One of the most powerful tools for marketing your books is the treasure trove of online book review and book recommendation sites like Goodreads, AuthorsDen and Shelfari.

You can create a community of hundreds or even thousands of raving fans who will examine which books you’ve placed on your virtual bookshelf. They’ll discuss, review and recommend your books. They’ll ask you questions about your characters or plot lines, and sometimes hang on your every word.

But with the good, comes the bad.
   
   
Prepare for Negative Reviews

Somebody, somewhere, won’t like what you’ve written and respond with a bad review that they believe is completely fair and accurate.

Resist the urge to respond! Here’s why:

• If you do, you’ll most likely invite another comment from the reviewer that’s nastier than the original. You won’t be able to help yourself. Before long, you and the reviewer will be in a drawn-out debate that looks and sounds like sour grapes.
   
• You’ll come across as too sensitive, unable to accept criticism, and resentful. Do you really want your followers to see you that way?
   
• You’ll turn off other potential reviewers because they might fear that you’ll come back at them with both guns drawn.
   
• People don’t all like the same things. Go over to Amazon and look at some of the best-sellers. You’ll see negative reviews mixed in with reviews that gush about the book.
   
• You might develop a reputation on blogs and discussion boards as an author who can’t stand the heat.
   
• Those public comments might show up when people, including publishers and journalists, do a Google search for your name or book title.    

   
   
What to Do Instead

Practice acceptance. Know that you are not alone. And move onto the next project.

If your’e still angry, walk away from the computer. Take a walk. Take a nap. Resist the urge to keep going back to the bad review and reading it again, hunting for any inaccurate morsel.   

Don’t appeal to your fan base and ask them to write good reviews to “push down” the bad one. Don’t ask them to stand up for you in the debate.   

Instead, read this lively discussion about “reviewer abuse”  on Goodreads.. 

As a publicity expert who teaches reputation management, I know how damaging these public squabbles can be. 

Am I wrong?  

Mistake #1 Made by Many Authors:

They wait until their books are written to figure out the target market.

Mistake #2:

They give no thought whatsoever to marketing the book until it’s printed.

How do I know? 

Because over the years, several hundreds authors have called me for help when they can’t sell their books. The first question I ask is, “Who’s the target market for your book?”

Often, this is what I hear: “My Aunt Sally loves the book and says she thinks everybody should read it. So I guess the answer to your question is everybody.”

Dear author, you’re saying, then, that you want your book to compete with every other book out there? And you’re tying up, in some cases, several years writing, rewriting, editing and proofing, yet you have no idea who should buy it? And you don’t know how to craft a specific sales message to a targeted audience?
   
   
Learn to Spin Two Plates at Once 

You need to force yourself while you’re writing your book to figure out the many ways you’re going to market it.  By working on the marketing and the writing simultaneously, you will end up writing a better book. 

By forcing yourself to think about how you’re going to sell the book, you’ll end up improving the content. In fact, I compiled this list of 10 questions you should ask before writing your book.

Spinning two plates at the same time is particularly important if you’re hoping to lure a major publisher. And every publisher will want assurances that your book will sell. They also want to know that you’re willing and able to shoulder a major part of the publicity effort, even though their publicist will be working on your behalf for about six months.
   
   

Let Peggy McColl Help 

Author Peggy McColl teaches the “market and write simultaneously” trick to authors. Peggy really knows how to sell books.  She has catapulted her own book to the Amazon, Barnes & Noble and New York Times Bestseller Lists.

She has an ingenious yet simple, five-step formula any author can use to make their book a bestseller at almost no cost. She has used it to generate $35,618.52 in sales the very first time out of the gate.

She’ll explain it during a free 90-minute webinar (or telephone seminar) at either 2 or 7 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, May 3, when Steve Harrison interviews her on “How to Make Your Book a Bestseller Even If You’re a Marketing Novice. Register here.

You’ll hear why her method works for all types of books, fiction or non-fiction, regardless of subject including self-published, POD, ebooks, newly-published—even those that have been out for years.

Peggy will also discuss Facebook pages, and why you need your own page just for your book. As for selling your book on Amazon, learn the big mistake most publishers make on that site.

