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How to Reach Out to Reviewers: a Publicist’s Guide

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Book publicist Ben Cameron has been in the game for twenty years, working with both traditional and self-published authors.

But he’s noticed a bigger change in the publishing world in the last five years than he has in the last fifteen. 

“That’s come down to the self-publishing revolution, and the revolution in ebooks,” Ben observes.

He recently talked to us about these changes — and what they might mean for self-publishing authors’ publicity games.

In this article, he offers his professional insights on what kinds of reviews are out there, how to find them, and how to get them. Let’s take a look at what he has to say.

TYPES OF REVIEWS

First up: the types of reviews out there that you can secure. As you might expect, the Internet’s revolutionized this quite dramatically, such that Ben now divides them into two categories: professional reviews, and “real people” reviews.

Professional reviews 

Professional reviews are reviewers paid by media companies to review books. Places like Kirkus Reviews, The New Yorker, and The Guardian are a few examples.

These tend to work best for literary or academic books — but their standing in the industry is so great that even just one of this type of review can make a big difference for any book.

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Using Audiobooks As Part Of Your Author Marketing Strategy

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Using Audiobooks As Part of Your Author Marketing Strategy | YourWriterPlatform.com

In this guest post, professional editor, Ashley Halsey, walks us through some of the benefits of adding audiobooks to your marketing mix. If you’re ready to take your author business to the next level, adding audiobooks to your marketing strategy may be the next logical step.

Many of us love audiobooks. They are a great innovation, can save time, and are a desirable option for those who would not normally be inclined to pick up a print book.

They’re also immensely helpful for people with certain disabilities, getting kids engaged with literature from a young age, and increasing comprehension and focus.

So if you’re considering using audiobooks as a means of getting your work to a broader audience, you may be on the right track.

The audiobook industry is growing rapidly. Audiobook sales rocketed by 43% in 2018, while those of print books declined (by 5%) for the first time in five years.

If you choose to take the plunge, you’ll be tapping into the fastest-growing segment in the publishing industry.

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To-Do List Overwhelm? Try This Powerful – And Surprisingly Joyful – Tip to Tackle It

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Eilat Aviram is a Follow-Your-Truth Catalyst. During her twenty-three years as a sought-after clinical psychologist, energy-healing teacher, author and speaker, she’s discovered something surprising: life actually DOES come with an instruction manual! It’s inside us. Below, Eilat offers her insight on how to tackle your to-dos, no matter how intimidating that list may be.

Is your To-Do List like a wizard’s beard?

Mine is. Since I decided to self-publish my book, my To-Do List is long and hairy and no matter how much I cut off, within seconds it grows back to the length it was before.

I have however, discovered a magical method of managing my To-Dos in a way that’s actually fun! I’m going to share it with you here so your dreaded list can also become less dreadful. I don’t blame you if you don’t believe me, but keep reading and see how empowered you feel to try this by the end of the article.

Why is my to-do list so long?

I’ve just launched my first book, ‘If You Loved Yourself, What Would You Do Now?’ first locally in print, then as a paperback on Amazon and this past weekend as an eBook on Kindle.

It went really well – I ran a free promotion over 48-hours and more than 800 people from over 12 countries downloaded a copy. The Kindle launch cost me a total of $35 but HOURS of my time and labor. (The $35 was to have Ebooster post it onto 45+ sites that advertise free book promotions. You can do that yourself but it takes a lot of time so I chose to pay for that.)

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Struggling to Write? How to Stay Motivated When Life Gets in the Way

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Struggling to Write? How to Stay Motivated When Life Gets in the Way | YourWriterPlatform.com

Even if we love what we do, we may find our motivation waning from time to time. It happens to the best of us, and when it does, it can compromise our focus, productivity and confidence. Guest author Angela Baker shares some of her best ideas on how to stay motivated even when life gets in the way.

Books don’t write themselves and lack of motivation can be one of the biggest impediments for aspiring authors.

Maybe you’ve written a few books already, but don’t know how to get them out there and you feel like your voice will never be known. Or maybe a personal problem is taking its toll on your creativity and you’re experiencing writer’s block. 

No matter what keeps you from moving forward, experiencing ups and downs is a normal part of your writing career.

Even the world’s most famous and talented writers struggled with lack of motivation at one point, but it’s important to keep going and develop a strategy to pick yourself back up when words no longer come easy.  

Write Every Day, No Matter What 

Maya Angelou’s ‘just write’ strategy isn’t always easy to apply.

What I try to do is write. I may write for two weeks ‘the cat sat on the mat, that is that, not a rat.’ And it might be just the most boring and awful stuff. But I try. When I’m writing, I write. And then it’s as if the muse is convinced that I’m serious and says, ‘Okay. Okay. I’ll come.’

– Maya Angelou

Forcing yourself to write every day, no matter what, can actually be tedious and painstaking, especially if you tend to be self-critical.

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Brand Strategy for Authors: How to Truly Stand Out From the Crowd

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Brand Strategy for Authors: How to Truly Stand Out From the Crowd | YourWriterPlatform.com

Why does your work matter?

What experiences do you have to share with others and what value do you offer that only you can provide? 

Because, if you can’t easily and clearly articulate your vision or the purpose behind your work, you will never be able to convey its importance to others. [CLICK TO TWEET]

It’s not enough just to be good at what you write. You need to be able to create an emotional connection with your reader – often before they’ve had a chance to read your book. 

How you position your work, how you distinguish yourself from others in your field or genre, as well as how all your efforts are perceived or interpreted by your readers, can be the difference between a brand that’s fab, or one that fizzles.

When your brand is cohesive and well-articulated, your marketing initiatives will be too. Branding encompasses the foundational elements of marketing: visual identity, key messaging, brand personality, and competitive advantage.


– Brian Lischer

Effective branding is foundational to the development of your writer platform and audience-building efforts. The author who can tap into what their readers yearn for – and construct an entire experience around what they crave – is the author that earns the devoted fan base.

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