COVID-19’s impact on most industries is stunning. On the book publishing side, publishers have furloughed or laid off staff. Printers have struggled to print and ship books according to pre-COVID timelines. Authors who rely on in-person promotion had to re-think their book marketing strategies.

And yet, as an author, you’ve kept moving forward, haven’t you?

I have, too. This past year, I’ve published dozens of book marketing articles designed to help you rise above the chaos and confusion so you continue to sell books.

Which Build Book Buzz articles made the most difference for you? Here are your favorite book marketing articles according to blog traffic reports.

1. 2020 literary calendar with 122 occasions for book fans

This month-by-month list of occasions that celebrate all things books during the year we’re leaving behind makes it easy to find opportunities you can work into your book marketing plans. It includes information on how to use the 122 special days and holidays for year-round book marketing.

2. Book cover re-designs: A pro offers 7 before and after examples

This guest post by cover designer Alexander von Ness explains the thought process behind makeovers of seven fiction and nonfiction book covers. Each example includes the original cover and Alexander’s redesigned version, along with a link to a more detailed examination on his site.

3. “I wish I had known that before I self-published.” 25 authors share what they’ve learned

I asked self-published authors, “What do you know now about self-publishing that you wish you had known when you started?” This article showcases their responses on everything from where to learn what you need to know to whether you should publish on Amazon exclusively and the importance of a book marketing plan.

4. TikTok demographics for authors

TikTok was the fastest growing social network in 2019. This 2020 article digs into the video platform’s demographics so you can see if it’s a good fit for your target readers.

5. 3 Amazon secrets every author needs to know

In this guest post, book marketer Rob Eagar explains how to use Amazon’s power to your advantage. He presents three little-known Amazon secrets that can make a big difference, including how to use the platform to build your author email list.

6. The shy author’s guide to book promotion

While some authors embrace book marketing and promotion with enthusiasm, many just wish it would go away. In this article, I detail five “I can’t do this” obstacles I see the most from shy authors. It includes ideas for getting around them.

7. 2021 literary calendar with 137 occasions for book lovers

This December update to the popular 2020 list published last January takes things up a notch with more holidays and a “download and save this calendar” option designed to make it even more useful.

8. Trade book reviews: Behind the scenes with a professional reviewer

Rose Fox, director of BookLife Reviews, Publishers Weekly‘s paid review service for indie authors, explains trade reviews (also known as media and literary reviews) and how to get them. She walks us through exactly what happens on the publication review side. She also explains why getting a book reviewed can take a lot longer than you’d think.

9. How to get awesome book cover blurbs

Many self-published authors refer to their book description as a blurb, but the publishing industry uses that word for pre-publication endorsements and testimonials. This article addresses who to approach for endorsements and presents nine steps for snagging blurbs your mother would be proud of.

10. 4 steps to new book marketing habits

This article breaks down the habit-making recommendations of B.J. Fogg, author of Tiny Habits: The Small Changes that Change Everything. It’s a must-read if you’re serious about improving your life by replacing habits that don’t work for you anymore with those that will do the job.

I was happy to see that three of the top 10 book marketing articles here were written by guest bloggers.

It’s a reminder that guest blogging in reverse — bringing top authorities and experts to your site instead of going to theirs — helps provide your readers with useful content that matters to them.

Help me create content that will hit the top 10 list next year! Please add a comment telling me what you’d like to learn more about in 2021.

Tip of the Month

I like to share a “Tip of the Month,” a free resource or tool for authors, on the last Wednesday of the month.

This month, it’s Blogging Bistro’s 2021 Content Calendar Template.

People use content calendars to plan their blog posts and social media posts in advance. They help you become more thoughtful and organized, with the end result being a more consistent and strategic social media presence.

I love this particular calendar because it’s a Word document, not a PDF file, so you can type in it. You can even change the theme colors to reflect your author branding.

