Tech and I have a difficult relationship.
It thinks I should intuitively know things I do not, and is entirely too smart for its own good. In the past few weeks, it’s tossed three major salvos my way – first, a widget on this website broke, crippling the website. Second, my cellphone had a meltdown. And finally, one of my books on Amazon went on a walkabout. You can’t believe what a headache that caused.
Thankfully, with the assistance of some folks who are smarter than me, a bit of cash, and mind-numbing patience, Tech has been brought to heel. Fingers crossed, it stays in line for a while. The upside to these glitches is that each one forces me to learn something new.
Speaking of learning something new, I’ve now finished both the Facebook and the Amazon components in the Ads for Authors advertising course I’m taking. I’ve not had a lot of success with either platform yet, but I’m working on it.
One thing in particular has become painfully clear – I need more reviews for my books.
Reviews are social proof that my books are worth someone’s time. Reviews are doubly important for indies like me whose name and work isn’t well known.
I would really appreciate it—and it would help me tremendously—if you could leave a review for my book(s). A review doesn’t have to be more than a sentence or two. Perhaps what you liked about the book or who you would recommend it to. You can find some examples here: https://jpmcleanauthor.com/testimonials/
The preferred place to leave a review is on Amazon—they are the major player (by a long shot) in online book sales. (You’ll need an Amazon account and you’ll have to have spent $50 on Amazon in the previous year.) The following links will take you directly to The Gift Legacy’s Amazon review pages:
In Canada:
In the USA:
If you are unable to leave a review on Amazon, please consider leaving a review on Kobo or Goodreads. I am ever so grateful for your support. Thank you.
And if you’d like to discover a new indie author, there are still a few days left to pick up some great deals in the “Too Good to Miss Urban Fantasy Book Fair.”
Leading photo of angry sky by Victor Rodriguez on Unsplash
Secret Sky is the book that went on a walkabout and caused all kinds of havoc. Get your copy of Secret Sky from Kindle with one click right here. And if ebooks aren’t your preference, click on the bookstore tab for other purchase options, or just click on the covers below.
There is always some reason why website or blog does not work. It sometimes it at the host’s end, too.
I love computers and I have been doing this stuff for many years, still, I do not want to learn coding completely, I survive wish what I really need.
It is so that your website does not give a backlink. I paste your name on Google and add “blog” and so I find it. I simply don’t do that always.
Could you ask just some WordPress book reviewers to provide with more reviews?
Well, there is no real marketing without putting a lot of cash into it. I think you still have a good visibility.
Do you make some book related events in the largest towns? I think people really like that.
I haven’t marketed nothing lately, so, I haven’t sold any paintings either, but I was busy with move.
It is nice when writer can write and artist paint and they don’t have to waste their time on social networks where nobody reads nothing.
Well, some do read, like me, but there could be way more. Good luck Jo-Anne! Everything happens as you wish it would!
Love your comments, Inese. Good to know I’m not alone. I’m still working on getting more reviews. It’s coming, but painfully slow. Hope you’re enjoying your new digs in Ajax. The move doesn’t seem to have slow your painting! Cheers.
Talk about technical difficulties. Wanted to ‘like’ your post and couldn’t make it work. Yes, writing and marketing is hard enough without encountering technical problems. Hope that’s all past you now. 🤗
Glad I’m not the only one with technical difficulties! I’m cautiously optimistic I’m past the worst of it, but seems to me the tech gremlins are always lurking. Still have to get the review numbers up – something we both know all about…
I’m in the same boat when it comes to reviews, but I’d be happy to help you out. Since I’ve written a blurb for Deadly Deception, I could review one of the others, if you think that’s suitable. I post on amazon.ca and Goodreads.
Thank you! I’ll send you an ARC right away.
J.P., I read above blog – and like to congratulate you for a well-written post. We, Trevor and I, read your books – except for the newly re-written one. As I had mentioned before, I had never been in your genre – but your stories totally enveloped me, and I couldn’t even think of anything else for several days after reading them. Technical problems – well, I can relate to that!
But tell me, what happened during a “walk-about?” I can not imagine what that entails…
Thanks so much, Giselle. I’m thrilled you and Trevor enjoyed the books. I say walkabout because the paperback edition of Secret Sky somehow got separated from the other editions and ended up floating around Amazon as an orphan. I would never had known had a reader not contacted me to say they couldn’t find it to review it. Yikes! An author’s worst nightmare! As you know, reviews are the lifeblood of a book. It took me a while to figure out what had happened. Thankfully, the folks at Amazon were able to link them again.