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Book Reviews for Author Success: How to win great reviews to make your book shine
No idea where to start to get reviews for your book? Worried about hiring a professional service or contacting blogs to get those five-star marks? Award-winning author and professional reviewer Barb Drozdowich knows reviews inside and out. As the owner of the world’s largest reviewer database, let her break down the complex and confusing world of author testimonials to help you get the feedback you need to make your book a success. Book Reviews for Author Success is a step-by-step handbook that describes all possible methods for getting more reviews for your work. From contacting literary and commercial services to bloggers and readers, Drozdowich’s conversational style demystifies the jargon in her laundry list of strategies. Intended to educate authors of all levels, the book leaves no stone unturned in the quest for your first or thousandth review. In Book Reviews for Author Success , you’ll Book Reviews for Author Success is a packed, professional reference for any author looking to generate reviews. If you like easy-to-follow systems, complex subjects taught in plain English, and expert advice from key players, then you’ll love Barb Drozdowich’s superb manual. Buy Book Reviews for Author Success to get a five-star understanding today!
84 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 9, 2018
About the author
Barb Drozdowich
58 books302 followersBarb can teach anyone to use WordPress. She is a voracious reader of Regency Romance, taxi driver, gourmet chef in training, and slave to a cute puppy.
Barb has taught in colleges, universities and in the banking industry. More recently, she brings her years of teaching experience and a deep love of books to help authors develop the social media platform needed to succeed in today’s fast evolving publishing world. She owns Bakerview Consulting and manages the popular blog, Sugarbeat’s Books. She is also the creator and curator of The Book Blogger List
She is the author of more than 15 books 38 YouTube videos, a beginner WordPress course, a Goodreads course and lives in the mountains of British Columbia with her family.
Barb has taught in colleges, universities and in the banking industry. More recently, she brings her years of teaching experience and a deep love of books to help authors develop the social media platform needed to succeed in today’s fast evolving publishing world. She owns Bakerview Consulting and manages the popular blog, Sugarbeat’s Books. She is also the creator and curator of The Book Blogger List
She is the author of more than 15 books 38 YouTube videos, a beginner WordPress course, a Goodreads course and lives in the mountains of British Columbia with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 9, 2018
Full title: Book Review Secrets For Author Success: How to win great reviews to make your book shine by Barb Drozdowich.
As an indie author who’s been learning the industry for a few years now, one of the questions I most often see from folks who’ve just put their first book out is “How do I get reviews?” Well, if you’re lucky enough to be signed with one of the big publishers, they might do some of the work for you. Otherwise, dear rookie author, it’s all up to you, and Barb Drozdowich is here to guide you gently through the process.
First of all, what a lot of folks outside the industry don’t realize is that there are different types of reviews as well as different sources, and more places to share those reviews than you ever imagined. Drozdowich carefully explains the difference between professional or industry reviews, reader reviews, blogger reviews and others, and guides the rookie author to the right place to start looking for said reviews.
The most important chapter, in my opinion, is regarding author etiquette on dealing with negative reviews, and it’s covered pretty succinctly by the general advice; Don’t. DO NOT ENGAGE. Do not feed the trolls, if you think someone’s just being mean. And if they’ve got valid critique? Well, take that to heart and use it to become a better writer. Truth is, we’ve all got room for improvement, and nothing gets regular reviewers up in arms like an author on the attack. Trust me on this; there’s a new trashfire circulating every week on social media about an author who’s pulled an Anne Rice and attacked readers (google “interrogating the text from the wrong perspective” if you want to know why she’s synonymous with the practice). All I can say is, that behaviour only ever ends with the author doing it getting added to an awful lot of Do Not Read lists.
While Drozdowich does an excellent job of explaining what the different types of reviews are and how to get them, I do think the reference appendix falls a little short. There are plenty of professional trade review sites that don’t charge $200+ for reviews; Readers Favorite, Reading Alley are just a couple. She names sites which help you find reviewers and these stretch far beyond NetGalley too; BookSprout is a brilliant resource I highly recommend and a fraction the cost of NetGalley to get (for me) a far superior result.
I’m also a little surprised that the huge popularity of bookstagrammers and booktubers (Bloggers on, respectively, Instagram and YouTube) isn’t even mentioned, and there’s no advice for how to find and approach these incredible influencers. This is a fairly serious omission, and though it might be covered in one of her other books (there’s one about targeting bloggers) it would certainly make sense to at least discuss the topic in this one.
