Book Reviews for a Successful Launch – February 6, 2021

BAIPA monthly meetings are now exclusively on Zoom, at least until we get through this COVID-19 crisis. The Zoom links will be provided to you via email on the Friday evening before (February 5), just before 9 PM.
So you MUST register in advance in order to participate.

Scroll down to the bottom of this page for the list of available tickets.

The general meeting begins at 9 am, speaker presentation is at 11 am, after Q&A, networking time, introductions & announcements, followed by our informal lunch gathering from 12:15-1:00 PM, and then our Afternoon Workshop. Scroll down for details and to register.

(Click here for the schedule for the day)

Current BAIPA members must log in first to get a free ticket to the morning session and a discounted ticket for the afternoon workshop. Then come back to this page. There is a Member login link in the upper right corner of the site.

MORNING PRESENTATION:

Book Reviews:
Step One on the Road to a Successful Book Launch
(and Ultimately Sales)

David Wogahn
AuthorImprints

The challenge for every new book, and especially for new authors who have small or nonexistent networks of eager fans, is to convince readers to add one more title to their to-be-read pile. Readers are looking for proof— proof that a book is worth their time to read.

That’s where book reviews can help; they contribute credibility and raise awareness in four distinct ways:
1. Reviews are a social signal; they encourage shoppers to learn more.
2. Reviews add gravitas; especially editorial reviews by people with name recognition.
3. Reviews are marketing, especially when they are posted in multiple places.
4. Reviews can impress third parties, for example, media, influencers, and others that might help you promote your book.

Bottom line: numerous (positive) reviews help your book sell more copies, be seen more favorably, and attract more promotional opportunities.

BAIPA is pleased to welcome as our February speaker David Wogahn, the award-winning author of two books on getting and using book reviews. In his presentation, David will be covering topics such as:
• How important are reviews to the success of your book?
• How do you get more of them?
• How do authors avoid running afoul of Amazon’s review policies?
• How to leverage good reviews.
• How to handle negative reviews.
• 10 sources for soliciting reviews.
• Distinguishing between editorial and customer reviews, and editorial review best practices.

Even before the pandemic struck, the importance of reviews had been steadily increasing, closely tied to the migration of bookselling from brick-and-mortar stores to online retailers. Online, these reviews become a permanent record of customer satisfaction making it not only imperative that books have reviews, but that the reviews are written by a book’s target audience.

In this way, the shift to online shopping has forced traditionally published books and self-published books to compete for reader reviews. In online stores, every book is just one click away from a comparable title.

Join us on February 6th to learn more about a topic that is of vital importance to all authors, regardless of where you are in your publishing journey.