It’s the perfect companion to my popular 2021 Literary Calendar (and be sure to download the PDF version of that, too, here). Laura Christianson, the calendar’s creator, even linked to that list and pre-loaded the calendar with some of its writerly occasions.

I’ve downloaded the 2021 Content Calendar Template and have started adding the literary holidays that I’d like to promote in coming months. Give it a try yourself.

When I talk to authors about reviews, many think only of reader reviews – those reader comments that appear on Amazon, Goodreads, and other online sites. Reader reviews are important, essential, and influential.

But you also want to know about – and pursue – what the publishing industry refers to as “literary” or “trade” reviews. These are the critical, in-depth reviews of books offered by professional reviewers writing for media outlets.

Literary reviews carry more weight

Reader reviews have exploded all over the Internet in recent years, which is why most authors are more familiar with them.

And while there are fewer options for literary reviews today because so many publications have folded, reviews by trusted pros at media sources still carry more weight than reader reviews. That’s because book buyers know they’re from an objective media source with a name they recognize.

In addition, many bookstores and libraries won’t purchase self-published books that don’t have them. They are essential social proof.

Consider these scenarios:

• Let’s say you love romance novels. Whose review would you trust more – a detailed and thoughtful commentary from Historical Romance Magazine, or a two-sentence reaction from the average reader you’ve never heard of?
• What if you’re thinking about adding a deck to your house right about the time you read a good review for Build a Deck in a Weekend: 18 Plans You Can Use Right Now in your favorite magazine, Family Handyman. Think that detailed review might influence you? If you’re like most, it will.
• If you wrote How to Hire, Motivate, and Retain the Best Restaurant Staff: The Only Guide You Need to Succeed in the Restaurant Business, you’d be grateful for a review in Nation’s Restaurant News. That’s a trade magazine read by restaurateurs — your book’s target audience.

When my book, Publicity for Nonprofits: Generating Media Exposure That Leads to Awareness, Growth, and Contributions was published, I was pretty happy with the review in trade publication Bulldog Reporter’s Daily Dog.

It said, “Publicity for Nonprofits doesn’t just explain why publicity is important, but shows you how to use cost-effective public relations plans and tactics to reach fundraising goals, recruit employees and volunteers, and educate consumers.”

Couldn’t have said it better myself.

Don’t discount this option

While it’s true that some literary reviewers won’t review self-published books, others will, including two of the sources consumers recognize and respect, Kirkus Reviews and Publishers Weekly.

Plus, while The New York Times Sunday Book Review section is out of the reach of most authors whether they’re traditionally or self-published, there are still other legitimate outlets for literary reviews.

They include your local daily or weekly newspaper, city and state business journals, trade journals, and association newsletters. They’re all easier to crack than Cosmopolitan or The Los Angeles Times.

What can you expect?

What’s realistic for your book? It depends on these and other factors:

• Your traditional publisher’s quality standards and reputation
• Whether your self-published book looks and reads like a traditionally published book
• The size of the book’s genre or category (and hence the competition for attention)
• The book’s topic or niche
• The author’s reputation
• Your local media options
• Honest feedback you’ve received from early or beta readers

How to get them

Pursuing literary reviews is a smart and effective book marketing tactic for many authors and books. Are you one of them?

Learn more about this process as well as how to snag those important reader reviews in the two Build Book Buzz Book Marketing 101 courses — there’s one for nonfiction and another for fiction. You’ll learn how to get both types of reviews in Module 1 of the four-module training program.

What does your favorite review of your book say? Please share it in a comment.

(Editor’s note: This article was first published in March 2015. It has been updated and expanded.)

That statement is both true and false.

It’s true that most mainstream media outlets aren’t interested in self-published books that:

• Don’t meet traditional publishing standards
• Use an obviously do-it-yourself cover
• Name a commonly known self-publishing company or anything else that shouts “SELF-PUBLISHED!” on the copyright page

That doesn’t mean you can’t get your self-published book reviewed by the big guys, though. You just have to know what you’re doing, from beginning to end.