I promote this free webinar as a compensated affiliate because I dislike hearing from sad authors who don’t know their target market, and can’t park in their garages because of stacks of cardboard boxes filled with books they can’t sell.

Here are my Top 10 tweets from this past week, great for retweeting! If you missed these, follow me on Twitter.

10 Most Common Things being Pinned on Pinterest. http://ow.ly/a9Ivc

When the cops subpoena your Facebook information, here’s what Facebook sends the cops. http://ow.ly/a9HV2

50 Facebook facts that will fascinate small business. http://ow.ly/a9Yv8

Want more readers for your blog? Import it into your Goodreads profile. http://t.co/SoqcLFcv

Got a Google Places page? Beware of this new rule, or your listing might be removed. http://ow.ly/abgHp 

10 waterproof smartphone cases to prevent disaster. http://t.co/NRbO9shZ

Author U Extravaganza May 3-5 in Denver has all-star lineup. http://ow.ly/ad2Y5

12 Most Downright Useful Digital Tools for PR. http://ow.ly/ad3k6 

Likeable Runway: Social Savvy Fashion Designers.

Writing Killer Web Copy – 4 Questions You Should Answer. http://goo.gl/3CeMo 

When I attended Judith Briles’ Author U last year as a presenter who taught authors how to use social media to promote their books, I practically filled a notebook while seated in the audience listening to the other speakers. It was a lineup of the best of the best in the publishing industry.

This year promises to be no different. If you’ve written a book, you’re in the process of “birthing” one, or you’re just thinking of writing one, Denver is the place to be May 3-5.  Briles puts on one heck of a conference.

Here’s the lineup:

Florrie Binford Kichler will forecast what’s happening in the indie world.

Publicity expert Steve Harrison, who hosts the National Publicity Summit and the Quantum Publicity workshops, will explain how to get every producer to call you.

Brian Jud will speak on how to market fiction, from craft fairs to summer festivals.

Social networking expert Georgia McCabe will give dozens of tips for promoting your book in social media.

Marty Dickinson will show you how to take your book to the next level with Google+.

Mobile marketing expert Mary Barnett will help you create a marketing platform with your phone.

Nick Zelinger will show you the latest trends in book design.

Dan Pacheco will share the inside secrets of why the Huffington Post and the local Denver Post are selling gazillions of books and how you can immediately implement their techniques. 

Janita Cooper will show you how to create audio and video from your books, and snazzy book trailers too! 

Daniel Hall, the master of all things Kindle, will show you how to do it yourself whether you want to create an ebook from scratch, or convert a printed book.

Here are five more reasons you should consider attending:

1.  All three days are packed with solid content. This is not a pitch fest.

2.  They feed you. You get a continental breakfast and lunch Friday and Saturday, dinner Friday night, and dinner on Thursday for those who sign up for the special John Kremer dinner workshop. 

3.  You’ll find convenient electrical outlets at all the tables. So leave your 25-foot extension cord at home.

4.  Wifi is free. 

5.  It’s well-organized. Briles didn’t miss one little detail last year. 

Register here before it’s filled. I’m promoting Author U as a compensated affiliate because book writing and publishing is just too difficult to attempt on your own, without guidance from pros of this caliber.    

Fitness trainer Sandi Berger

Publicist Roberta Stein of Skokie, IL, writes this Help This Hound question:

Sandi Berger, my new client, wrote a new book, “Fitnevision: Create Your Lifestyle Vision Starting From The Inside Out.”  

“At her website, , and in her book, Sandi shares the story that healed her and led to her becoming a personal trainer and life coach in Chicago.  

“In the 1970s, Sandi experienced both depression and crippling panic attacks.  The doctor she sought help from advised her to take medicine in the benzodiazepan family, such as Valium or Xanax.  She knew these drugs were potentially addicting and felt that if she took them, she would be exchanging one problem for another.  She decided to try her own self-styled cure….adopting a lifestyle of exercise and positive thinking.  These practices DID cure Sandi.  

“In her book, she tells readers how they too can find a healthy, stress-free life.  Because there is a lot of documentation, both on and offline, that backs up Sandi’s findings, I have thought of finding a psychotherapist, to be interviewed with Sandi, attesting to the validity of the message in her book.  

