Author: Layne Mandros

A literary omnivore and influential Bookstagrammer, Layne applies her vivid creativity for every title we promote by deftly coordinating news coverage and events for authors, writing and editing diverse content for social media, and assisting with Books Forward’s social media engagement initiatives. As a former special education teacher, Layne firmly believes in the importance of literature and accessibility. This unique point of view is an asset in her publicity efforts as she works to reach readers across various platforms and demographics. Layne received her Bachelors of Arts in Creative Writing and Bachelors of Science in Psychology from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and her Masters of Art in Teaching from Relay Graduate School of Education. She lives in New Orleans with her loyal, but sadly illiterate cat, Macaroni.

What are the different types of posts on Instagram and how do I use them?

Posted on | by Layne Mandros

Social media is a powerful tool to help you market your book and get it into the hands of readers! If you’ve settled on Instagram as your primary platform (or one of a few!) to get in touch with readers in your audience, you should take the time to learn all about the different types of posts (yes, there are more than one!). 

But before you dive in, be sure to give us a follow on Instagram! We love to post about our authors and what our staff is reading and hop on all the latest social media trends. Who knows, you might get some inspiration from our posts! 

Instagram Posts 

You’re probably most familiar with Instagram posts – these have been around since the inception of the app. Posts are single photos that you upload onto the app with a caption. 

Here’s how you create a post from the app: 

  1. Head to your profile
  2. Click the + sign in the top right of your screen 

  1. Select ‘post’ 

  1. Select a photo you’d like to post 

  1. Select a filter (if you’d like to use one) 

  1. Write a caption! When writing your caption be sure to use Alt Text or alternative text! This is important for a few reasons, but most importantly to make sure that your caption is accessible to disabled folks who may have visual impairments using Instagram. 

  1. Post! 

Not sure what to post? Here’s some inspiration from our Books Forward authors: 

Instagram Carousels 

Carousels are similar to posts, but there is more than one photo, graphic, or video in one post. Carousels are helpful because followers will need to ‘swipe’ through each slide, keeping them on your post for a longer period of time, which alerts that algorithm that your content is of particular interest to that follower.

Here’s how you create a carousel: 

  1. Head to your profile 
  2. Click the + sign in the top right of your screen 

  1. Select ‘post’ 

  1. Select the carousel icon 

  1. Select more than one photo, video, or graphic that you’d like to post. The limit used to be 10, but some people have a recent update that allows them to post as many as 20!

  1. Select a filter (if you’d like to use one) 

  1. Write a caption 

  1. Post! 

Not sure what to post? Here’s some inspiration from our Books Forward authors: 

Instagram Stories 

Instagram stories are posts that are not shown permanently on your Instagram account or feed. These are posts that are only available for 24 hours and they are used for timely announcements, news that might not warrant a full spot on the feed, or to ‘repost’ something someone else has posted. 

Where can I find Instagram stories? When you open the Instagram app on your phone you will immediately see the accounts that you follow if they have an active story on their page: 

Let’s see what Books Forward author, Anne Abel, is up to! Tap on the profile photo of the account whose story you’d like to view: 

Anne posted on her story 7 hours ago to let her followers know that she posted a new reel! If you tap on the video you will be automatically redirected to her post. 

Why are stories important? 

  • IG stories will automatically refresh every time you post a story, keeping your profile photo at the front of your most dedicated follower feeds
  • IG stories are always at the top of the app, which means that this could increase your page’s visibility among followers 
  • Replies to stories from followers come through as direct messages, encouraging engagement.
  • Some followers might not organically see your posts on their feed, so reposting your own post to your stories to let followers know there’s something new on your page and will drive more traffic to your account 
  • Having stories lets potential followers know you’re active on the app 
  • You can share posts of folks who have reviewed your book 
  • You can share posts from other authors to create relationships and network with other authors in your genre 

What if I don’t want my stories to disappear after 24 hours? No worries, there’s a way to save important stories on your account, they’re called Instagram Highlights.

Instagram Highlights 

Instagram highlights appear on a person’s profile and are used to house important announcements that have been previously featured on their story. 

Check out Books Forward author Evette Davis’ highlights which feature press, events, characters, blog posts, and more: 

Feeling overwhelmed by social media? Still need some ideas about what to post? Get in touch with us! 

Books Forward has a talented team of digital marketing staff members who can audit your Instagram and additional social media accounts to create personalized recommendations to help you grow on socials based on your ideal reader, genre, and author brand. Together, we can get creative to promote your book!

How Authors Maximize Award Wins

Posted on | by Layne Mandros

Congratulations, you can now call yourself an award-winning author! Now what? How do you make sure you use these awards to your advantage? Below are a few strategies to use that award win to help promote your book and boost your author brand. 

Announce it to friends, family, and followers

We know that sometimes bragging about your accomplishments can feel a bit self indulgent, but you deserve it – you won an award! Here are some places where you can announce your accomplishment so friends, family, and fans can celebrate with you! 

