Burgers & Books, 1-Star Reviews & Other Peculiar Author Marketing Ideas

ideas for authors bulb-40701_960_720Are you tired of hearing the same people tell you the same things about what you need to do to publish your books and connect with readers? Me too. Recently I walked the periphery of Indie Land and spoke to some of the authors on the outside. You know – the ones who sell more than a modest amount of books and cross the line from time to time. The ones who know that all the information we receive about professionalism and product and content are common sense. The ones who will threaten to smack you if you suggest one more time that it all starts by writing a book that readers want to read. We know that already. Here’s some wisdom those fringers have asked me to pass along to you.

1. Rejoice when you receive a one star review.

Always think as a reader. When I’m clicking through Amazon books what attracts my attention? Scroll after scroll of five-star gushing praises or a stinker of a review in among some decent reviews? You got it. I want to know why that reviewer did not enjoy the book but others did. What’s wrong with them? Or, are they right? We want to keep a reader on our product page for as long as possible in the hopes that they’ll purchase our work. When you receive those less than favorable reviews (and you will receive them, we all do), clap your hands in joy. You just added a strobe light to the sign that advertises your business.

2. Never shave your armpits.

There was a brilliant marketing campaign that recently caught my eye. A woman had sent out ARCs of her new book to a number of high-ish profile Indie authors asking for endorsements. Her book was hilarious but dealt with a female malady that is rarely spoken of in polite company. She received less than complimentary responses from the authors she canvassed, including “remove me from your mailing list immediately” and “what is this? Is this supposed to be funny?” She used them. She used those same responses as endorsements. It’s almost impossible not to read everything on her product page. Readers bought her book too.

3. Take your readers to dinner.

Most of us know of the mega-selling author whose book title mistakenly attracted sheep farmers to its pages. One author and veritable nice guy sometimes shows up at book clubs when they’re discussing his book. Just shows up. The majority of us don’t have that kind of clout and the club members would probably ask us to leave, but there was an author who bought hamburgers for book groups of up to fifteen who were willing to read and discuss his book. They purchased print copies of his novel at a discounted price. The burgers cost him about twenty bucks but he made it back on the book profits. He called it the burgers and book club. What about cookies and a cozy mystery or booze and books club? Sponsor a reading club. All it takes is for one or two of those readers to start spreading the word. Word of mouth always has been and always will be our greatest advertisement.

4. Give it away

No, not your book. That’s a separate discussion. Would you like to have a book signing at your local, very popular book store? Bribe them. Tell them you’ll fill the place. Show them your list of local Facebook friends. Tell them you’ll turn it into a huge Facebook event and that you’ll even have someone passing out fresh baked cookies at the door as potential customers come in. Show them on YouTube what happened when Caesar Milan, the Dog Whisperer, showed up at a pet food store. And tell them if security is required for the huge crowds you’ll pay the dime. Oh, and pick a slow business day, but make sure your followers and friends can attend. Retail stores want customers just like you and I do. Show them a way it can work for both parties.

Don’t be afraid to cross the line and think outside the box. Being different means you’re standing away from the crowd and that’s where you’ll be noticed. There are millions of eBooks for sale on Amazon’s product pages. Millions. What are you going to do to build your brand, create your unique identity and make readers remember you? Maybe that crazy idea you’ve been thinking about isn’t so crazy after all.

Author: Martin Crosbie

Martin Crosbie is the administrator of BookDoggy.com and writer of seven published novels. His self-publishing journey has been mentioned in Publisher’s Weekly, Forbes Online Magazine, and Canada’s Globe and Mail newspaper. You can learn more about Martin on his Amazon author page.

16 thoughts on “Burgers & Books, 1-Star Reviews & Other Peculiar Author Marketing Ideas”

  1. Nice. Particularly like 1 and 2. No one else has said rejoice in a 1-star review. I confess I sometimes turn to those before the 5 stars when considering buying a book. It’s pretty obvious when the reviewer is someone with a chip or someone with a good critical eye. Thanks!

    1. I do the same thing. I had a 4 star review on one of my books yesterday and the reader wrote that they found my book “oddly satisfying”. I know that will attract attention.
      Thanks for commenting Patsy.

  2. Brilliant! Not sure I’d have the courage to do any of those things but you’ve made me think, and that’s a good start. 🙂

  3. Excellent post, as usual. Will share with my author friends!

    Number 1 really hit me, as I just recently found a 2-star review on the Amazon U.K. site for book one in my paranormal series! My first reaction was to freak out…But then I made myself think logically about it.

    I have read the one star reviews for books that I love, and can’t always figure out why the reviewer didn’t connect with it like I did, so I thought, oh well, you can’t please everyone. 1 or 2 stars are acceptable when they give you constructive criticism, but there are always folks out there who simply just HAVE to be mean-spirited.

    I’m not exactly rejoicing nor clapping my hands in joy, but you know what? I’m thinking of using the review in my next blog post. Maybe it’ll generate some interest, who knows? Perhaps I might post it on FaceBook too, and see what my “fans” think.

    1. I agree Sharon. As long as it isn’t malicious then it’s worth sharing and who knows what discussion might come from it. If nothing else it’s keeping those eyeballs on our product pages a little longer (said he who has received his own one star reviews).

  4. The only book I like getting one- or two-star reviews on is “Why Are People So Stupid?” because they show that I’m really getting to people!
    For the others, I’m impressed at your ability to make lemonade, Martin 🙂
    (And I’m willing to do a lot to sell books, but I draw the line considerably before shaving my body hair. Or is that what I’m supposed to do? Very confused, here.)

    1. Keep on rocking in the free world Gordon. And remember it’s only rock and roll. And most importantly – saturate before using.
      I hope that helps.

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