Today I'll speak with Greenleaf’s Director of Marketing and Branding, Corrin Foster, about the importance of reviews and endorsements. We’ll discuss the process of outreaching to potential endorsers, how you can lock down trade reviews, and drive up consumer ones, and how all of these things can impact your book sales.

Welcome to Published, a podcast by Greenleaf Book Group, where we’ll discuss the ins-and-outs of the publishing industry, from writing a book and finding the right publisher, to gearing up for a book launch. And now here's your host, Greenleaf Book Group CEO Tonya Hall.

Welcome back to Published. In this episode, we’re talking about book endorsements and reviews and the importance of both for your book launch. Reviews and cover endorsements draw an audience to your book, making them vital parts of the promotional strategy that serves to pique your potential readers’ interest. Choosing the right endorsers and trade reviewers can amplify a successful launch, and consumer reviews only further add to your book’s credibility. When someone reads your book, they're pledging their time and focus to it and they want to know that their investment will be worthwhile. Positive reviews are a great way to sway a skeptical reader into picking up your book. Today we’ll examine what makes a great review or endorsement, and walk you through how to secure them for your book. Let's get into the interview.

Tanya: Alright, Corrin, welcome to Published.

Corrin: Thanks for having me.

1:26 - Tanya: Why don’t you start by telling us a bit about what you do here at Greenleaf?

Corrin: Sure. I'm the Director of Marketing and Branding here. I've been working with authors for about 10 years and my team helps authors define what their brand messaging is. We also promote the book specifically around launch and after, and then we garner media attention to help amplify their message.

1:55 - Tanya: Very important stuff. So for those listeners who might be new to all of this, can you explain what we mean by consumer vs. trade book reviews and then, in general, the importance of reviews?

Corrin: So trade reviews are reviews typically from publications, either within the publishing industry, like Publishers Weekly or Booklist, or they’re within the industry that the author works in or the book really pertains to. So trade reviews really help buyers and librarians make their purchase decision, kind of like a seal of approval, because those are the first people that are going to read and review the book before it goes out into the hands of the trade. Consumer reviews are a little different. They are by real readers. Those reviews are either posted to retail sites, shared to blogs or on social media, and they serve as the social proof that's going to help convert browsers to buyers. Ultimately, whether it's a trade review or a consumer review, it’s really to help connect a book with readers. In my experience, trade reviews are the ‘nice-to-have’ portion of that; you know, the reality is that there's a finite number of trade reviews that are going to be published any month and a very select few titles are going to be chosen for that. There are plenty of books that are successful by any measure you can think of, that came out without having a trade review. Consumer reviews, on the other hand, are really the ‘need-to-have.’ I'd be hard-pressed to think of a book that has been successful that doesn't have any consumer reviews online.

3:33 - Tanya: And in fact, on Amazon, in particular, those reviews can actually improve your SEO, for lack of a better term, or how Amazon surfaces your book, correct?

Corrin: Yes, and that's why those consumer reviews are so important. Here at Greenleaf, we've been focused on them tremendously over the past few years is that, that is one of the considerations Amazon uses to determine how they're recommending books to new readers and how that book is ranking on their site.

4:00 - Tanya: Very important. How do you choose the trade, or how does a listener to this podcast choose a trade publication they would send their books to for review? How do they prioritize those?

Corrin: As a publisher, we are submitting eligible books to the major trade publications on the author's behalf, so again, your Publishers Weekly, your Booklist, your school library journal. For more specific trade reviews, we really brainstorm and collaborate with the author. We get together and we put together a list of who their book is going to be relevant to, what organizations that they are involved in within their trade, and then we reach out to them for their guidelines and submit the books for review. These trades are good to have a list of as well because on the media side, we all can also reach out to them for potential article placements as well.

4:50 - Tanya: We talked a little bit about Amazon and consumer reviews, but can you elaborate on consumer reviews? As a leading question, I know they're very important and I know you know as well, so can you share a little more on that for our listeners?

