How Do You Deal with No Reviews

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popmuze

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What happens if your book comes out and nobody reviews it?

As I said before, I think 1% of books get 95% of the major reviews. How are you supposed to generate a buzz when nobody's buzzing about your book?

So this is two questions:

1) How do you get reviews?

2) How do you get attention for your book without reviews?
 

Puma

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Don't ignore the potential for "local" reviewers - VIPs in the area where you live and write. Local publicity is a lot better than none. I ran into a statistic that reported the LA Times gets 600-700 books to review - a week. So, obviously, the better known the review source, the harder it is to get a review. Puma
 

CaoPaux

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How many ARCs did your publisher send out and to whom? What is their current marketing and promotion for you?
 

popmuze

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How many ARCs did your publisher send out and to whom? What is their current marketing and promotion for you?



The latest book's not due out until September. As usual, I'm just anticipating the worst--but trying to avoid it at all costs (without, of course, spending any money).

As far as their plans for marketing and promotion, I think they're looking at trying to get radio interviews. I don't know how many ARCs--what's the typical number.
 

maestrowork

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Your publisher should be actively sending ARCs to national reviewers. As for local and regional reviewers, you need to do some work yourself and not sit on your laurels. Get the contact info of you local media. How about the newspapers of your school? What about networking? There must be someone you know who review books? You need to do a bit of work.

Without reviews, you can still get attention or buzz, at least in your local market. Send out press releases. Talk up your book, and how it's unique for your local area. Go on radio shows to do interviews. TV programs, even. Sell yourself as some kind of local expert, or minor celebrity, or whatever. It's all part of self-promotion and every writer should learn how to do it.
 

Diana Hignutt

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1) It should be your publishers responsibility to get out ARCs (Advanced reading copies) to reviewers. This should have been done 3-6 months prior to your book's release. If this did not happen you have no chance with major review sources.

There are things you can do to get some reviews on your own--but I'd need to know more about your book and what your publisher is doing for you.
 

maestrowork

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Worst case scenario is that you or your publisher is not doing anything. As long as you're doing something, I doubt you'd have any trouble getting some reviews, or media attention. If someone like me could get them, anyone could.
 

willietheshakes

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IS this the Woodstock book in your sig?

Because if it is, I don't think you'll lack for attention, given the anniversary in August. And your publisher should be able to capitalize on that. As for what you can do, start local -- pitch stories to your local paper, local tv, local indie radio, etc. Position yourself as an expert and historian, and make yourself the go-to guy when it's time for everyone to come out with the inevitable "it was forty years ago" stories. Get in the media, and the reviews (or lack thereof) won't matter. Off-the-book-page is far, far more valuable for selling books, as it reaches people (ie, the vast majority) who never look at the books section.
 

popmuze

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As for what you can do, start local -- pitch stories to your local paper, local tv, local indie radio, etc. Position yourself as an expert and historian, and make yourself the go-to guy when it's time for everyone to come out with the inevitable "it was forty years ago" stories. Get in the media, and the reviews (or lack thereof) won't matter. Off-the-book-page is far, far more valuable for selling books, as it reaches people (ie, the vast majority) who never look at the books section.


Yes, this is the book in my signature. If it's due out in September (I don't have the exact date yet) is this too soon to start my personal campaign?

(In the effort to avoid that, I've just embarked on a new novel. Now I'm safely into that comfort zone, at 35,000 words and climbing).
 

popmuze

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There are things you can do to get some reviews on your own--but I'd need to know more about your book and what your publisher is doing for you.


As far as I know, they will be sending it to all the usual suspects (which has never netted me a ton of reviews in the past) and I've provided them with my own contacts in the media.

This is the book in my signature: What else do you need to know?
 

Diana Hignutt

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As far as I know, they will be sending it to all the usual suspects (which has never netted me a ton of reviews in the past) and I've provided them with my own contacts in the media.

This is the book in my signature: What else do you need to know?

Well, I'd definitely do some research on other review media that your publisher might not think of or have contacts with. You've got a great book by the looks of it, I'd be surprised if you didn't get some reviews from PW or Library Journal, but I'd try and get some copies sent to places like Rolling Stone, etc. And, there's always The Midwest Book Review, heck they review everything (which is at least good for blurbs).

You'll be fine.
 
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