Encouraging Reviews for Indie Books

Sharon started a discussion on marketing independently (indie) published books on Monday. She offered tons of great advice here.

It could be reasonably--and easily--argued that I didn't learn a ding-danged thing about marketing ebooks when I released Goodness & Mercy last summer.

And then my husband begrudgingly accepted a Kindle last Christmas.

He never puts it down! He's become a voracious reader--again--and discovered authors otherwise unknown to him. In that way, independent publishing is a fabulous opportunity to write for an audience. (Notice I didn't say make a lot of  money.)

Rather frequently, the indie authors include a letter to their readers at the end of the books he reads. The letters are meant to be a thank you to the audience, but it's also a way to encourage readers to get the word out about the story they've just read.

More than most writers, indies depend on word-of-mouth marketing. The challenge is to get them talking. I believe the letter works. I saw an uptick in reviews for my books after I added a unique letter to the end of each book.

I'm about to re-release an out of print book, The Queen of Sleepy Eye. Here's the letter I wrote for my readers:

Dear Readers,

Thanks so much for reading The Queen of Sleepy Eye. There are tons of stories to choose from, and I appreciate the chance you gave me to entertain you.  

For centuries there have been gatekeepers of art. Rich patrons chose which artists and authors deserved their support. The only writers who escaped this tyranny were already rich or those who could subside on pine nuts and berries. And then came the publishing houses, who will freely admit that many good writers don’t gain entrance because of factors totally unrelated to talent.

Let’s start a revolution, a very chatty revolution. If you enjoyed The Queen of Sleepy Eye, go here to write a review on Amazon. This is how we’ll democratize art together.

Your endorsement means more than any other factor in the promotion of stories. You’re very powerful that way. Since I don’t have a patron, nor am I rich, and nuts and berries are best on ice cream, I invite you to help me keep writing stories by saying a few kind words about The Queen of Sleepy Eye. I promise to keep writing as long as I can buy ice cream with pine nuts and berries. 

By the way, there can never be too many voices saying a story is worthwhile. No matter the number of reviews already posted for The Queen of Sleepy Eye, I appreciate your time and effort in adding your voice. 

Many, many heartfelt thanks for your support. God bless you! 

Affectionately,Patti Hill  

 www.pattihillauthor.com

Some review online services will only consider books that have a healthy number of reviews already posted on Amazon and other online outlets, so garnering reviews is very important. You can check out BookBub, BookGorilla, and The Fussy Librarian to target the audience of your marketing.

Have you come across a letter to the reader at the end of an ebook? Would you follow the link after a plea for a review? What motivates you to write a review for a story? Do you use personal review services for your reading choices? Which is your favorite?

That Character Must Die!

Teeth and Bones Editing Contest:


We have a winner!


We had over 100 entries for the contest. We're grateful for all the entries. And keep watching the Novel Matters blog as we will be holding more contests like this one from time to time. We love offering these happy surprises to our readers. 


The winner of the Teeth and Bone Editing Contest (chosen from a hat by Bonnie's son)  is: 
Ellen Staley!


Congratulations, Ellen! You can e-mail Bonnie at our gmail address (in the contact section) for instructions on the next step. 
Hurray!



I happen to be one of those writers who loves to hear an editor say: "You have to kill off Joe and make Mary tons more empathetic. And that Sue doesn't step up to the plate. Consolidate her and those three other characters into one. Hey, have you considered making your protagonist a guy?"

(I also get my lip waxed. Keep that in mind.)

This is the truth of the matter--an editor won't ask you to make changes unless s/he is completely committed to the story and believes you're up to the task of making it sing. You want your editor to sharpen his red pencil. It's painful, but having an editor step alongside will help you write a story that will last.

And that's what we want, isn't it?

I've never trusted a critique partner who couldn't rip my writing apart. I figure the manuscript is beyond help, if they don't offer suggestions. I sure wouldn't trust an editor like that either. (I've never met an editor like this, but I've heard they lurk within the golden halls of the NYC publishing scene.) In fact, I edit my stories with every reading, even after publication!

And I love the challenge of revision from editorial notes in a I-will-climb-Mt. Everest-in-my-flip-flops sort of way. No, it's not a trip to Disney World, but it's a cognitive thrill ride that tests me. After all, I've spent the better part of a year writing my story. I want it to go off to the presses ready to please readers. More truthfully, I don't want to embarrass myself. Editors make me look much better than I am. For that, I love them.

