{"id":807,"date":"2010-05-04T05:39:55","date_gmt":"2010-05-04T13:39:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/publishingblog\/?p=807"},"modified":"2010-05-04T05:39:55","modified_gmt":"2010-05-04T13:39:55","slug":"the-book-review-challenge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/publishingblog\/?p=807","title":{"rendered":"The Book Review Challenge"},"content":{"rendered":"

I speak and write often about the benefits of getting your book reviewed many times over. I encourage authors to get proactive and submit their books to numerous book reviewers. And that\u2019s exactly what I\u2019m currently doing with Catscapades, True Cat Tales<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

What I forgot to tell you and what I am relearning as we speak is how much patience and persistence it can take during the book review period. I\u2019ve contacted dozens and dozens of potential reviewers of cat-related books. This includes editors of cat magazines and ezines, owners of websites related to cats, pet newspaper columnists and so forth. Sixteen of them requested the book and only one of them, so far, has reviewed it. <\/p>\n

Are any of you aware of pet columns in your local newspapers or regional pet mags or ezines? Maybe you frequent a pet blog or know about a cats only gift shop. I would love to receive contact information. If the contact turns out to be useful\u2014if it results in a good review and\/or sales, I will send you a copy of the book. How about that? Contact me here: PLFry620@yahoo.com.<\/p>\n

I did hear back from the editor of one well-known national cat magazine yesterday. She asked me to send a review copy of the book. Well, she had already requested the book and I\u2019d sent it two weeks prior. She said that it must be in the office somewhere and that there sure are a lot of people writing cat books these days. <\/p>\n

I will be following up with her and each potential reviewer in a few days. <\/p>\n

I review books related to writing and publishing for SPAWNews<\/em>. Even subscribers who know this rarely think to contact me with their books. Mainly, I stumble across books, contact the author or publisher and request a copy. And then the author may wait for several weeks or a few months to see his\/her review posted. That\u2019s because SPAWNews<\/em> is a monthly e-newsletter. If I happen to receive two or three books at once to review, the third review won\u2019t appear until three or four months down the road. I imagine this is the case with some of the reviewers I\u2019ve contacted to review Catscapades<\/em>.<\/p>\n

But I always ask before sending review copies. And I recommend that you do, too. People send me review copies of their books without permission and sometimes they simply are not appropriate for our readers. We do not review mysteries, memoirs, science fiction or children\u2019s books, for example. We review only books of interest to authors, writers and artists who want to sell their work. <\/p>\n

Book reviews can sell books. But, as with every other aspect of book promotion, the process of getting your book reviewed can be time-consuming, in fact, all-consuming. You must first locate appropriate reviewers and then, in so many cases, follow through with them. The hardest part might be the waiting. Sometimes it seems that no one is working but you. I can tell you that no one cares about your book as much as you do. And no one is going to go to any lengths to promote it, review it, recommend it or sell it without some incentive. Maybe that\u2019s why some book reviewers charge for reviews now. <\/p>\n

Do you have a book review story? Have you attempted to get numerous book reviews for your book? Have you landed book reviews\u2014how did this affect your bottom line? I can tell you that the book reviews I solicited for my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book<\/em><\/strong>, when it came out in 2006 (revised in 2007) really affected sales. I noticed an upsurge in sales with every new book review. So I am definitely a fan of getting book reviews. And I enjoy helping other authors of writing\/publishing-related books by reviewing them (let me know if you have a book in this category). But holy cow, is it ever getting more and more difficult to get meaningful, timely reviews. Has this been your experience?<\/p>\n

Frankly, I keep expecting the volume of books on the market to dwindle. With over 75 percent of all published books failing, it seems that only the strongest books and the most savvy, persistent authors would remain. But there are so many more people encouraging authors and offering services to help them enter into this fiercely competitive field of publishing whether they are ready for it or not. I guess hopeful authors will continue to live out their dreams of holding their published book in their hands even though most are not at all ready.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s like allowing grade school kids to adopt babies. Many authors are no more near ready or qualified to see a publishing project through than a child is to become a parent. Authors need more education and more experience than most typically enter into this profession with. That\u2019s why I wrote The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book<\/em><\/strong>\u2014which, by the way, received at least thirteen 5-star reviews. http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/rightway.html<\/a> <\/p>\n

Why did I write Catscapades, True Cat Tales<\/em><\/strong>? This was my treat for myself as well as my audiences. I\u2019ve been working hard to earn a living through my writing for many years. When hopeful authors began coming to me asking for help with their publishing projects, my focus shifted to working with others on their books. After 35 years, I decided that I wanted to do some fun writing\u2014write something light, but meaningful\u2014entertaining, but enlightening and also informative. And Catscapades, True Cat Tales<\/strong><\/em>, which had been on the backburner of my mind for a long time, was finally given wings. Learn more about this delightful book here:
\n http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades.html<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I speak and write often about the benefits of getting your book reviewed many times over. I encourage authors to get proactive and submit their books to numerous book reviewers. And that\u2019s exactly what I\u2019m currently doing with Catscapades, True Cat Tales. What I forgot to tell you and what I am relearning as we […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t