles or hear stories in your topic area that you believe are well done, pay attention to the name of the media member responsible and find a way to help them drive traffic to the story. The best way to do this is to search for the journalist’s Twitter handle and drive your followers to the story with an encouraging tweet: “Love this story by @JohnSmith in the Wall Street Journal today (link) Really smart take on this, John.” While most journalists get hundreds, if not thousands of e-mails a day, they get far fewer @ replies and often pay attention to those talking about them on Twitter. One key point is to never pitch with an @ reply on Twitter . . . all of your journalist-related content should add value and contribute to the discussion. Extra tip: Use MuckRack.com to sort and find journalists on Twitter by category and media outlet.
4. Consider your social media infrastructure as an online press kit. In today’s changing media environment, the first place that readers, media members, colleagues and others are likely to interact with you and your book won’t be at Barnes & Noble or even Amazon – it will be on your website, or perhaps more likely, via your various social media extensions. In many ways, these online extensions make up your virtual press kit, and you must make sure that your branding is consistent and you are providing value across each. Extra tip: Nothing looks worse to media members or readers than a social media extension that hasn’t been updated in months. Don’t set up a Facebook page or Twitter account unless you intend on engaging and providing consistent, valuable content there. If you have social media accounts that you don’t update, cancel the accounts.
5. Be interesting. Your odds of getting your content in front of a journalist within social media are dramatically improved if you are writing pieces that your readers want to share with their networks. People don’t engage with those who stay in the middle of the road—so be interesting and thought-provoking with your content and make sure you give people a reason to share your insight. Extra tip: Blog titles often make all the difference in the world. Consider ways to spice up your headlines to attract more attention from journalists online.

Plan a Book Launch Party for an Ebook

Do a presentation based on the book's content, not just a signing where you sit at a table. Nonfiction authors can speak on their book's topic or plan an interactive activity based on the topic. Novelists can do a presentation based on some aspect of the book's story or do a short reading. Children's authors can read the book aloud, speak on the topic of the book, and plan fun activities for kids. All authors can talk about writing and publishing and take questions from the audience. Be creative and plan something interesting!

Print lots of bookmarks and handout several to all of the attendees so they can share with others. If you print your bookmarks with uncoated paper on the back side, you can sign the back of the bookmarks.

Encourage attendees to bring their ebook reading device to the event. They can download the ebook on the spot.  You could even provide a laptop computer where people can order the book if they don't have their ebook reader with them, but you'll need to make certain that each person logs out of their Amazon or other ebookstore account after using it.

You can "autograph" Kindle ebooks by using KindleGraph to send personalized inscriptions and signatures to the customer's Kindle ebook reader.

If your ebook is available on the Nook store, you may be able to arrange an event at a Barnes & Noble store. Last year B&N announced that they were going to offer autographing services for Nook Color devices, but it's hard to find any details on how to do it. Your local store event manager may have information on autographing.

Remember that you'll need to promote your event heavily. Suggested promotions include press releases to local media, emails or evites to your friends and local contacts, announcements on your blog and social media accounts, and postcard invitations. Ask others to help spread the word.

Promote Your Book Through Events

I’m a total extrovert and I know that not all authors fall into this category. I have been honored and humbled by friends of mine who have stepped forward and all on their own, set up book events and speaking engagements on my behalf. I encourage folks, if they’re a bit shy, to enlist their friends in helping promote their work. I have found that friends like nothing better than to contribute to my success, which may be in part, a reflection of the type of friend I am to others.

I always go out of my way to ensure that my friends’ projects are successful, and I think people remember that and want to return the favor. When I go about scheduling a local event, I look to see how I can contribute to the organization. Sometimes, it’s offering to donate $1 from my book sales at the event back to the organization. Other times, I will tailor my presentation to their needs. Often, I’ll offer to give a small writing workshop on a topic that’s salient to the group. 

As authors, we have big imaginations and large amounts of creativity. I encourage authors to put on their creativity hats and use them when designing their marketing campaigns. I will say that one of my first books, which was about Katherine Stinson, the fourth woman in the US to earn her pilot’s license in 1912, came out the month before 9/11. That actually sucked because my target market for that book was female pilots, many of whom lost their jobs as a result of 9/11 because airplanes laid off a lot of pilots and the women were some of the first to get laid off.

