AUTHOR DONNA GALANTI ON DEBUT AUTHOR PLATFORM AND HOW TO MAXIMIZE VISIBILITY
I have worked with, been edited by, and spoken to Donna Galanti on many occasions. She is a kind, thoughtful, sharp-eyed author and really knows her stuff. It doesn't hurt that she writes extremely well. She is now starting an author training course on how writers with their first book coming out can create their author platform. I am thrilled to host her giveaway and promotional materials in order to assist new authors.
WHO IS DONNA?
Donna Galanti is the author of the paranormal suspense Element Trilogy and the children’s fantasy adventure Joshua and The Lightning Road series. Donna is a contributing editor for International Thriller Writers the Big Thrill magazine and blogs with other middle grade authors at Project Middle Grade Mayhem. She’s lived from England as a child, to Hawaii as a U.S. Navy photographer. Donna enjoys teaching at conferences on the writing craft and marketing and also presenting as a guest author at elementary and middle schools. Visit her at www.elementtrilogy.com and www.donnagalanti.com. She also loves building writer community. See how at www.yourawesomeauthorlife.com
Find Best-Fit Book Reviewers PLUS Win a Website Critique & AMA with Author Donna Galanti!
It’s a funny thing once your book is published. People you don’t know are reading it and reviewing it. Some reviews will be good. Some will be conflicting. Some may be bad. Here’s my take on what authors can do with reviews and how to find best fit reviewers.
Conflicting Reviews You may wonder how two people can find such differences in your book. Easy. It’s all subjective and your readers will vary. Just as your book is unique, so is everyone’s opinion of it based on their collective life experiences.
In the same week, a reviewer for my book noted “absolutely no grammar errors were noticed which proves that good editing is out there!” and another noted “Good plot, but a lot of typos.” Recommendation? Laugh over them and then ignore them. Bad Review Unfortunately, you may receive them. Are bad reviews all bad? Not necessarily. If people are talking about your book passionately, it's more likely to reach some readers who'll like it but would never have found it otherwise.
A bad mention can be better than no mention at all, particularly for those readers who are skeptical of too many glowing reviews. It can lend more credibility to the book.
The more reviews you get the more exposure your book gets on Amazon – good or bad reviews. As you get more reviews, Amazon ranks you higher in their search engine for keywords related to your book so more potential readers can find your book. As you can see, even bad reviews can then help boost your book’s discoverability. It also helps your book to be more balanced for reviewers.
A few rotten reviews are expected with every book, as a book is so subjective to each reader, and it gives your book more credibility. A book with all 5-stars seems a bit too good to be true. Readers will weed through the reviews and can surmise the value of your book and if it will appeal to them.
Best reviews are the ones that are a mix of critical comments and positive as it means the reader was affected by your book enough that they took the time to leave a thoughtful review on many points. What not to do about a bad review? Respond. All authors receive them. Even the New York Times bestselling authors. Why a bad review? The reader might not normally read your genre, or was misled by the cover. The writing style might not be one they normally connect with. Have you read a book and wondered how people could praise it? A bad review can even lead to self-awareness of your writing and improvement. And remember, they are reviewing the book – not the writer.
Finding Best Fit Reviewers Can you increase your chances of finding positive reviewers? Yes! Research book review bloggers in your genre and age-range that you write in. Review their website and see what kind of books they have reviewed in the past. Check out their review request policies. See if your book falls within the guidelines of what they want to read and request a review. Places to find book reviewers? Use Google Alerts. Type in key words like "romance stories" or "action novels" and then in what medium you want them to appear (as they appear in blogs, the news, etc.). Google will then send you a list every day of all the hits according to your search specifications. Click on the links recommended. If they include bloggers that do book reviews, send them a request for review. Also, search for “book blog” plus your genre to find reviewers. Try searching Facebook book groups. They can have corresponding blogs that offer book reviews.
Have Advanced Reader Copies (ARCs)? Use them to do a Goodreads giveaway. This can generate positive reviews as readers who enjoy your kind of book will enter to win a copy of your book. Always send a handwritten thank you note with the book and politely ask that they write an honest review.
Have an ARC in e-book format only? Many book bloggers accept them for review as well.
Final tip on finding best fit reviewers. Search for comparable and successful authors with keywords of “author name” plus “review." You will find book bloggers that reviewed that author’s book. These are good blogs to familiarize yourself with and not only request a review, but ask to do a guest post and/or giveaway.
Best of luck with your reviews!
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Connect with Donna:
Twitter https://twitter.com/DonnaGalanti Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DonnaGalantiAuthor/ Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5767306.Donna_Galanti Instagram https://www.instagram.com/donnagalanti/
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Win a $350 Author Website Critique and 1-hour Ask-Me-Anything Consult Package!
Learn the strengths and weakness of your online presence and ask me anything face-to-face!
Author Website Critique: Receive an evaluation on your website's strengths and weaknesses, as well as ways to improve your website based on your strategic goals for optimal online communication. Plus ask me anything about author platform, author branding, or book marketing in a 1-hour Skype call!
Author Website:
Your author website is one of the key marketing assets you own and control. It’s where your author online presence begins! Is yours meeting best industry practices? I’ll review your website and share how you can improve it and how to build the best possible platform for audience growth and book promotion.
TRAILER FOR 'JOSHUA AND THE LIGHTNING ROAD' BOOK TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feNB-d6RF08&authuser=0
