Author FAQ Feedback [resolved]

[August Quinn]

Here is a Q&A from the Author FAQ page:

Why do I have to get my book reviewed?

One of the reasons our website has become so successful is because our focus has been on promoting books that have been reviewed and verified as good.

Our readers would NOT respond to our advertisements and might not even want to come to the website if our advertising messaging was, "Buy this book because the author paid us to promote it." That is what a lot of lame ineffective so-called marketers do, and that is why they all fail where we succeed. In contrast, our messaging is more like, "Read this book because this valued honest member of our community who you trust has given it a PERFECT 4/4 rating." That messaging works to sell books!

Constructive Criticism:

This part "That is what a lot of lame ineffective so-called marketers do" could be worded in a way that is less judge-y. I feel like a service such as yours does not need to resort to name-calling or denegrating the competition and it made me really uncomfortable when I read this.

For instance, you might write something like: You may find this is the method used by some marketers, but it has been shown to be ineffective and can lead a book's marketing campaign to fail. Our process is rigorous, honest and leads to a much more successful outcome both the author/publisher and reader can trust. (And mention that your process comes with accountability, e.g. the book will be read in full by the reviewer, the reviewer may do some research on the category and genre to see what the expectations and conventions are to better understand what your book offers/delivers in terms of those things if they are unfamiliar with the category/genre, the review will be thoughtful and considered and may be partly written from a marketing viewpoint and partly from a reader's viewpoint or a variation thereof.

Just my personal opinion. Hope it's OK to leave this here. I came from Scott's email asking for feedback and I couldn't find where to leave my feedback. Thanks and have a good day.

[Melisa Jane]

Here is a Q&A from the Author FAQ page:

Why do I have to get my book reviewed?

One of the reasons our website has become so successful is because our focus has been on promoting books that have been reviewed and verified as good.

Our readers would NOT respond to our advertisements and might not even want to come to the website if our advertising messaging was, "Buy this book because the author paid us to promote it." That is what a lot of lame ineffective so-called marketers do, and that is why they all fail where we succeed. In contrast, our messaging is more like, "Read this book because this valued honest member of our community who you trust has given it a PERFECT 4/4 rating." That messaging works to sell books!

Constructive Criticism:

This part "That is what a lot of lame ineffective so-called marketers do" could be worded in a way that is less judge-y. I feel like a service such as yours does not need to resort to name-calling or denegrating the competition and it made me really uncomfortable when I read this.

For instance, you might write something like: You may find this is the method used by some marketers, but it has been shown to be ineffective and can lead a book's marketing campaign to fail. Our process is rigorous, honest and leads to a much more successful outcome both the author/publisher and reader can trust. (And mention that your process comes with accountability, e.g. the book will be read in full by the reviewer, the reviewer may do some research on the category and genre to see what the expectations and conventions are to better understand what your book offers/delivers in terms of those things if they are unfamiliar with the category/genre, the review will be thoughtful and considered and may be partly written from a marketing viewpoint and partly from a reader's viewpoint or a variation thereof.

Just my personal opinion. Hope it's OK to leave this here. I came from Scott's email asking for feedback and I couldn't find where to leave my feedback. Thanks and have a good day.

Hi.

Thank you for the feedback. It is highly appreciated. I've forwarded this suggestion to the developers who will look into it. If you have any other suggestions, please let me know.

Thank you.
Melissa.
Official Reviewer Representative