But a funny thing happened out of that. I didn’t let the fact that those women lost their jobs stop me. I just reached out and figured out that male pilots, too, wanted my books, and they wanted to give them to their daughters. Then, I discovered that there’s a whole lot of pilots who have their private licenses and don’t fly for the airlines. And those people do have money, because owning a private plane costs a lot of money. 

Once I figured that out, I found out that almost every little dinky town in the US has a little airport or airstrip, and there’s people hanging out there all the time. And there are fly-ins and air shows all over the country, all year long. You can see where this is going. Before long, I was trading books for rides in small airplanes, and at each air show, I met folks who introduced me to other folks. 

Before I knew what was happened, I was invited to go to the EAA annual convention in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, where I was a featured speaker and had a spot at the Author’s Table. Over 20,000 people come to that event over a week’s time period. I made connections there to keep me busy for the next year, and sold out two printings of that book. I still buy them now on ebay and resell them.

What you Should Not Include in your Book Proposal

One of the most successful features in Glamour magazine is the “do’s and don’ts,” where photographs of people in stylish and not-so-stylish clothing are compared. Why do readers like seeing these photos? It’s easy to see what a style disaster is when you’re looking at it, so that’s why I’m taking this approach in advising authors what NOT to include in a book proposal. There are many tips on what should be part of a book proposal but I believe authors would benefit from learning what should not be included in a proposal.

 

1.Never Say Your Book is Unique and One of a Kind

While your book may be full of useful information and be well-written, editors don’t want to hear you insist it’s so special that there is no other book available on the same topic. When evaluating a proposal, editors need to see whether similar books have sold well. If you say there isn’t any other comparable book, the editor will have to do some research to find related titles. Unless you’re writing a memoir, assume that there are related titles and spell out how your book differs from these books. For example, if your book is about 401(k) plans, say your book will cover strategies for everyone from new employees to retirees. Explain that your book is more comprehensive or includes real-life examples but saying that there’s never been a book like yours is not helpful.

 

2. Don’t Talk about Launching Marketing Efforts When The Book is Published

Just a few years ago, authors began marketing books after they were published. However, in today’s 24/7 competitive arena, marketing is almost as important as editorial content. You may still be writing your book but you have to think about marketing well before your book is published. Never say, “When the book is published, I will start blogging, Tweeting or design a website…” You need to start building your community months or even a year before your book’s pub date. Begin collecting names and email addresses well before your book is completed. Build up your social media platform (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn) so that your proposal includes a specific bulleted list of metrics such as FB followers, newsletter subscribers, unique monthly visitors to your website, a calendar of recent speaking engagements, etc. This detailed information could persuade a publisher to take on your project.

 

3.Never Say Your Title or Manuscript is Final

If you’re self-publishing, you can choose your title and control everything from content to design. However, if you’re hoping to work with a larger publisher, you need to be flexible about your title and content. While you may be certain that your title is persuasive, publishers have more experience so you shouldn’t say that you’re unwilling to consider another title. Most editors will try to include some of your words or phrases but titles change frequently, based on the development of the manuscript as well as input from marketers and sales reps. It’s also important that you be receptive to editorial direction. Editors don’t want to edit or have you rewrite chapters on a whim. Usually, editorial feedback is designed to improve your manuscript. You may say that you don’t want to make any changes but if your manuscript would end up being an 800 page book, chances are your editor will insist on cutting it down to a more reasonable page count!

 

4. Don’t Over Promise Endorsements or Publicity Support

If people have confirmed that they will provide endorsements (back-cover blurs), include their names in the proposal, especially if the people are well known. But don’t say that you expect Bill Clinton, Oprah Winfrey and Stephen King to endorse your book. Endorsements are useful and most books will have several on the back cover but promising celebrity endorsements isn’t a smart strategy. Editors probably won’t believe you and consequently may be skeptical of other promises contained in your proposal. The same is true of potential media appearances.  Be realistic. If you have appeared on radio or TV, list the programs in your proposal. There’s a strong possibility that you will be asked to appear on the programs again to promote your book but never claim that you have some “in” to a national show unless you have an email confirmation that can be included in your proposal.

 

5. Don’t Fudge the Numbers

When you include information about your background or your previous books, be truthful. It’s easy to check on sales figures so include accurate sales data about your other works. If there’s an explanation for a particularly low sales number, you can include it. Perhaps, you sold books off your website, rather than having sales go through accounts. That’s something an editor will want to know. If you haven’t done much public speaking, don’t say you’re an experienced speaker who has given keynote addresses. If you have media experience, be prepared to offer video or a link to a recent appearance. With today’s technology and available resources making “vetting” easier, honesty is the best policy. Believe me, I will often Google a prospective author.  On several occasions, I’ve turned down proposals because of concerns, i.e. complaints about a financial planner or bankruptcy hearings for an author writing about personal finance!

Don’t make these 7 self-publishing mistakes

Here are some of the most common:

1. Setting unrealistic goals. In spite of recent success stories in the news, you probably won’t become rich from your publishing venture. And you probably won’t sell a million copies of your book. Keep in mind that a book that sells 10,000 copies—whether self- or traditionally published—is generally considered to be a “success.” Another thing is that too many authors also believe that just putting their work out there is somehow going to result in sales, so they neglect putting together a marketing and promotions plan—which leads to the next item on the list.

2. Failing to think about marketing before the book is published. This is a biggie. I know that writing a book is no easy task, and authors tend to get caught up in the process before thinking of the next step, which is ensuring your book reaches your audience. I frequently speak with authors who have had their books out for months and have generated few sales. When I ask what they’ve been doing in terms of marketing, I often get a vague response. Or I have authors call me in September, asking to help them plan a promotions plan for the upcoming holiday season (which they should have started long before fall). It’s never too early to think about promoting your book and building your author platform. You’ll definitely want to have a plan in place well before the book’s publication date.

3. Not knowing your audience. Perhaps your book does have wide appeal, but not “everyone” is going to read it—even if you think they should. Also, consider your competition: Does your book offer something new and unique to potential readers?

4. Going the vanity press route and thinking you’ve self-published. If you pay a publisher to publish your book, and that publisher uses its own ISBN on your book, you have not self-published. And chances are, if you’ve got a vanity (or subsidy) publisher imprint on your book, reviewers won’t give it the time of day. Although the stigma is diminishing for true self-publishing (you purchase your own ISBN prefix under your own publishing company name and assign a number to your book), it still exists for vanity and subsidy publishing because editing is often nonexistent and interior and exterior designs are usually templates that look substandard. So if you hire a “self-publishing service,” make sure the end result is a well-done book that is truly self-published—by you.

5. Thinking you can do it all yourself. You can—but the end result will likely be an amateurish book that is riddled with errors. Even the best writers need good editors. And unless you are a book design professional, you want a pro to design your interior and exterior so they don’t scream “self-published.” Too many times I see authors in writers groups who post a book cover designed by themselves or a family member—and they almost always look it. Surround yourself with professionals who can help ensure your book reads well and looks good. (Get recommendations for professionals from other self-published authors whose books you like.)

6. Being stingy with review copies. Reviews are an essential part of any book promotions plan, so budget the cost of review copies in your original promo plan. I have worked with authors who were opposed to sending out “free” copies of their book—and the number of reviews they received suffered for it. It’s not unusual to hear some successful authors reveal they sent out a hundred or more review copies.

7. Not looking at self-publishing as a business. Once you’ve decided to self-publish, you are no longer just an author; you are also a business owner. And just as a commercial publisher looks upon any new book as an investment of its resources

Publishers Taking Risks

We've heard so often the complaint that publishers never take risks, that agents never take risks, and of course there are some who will say those are the reasons we're seeing the "downfall of publishing" today. I don't necessarily believe that. I think given how many new authors are published each year and how many of those succeed as well as how many fail shows that publishers take risks every day. Every book is a risk, whether it's a debut or not. No matter how much experience we all have we're never quite sure what's going to grab the attention of the reader.

That being said, recently when I heard that lament it made me think back to a publisher I once worked for, and by publisher I mean the individual, not the company. This particular publisher was a dreamer and a believer in all the good ways. The publisher loved the business and was enthusiastic about all the things about it, especially the books. One of the things this publisher charged was that each editor was allowed to buy one "book of the heart" each year. What that meant was that even if everyone in-house had doubts about whether the book would sell or could sell, the editor was given the ability to make a modest go of it, meaning the editor couldn't spend a million dollars for a book no one thought the house could do justice, but the editor could take a chance on something everyone else felt a little on the fence about.

For a young guy like me this was a really exciting opportunity, and while I never was able to buy my "book of the heart" before the publisher went another way, I held that feeling of excitement and carry it with me as an agent today.

I can't begin to tell you how often I've offered representation to an author for a book that I honestly thought would be a challenge to sell, but one I was excited about. And before all of my clients get worried, upon making the offer I've always been up front with the author about my belief that the book might be a long shot, but one that I thought was worth the risk. Some have sold, others have not, but either way I've never regretted taking the chance.

One caveat to all of this is that, as a writer, if you have an agent or publisher taking a chance on your book you still want to make sure it's a place that has some knowledge of where they're taking the chance to. In other words, you probably don't want me to take a chance on your illustrated children's book since that's so outside of my knowledge base that it just wouldn't be a smart move. I wouldn't even begin to know where to sell it to. You probably wouldn't want a business publisher taking a chance on your romance novel. Again, do they have the sales force available to even talk to the right buyers?

11 self-publishing strategies for success

1. Educate yourself. Publishing is a business and needs to be treated as such. There are books, blogs, websites, and associations devoted to self-publishing. Failing to learn all you can about it can mean wasting thousands of dollars by blundering along without knowledge or a plan.

2. Study the competition. Be sure your topic hasn’t been overdone. Check the library, your local bookstore, and Amazon.com. But don’t stop there: Check Books in Print Subject Guide and Forthcoming Books in Print Subject Guide. Then make sure yours is better than what is already out there.

3. Write what other people want. Catering to one’s own personal desires often makes for a blah book nobody buys. Face the facts: Personal journals and impassioned tirades are best saved for family and friends, not foisted upon the general public.

4. Think “marketing” from the start. The time to start generating marketing ideas is before you even write the manuscript. Identify your market. How can you reach them? Start folders of ideas. What catalogs might be interested? Which associations reach your potential readers? Can you sell the book as a premium to companies that would give it away as a gift to entice new customers or use it internally for training? Think about who else reaches your potential customer and how you can partner with them. Do you have contacts who have national name recognition and might write an advance endorsement?

5. Get professional editing. You cannot edit your own work. You cannot.

6. Create a catchy title. The right title can make a book. Short is best. Clever is fine but don’t sacrifice clarity. Include a subtitle for nonfiction books as it gives you extra mileage in ensuring readers know what the book is about.

7. Include all the vital components. Depending on whether your book is paper or electronic, you may need an ISBN, LCCN, EAN scanning code, subject category on the back cover, the title displayed boldly on the spine, and so forth. Don’t know what you need? See item number 1 in this list!!

8. Have a dynamite cover. Get it designed by a professional who knows book cover design, not just someone who does nice logos or brochures. There is a lot of competition out there; this is your opportunity to stand out from the crowd.

9. Make the interior inviting. Study the insides of books that look clean and user-friendly; use these as your model. The production values of your book must meet the competition to be acceptable in the trade. It is not advisable to do your book layout in Word, so if you are not budgeting for the steep price tag and learning curve of a program such as InDesign, hire a pro.

10. Price properly. Books that are much more costly than the competition—or even sometimes a lot cheaper—can meet resistance. Figure out a per-unit cost that still offers you a margin for profit and enables you to offer booksellers a discount—and that keeps you in line with your competition.

11. Publicize, promote, publicize, promote. Eat, sleep, and talk your books. Ongoing, enthusiastic marketing is the real key to success. Never quit. Always be on the alert for new opportunities; marketing is forever and your efforts today can yield results way down the road.