Corrin: I've been in publishing for 10 years now and when I first started, there really wasn't a lot of talk of consumer reviews. It was great to have, it was a good indication of people liking your book, it made authors feel good, but it didn't play into how the recommendations worked. Since then, the recommendations are increasingly made to consumers based on Amazon’s algorithm, and even on social media as well; everything is algorithm-based. So those reviews are taken into account by Amazon, how they place the book within the rankings. The rankings are a 24 hour rated average of ratings and reviews and the keywords used in those reviews. Amazon takes all that information, compares it to actual buyer information, and matches that book with the person most likely to purchase it. The more reviews the book has, the more ammunition Amazon's algorithm has to connect it to the person most likely to buy.

6:12 - Tanya: I know that plenty of times there's an author who has a mild panic attack when they get a negative consumer review. I have one on my book page myself. What do you tell an author who is quite upset about that one-star review?

Corrin: We usually tell them to not focus on that review but focus on getting more reviews; essentially bury it with the positive. There's also a study that came out about a year, year and a half ago now from some researchers at Indiana University about product reviews in general and it basically said that a product on Amazon with negative reviews sells better than products with all-positive reviews. Consumers essentially don't believe it when a book or any product has five stars and all-positive reviews. Surely someone out there is going to dislike the product. It’s that balance, and one or two negative reviews on a page, when they're outnumbered by the positive reviews, the consumers are going to take that into consideration and make their purchase decision on the plus-side, usually.

7:26 - Tanya: Agreed. I think in some way we all had those professors who never gave A’s. There's always a reader who is never going to give five stars, so don’t take it too personally. What are some ways you’ve seen authors successfully get consumer reviews?

Corrin: We focus on three different campaigns, essentially. The first one we call a seeding campaign, and that's giving away as many books as you're comfortable giving away. You can give away books every single day and they're still going to be buyers out there for you, so those giveaways essentially seed books for review. You can do that through Goodreads, you can do it through LibraryThing; Porchlight Books has giveaways. You can also do it through your social media and collect addresses to give copies of your book to. The second is a more strategic approach by creating a review team; reaching out to the people in your network that you can get to commit to sharing a review and sharing their feedback of the book and queuing those people up pre-publication so that they've got the book and they're ready to share those reviews around the publication date of the book to give you that initial lift. Then, the third thing is, we tell our authors ‘just ask’. Most people don't realize how important reviews are to the success of a book and once you've really let them know that those reviews are how we connect with new readers, usually they're more than happy to jump in and share some good words for you.

8:44 - Tanya: It’s interesting that’s not necessarily a natural response for an author. I’ve done it myself. Someone will message me on LinkedIn and thank me for writing the book, tell me that it’s made an impact, and I had to train myself to respond with, “would you please write a review on Amazon? That’s so kind of you. But then they do, so it really does make a difference.

Corrin: It can definitely be awkward at first, but I always tell my authors to get in the habit of it, just say thank you and let them know genuinely how much that review would mean to you.

9:10 - Tanya: So, switching gears away from reviews and over to endorsements. Can you first explain what an endorsement is and the importance of an endorsement?

Corrin: Endorsements are another way to make your book stand out, both to buyers and to consumers. They’re short blurbs from credentialed or recognizable individuals. They're willing to sing the praises of the book. They're meant to show that the book's been vetted or approved by those with the experience or the influence to do that.

9:40 - Tanya: So, for our listeners, those are the blurbs that you see often on the front of the book cover, up at the top. They can definitely have an impact on book sales. How do you select and approach people to endorse your book?

Corrin: It's important to know who the target reader is, to start with. Once you know what their habits are, who they look to for influence, and who they trust, you can start doing research in that community. You're not necessarily looking for celebrities or household names. It's fine to have your sites that high for a few of your targeted people, but be more strategic when building your list. I recommend that you look at top-selling authors in your genre, the movers and shakers in your niche, who's publishing content, who were the top researchers and academics, and who works for an organization or has a credential that would mean something to a reader? Sometimes just being associated with a company or university is enough clout to outweigh maybe that person not being a household name.

10:50 - Tanya: Great. What should the author expect in terms of timeline and that process? I know that sometimes this can catch them by surprise.

Corrin: The production schedule of a book will ultimately dictate your outreach timeline. We typically allocate a minimum of three months, and suggest beginning outreach as early the author is comfortable sharing their manuscript, to allow the individual that's potentially going to endorse the book, as much time as possible to read the book and give a thoughtful endorsement. For most authors, that is around the time that the ARC, or the Advanced Reader Copy, is available. As far as a timeline, we spend about the first four weeks of that three month timeline doing our research, brainstorming with the author, creating our pitch letter, and gathering the necessary materials. Then, for about 2 weeks, we’re going to do the initial outreach; customized pitches to those individuals, making sure that they have an excerpt or the full manuscript to review, if they'd like, and then we let them sit for about 2 weeks, give them some time to look over the materials, and then follow up with them to offer any help that you can give them, answer any questions they may have, then we let them noodle over it again for another two weeks, and then we spend the last two weeks of the campaign really finalizing any endorsements, proofing them with editorial, recommending an order that they're going to appear on the book itself and on the retailer websites and on websites, and then finally submitting it so that the final book can go off to press.

12:21 - Tanya: For an author who has abided by that timeline and done all of this outreach and pitching and waiting and they're running up against a deadline and don't have an endorsement; what do you advise that author to do?

Corrin: Remember to focus on the fact that endorsements are useful whenever they're received. If you're past the point where the book has gone to press, they can always be added to the retailer pages, they can be added to websites and marketing materials, and they can also be added to any reprints of the book, so don't let that stop you to continue asking for endorsements and following up with those people that maybe give you a soft yes or maybe requested a little help with writing an endorsement.

13:05 - Tanya: Good advice. Do you have any other advice you'd like to share regarding reviews and endorsements?

Corrin: I have a couple of best practices and do’s and don’ts.

• The first one is giving yourself enough time. As soon as you're comfortable sharing manuscripts with people, go ahead and start distributing them. The people receiving them know that they’re early in the process and that it’s a feedback stage as well, so nothing is set in stone and you can work with them on the endorsement as well.
• Also be realistic with who you're reaching out to. Again, a few pie-in-the-sky people are great and you can continue to pursue those around the life of the book, but really focus on the individuals that resonate with your target readers so that those endorsements are impactful as possible.
• Saying thank you to those individuals that do provide an endorsement; a token thank-you, a handwritten note at publication, it really goes a long way with that relationship and you may even get some additional social shares and network recommendations out of them because you've established that relationship.
• Don't write the endorsement for individuals right out of the gate. You want them to speak in a way that's most relevant to their audience and natural to them, so give them that opportunity.
• Then, don't be pushy. You're asking for a favor for these individuals, so be helpful, certainly be diligent in your follow-up, but I like to say you get what you get and you don't throw a fit. You can work with what you have and work on those relationships more than anything.

Tanya: I have a feeling your mother said that to you sometime.

Corrin: Absolutely.

Tanya: Corrin, thank you so much for joining us today.

That's it for our episode today. For notes and resources from today’s show, go to greenleafbookgroup.com/episode42. You can also find advice for writing, publishing, and promoting your work in my book, Ideas, Influence, and Income, which you can learn more about at https://www.ideasinfluenceandincome.com/. If you've enjoyed the show, please rate and review us on iTunes. It means a lot to have your feedback and it helps us make sure that we’re answering your publishing questions. A big thank you to Eleanor Fishbourne, who produces the Published podcast. We’ll be back next month with another new episode.

---

About Corrin

With over fifteen years of experience in branding and digital marketing, Corrin has extensive knowledge of content management, product marketing, and online advertising. At Greenleaf, she develops and executes strategic marketing programs; oversees social media; and consults with authors on building their brand, establishing online presence, and growing reader communities. Corrin holds an MBA in marketing from Indiana University, completed the Yale Publishing Course, and was a 2015 Publishers Weekly Star Watch Honoree. Corrin is also a popular lifestyle blogger and has spoken at IBPA Publishing University, WordPress WordCamp, and South by Southwest.