Expert Round-Up Topic: How do you use review copies of your book for marketing purposes?
ELLIOTT KATZ
A book lets people really know you when seeking you as a speaker or coach. Giving out review copies of your book lets people know what you can speak about at speaking engagements. It also lets people who may seek your coaching see what your approach is in dealing with their concerns. I tell people seeking my advice to first read my books so we can then build on what the books say and we don’t use our time just telling them what they learn by reading the book.
MELANIE HERSCHORN
I am a book marketing strategist for nonfiction authors and I think review copies of a book are terrific for marketing. First off, you can gather amazing testimonials to use on your author website, your author page on Amazon, as well as across your social media when you send the book to people for reviews. You can also do social media and email giveaways to grow your following with the book as the prize. Another way to utilize review copies is to send them to influencers to create content that they and you can share.
https://vipdigitalcontent.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/melanie-herschorn/
https://www.instagram.com/vipdigitalcontent/
BRUCE MILLER
We created and published over 40 books over the past several years. We also created and administer our Facebook Group, Golf Jokes and Stories, which has 240,000 + members with 200,000 active monthly.
We offer a free book (it’s free on Amazon, Kobo, and Smashwords) to every new member who joins our Facebook group Golf Jokes and Stories:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/golfjokesandstories
We know our members love golf jokes and golf stories and it leads them to familiarity with our other books that are featured in the FB group that are about golf and other subjects. The book is funny and sometimes a good laugh makes a person relax and more receptive to new information.
We welcome all new members as follows:
*“Golf is more about the people you play with than the score you shoot.”*
*Welcome and thank you very much for your interest in our group with these amazing, imaginative, creative, and very funny members!*
*We would like you to have a FREE digital copy of “Golf Jokes and Stories” and you can download it FREE here > *
*https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1077186
*We hope you enjoy these amazing people!*
*Invite all your golf buddies or other friends who love jokes and funny stories too!*
*Thanks again for joining!*
This leads to downloads, reviews, and purchases of our other books.
We also promote our books through discounts. For example, we promote books as a gift of laughter for dad or granddad and we put it on sale until Father’s Day. These two paperback books regularly sell for $11.95 each (reduced to $6.95 for Father’s Day). and are featured in our FB group.
https://www.amazon.com/Team-Golfwell/e/B01CFW4EQG
https://www.teamgolfwell.com/free-book-reviews.html
https://www.facebook.com/groups/349778855478186/
DEAN KAPLAN
Reach out to bloggers in your niche. Send your review copies to bloggers who specialize in the topic of your book and are willing to review it. For example, if you write a book about
finance, start by researching prominent finance bloggers.
Browse each blogger’s website to check that they accept books for review. Also, check their review criteria. Some bloggers will review independent authors, but others will not. When you have found a blogger that might be a good fit, send them a personalized email telling them what you like about their blog and ask them if they would be interested in receiving a copy of
your book for review.
https://www.kaplancollectionagency.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/deankaplan/
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0095LNV56/
AARON GRAY
Send review copies to influencers. Even if your book has yet to be published, you can still get a head start on all things marketing. One of my favorite ways to get ahead is by distributing review copies to online influencers. Book review content creators on YouTube are known to seek out these affiliate partnerships in exchange for a small commission.
The influencer will read your book, showcase it to their audience, and leave a review. Many BookTube influencers have a devoted audience of more than a million avid readers, so this method is the best way to put your book in front of those who are most likely to purchase it.
The influencer can create new content, their audience gets new reading material, and you turn an even greater profit. It’s a win-win for everyone involved.
https://nobsmarketplace.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/aarongray0001/
VINCE BURRUANO
It is essential to develop a marketing plan to help promote your new book. A great method is to ask for reviews that you can use on the book’s cover as well as inside. Testimonials from other authors and well-known industry professionals will add credibility to your offering. It will also provide you great comments to use in promoting your book before and after it is released. Remember, you want to start promoting your book in advance of it being available for sale to begin to generate interest and support. You can use the quotes from the testimonials to assist with this process. Remember, it is much more impactful when someone else is singing your praises.
You can repackage those same quotes once the book is released by simply updating the announcement from Coming Soon to Available Now. This is a great way to maximize the time and effort required to create content. Further, it will give you the opportunity to put these testimonials in front of your target audience multiple times. Let’s remember, not everything is
immediately noticeable. It often takes a few time to catch someone’s attention.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/vincent-burruano/
If you like this blog post, you’ll love our Author Toolkit for book marketing. It includes checklists, templates, worksheets and more. Check it out!
