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Marketing Books With and Without Reviews

 


As more and more paradigms fall by the wayside thanks to the digital revolution and contemporary life, it makes sense to wonder about the book marketing value of reviews. First-time authors might find ways to succeed without them or with fewer of them. Online reviews from readers and bloggers carry as much weight with many target readers as professional reviews. Then you can also add paid reviews to the mix, which may have a credibility gap with some people, but not everyone. Therefore, every author and their publicist are left to decide about the best approach. What's sure is that things have changed.

Even if you seek reviews that are legacy to traditional media (newspapers, magazines, TV), they distribute their reviews online. It's where people are reading and watching, and there are no space limitations online – previously, print issues had finite space. While nonfiction books are stars at winning media coverage because they are seen as newsworthy, novels and other works of fiction are often the subjects of reviews. There are other avenues to accumulate the endorsements and credibility of reviews, and writing bylined articles is one of them. It's excellent for nonfiction authors.

In the nonfiction genres, emphasis on reviews continues to be downplayed as authors, and their publicists find success in other ways. There's no harm in pursuing reviews, but promotional campaigns need many facets to be successful. Overemphasizing a single aspect such as reviews can lead to a too narrow campaign to succeed. It's similar in social media. While it is wise for most authors to participate and build their followings, it's rarely enough as a stand-alone approach. As you plan the PR program for a book, it's essential; to employ various tactics to reach target readers.

In the fiction genres, opportunities for media coverage can be more limited, and seeking reviews matters more. The good news is that professional reviewers are more likely to be interested in works of fiction, so the process of getting reviews is less complicated. If an effective pitch has been made, there can be a more substantial interest in a first-time author's work. Established authors may have the advantage of already being of interest to a group of reviewers who will read and comment on their work. Either way, it requires getting through to the people who will have a strong enough interest in your book to review it. 

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