“But I’m wondering if your Hounds can think of additional ways to promote this new book.  I welcome their ideas.  Thanks, in advance, for any help you can send my way.”

Confession: I hadn’t heard about Goodreads, the largest site for readers and book recommendations in the world, until I was preparing for a presentation at the Independent Book Publishers Association’s Publishing University last month on how authors can reach online communities of readers.

I hurriedly signed up, promising myself to return to the site after the IBPA conference to beef up my profile. I’m hoping to do that this weekend, and I’m grateful that my friend, Joel Friedlander, passed along a terrific suggestion about something that I had overlooked when I joined the community of more than 7.5 million book lovers. 

Friedlander is a book designer, blogger, and author of A Self-Publisher’s Companion: Expert Advice for Authors Who Want to Publish.  He’s only been on Goodreads for about five months but already has 1,728 friends.

One of the first rules of social media is that the person with the most friends doesn’t necessarily win. Much more important is how you connect with your friends and how much you can help them.

But many of his friends aren’t strangers. They already follow him on Twitter. And I had overlooked the fact that I can import Twitter and Facebook friends into Goodreads. 

“You can integrate Twitter, Facebook, Hotmail and Yahoo,” Friedlander said. “When I created my account, it suddenly dawned on me that if I dumped all of my Twitter friends into Goodreads—and Goodreads seems to add them a little at a timet—I could keep adding friends for months.”

That’s exactly what he did.

“I now have quite a few connections and I’m at the point where I’m building my relationships,” he said.
   
   
More Tips for Using Goodreads

He offers these other tips for authors on Goodreads: 

• Import your blog into your profile.  ”Every time I publish a blog post, five days a week, that RSS feed is going into Goodreads and my friends are alerted that I have a new post. I get comments on those posts that I don’t get at my blog site.”
   
• Create digital bookshelves. Your friends can see what you’re reading, and you can promote your own books. “I’ve created shelves filled with books that are published by me and designed by me.” 

• Review several books at a time. Keep the reviews short so you have more time to review more books. “Reviews are part of the echo system of Goodreads. If you get on there but never contribute, you aren’t really using the site like you should be.” He writes only positive reviews and never shares negative comments about books he doesn’t like.  
   
• Join the best discussion groups where you can learn and contribute the most. But monitor how many you’ve joined so you aren’t overwhelmed. “The discussions can be very powerful for authors.”
   
• Check out local groups that are in your own community. “I joined a group from San Raphael, Calif., where I’m from, and it’s a lot of fun.”

Friedlander says another big plus for authors who are members of Goodreads is that it keeps them from falling into the trap of writing for other writers’ blogs and discussing topics such as how their sales are going, or what they think of Kindle Select—topics their fans don’t really care about. Their time would be better spent, he said, using Goodreads to connect with, and write reviews for, the people who are reading their books, and others who love to read.  

This week’s guest post was written by Charmel Delos Santos, a private trader, author, mother of three, and ex-beauty queen wannabe. Ger her free preview ebook, “High Heeled Traders,” and learn how to trade profitably like only a woman can.

*     *     *

By Charmel Delos Santos

I taught my 2-year-old daughter a children’s song last week and she has since been humming it for days—she seems to like repeating an itty bitty three-word-part she can’t keep out of her head. Like golden nuggets of wisdom, some words nicely strung together can have a lasting effect.

So let me share how I strung some words together and got some immediate and far-reaching publicity.

In December, I finished a book on stocktrading for women and decided to go on a “business and pleasure holiday.” I live in Sydney, Australia and went to holiday in the Philippines where I came from originally.

After a week of splashing island time, we pitched TV stations and got their interest. Two TV stations promptly sent their news crews for my book launching there. One TV station aired it on the evening news immediately following, and the other one aired the video clip three times on their cable channel!

A reporter wrote an article, Stock market trading is like shopping,  for the news website which bannered in their “Profiles” section for days. Also, the articles and video clip received high viewership and were consequently bannered in the “Most Read” features, even beating the article on Facebook IPO!

This is the newsclip:

Back here in Sydney, I pitched our local newspaper, the North Shore Times, and they wrote a feature article on the book. After publication, I thanked the journalist and told her about all the interest it generated and offered to send her a complimentary book. She replied and asked me how I’d like to have a “book giveaway” promo on their Facebook site!