  • Have an author newsletter? Be sure to add it there! 
  • Reach out to your Books Forward publicist to add to our author newsletter
  • Post about your achievements on social media.
  • Update your social media bios to show off your award-winning or bestselling status: 

Add it to your email signature

Adding your award win to your email signature is a great way to keep your network up to date on your wins, even if they don’t subscribe to your author newsletter: 

Update your website 

Books Forward author Anne Abel, is a fantastic example of an author who is leveraging her success on the very first page of her website.

She’s also utilizing Instagram’s pinned post feature to ensure that her book’s accolades are front and center when new followers visit her account:

Contact your publicist or publisher to add it to your book listings 

You want to make sure that your award-winning status is updated on your book’s buy pages so that new readers can see your wins. Awards can lend credibility to a book and the author’s writing, so new readers are more likely to check out your story if your award win is featured on the book page. 

Books Forward author Evette Davis has her award seal featured on the book cover listed on Amazon: 

Books Forward author Ava Reid has “A Study In Drowning” listed as an “Instant New York Times Bestseller” at the top of the book description on Amazon: 

Authors can also use Amazon A+ content to leverage their book’s accolades: 

Ask your publicist to add your wins to your press kit and pitches

At Books Forward, our publicists are your champions, and we’re always looking for ways to leverage your wins! Keep your publicist in the loop if you’ve entered into any contests for your book and we’ll be sure to add them to your press release and our personalized pitches. This will help ensure that your book stands the best chance of receiving the media attention it deserves! 

Looking for more ideas on leveraging your book’s awards and accolades? Need a passionate publicity team that will tailor a plan to your personal needs? Get in touch with us today! 

Creating and Setting Up Your Author Facebook Page

Posted on | by Layne Mandros

Now that you’re on the path to publishing a book you’re probably exploring ways that you can get the word out about your accomplishment. A great tool for spreading the news is social media! Particularly, if you’re looking to specifically set up a Facebook Author Page then you’re in the right place. 

Step One: Make sure you have a personal Facebook account 

Facebook does not allow users to make public pages without first having a regular Facebook account. 

Wait, I thought that my Facebook account was my “author page”… 

Some people do use their personal Facebook page as their author page, but you are missing out on valuable tools if you only use your personal page for your author updates.

Facebook “business pages” are public sites where you can “follow” a business, brand, or person. As a result, your friends and family that you’ve connected with on your personal Facebook account won’t be inundated with posts about your author brand and book unless they officially “follow” your author page. 

This is also helpful because you can allow readers, fans, and other people you might not know personally to follow along with updates on your Author Page without being connected to the posts that you share on your personal Facebook page. 

Step Two: Log in to your Facebook account 

Once you create a personal Facebook account, be sure to log in so you can get started setting up an Author Page. 

Already have a Personal Facebook account? Great news! Get started by logging on. 

Step Three: Scroll down on the left-hand side of your screen and select ‘pages’ 

Step Four: Click the ‘Create new page’ button 

Step Five: Create your author page! 

Congratulations! You’ve just created your Author Page, woo-hoo! Now it’s time to get it set up to make sure that you’re putting your best foot forward on social media. 

Setting Up Your Author Facebook Page

Step One: Select your page name

Start by adding a name to your Facebook page. We usually recommend adding “author” or “writer” or something similar after your name so visitors know exactly what your page is for when they first visit: 

Step Two: Select your category 

Categorizing your page helps Facebook users find it depending on their interests and social media algorithm. We’ve included some examples of how to categorize your page in the image below: 

Step Three: Add your author bio 

Facebook has a character limit on your page bio, so we recommend keeping this short and sweet! Make sure the most important information appears in your bio: 

  • Title and release date of your upcoming book 
  • Title(s) of any books you’ve previously published 
  • Awards or accolades such as “award-winning author,” “bestselling author,” “Amazon #1 release,” etc. 

Step Four: Create your page! 

Step Five: Finish setting up your page

Facebook will prompt you to add in some contact information; provide the information you feel comfortable with and know that some of these items could be shown publicly on your profile. To protect your privacy, we recommend that you either do not include sensitive information such as your address, phone number, etc., or toggle your privacy settings to hide information you do not want to share publicly. 

However, we would strongly recommend including your author website! 

Step Six: Add your cover photo and author headshot

We recommend you keep your headshot consistent across all your social media platforms and your author website. This is not necessary, but it helps readers identify all your accounts across platforms easily! 

What is a cover photo? A cover photo appears at the top of the Facebook page and it provides the visitor with immediate additional information about your page. This space is prime real estate, so use it for timely announcements or the highest leverage information you want a visitor to take away when visiting your page. 

Need help designing a beautiful, professional, and informative cover photo? We’ve got you covered (ha)! Reach out to us here to inquire about our design services! 

Here’s an example of how your headshot and cover photo will look on your author page using Books Forward author Evette Davis as an example: 

  • Evette’s cover photo conveys the most important information: her latest book, THE OTHERS, is out now. 
  • The featured headshot is professional and consistent across her social media platforms. 
  • Her bio is short and contains the most important information: 
    • Release of her most recent book 
    • The titles of her previous books 
    • The type of author she is: “sci-fi and dystopian” 
    • And where she’s located 

Step Seven: Add a call to action

We recommend choosing the “learn more” call to action button and linking where visitors can buy the book. Your website will be in your contact section, and thus there is no need to list your website again here. Consider linking your buy page on Bookshop.org, as this website supports independent bookstores, which readers love supporting! 

Step Eight: Invite your friends

When you click “invite your friends” Facebook will send invitations to all your Personal Facebook friends to “like” and “follow” your account. Before sending off the invitations, there will be an option to send the invites to your entire friend list or choose a select number of people to invite. 

This is helpful because this feature allows you to kickstart your follower base on your Facebook Page. 

Step Nine: Start posting!

Above are some examples of Evette Davis’ posts on Facebook. She started out posting a little bit more about herself in her Meet The Author post. For more posting inspiration, check out her full page here.

Once you’ve set up an Author Facebook Page you can also advertise through Facebook, which can help open up more opportunities for you and your book! Interested in learning more about how to use social media to your advantage? Drop us a line to learn more about our social media management services! 

What’s the difference between blog tours and influencer tours?

Posted on | by Layne Mandros

To blog tour or to influencer tour, that is the question!

The biggest hurdle when promoting your book is getting it into the hands of readers who will enjoy it. And where else to turn to but the wonderful World Wide Web? 

There are thousands of voracious readers on the internet posting reviews to social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook. Some dedicated reviewers have started their own blogs to house their long-form reviews. 

It can be hard to narrow down which platform and which reviewers are the best fit for your story with so many platforms out there. Here’s a quick breakdown of the differences between blog tours and influencer tours.

First things first: What is a blog or influencer tour?

A virtual book tour is similar to a traditional book tour (heading to bookstores to meet and greet readers). Still, it is much more accessible because it’s done entirely online. Nowadays, there are so many wonderful bloggers, bookstagrammers, and booktokkers who can champion your book online to create additional buzz! 

Organizing a blog or influencer tour can be a lot of work — there are a lot of moving parts. That is why an experienced publicist at Books Forward can help coordinate on your behalf!

What is the key difference between a blog tour and an influencer tour? 

A blog tour is a collection of bloggers who post about your book on their individual blogs. Below are some examples of blog tours: 

An influencer tour is a collection of social media reviewers who post about your book on their platforms. This could be on Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, etc! Here are some examples of an influencer book tour: 

A note that some blog tours might incorporate influencers in some of their tour stops. If you want to limit tour stops to blogs only, read the fine print or speak with the company directly about who participates in their tours.

What is your main goal? 

Before booking a blog or influencer tour you need to think about your main goal. Here are some guiding questions that can help narrow your focus: 

If your answer is “yes, all of that!” then we’d encourage you to prioritize 1-2 things that matter the most to you. Not all tours are of the same caliber, and there are pros and cons to every company. 

Who is your target audience? 

This is one of the biggest questions in book marketing. You should always think about and prepare to have your “ideal reader” in mind when considering a tour! There are a few genres that we have seen do incredibly well with online book tours.

For example, YA novels — particularly YA fantasy — receive an overwhelming amount of exposure on social media. Additionally, romance books (especially romantasy or smut) perform extremely well in the Bookstagram and BookTok communities. 

We recommend booking a Facebook influencer tour or a blog tour if you gear your writing toward an older audience. Older readers are more likely to have a limited presence on social media (Facebook is the most popular platform among Boomers and older generations) or they might follow specific reviewer blogs if they are avid readers. 

Where do you spend your time on the internet? 

You also want to factor in what you like to do when you’re on the internet! If you don’t have a TikTok account then you might want to organize a tour on a platform that you’re more familiar with, that way you can repost, comment, and share reviews or spotlights from the tour hosts. 

If you don’t have social media but would love to spotlight reviews on your website, then a blog tour might be a better option for you. 

How will this affect my SEO? 

Both blog tours and influencer tours will help boost your SEO because tour hosts will include your name and book title in their posts. These tours are a fantastic way to get a concentrated amount of buzz in a particular online community to help spread the word about your story straight from the source: a credible book reviewer. 

I want to organize an influencer tour, but I’m not active on social media!

Don’t worry, we have a service for that! If you’re interested in Books Forward helping you out with social media, then get in touch with us about our social media management opportunities. 

Key takeaways: 

  • Influencer tours are likely to “go viral” because social media apps have been designed for engagement, sharing, and a wide reach of content. But blogs can be harder to find organically because there is no “for you feed” for bloggers — just your Google search results. 
  • Bloggers tend to write longer-form reviews. If you’re looking for a platform that will have more space to discuss the book in a written format, that might be the avenue for you. 
  • Do you have ebooks or physical copies available for the tour? Booktokkers and Bookstagrammers operate on visual platforms that require images or videos. They likely will want physical copies of the book to make content with. Bloggers are usually more amenable to digital copies because they tend to focus on written reviews rather than aesthetic photos or videos. 

Ready to get started? 

To learn more about which blog or influencer tours might be a good fit for you fill out our contact form and get in touch with our sales team!

Already a part of the Books Forward family? 

Reach out to your publicist or digital marketing strategist to learn more about which tours will be the right fit for you and your book. 

 

May the Odds Be Ever in Your Favor: Getting Noticed by the Celeb Book Club Holy Trinity

Posted on | by Layne Mandros

If you’re a reader (or alive and breathing on planet Earth) then you’ll be familiar with the three most powerful celebs in terms of book recommendations – Reese Witherspoon, Jenna Bush-Hager, and Oprah Winfrey. You’ve probably observed the overnight celebrity effect that any of these women can have on debut novelists to seasoned authors. Their book club blessings can skyrocket a novel’s success and oftentimes launch it onto bestseller lists. It’s no wonder that these celebrity endorsements are attractive to many if not all, writers.

So, how do these book clubs work? 

A lot of folks assume that these book clubs are brand extensions of the celebrity and to a degree, that’s true. After all, Reese Witherspoon has famously turned her book club into a movie/ TV show pipeline with her picks Little Fires Everywhere, Daisy Jones and the Six, The Last Thing He Told Me, and Tiny Beautiful Things having been adapted (or are in the stages of being adapted) to movies/TV shows. 

However, these women chose to run book clubs – not hair product lines like Blake Brown Beauty from Blake Lively or shapewear like Skims from Kim Kardashian – so one can assume that they genuinely love being connected to readers and chatting about books. Oprah has even stated, publicly and frequently, that she reads every single book that she picks. For a recent selection, The Covenant of Water, she said “You know, for this most recent book I knew three pages in.”

But how likely are they to pick my book? 

The short answer is, not likely! I’m not going to sugarcoat that for you. As expert book publicists, we want to ensure that you use your resources wisely and effectively. There are plenty of fantastic opportunities to reach your audience and build your readership. In most cases, it would not be a fruitful use of your time and resources to directly pitch these clubs.

Why won’t they pick my book as their book club pick? 

Reese, Oprah, and Jenna read voraciously – which is why they started book clubs. There has been discourse among the bookish community that they don’t actually read the books, but this Esquire article that does a deep dive into the inner workings of the clubs would beg to differ. 

So first and foremost, you would have to get the book in their hands. And that is no easy feat because they historically don’t like to receive pitches for their book club picks. Reese, allegedly, has her own “book scout” that directly coordinates with the big five publishers. 

And here’s a real-life example of what happens when you cold mail out your book to Reese’s club for consideration:

So, what are the criteria for selecting books? 

I know it might be a shot in the dark, but can you still send them a pitch? 

At the end of the day, that’s a conversation you can have with your publicist. Prepare for them to be frank about the likelihood of anything coming to fruition! We want your book to have the best shot at success. This is why it is essential that we save one of your most valuable resources (books!) for media outlets that are more likely to cover your work. 

Our team strives to champion your story and advocate for appropriate media and influencer coverage. We will absolutely take big swings at higher-level outlets that are open to receiving pitches that make sense for their beat. Reese, Oprah, and Jenna, however, have their own method of selecting and promoting books for their book clubs. 

We value authors who are an active participant in their publicity campaigns. We’re always open to hearing any ideas or suggestions they have regarding coverage for their books. Authors know their stories and messaging better than anyone else! Don’t lose sight of the fact that there are other great – and attainable – opportunities, media outlets, influencers, and reader book clubs for your book’s promotion.

Looking for a publicist to represent your work and find the best ways to reach your audience? Drop us a line here!

NetGalley vs. Edelweiss: the difference between the digital advanced reader review platforms

Posted on | by Layne Mandros

When publishing a book, authors know that there is very little that is more valuable than an advanced reader– someone who is willing to read and review your book before publication – lending your book credibility from an unbiased perspective. 

But how do you get your book out to a wide audience without breaking the bank? That’s where digital advanced reader copies (ARCs) come into play. NetGalley and Edelweiss are two platforms that house digital copies of ARCs so authors, publishers, and publicists can safely send out digital copies to interested readers before pub date. 

So, what’s the difference between NetGalley and Edelweiss? 

First, let’s zero in on your target audience. What’s your genre? Who is your ideal reader? How wide are you trying to go? 

NetGalley is a platform that, historically, caters to publicity rather than sales. While they do attract a wide audience (librarians, bloggers, book reviewers, booksellers, etc.) they are generally more beloved amongst bloggers and independent reviewers. If you’re looking to get your hands on some reviewers who are ~advanced~ in the art of requesting and reviewing ARCs then NetGalley is the place for you. Check out our super duper scientific pyramid chart that demonstrates the intensity of the NG reviewer: 

Edelweiss is a platform that is geared a bit more towards sales– they primarily focus on librarians and booksellers, and some independent reviewers have claimed to have a pretty low approval rate on Edelweiss. 

The platforms by the numbers: 

According to the 2023 Edelweiss review: “the number of users active on Edelweiss continues to grow year after year. Up from 2022, the number of unique users on the site has increased 10%. And, 59 U.S. indie bookstores began sending us their POS data this year—bringing the total number of U.S. Trade Analytics Stores to 661 in Q3 of 2023.”

Source: Edelweiss 2023 Year in Review for Publishers

NetGalley, on the other hand, does outperform Edelweiss by the numbers, which you can see below from a screenshot from their April 2024 community report. While Edelweiss reported 230,000+ users in 2023 NetGalley is significantly outpacing them with a whopping 600,000+ active members: 

Source: NetGalley Community Report, April 2024 

What are the reviewers saying? 

There are pros and cons to both sites, but don’t just take our word for it. Vicky over at Vicky Who Reads says that even though the NetGalley site is more visually appealing and easier to navigate she prefers how Edelweiss allows users to add notes for the publisher: “Edelweiss allows you to write a paragraph (or ten) about why you are requesting that title and why you want to read it, and although the publisher might not read beyond your personal description, it does provide the opportunity to emphasize why you would love to read & honestly review one of their novels.”

Meanwhile, Georgiana, who is the blogger behind Readers’ High Tea says “I will definitely continue asking for access to advanced reading copies via NetGalley, as I am happy with the experience I’ve had so far. Ever since I started using NetGalley I stopped using Edelweiss, and at the moment I do not think I’ll go back again.” Check out her full blog post where she breaks down the pros and cons of NetGalley from a reviewer perspective! 

Sammy who blogs at We Write At Dawn breaks down the approval rates from NetGalley compared to Edelweiss: 

“…I have a better chance of getting approved through NetGalley than on Edelweiss any day! But I’ll put some (poorly done) math below! Approved / (Pending) + (Denied)

Chance of getting approved on NetGalley: 63%

Chance of getting approved on Edelweiss: 6%

Yeah, my math is probably flawed, but just looking at the percent difference makes me want to cry!”

Keep in mind that authors can set their approval criteria when they upload their book to NetGalley or Edelweiss. However if, historically, users are more likely to be approved on one platform than another then that will impact where your niche audience might be most active. 

Final thoughts: 

There are pros and cons to each site and picking which platform is best for your book will ultimately depend on who your target audience is and what your goals are with promoting digital ARCs. Your Books Forward publicist can give expert insight on which platform may yield better results with that information in mind! 

Books Paired with Sabrina Carpenter Lyrics to Celebrate the Release of Short n’ Sweet 

Posted on | by Layne Mandros

First and foremost, up until “Espresso” and “Please Please Please” summer, I would not have called myself a Sabrina Carpenter fan (#TeamOlivia obvi). But I, like the rest of TikTok and the whole of planet Earth, could not get away from the insidiously catchy lyrics: I’m working late, ’cause I’m a singerrrrr. That led me down an earnest rabbit hole of listening to the pop princess’ entire discography and well, let me say, blondie has some bops. To wet your whistle in anticipation of Sabrina’s sixth studio album, let me present to you some book recs paired with iconic lyrics from the quip queen herself: 

“Please Please Please” paired with “Tell Me Lies” by Carola Lovering

“And we could live so happily / If no one knows that you’re with me”

In a fever dream of heterosexual toxicity, I re-eye-guzzled the first season of the adaptation of “Tell Me Lies” on Hulu in anticipation of season 2. There’s just something so feral about watching Grace Van Patten and Jackson White reenact live footage from my most toxic relationship (shout out to my ex, I wish you nothing but the worst!) that immediately made me think of Please Please Please. Like Stephen DeMarco did quite literally nothing BUT embarrass Lucy. But, I get it, girl, sometimes we lose a brain cell or two in pursuit of an ugly-hot man who knows how to lay it down. 

“Slim Pickins” paired with “How to Date Men When You Hate Men” by Blythe Roberson

“A boy who’s nice, that breathes / Well, I swear he’s nowhere to be seen”

As a bisexual baddie who spent most of her early 20s chasing after truly ain’t shit men, I certainly could have done with some of the sage advice in Blythe’s book. However, I’m staunchly in my I Don’t Date Men Era and I pray every day that my perfect golden retriever partner never releases me back to the streets because I fear I would suffer. Carpenter teased Slim Pickins a few weeks before release and as soon as I heard it on TikTok I knew that this track would be one of my favs from her newest album. 

“Espresso” paired with “Triple Sec” by TJ Alexander 

“Say you can’t sleep, / baby, I know That’s that me espresso” 

By espresso, she definitely meant an espresso martini, right? This song is cute, flirty, and suuuuper catchy — nothing embodies that more than this swoony-worth polyamorous romance novel from TJ Alexandar. I would consider myself honored, blessed, and fully at peace if I lived to see the day of a queer power pop thruple consisting of Reneé Rapp, Chapell Roan, and Sabrina Carpenter. Probably not in the cards, but a girl can manifest, OKAY. 

“Tornado Warnings” paired with “Acts of Desperation” by Megan Nolan 

“I’m lying to my therapist / I keep saying things like / I never saw him and we never kissed” 

We’ve all been there, right? Completely enthralled by maybe the world’s worst possible match and still hanging on to hope that it could work out!! When I first heard the lyrics to this song I was like oof, girl, I can relate! Because when you’re lying to your therapist about your relationship you know deep down it’s time to kick that situationship to the curb. 

“Feather” paired with “Boy Parts” by Eliza Clark 

“Your signals are mixed,  / you act like a bitch / You fit every stereotype, Send a pic”

“Boy Parts” might not be the exact pairing that you’d think of for Carpenter’s over it anthem “Feather,” but I have my reasons. What are they? Great question, I’d love to tell you. “Boy Parts” follows an unhinged photographer (“send a pic!”) who takes explicit photos of ‘average-looking’ men. This novel is incendiary, shocking, and a bit obsessive and I think that perfectly describes a woman who has to declare, loudly and often: I feel so much lighter like a feather with you off my mind. We’ve all been there, telling people we’re like 100%, definitely, (no seriously, why do you keep asking me?) completely over our ex, right? 

“Because I Liked A Boy” paired with “Men Have Called Her Crazy” by Anna Marie Tendler 

“I’m a homewrecker, I’m a slut / I got death threats filling up semi-trucks / Tell me who I am, guess I don’t have a choice”

I am a sucker for a good title and this memoir piqued my interest as soon as I saw it floating around social media. It’s no secret that men can have a pervasive, intense, and sometimes dangerous impact on a woman’s life. From Carpenter taking a few strays after the release of Olivia Rodrigo’s debut, Sour, to Anna recounting traumatic events involving men that led to her psychiatric stay — I’m sure this pair of women would have lots to chat about over coffee.

“Vicious” paired with “Bunny” by Mona Awad 

“You like a certain type of woman / Who’s smart but neglects intuition / When you’re insecure, could be me, could be her.” 

“Bunny” is marketed as “The Secret History” meets Jennifer’s Body and frankly, I cannot fathom a more vicious combination. There’s something poetic about a woman with a score to settle, I mean the saying is “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.” “Bunny” is the perfect saccharine companion for Carpenter’s bubbly yet hard-hitting lyrics in “Vicious.” 

“Fast Times” paired with “Little Rot” by Akwaeke Emezi

“Fast times and fast nights, yeah / Closed eyes and closed blinds, we couldn’t help it” 

Akwaeke Emezi is an author who, in my (always correct and superior) opinion, never misses, and “Little Rot” is no different. The “Fast Times” lyrics are flawlessly in step with the chaotic, steamy, and unsettled nature of “Little Rot.” Emezi calls their latest work “unhinged” and there’s nothing that’s going to get me to slam a pre-order button faster than that. So, this book is paired with Carpenter’s “Fast Times” if nothing else to demonstrate the speed at which I needed to have this book in my hands.

What is digital advertising and how can it help me promote my book?

Posted on | by Layne Mandros

Writing and publishing a book is a marathon, not a sprint! Digital advertising is a great complement to your publicity plan that can also keep the momentum going for your book long after pub day! 

  • But what is digital advertising and how can it help me get my book into the hands of readers?
  • When is the ideal time to opt into digital advertising? 
  • And how will I know which paid opportunities are right for me and my book? 

The Difference Between Book Publicity and Digital Advertising

Digital advertising essentially comprises different forms of paid advertisements and promotions, whether that be sales ads on Facebook and Amazon or coordinating a paid influencer campaign. Book publicity typically focuses on organic or earned (i.e. not paid) media coverage, through bloggers, social media tastemakers, reporters, or other media outlets. 

Both of these strategies have a function and a purpose – digital advertising is geared toward conversions and sales while publicity is aimed at elevating your author brand through exposure, credibility, and developing a strong foundation of readership for your books to come. When applied correctly, digital advertising will complement the work done with book publicity.

For a deeper understanding of the difference between digital advertising and publicity campaigns, check out this article. 

Why Use Digital Advertising? 

  • You can control the audience! Whether you’re scheduling an eblast to reach college-level librarians or coordinating an influencer review campaign with established fantasy reviewers on Instagram, you can pick a niche and find paid opportunities that will help you reach your ideal audience. 
  • Advertising campaigns are typically shorter than publicity campaigns and therefore might yield more tangible results in a shorter time. 
  • Digital advertising campaigns also have the potential for long-term use. Sometimes, publicity campaigns focus on the timely aspects of a book launch or holiday that aligns with the book’s message. Digital advertising is more flexible and can run at any point in your book’s lifetime. 

How Do I Decide Which Digital Advertising Strategies To Use? 

1. Identify your audience: This is key because you want to make sure you’re advertising to the right group of people, otherwise you might waste money and resources. 

    • If you’ve written a young adult book and would like to get your story into the hands of younger readers, you might consider a social media influencer book tour. 
    • If your book is a nonfiction title focusing on the psychology and development of young people, then you might consider setting up an eblast to high school librarians. 

2. What is your goal with digital advertising? 

    • Are you interested in trying to push sales? Traditional sales ads through Facebook and Amazon might be the best fit for you. 
    • Would you like to work on getting your books into the hands of independent bookstores? Try a newsletter eblast with your regional independent bookseller association.
    • Hoping to garner more signups for your email newsletter? Look into giveaway promotions that encourage newsletter sign-ups.
    • Would you like to build up your author brand on social media? We’d recommend coordinating some paid influencer reviews to create some social media buzz online. 

3. What’s your budget? It’s important to think about how much money you’d like to put into digital advertising so that your digital strategist can recommend the best fit for you with your audience and budget in mind. 

There Are So Many Digital Advertising Strategies Out There! 

Yes! There are tons and tons of advertising services aimed to help authors get exposure for their books. It can definitely feel overwhelming. It’s important to remember that digital marketing is a great strategy throughout the book’s entire lifetime. You don’t have to opt into everything. Try a few strategies to see what is a good fit for your budget and your book. 

Still feeling overwhelmed? That’s what we’re here for! Books Forward has a dedicated and experienced digital marketing team that can craft a plan that makes the most sense for your goals and budget!

Author Awards: A guide to navigating the award submission process

Posted on | by Layne Mandros

Awards are a fantastic way to get more eyes on your book and accrue influential and respected praise in the industry for your hard work! Winning awards can be a great asset throughout a book’s life, and of course, winning competitions offer a fantastic publicity boost! 

With so many author awards out there it can be a bit daunting to sift through them and figure out which ones are legit. We’re here to help guide you through the process and help pick which awards are the best suited for you and your book. 

How can I tell if an award is well-respected/well-known? 

There are, of course, famous book awards that are household names like the National Book Award, Pulitzer Prize, and the Booker Prize. But there are many, many awards out there for authors and aspiring writers that are accessible, easy to enter, and can support the success of your book. 

  • Are you involved in a writing group, publisher Facebook group (shoutout to our She Writes Sisters), or author newsletter (shameless plug to subscribe to ours)? Chances are they’re celebrating those wins, so consider applying to awards your peers are submitting to or winning. 
  • Submitting your book for an industry review? They might have awards, too. Some of our favorite industry review sites like Foreword, IndieReader, and more also have awards! 
  • Who is talking about these awards? If you’re looking at reputable industry sites like The American Library Association, then there’s a good chance you’re in the right place. 
  • Check out your local indie bookstore to see which award-winning books they’re showcasing on their website.
  • Do some additional research! By Googling “best book awards” or “best book awards for indie authors” you’re going to get a ton of results! Parse through those and keep a running list. Be sure to chat through your findings with your Books Forward publicist! 

Which awards should I avoid? 

Because there are so many book awards on the market, there are some awards to be wary of. Below are some red flags from book awards that indicate the award might not be the best bang for your buck: 

  • Selling you personalized products in addition to the award submission 
  • Pushing hard for you to attend their conferences in addition to submissions 
  • Claiming the right to publish your work whether or not you win a prize 
  • Selling additional services like editing, marketing, representation, etc. 
  • They reached out to you: It’s a great feeling when someone reaches out to you about your work, but if an award is emailing you to submit to their award, then it might be an indicator that they’re fishing for submissions and might not be a reputable contest 

Winning Writers put together a comprehensive list of contests to be wary of.

How will winning or placing impact my book? 

  • Credibility and publicity: Winning or placing in an awards contest can support the credibility of your work! If you’re pitching make sure to add ‘award-winning’ when you reach out. Having this recognition could pique folks’ interest when considering your work. 
  • Networking: Some contests host awards ceremonies for authors who place and win their awards. If you’re able to attend such events, this would be an excellent place to network with other authors in and outside of your genre. 
  • Prizes: Sometimes, awards will offer something for folks who place in their contests. This can range from prize money, and advertising space, to other exclusive opportunities. 

