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When Stephanie Chandler asked if I’d like a review copy of her new book for authors, I replied “Yes!” without even reading on to see what the book was about.

I’ve known, liked, and respected Stephanie, founder of the Nonfiction Authors Association, for years. I’ve read a few of her earlier books and know her content is relevant, well-written, and loaded with specific how-tos.

I was even more interested when I learned the new book’s title is “The Nonfiction Book Marketing and Launch Plan: Build Your Audience and Sell More Books.”

It’s a time-saver for you … and for me

I wondered if this might be a book I would write if I finally made the time to do it. I hoped it was, because it’s so much easier to recommend someone else’s excellent resource than it is to create your own, right?

Not surprisingly, this information-packed guide and workbook printed in an 8.5 by 11-inch format is everything I hoped it would be … and more.

(Feel free to skip the rest of the review and buy this workbook now.)

What’s “The Nonfiction Book Marketing and Launch Plan” about?

Part training manual, part workbook, this 243-page resource instructs you to:

• Acknowledge and accept the authority you gain from authoring a nonfiction book.
• Own that authority.
• Leverage that authority in ways that help sell books.

Stephanie uses the word “influencer” rather than “authority” or “expert.” I prefer “authority.” I encourage you to read Chapter 1, “Become an Influencer in Your Field” with the word “authority” in mind instead.

Why? Because in today’s lexicon, “influencer” and “influencer marketing” don’t necessarily have anything to do with knowledge or expertise.

When people hear “influencer,” they think of TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube stars. You can be a social media influencer simply because of your personal style, celebrity parent, or physique.

But if you’ve written a book on a subject, you’re an authority. A subject matter expert. You know what you’re talking about.

“The Nonfiction Book Marketing and Launch Plan” does a masterful job of showing how to make the most of your position of authority to promote your book.

Use these features to launch your nonfiction book

Stephanie combines three features to educate and prompt action:

• Instructional content
• Exercises with accompanying worksheets
• Checklists

You can write on the worksheets in the print book, but if you’d rather not – or if you’ve purchased the e-book – use the downloadable worksheets and checklists available at a URL provided in the book (email address required).

The instructional content addresses most tactics you’ll need to make your nonfiction book a success, from creating an effective website to pursuing podcast interviews and from public speaking to snagging publicity.

The chapter on author and book websites is outstanding. You might buy the book just for that information if you haven’t created your website yet or are looking to improve an existing site.

Blurbers and beta readers

I love the attention Stephanie gives to securing pre-publication blurbs – endorsements and testimonials – that validate and praise your content. Too many authors skip this step.

She focuses on securing them from other authors. I encourage you to look to other people who influence your target audience, too. I’ve had success with that approach for my books.

I wish the book offered more of a distinction between beta readers and launch team members, too. Beta readers provide early feedback on content. Launch team (also known as street team) members help promote the book when it’s published.

Some beta readers might join the launch team, but you’ll want to recruit non-beta readers to your launch or street team, too.

Buy this book, but don’t let it overwhelm you

You need this book. Get it here.

But … keep in mind that any time you find a resource as comprehensive as this one, you risk overwhelm. (The table of contents alone is seven pages.)

So, take your time with it.

You might already know some of what’s in there. Skip those sections. Jump to what’s new to you.

As you learn and complete the exercises, remember that you’re an authority. You’re an expert. You know more than the average person about your book’s topic.

Let “I’m an authority on this subject” be your mindset as you select the tactics you’ll incorporate into your book marketing plan.

And be sure to download my free Book Marketing Plan Template. It will let you take all you’ve learned from “The Nonfiction Book Marketing and Launch Plan” and drop it into a simple, easy to follow template. Use it as your blueprint as you move forward.

When you want to learn how to do something, do you prefer to learn from a book or a course? Please tell us in a comment.

As reported by CNBC and a sharp marketer who monitors the world’s largest online retailer for a living, Amazon is testing the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) to summarize some product reviews. Generative AI uses technology to produce content such as text, graphics, audio, and video.

The summaries, which include a disclaimer that Amazon is using AI to create them, pull from user reviews to share what customers do and don’t like about products. (See an example of a review here.)

In theory, they save discerning shoppers time scrolling through reviews for key product features and issues.

Amazon hasn’t officially announced that it’s summarizing product reviews with AI, but it confirmed the news when asked by CNBC.

Will Amazon roll this out to reader reviews?

You might be wondering if and when this will apply to reader reviews and the impact it might have on reviews and book sales.

Nobody knows for certain, but we can make educated guesses.

“Amazon is always testing what converts better on their product pages. If they find that the AI-generated review summaries convert well on laundry machines, then they’ll likely roll it out for books as well,” says Bryan Cohen, author and CEO of Best Page Forward.