In the end, if you’re an author at the very start of your publishing journey wondering how to get reviews, this is a very handy resource. I’ll give it four stars, mainly because I think it’s lacking in the areas I mentioned above. If you’re a more experienced author? Well… you probably know most of it already. Just put it into practice. Oh, and join BookSprout. And no, I don’t get any kickback or anything from them. I just think they have a great service.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for review through NetGalley.
As an indie author who’s been learning the industry for a few years now, one of the questions I most often see from folks who’ve just put their first book out is “How do I get reviews?” Well, if you’re lucky enough to be signed with one of the big publishers, they might do some of the work for you. Otherwise, dear rookie author, it’s all up to you, and Barb Drozdowich is here to guide you gently through the process.
First of all, what a lot of folks outside the industry don’t realize is that there are different types of reviews as well as different sources, and more places to share those reviews than you ever imagined. Drozdowich carefully explains the difference between professional or industry reviews, reader reviews, blogger reviews and others, and guides the rookie author to the right place to start looking for said reviews.
The most important chapter, in my opinion, is regarding author etiquette on dealing with negative reviews, and it’s covered pretty succinctly by the general advice; Don’t. DO NOT ENGAGE. Do not feed the trolls, if you think someone’s just being mean. And if they’ve got valid critique? Well, take that to heart and use it to become a better writer. Truth is, we’ve all got room for improvement, and nothing gets regular reviewers up in arms like an author on the attack. Trust me on this; there’s a new trashfire circulating every week on social media about an author who’s pulled an Anne Rice and attacked readers (google “interrogating the text from the wrong perspective” if you want to know why she’s synonymous with the practice). All I can say is, that behaviour only ever ends with the author doing it getting added to an awful lot of Do Not Read lists.
While Drozdowich does an excellent job of explaining what the different types of reviews are and how to get them, I do think the reference appendix falls a little short. There are plenty of professional trade review sites that don’t charge $200+ for reviews; Readers Favorite, Reading Alley are just a couple. She names sites which help you find reviewers and these stretch far beyond NetGalley too; BookSprout is a brilliant resource I highly recommend and a fraction the cost of NetGalley to get (for me) a far superior result.
I’m also a little surprised that the huge popularity of bookstagrammers and booktubers (Bloggers on, respectively, Instagram and YouTube) isn’t even mentioned, and there’s no advice for how to find and approach these incredible influencers. This is a fairly serious omission, and though it might be covered in one of her other books (there’s one about targeting bloggers) it would certainly make sense to at least discuss the topic in this one.
In the end, if you’re an author at the very start of your publishing journey wondering how to get reviews, this is a very handy resource. I’ll give it four stars, mainly because I think it’s lacking in the areas I mentioned above. If you’re a more experienced author? Well… you probably know most of it already. Just put it into practice. Oh, and join BookSprout. And no, I don’t get any kickback or anything from them. I just think they have a great service.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for review through NetGalley.
November 23, 2018
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
Book Reviews for Author Success is author Barb Drozdowich's guide to indie authors on how to reach reviewers and increase exposure for their works. The book is aimed at creators who do not have a publishing marketing apparatus providing exposure
Released 9th October 2018 by Amazon publishing, it's 92 pages and available in electronic format.
The publishing industry has changed immensely over the last decades. Self publishing has made it possible for authors to produce and list their work directly on electronic media (i.e. Amazon, B&N, etc) and potentially reach millions of buyers, but without a significant online presence or active marketing plan, their would-be bestseller languishes, drowned in a sea of competition.
Ms. Drozdowich has written several guides and how-to books for new/indie authors on other aspects of the jobs of being a successful indie author, but this one deals mostly with several methods of 1)getting your book in the hands of reviewers, 2)getting those reviewers to successfully carry through in providing a review for your work and 3)leveraging those reviews into successful book 'buzz' which in turn generates sales.
This guide is written directly to its audience (other writers) and as such, it's not very slick or polished. What it does, and does well, is to gather online resources and sites together in one place. It's a great collection of website resources and how to utilize them to increase exposure. The book's chapters are arranged logically starting with the most basic (what is a review) through marketing and exposure, how to find bloggers and ask for (and recieve) reviews, and what reviews entail and what you can expect from reviewers.
This is a good resource, well written and accessible. I imagine it could be quite invaluable for a struggling author.
Four stars. Though I found no explanation for why the title given in the listings on Amazon/goodreads/etc is different than the stated title on the book itself. (I didn't detract anything from the review for that, but I did notice it, just a little quirky).
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Book Reviews for Author Success is author Barb Drozdowich's guide to indie authors on how to reach reviewers and increase exposure for their works. The book is aimed at creators who do not have a publishing marketing apparatus providing exposure
Released 9th October 2018 by Amazon publishing, it's 92 pages and available in electronic format.
