It’s been a steep learning curve since I signed a book contract with WildBlue Press last December. This year, I completed the manuscript (the book was sold on proposal) and collaborated with my wonderful editor, Rowena Carenen, who helped shape Chained Birds: A True Crime Memoir into the breakout debut we all hope it will be. (Publication day is 11/12/24.)
The book’s interior and cover design are in their final stages, and, at seven weeks away from launch, the WildBlue Press team and I are focused on a slice of marketing called social proof. Basically, social proof is the use of public evidence to show readers that they won’t be wasting their money or time on my book. It can come from a variety of sources, including editorial reviews, which I am collecting at a nice clip. That early praise has already been key for initial marketing efforts, and those review snippets and blurbs might indeed help draw readers to Chained Birds.
How do authors get those Amazon book reviews to appear at launch?
But what about reader reviews? I’m specifically talking about Amazon and Goodreads reviews that many folks rely upon when considering their next book pic. And it’s not just the average star rating that’s important, but the number of reviews an author has. Ask yourself this — how enticing is it to buy any product, not just a book, with zero reviews? And then there’s this fun fact: Amazon does not allow anyone to post a book review before its publication date. So how do authors get those reviews to magically appear on the day (or week) their book is released?
Enter NetGalley. NetGalley is a platform used mostly by traditional publishers (although more indie presses and self-pubbed authors have climbed aboard) that allows for the distribution of advanced reading copies (ARCs) of not-yet-released books to readers in exchange for reviews. For readers, NetGalley is a free service to discover new books, request them from the publisher, and then read and review them. The platform is also used by booksellers, librarians, educators, journalists, and media professionals. (Other similar ARC-review platforms include Edelweiss, Goodreads, and a host of smaller competitors, but NetGalley is the largest and most popular with traditional publishers.)
Chained Birds’ NetGalley campaign began Sept. 17 with the goal of giving away 100 ARCs to qualified readers upon request, in exchange for leaving honest reviews not just on Amazon, but important sites like Goodreads and other retailers like Barnes and Noble, etc. Within one week we saw half the ARCs get distributed, and we’ve already gotten two reviews from readers who blew through the book quickly — both were five stars.
And here’s where the social proof snowball effect comes in: already, one of these NetGalley reviewers posted her review on her personal book blog, plus posted it to her Goodreads page — which meant it showed up on my Goodreads Author Page — and she also posted it to her Bookbub and Pinterest accounts. This reviewer is a Goodreads librarian who’s written over 1,000 reviews for that site and has a following of 2,758 readers. What a way to start off this NetGalley campaign, which is intertwined with Goodreads, Amazon, BookBub, Pinterest and many other platforms that some of the other Chained Birds ARC readers participate on.
And, of course, this very first NetGalley reviewer of mine has promised to cross-post her five-star review to the book’s Amazon page on the day the book comes out … and that’s how authors end up with all those reviews around their book’s launch.
Carla Conti is a true crime journalist, storyteller, and prison reform advocate. Her debut book, Chained Birds: A True Crime Memoir, will be published by WildBlue Press on November 12, 2024.
