In this day and age, most self-published authors know that securing book reviews is very important to their overall marketing strategy and is a necessity for creating that initial buzz around their book. At the end of the day, reviews influence other buyers. But not all reviews are created equal. If that were the case, every author applying the same marketing principles would have an equivalent outcome.

Let’s explore this further and assume your work is good or even great. You have already received Amazon reviews from friends, a few buyers, and some bloggers (with spotty followings) who received a free copy of your book. This is a great start, but what’s next? Are your book sales flowing in? I can’t imagine so. The reason for this is because you haven’t penetrated your market (with enough repetition) to a level that will ultimately affect your book sales. In order to penetrate your market, you must be potent. You will need to be visible wherever your target audience is hanging out.

In this blog post, I have outlined 2 strategies, among many, for getting book reviews that actually have an impact on sales.

  • Getting Reviews From Top Bloggers. Have you created a list of the top Bloggers in your niche? By top Blogger, I am referring to that person who has thousands of followers, is extremely busy sharing his or her content, and interacting with others. The result of their mentioning you or your book could do wonders for your book sales. You should not blindly email this blogger who has never heard of you, because you will be rejected. Think of them as any other relationship you want to build. Start following them, commenting on their posts, and sharing their content with your social media following. By getting to know them, they will soon get to know you, and your pitch is more likely to get a positive response.
  • Getting Reviews From Book Clubs. In addition to GoodReads, there are hundreds of online book clubs with niche followings. Not all book clubs will be appropriate, so the idea is to research just the clubs that cater to your target reader. This one step requires research, but it will ultimately lead to a positive outcome and getting meaningful reviews as opposed to negative reviews, because you shoved your book into the wrong hands. When the right book is introduced to the right audience, you can actually avoid a bad review altogether. There will always be a tough critic out there, but if you can keep your overall rating between 4 and 5 stars, you are much better off.

The above methods should be one part of your overall book marketing strategy, but I also encourage you to pursue other methods as well.

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