The publishing industry has changed immensely over the last decades. Self publishing has made it possible for authors to produce and list their work directly on electronic media (i.e. Amazon, B&N, etc) and potentially reach millions of buyers, but without a significant online presence or active marketing plan, their would-be bestseller languishes, drowned in a sea of competition.
Ms. Drozdowich has written several guides and how-to books for new/indie authors on other aspects of the jobs of being a successful indie author, but this one deals mostly with several methods of 1)getting your book in the hands of reviewers, 2)getting those reviewers to successfully carry through in providing a review for your work and 3)leveraging those reviews into successful book 'buzz' which in turn generates sales.
This guide is written directly to its audience (other writers) and as such, it's not very slick or polished. What it does, and does well, is to gather online resources and sites together in one place. It's a great collection of website resources and how to utilize them to increase exposure. The book's chapters are arranged logically starting with the most basic (what is a review) through marketing and exposure, how to find bloggers and ask for (and recieve) reviews, and what reviews entail and what you can expect from reviewers.
This is a good resource, well written and accessible. I imagine it could be quite invaluable for a struggling author.
Four stars. Though I found no explanation for why the title given in the listings on Amazon/goodreads/etc is different than the stated title on the book itself. (I didn't detract anything from the review for that, but I did notice it, just a little quirky).
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
December 6, 2018
Clear, Concise, & Incredibly Helpful
I am a writer and a huge fan of this author's work. Her book, "Blogging for Authors," introduced me to the world of book blogging. She inspired me to get connected to the blogging community as a way to grow my online presence. Developing a platform can be overwhelming and Barb's book series makes it seem less insurmountable. I'm hoping to use these tips she provided to try to try to get some reviews for my own books in the future. I highly recommend this book for all aspiring indie authors.
I am a writer and a huge fan of this author's work. Her book, "Blogging for Authors," introduced me to the world of book blogging. She inspired me to get connected to the blogging community as a way to grow my online presence. Developing a platform can be overwhelming and Barb's book series makes it seem less insurmountable. I'm hoping to use these tips she provided to try to try to get some reviews for my own books in the future. I highly recommend this book for all aspiring indie authors.
March 22, 2020
Book Reviews for Author Success is a quick read craft book for Authors needing to enhance the number of reviews they receive for their book pre-publication and thereafter. A lot of the advice I'd already learned in my many years of self-publishing. There are some things not present that would be helpful for the newbie author. However, the dos and donts are standard, such as terms of service for Amazon, which a lot of people tend to violate, causing a loss of review rights. There are many creative ways to acquire a review, but the biggest thing the book will teach the reader is to respect the review no matter the opinion bc reviews are for readers and an author's complaint will ruin an author's career.
October 17, 2018
I was so happy to see that this new addition to Barb Drozdowich’s series of nine how-to handbooks for authors on self-publishing, promoting, blogging, mailing, and other jobs writers have, now includes this one on how to get those all-important reviews for your books. Authors often sigh over the great need for reviews vs. the great difficulty in snagging them. How to help readers see that writing reviews can be simple and quick? How to entice readers to get our book and then review it, hopefully in more than one place? Social proof is important for products and services today, but book reviews seem scarier than other forms of giving social proof.
I especially liked the chapter on Review Etiquette—for authors! Dissecting the levels of reviews, the places they can be posted, the rules they labor under, the types of them, and the anatomy of a review all make the review process transparent and understandable. As in all Drozdowich’s books, there is a full and helpful Appendix of sources for everything discussed, with hyperlinks! I am always grateful as well for the Glossary to de-mystify all the book-world jargon, and the cherry on the sundae, Helpful Hints.
In future editions of this book, I would like to see the addition of how to do video book reviews, as many readers have no idea they can do this, or how to do it. I'd love to know how! This is a really helpful guide that gives authors a leg up on the ladder of successful marketing of their book!
I especially liked the chapter on Review Etiquette—for authors! Dissecting the levels of reviews, the places they can be posted, the rules they labor under, the types of them, and the anatomy of a review all make the review process transparent and understandable. As in all Drozdowich’s books, there is a full and helpful Appendix of sources for everything discussed, with hyperlinks! I am always grateful as well for the Glossary to de-mystify all the book-world jargon, and the cherry on the sundae, Helpful Hints.
In future editions of this book, I would like to see the addition of how to do video book reviews, as many readers have no idea they can do this, or how to do it. I'd love to know how! This is a really helpful guide that gives authors a leg up on the ladder of successful marketing of their book!
March 2, 2020
Very helpful. All of Barb's books are great.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews