Hi everyone,
I'd like to give you a little update on my everyday marketing life. Like most self-publishers, I'm struggling to get some honest reviews for my books. I can't blame anyone for not leaving one, though. I don't remember ever reviewing a book myself before I started writing.
But it can't be helped: most advertising is in vain without at least a few positive reviews. Naturally, on social media you'll get plenty of requests for paid reviews. But even if you consider that route, who would actually read them? Most of the accounts I check have thousands of followers and zero interactions. And a paid positive review is worth nothing anyway.
So here's what I'm currently doing:
- Launching a (very late) free ebook ARC on Booksprout for Days of Madness (open until the end of August): https://booksprout.co/reviewer/review-copy/view/304709/days-of-madness-the-lost-volume-1
- Running a $0.99 Countdown Deal for Days of Madness (Aug 29 to Sep 5), along with paid advertising on Bargain Booksy
- Ordering an honest Kirkus review for my omnibus edition, The Three Oaths (due in August)
None of this comes for free. The Kirkus review in particular costs a fair bit. And a paid honest review is a gamble, of course. It might just as well turn out bad. But I figure if you don't trust your own work, you can hardly expect to convince anyone else.
I'm looking forward to giving you an update later on how each of these options has worked for me.