Here’s what you need to get around the “we don’t review self-published books” obstacle.

1. A well-written book that looks and reads like anything coming from a traditional publisher

This is non-negotiable. If you want trade/literary/media reviews, your book has to be a good read – and look like one, too.

If you’re not a good writer, hire a reputable ghostwriter. Association of Ghostwriters members need documented experience to qualify.

Pay a professional editor.

Work with a cover designer with experience in your genre.

2. A publishing company name that disguises the fact that you’re self-published

The publisher’s name is printed on the copyright page and in the product details on retail sales pages.

It’s common knowledge that Lulu, BookBaby, Xlibris, and “Independently published” (that’s what Amazon is now using instead of its defunct CreateSpace), among others, mean the book is self-published.

Create a publishing company for your book, using a name with no connection to you, your book title, or your family. Make it as generic as possible.

Do not use:

• References to where you live (I live across the street from the Erie Canal, but I’d never use “Erie Canal Press”)
• Anagrams of your first or last name
• Your book’s topic (a book about spiritual guides by “Spiritual Guide Publishing”)
• A combination of family names

When you create your publishing company name, make sure it fits the types of books you write. If you plan on publishing several children’s books, you want your company name to be light and fun. Writing business books? Let law firm or consulting company monikers inspire you.

3. Bookstore and library distribution

A friend who reviews books for the Christian Science Monitor told me recently that books he reviews for that media outlet “should be widely accessible.”

He went on to say, “The Monitor won’t like it if I review a book and readers go to their local B&N and can’t find it.”

Add to this the fact that bookstores and libraries aren’t interested in carrying self-published books that aren’t well-written and professionally packaged.Now you understand how important it is to meet accepted quality standards.

One major exception to the “we don’t review self-published books” problem

A significant exception to this – in theory – is Publishers Weekly’s (PW) free review program for self-published authors, BookLife.

A BookLife review lets you tout the fact that your book was reviewed by the best-known publication in the book publishing industry. BookLife reviews are attributed to Publishers Weekly and published alongside the other PW reviews in the main part of the magazine.

The only difference between PW reviews of self-published and traditionally published books is the word “BookLife” in parentheses at the end of the self-published book’s review.

Kelsey Clifton’s debut sci-fi novel, A Day Out of Time, was recently selected for a BookLife review. She’s anxiously awaiting the outcome.

She says, “If you look on the ‘Submissions Guidelines’ page, it does say that their process ‘is highly competitive — both for self-published and traditionally published authors…. If your book is chosen, know that it truly stood out.’ Which is always great to read!”

Skip the reviews, go for publicity

Another valid and valuable option is pursuing publicity instead of or in addition to mainstream media reviews.

Publicity is that free media exposure you get when your book is mentioned in the press. It might be:

• A short news note announcing your book that results from your book announcement press release
• An interview with you about your book’s topic or an element in your book
• An article you write about your book’s topic
• An interview with you on a related topic that showcases your expertise
• News items that run because you sent a killer tip sheet-type press release

One advantage of this approach is that the journalist doesn’t need to see or read your book. What counts is that you wrote a book related to a topic that’s interesting to the outlet’s audience.

As with reviews, there’s no guarantee that you’ll get the publicity you seek. But you won’t know until you try.

It’s not hard to get this publicity, either — you just have to know how to do it. Learn now in Book Marketing 101: How to Build Book Buzz. There’s a course for nonfiction and another for fiction.

One of the beauties of learning how to get publicity is that you can secure this media exposure long after the book launch. I once generated three press runs of one of my books on the strength of sales generated soley by publicity. Why can’t you do that, too?

Take action!

If you’ve got a standout, professionally packaged book, go for it.

If it’s too late to do this for your present book, follow these steps for the next one. You’ve poured your heart into that book. Why not give it the best possible chance of success?

Was your self-published book reviewed by any traditional media outlets? Please tell us about it in a comment.