Here's an example. If you haven't read The Queen of Sleepy Eye yet, please read the remaining part of this post through your fingers.

I submitted a proposal to sell Queen. Everyone knows stories can take on lives of their own once the writing process starts. In the synopsis, I killed off a character. By the time that part of the story came around in the manuscript, I loved my character too much. He didn't deserve to die. The story world was a better place because of him. My editor didn't think so. His editorial notes looked like this:

HE

MUST DIE!!!!!

My editor was right. I rewrote the last 25% of the novel, killing off my sweet character as originally planned. The story was stronger. The ending more satisfying and much sadder.

After the last two weeks, I think we agree that we need editors and heavy edits are a blessing rather than a curse. It's Friday. We're all edited out, so let's have some fun and give you a chance to enter the contest. So, what will you send your editor for Christmas this year? No budget. No size limit. Be generous.

Searching for Gold Nuggets

A heart-felt thank you goes out to all of our new followers. You’re the ones who make Novel Matters a relevant place for readers and writers of great fiction. Won’t you join the conversation?

Announcement...

From now on, the first Monday of the month is Contest Announcement Day! You're right, today is the second Monday of March, but we have a good excuse. We’ve been working behind the scene to make Novel Matters a welcoming and thought-provoking place to visit. This month’s prize is a Patti Hill library, including Like a Watered Garden, Always Green, In Every Flower, and The Queen of Sleepy Eye. That’s four—count ‘em—four novels for your reading pleasure. A winner will be chosen from visitors who comment on any blog topic from now until the last Thursday of the month. You guessed it. The last Friday of the month will be Contest Winner Announcement Day! Aren’t you glad you stopped by?

Researching a novel is like mining for gold nuggets. And gold nuggets are very difficult to find. You’ll end up sluicing a lot of sand to find a few nuggets to add to your pouch. But once you’ve felt the weight of a burgeoning pouch in your hand, a hunger grows in your writer’s soul for more. You’re never satisfied.

Right now, I’m steeped in research for a novel that will be released in 2010. My office is filled with highlighted books tagged with sticky notes. And I’ve paid way too much for back issues of magazines from the forties to take a peek into the lives of WWII homemakers. A notebook filled with transcribed interviews grows fatter by the day. I’ve watched movies and read novels of that time to absorb the cadence of speech and to authenticate vocabulary. When do I have enough nuggets to stop looking and start writing?

I don’t know!

I’ve been here before. Although The Queen of Sleepy Eye takes place in the mid-70s—and yes, I was there—I saturated myself with the time and the small town that became my setting. Since this book has already been written, it’s easier for me to see the gold nuggets, like bread crumbs left on a trail, that lead me through the story.

I talked to a church secretary who told me a story about an older congregant. She had been troubled by the broken stained-glass windows of her church, so she hired a hippie from a local commune to repair the windows, all without the knowledge of the other congregants. This was just the element I needed to build rising antagonism in the story. Eureka, a gold nugget!

I interviewed a retired pastor on the porch of his log cabin home. We chatted for nearly three hours before he mentioned that his home had been the mortuary in the mid-70s. Not only that, but the home included a trap door for bodies to be lowered to the basement preparation room. Perfect. What better place to test the protagonist’s meddle than a mortuary? I moved her right in. And that trap door, well, it came in handy. Woohoo, another nugget to add to the pouch!

My husband and I stopped by Farmer Frank’s on one research trip to Cordial (AKA Paonia, CO). While Dennis tried on work boots, I talked to the proprietor. About the time of the story, he’d moved to the area as a teen . He remembered being the brunt of pranks as the new arrival in a tight community. His struggle to fit in became a strong motivator for a supporting character who befriends Amy, my protagonist. Thanks to Farmer Frank, I created one of my most memorable characters. Hallelujah! My pouch grew much fatter that day.

I spent hours at the Paonia Library microfiche machine, interviewed a hippie-turned-real-estate agent, collected eggs and fended off a rooster with the help of Pick the turkey, who just happens to play himself in the novel. When did I stop researching and start writing The Queen of Sleepy Eye? Honestly? I counted out the days to my deadline. Oh boy, that got me writing.

As a writer, how do you know when to stop mining for nuggets and start tippy-typing on your computer? Who or what have been your best resources? As a reader, do you trust what you read in fiction to be fact? Are you aware of an author who has bent the truth to suit his/her story? Is bending the truth a deal-breaker for you?

I can’t wait to hear what you have to say.