How do I leverage an award recognition? 

After winning an award, make sure to add it to the appropriate channels so that you can celebrate your accomplishment! 

How To Get More Amazon Reviews?

Posted on | by Layne Mandros

Your book has launched, and you’re getting great reviews from family, friends, and social media influencers, but those aren’t transferring to your Amazon listing. Now what? 

Amazon reviews are important for indie authors! Of course they’re not the end-all-be-all, and they don’t determine the overall success of your book. But we know more reviews on Amazon can help boost sales and build a strong foundation for your author brand that will benefit your books for years to come. 

A quick note before we start: You can always encourage folks to review the book, but be aware that you can’t (and shouldn’t!) try to sway the content of the review. Good reviews are always preferred, but negative reviews aren’t necessarily a bad thing— more on that later! 

So, how do authors get more Amazon reviews? Check out some tips and tricks below to help boost those ratings and reviews! 

May be obvious, but ask the reader upfront

Consider leaving a note to the reviewer at the end of the book! What better time to ask for a review than right after they’ve finished reading? 

It’s important though to consider why reviewers leave feedback: It’s because they have feelings. So, make sure to leave space for all the feels. 

Instead of saying “If you loved my book please consider reviewing it on Amazon!” maybe something like, “Thank you for taking the time to read my book, I’d love to hear your honest feedback! Please feel free to leave me a review wherever you talk about books.” This leaves the content and the platform open to reviewers. Sometimes, when authors ask directly for reviews via Amazon it can come off a bit “sales-y.”

We want to boost those Amazon reviews, and all reviews (yes, even the bad reviews –  have you seen the 1-star reviews account on Instagram?) are helpful reviews because they bring exposure to the book.

Getting a negative review is inevitable. It’s impossible to write a story that appeals to everyone. But try not to see negative reviews as a bad thing – they can lend credibility to your book listing. Readers might be skeptical if they head to your Amazon page and see nothing but glowing reviews. Having a mix of opinions ensures that your listing looks authentic. Even New York Times bestselling authors get 1-star reviews! 

We have more tips on dealing with negative reviews here.

Leverage your personal connections and author network 

We know it’s difficult to be self-promotional, but you deserve to brag about your work. You published a book – that’s a huge accomplishment! 

Leverage your personal connections and author community by: 

  • Reach out to family and friends directly and ask them to leave a review if they’ve read the book, including links to your book on various platforms.
  • Add a call for reviews to your author newsletter. 
  • Post about the impact of Amazon reviews on social media to encourage readers to review.

Speaking of socials, set up your accounts to remind folks to review 

Consider an incentive 

It’s a great idea to give back and say thank you to folks who took the time to read your work. Consider hosting a giveaway or some other incentive to show your appreciation, while also encouraging readers to leave a review: 

  • Are you writing another book? Host a giveaway on your social media offering up an ARC of your next book to readers who reviewed your current book on Amazon! 
  • Host a raffle: Create a form where reviewers can fill out their information (and a screenshot of their Amazon review) and randomly pull one participant to receive a gift card. 
    • Work smarter, not harder: Include a question in this raffle form to ask readers if they’d like to join your author newsletter.
  • Offer a giveaway online with some bookish swag for folks who have read and reviewed the book. 

Beef up your Amazon listing 

The Amazon algorithm favors listings and products that are well optimized because it yields a higher likelihood of customer traction. Consumers are more likely to peruse your Amazon listing (and hopefully buy the book!) if it’s organized, professional, and well maintained. 

Looking for ways to optimize your Amazon page? We’ve got a blog post for that! 

Consider booking a social media or blog tour 

There are countless blog and social media influencer tour groups that authors can tap into to promote their books. Some of these blog tours highly encourage their tour hosts to cross-post their reviews on Amazon and Goodreads along with their social media platforms or blogs. 

Be sure to read the fine print to see if the coordinators encourage Amazon reviews. And reach out and ask the group if you aren’t sure! 

Check out paid services 

Before delving into paid opportunities, it is important to note that Amazon is vigilant and persistent about sniffing out fake reviews that aren’t written by a real person or consumer. Amazon has a strict removal policy for any reviews that aim to mislead or manipulate consumers and they will remove reviews if they feel it is in violation. 

You can use paid opportunities to get the books into the hands of more readers, but the content of what is written will always be up to the reviewer! 

A few options to help boost exposure: 

  • Goodreads, a platform that’s owned by Amazon, has a giveaway program that will push the book out to their 150+ million users. While this opportunity doesn’t directly ask folks for a review, it does get your book into the hands of more readers who will potentially leave a review. 
  • Running an ebook discount and using newsletters to promote a price drop! You can do this through services like BookBub, EReaderIQ, and more!  

If you’re interested in learning more about paid avenues for a boost in reviews, reach out to our digital marketing team here at Books Forward! We can recommend tried and true resources that we’ve used for our author family.