Dave Chesson, founder of Kindlepreneur, a top marketing resource for authors, agrees. “I think it makes sense to do it considering that when looking at the reviews of the book, as a shopper, it requires a lot of time to sift through the reviews and find one with legitimate, constructive feedback on the book,” he says.

Impact summarizing product reviews with AI might have on books

Authors engaged in the ongoing struggle to generate reader reviews might be concerned that AI-generated summaries will discourage reviewers. Amazon is probably tracking review trends as part of the test, too.

Once readers realize that too-brief reviews – “Loved it” or “Hated it” – don’t contribute to meaningful summaries, they might get more specific.

Chesson has a concern about AI incorporating those too-brief reviews into summaries, too.

“If they develop the system where it compiles the good and the bad to create two paragraphs, I worry what will happen when the feedback isn’t well-thought-out.

“For example, I’ve seen negative reviews in the past where the reviewer will say something about how they haven’t read the book and then proceed to give an opinion. Or, perhaps there aren’t many negative reviews and so the system reaches and gives full discussions on things that aren’t really a thing,” he says.

Once readers realize that too-brief reviews – “Loved it” or “Hated it” – don’t contribute to meaningful summaries, they might get more specific.Click to tweet

Stephanie Chandler, founder and CEO of the Nonfiction Authors Association, shares his concern, adding, “While they haven’t yet mastered how to distinguish between poor product reviews and positive ones, surely they will figure out how to separate these details based on the starred reviews,” she says.

Encouraging readers to write more helpful reviews

Chandler believes authors can get ahead of this by encouraging readers to write more meaningful reviews.

“As authors we may need to ask reviewers to get more specific with their feedback so that AI-generated review summaries are reflective of the content of the books,” she adds.

Even so, Cohen wonders if readers will be disappointed by the new review experience if it rolls out to all product categories.

“If these changes all come to pass, the next question will be how book reviewers will react to their words being summarized and then passed over,” he notes.

Upsides to summarizing product reviews with AI

Any flaws in the process will likely be eliminated by the time book reviews are summarized. When it happens, it’s possible the AI-generated summaries will help readers make quicker decisions about what to read next.

“If the AI system can help piece this together, which I think it can, this will create a much better shopping experience,” Chesson says.

A better customer experience can lead to higher sales for books that readers review favorably, too.

“If the AI summaries help get a higher percentage of readers to buy, then both Amazon and the authors who publish there will be very happy,” adds Cohen.

Want to help readers write more meaningful reviews now? Download the Build Book Buzz Reader Book Review Forms now. There’s one for fiction; another for nonfiction. They encourage reviews by taking the mystery out of the process for your fans. Learn more at https://buildbookbuzz.com/reader-book-review-form/

Do you think review summaries will help readers make better-informed decisions about what to buy and read? Why or why not? Please tell us in a comment.

The Nonfiction Book Publishing Plan: The Professional Guide to Profitable Self-Publishing

Turns out I can — to both nonfiction and fiction authors.

Don’t stop reading this review because Stephanie Chandler and Karl Palachuk’s new-ish book has “nonfiction” in the title. Yes, the first few chapters focus on the advantages of writing and publishing a nonfiction book, but the majority of the 19 chapters are relevant to all books, regardless of genre and category.

Why I read this book

There are lots of other books I could have read, but I selected this one because I’ve read a couple of other books by Stephanie, so I know her work is excellent. Her content is thorough and accurate, and she offers specifics. She also owns a small publishing company, which means she writes about this topic from experience.

I can see that her co-author knows the topic just as well.

Here’s my review.

Lots here for all authors

Chapter 5 has some solid advice for creating your title, and the advice to write your back cover copy before staring to write the book is genius! It will help give you the focus you need to stay on track as you write.

But if you’re already sold on writing a nonfiction book, or if you write fiction, you can pretty much skip the first five chapters and start with Chapter 6, Beta Readers. Beta readers might be even more important for novelists.

You’ll find the specific information on where to find these helpers and how to work with them valuable.

There’s a great deal of information and emphasis on print books, presumably because nonfiction readers often like to read and mark up that format. Planning to publish only in e-book format? Just skip the few chapters pertaining to printed books.

What makes this book valuable

Here’s what I think makes this book useful to people who are new to self-publishing:

• You get clear, specific, and detailed instructions you can trust. The authors both have a great deal of knowledge that they share freely.
• The “Author Interviews” sprinkled throughout take you behind-the-scenes with successful self-published authors. They all answer the same questions. Because I teach how to market your books, I recommend reading everyone’s answer to this one: “What have been some book marketing strategies that have generated the best results for you?” You’ll find their insights helpful.
• The authors often use their own experiences to explain how they made decisions. I particularly appreciate the sections where they explain the options, then add, “Here’s how I handled it.” I like knowing what solution they settled on.
• The authors answer your questions before you ask them. As a moderator of a self-publishing and book marketing group, I know what questions new authors have about self-publishing. I had those common questions in mind as I read this book — and got the answers to all of them. You won’t have many questions left after you read this book.