Make Magic with Words

Journalists are busy people. Attract their attention right away by putting the statements that will jump out at them in the headline or subject line or in the very first paragraph of the press release.

Here are the ideas I’ve used:

1. Use local references.

My book and my messages have global appeal which is “investing/share trading for women,” but I made an effort to make it a juicy, relatable topic for the local audience. 

For the local newspaper, the North Shore Times, my headline was “North Shore women are trading”. ” In the Philippines, the press release carried a statement that appeals to the values of the target audience. I said the “Filipinas (as women in the Philippines are called) are very keen in finance to help them care for their families.”
   
   
2. Use humor.

 No jokes required, but a little play on words that will make a journalist smile, be amused or feel good will surely get you into their good graces. If you can get a weighed down journalist to lighten up, imagine how he could use that to good effect to his audience!

• I included a twist—associating a “non-business” word to finance. I used this in the press release I sent to them, and again in the TV interviews. Phrases like “Trading gets extreme… makeover!”
   
• I compared two vastly different concepts “trading is like shopping.” If you can do so with a resulting comic effect, that would be so much better.      
   

3.  Make a “challenging” statement.

This could be a totally new perspective or state a little-known but increasingly important point.

I said that “Women are natural traders” although they really are scared of trading in stocks, and 90 percent of traders are men. I explained that trading is just buying and selling. “In our world, it’s called shopping. Women shop a lot.”

I also said “more stay-at-home moms are trading” because they like the flexibility and want the extra income.

So there! Weave some magic into the words you use to pitch the media. You’ll have more credibility and get more publicity!

Authors: If you have a book just months from publication, you might be so busy preparing for it that you forget about the websites, magazines and newsletters that librarians read before deciding what books to buy for their collections.

The U.S. alone has an estimated 121,785 libraries. That’s a lot of potential customers, and a lot of readers.

One of the best ways to get in front of librarians is to submit your book to be reviewed by one of several publications that librarians turn to for recommendations. You aren’t promised a favorable review. But if you get one, you can use it in your marketing materials, excerpt a blurb for your book jacket, or include it on your website.

Here are three very reputable sources for librarians, which I’m discussing in tomorrow’s webinar on “Where to Find Millions of Readers Online to Review, Recommend & Buy Your Book.” 

Library Journal

Library Journal is written for public, academic and institutional libraries. Its hefty reviews sections includes more than 8,000 reviews annually of books, ebooks, audiobooks, videos/DVDs, databases, systems and websites.

Books are selected for their potential interest to a broad spectrum of libraries. Only a few areas of publishing fall outside LJ‘s scope: textbooks, children’s books, very technical or specialized works (particularly those directed at a professional audience), and books in languages other than English. It will consider bilingual editions.

Library Journal wants to receive materials three to four months before your book is published because its primary goal is prepublication review. It will accept bound galleys, bound page proofs, or bound manuscripts.

Read instructions on how to submit your book. 
     
     
Booklist Online

This site includes 130,000 reviews of books, ebooks, audiobooks, videos and online databases.

Booklist is a book-review magazine that has been published by the American Library Association for more than a century and offers reliable reviews to help libraries decide what to buy and to help library patrons and students decide what to read, view, or listen to. It comprises two print magazines, an extensive website and database, e-newsletters, webinars, and other resources that support librarians in collection development and readers’ advisory.

Each year, it receives more than 60,000 requests from authors and publishers who want their materials reviewed.  So follow the instructions carefully on how to to submit. If they review your material, they’ll send you a tearsheet. 
     
     
Kirkus Reviews

This magazine gives industry professionals a sneak peek at the most notable books being published weeks before they’re released. When the books become available for purchase, Kirkus offers the reviews to consumers in a weekly email newsletter and on its website. Authors must pay a minimum of $425 to have their books reviewed.

The Kirkus Indie program gives independent authors a chance to obtain an unbiased, professional review of their work, written in the same format as a traditional Kirkus review with the same chance of earning the coveted Kirkus Star.

If your book is reviewed, you can decide if you want to keep it private or publish it at no extra charge on their website. If it’s published at the site, it will also be included in the content feed to licensees, such as Google, BN.com, Ingram, Baker & Taylor and more. Editors will consider the review for publication in the magazine and email newsletter.

Here are complete submission guidelines.
     
     
More Coming Tomorrow 
   
During tomorrow’s webinar, I’ll discuss two more sources that target librarians—one that’s perfect for romance books and another that specializes in science fiction and fantasy. That’s in addition to the many online book review sites, web discussion groups and forums where millions of readers are discussing their favorite books and recommending titles to their friends and to the world. (Update: You can access the video replay here.)

Hope you can join us! 

Carolyn Howard-Johnson read an item I included in today’s Publicity Hound’s Tips of the Week ezine on the clever Pinterest campaign launched by Kotex, and she emailed a great idea on how she her author friends promote each other’s books on Pinterest. 

“I just started Pinterest, but I’ve been applying lots of my general marketing tips to Pinterest. An example: I got started by telling my author friends on Facebook that if they pinned one of my books to their account, I’d do the same for them.

“I have several different book boards, but one of them is ‘Books by Friends’ where I pin these books. I also pin images of gorgeous book cases, quotes, book-related cartoons, etc. on that wall to keep it interesting.

“I offer your authors the same deal. We’re all in this together. (-: Find me at www.pinterest.com/chowardjohnson.

“Also notice how I separate out the books I write in different genres to separate boards. And how I sometimes repeat a book image on two different boards. As an example, the theme of my novel is rooted in tolerance so it appears on my Tolerance board and on my Literary and Poetry board.

“I believe it’s little techniques like these that can make a difference to a network that at first doesn’t seem innately suited to the needs of writers. And yeah, its all about branding and finding those marketing angles we both talk to our people about so much.”

The Publicity Hound says: I love this idea, and I especially like how Carolyn has peppered her boards with book-related quotes and photos just to keep it interesting.

If you’re an author, you’d be crazy to pass up Carolyn’s invitation. By the way, she’s the author of The Frugal Book Promoter: How to do What Your Publisher Won’t, one of my very favorite books on how to build the buzz for your book.  You could spend the rest of your life following all her tips. If you do, you’ll sell lots of books.

Smart authors don’t fret about the shrinking book review section in The New York Times, or the 12-page book section that the San Francisco Chronicle eliminated.

Instead, they target online communities such as Goodreads.com, the largest site for readers and book recommendations in the world.

Here’s why sites like Goodreads are so powerful if you want to find readers who will read, review and buy your books:

• Its more than 7.3 million members create virtual bookshelves where they have added more than 260 million books they love reading.
       
• Members recommend, review and compare books.
     
• They keep track of what they’ve read and what they want to read.
     
• They form book clubs. They debate plot lines and characters, and comment on each others’ reviews.

   
A Powerful Platform for Authors

Goodreads’ Author Program  lets authors write a detailed profile, publicize events like book signings, write quizzes about their book or topic, post videos, give away books before launching, lead Q&A discussion groups, join book groups, and chat about their books in discussion forums—all for free. 

Generate positive reviews on a site like Goodreads and you could be reaching millions more readers than if you had a book review printed in the shrinking New York Times.

“People are more likely to get excited about a book their friend recommends than a suggestion from a stranger,” says Otis Chandler, the Founder and CEO of Goodreads who got hooked on the Hardy Boys series in the second grade. “We even created an amazing algorithm that looks at your books and ratings, and helps you find other books based on what fellow Goodreads members with similar tastes enjoyed.”

The site appeals to casual readers and bona-fide bookworms, and the next book they read might be yours.
     
     
Other Sites Where Readers Are Reviewing Books

Goodreads is one of the dozens of online communities where you must have a presence if you’re serious about creating buzz for your books. Confused about which sites are best for you? Join me at 3 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, March 29, when I host the webinar “Where to Find Millions of Readers Online to Review, Recommend & Buy Your Books.“

You’ll learn about the biggest and best online book review sites, online book clubs, web-based book discussion groups, and which ones are best for certain genres and even poetry.

I’ll even throw in several excellent forums and listservs where publishers and authors can learn about writing and publishing. And I’ll show you where to find a network of nearly 2,000 book bloggers and book reviewers. Register here even if the time is inconvenient because you can get the video replay and the other downloads and bonuses, within 72 hours after the webinar.