Is anything missing?

As a self-publishing novice, I wasn’t left with any questions. (But you don’t know what you don’t know, right?)

It gave me the level of detail I need to feel like I could take on a self-publishing project with confidence. That’s precisely what I need from a resource like this.

I should point out, though, that I think the content about endorsements in Chapter 14 could have been stronger. The authors focused on getting pre-publication endorsements only from other authors. You also want to ask industry leaders and influencers. Many of them won’t be authors.

(For more on that, see my training program, “Blurbs, Endorsements, and Testimonials: How to Get Experts, Authorities, Celebrities, and Others to Endorse Your Book.”)

Two thumbs up

Too many authors don’t bother to learn the essentials before getting started on Amazon, Smashwords, or anywhere else. Whether they realize it or not, this means they make mistakes that impact their book’s quality and sales.

I highly recommend The Nonfiction Book Publishing Plan: The Professional Guide to Profitable Self-Publishing for anyone smart enough to look before they leap.

Let this resource give you the best start possible.

What other resources do you recommend to help authors learn about self-publishing? Please tell us in a comment.

That gave me pause, because peer reviewers are usually used with academic or scientific works, and his is neither. I asked if he meant “beta readers.” While peer reviewers read for factual accuracy, beta readers aren’t limited to “peers” and can be from your target audience.

“Beta readers” was, in fact, the term he meant to use.

Why you need beta readers

Beta readers are invaluable in the writing process because they can help you improve your manuscript. Fiction beta readers will provide feedback on anything from their overall satisfaction with the book to the characters, plot line, and whether the story flowed well. It depends on what you need from them.

Nonfiction beta readers who aren’t experts on your topic provide help when they comment on what they expected to learn but didn’t, where you went into more detail than necessary, or when they needed clarification.

Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, you want to end up with a manuscript that will satisfy the people you wrote it for – your ideal readers. Beta readers can help you reach that goal.

Where do you find beta readers?

You can find your best beta readers in many places. In her short report, The Author’s Ultimate Guide to Beta Readers, Stephanie Chandler, founder of the Nonfiction Authors Association, offers the following sources (section reprinted with permission):

• Your own social media and mailing list.
• Ask your colleagues, family and friends to participate.
• Ask your colleagues, family and friends to reach out to their networks.
• Online groups that reach your target audience. For example, if you’re writing a memoir on living with diabetes, locate groups for people who have diabetes.
• Reach out to trade associations, alumni groups and other professional organizations that reach your target audience and ask them to help you get the word out to their members.
• Goodreads has a public group specifically for finding beta readers, and so does Facebook.
• Post to writers’ forums and communities, such as Absolute Write, Writer’s Circle or The Writer’s Workshop.
• Contact Amazon reviewers. Look up competing titles on Amazon and then click on each reviewer to find their public profile. Oftentimes reviewers list a personal email, so you can send them an invitation.

(To download the full report, go to the Nonfiction Authors Association site.)

How many do you need?

The number of readers you recruit depends on how much feedback you want, need, or can handle. For example, I want just a few clear, strong, honest voices providing feedback. I seek quality over quantity.

Still, how many you ask depends on the number of people you think will actually follow through, too. You’re asking for a significant time commitment, so presume that many who volunteer won’t be able to follow through.

If you want six to offer feedback, consider asking 12 – knowing that you might only get feedback from three. Start with determining the ideal number of beta readers, then ask twice as many people as that. Adjust from there.

What do you say to them?

The most important thing to communicate when reaching out to potential beta readers is your expectations.

The most important thing to communicate when reaching out to potential beta readers is your expectations.Click to tweet

When the goal is to help improve your book, tell them that. Be as specific as possible.

That means you have to know what you’re most concerned about with the manuscript. The author client I spoke to about this last week will ask one category of early readers to comment on whether or not the concepts he’s presented resonate with them. Can they see themselves implementing them?

I use nonfiction beta readers to identify what I should have covered but didn’t or where I haven’t communicated clearly and effectively. Maybe I’ve presumed that readers know something that they don’t, or perhaps the book left them with unanswered questions.

Feedback from beta readers helps me get the right balance and tone.

Knowing my weak spots helps me get specific with the help I need. It will help if you know yours, too.

Don’t skip this step

It’s tempting to skip this important process.

We’re always in a hurry to get the book done. Maybe the publisher has imposed a deadline; maybe you’ve set your own deadlines that you keep ignoring.

You’ve probably heard many say, “Good is good enough.” But is “good” good enough for your book? Do you want your book to be just “good,” or do you want it to be the best you can possibly make it?

To help make your book better than good, enlist the support of the right beta readers. Sure, it adds to the timeline, but it also adds to your book’s quality.

That’s a good thing.

Did you work with beta readers on your manuscript? How did you find them? Please tell us in a comment.