Sunday, February 3, 2013

Book Reviews and Platforms


I have known two exceptionally astute senior editors. Back in 1991, the Crown editor gave me the word relationship that led to the publication of A Cat’s Life: Dulcy’s Story. In 2012, the Wayman senior editor gave me the phrase Dulcy’s Companion Book that led to the final cover for A Cat’s Legacy. Both these women have been a blessing in my life.
         Recently, I spoke with that same Waymen editor about A Cat’s Legacy and why it may not be selling. She believes the new cover, which I introduced to you in last Sunday’s posting, will help. As perhaps the purchase price will. However, she also believes that readers, before deciding to order a book, look not only at the cover, title, and price but also at the number of reviews it’s received.
         As of today, February 3, 2013, A Cat’s Legacy has only eight reviews. Wayman’s senior editor thinks it needs more before prospective buyers will consider it a book worth buying.
         How many more? Well, that’s debatable.  A Cat’s Life: Dulcy’s Story has twenty-two reviews from its first publication in 1992 in hardcover and its second publication in 2012 as an e-book, and yet it isn’t selling well either. Perhaps it, too, needs more reviews.
         Of course, reviews may be only a part of this. Publicity is probably the major influence in the sell of any book. In years past, the publishing company did the publicity. And surely Wayman has done its part in publicizing both of Dulcy’s books.


         However, unlike 1992 when Crown published A Cat’s Life, today’s large, contemporary publishing houses demand that writers have a “platform.” That is, a means by which they themselves can get word out about the book. This platform may be any or all of the following: blog, Facebook, Twitter, web site, radio show, PBS series, seminar or conference given around the country. That is, any writing or personal appearance that puts the author out in front of a large audience that might buy the book.
         Last week, a fellow blogger and author of several well-received and read books sent me an e-mail response to my comment on her blog. Given her past success, her words about platform stunned me. Right now, she is writing another book, and her agent has explained to her what’s necessary in today’s publishing world:
Publishing has changed so very much. Even with all my experience, I feel like a beginner—not in terms of writing, but in terms of the business. Book proposals are now 75% marketing and 25% content. It used to be the opposite. And last year, I read somewhere that you couldn't claim your blog as a decent "platform" unless you were getting 10,000 page views a month. I felt so discouraged as that seemed such an impossible number. But in the last two months, I've been averaging 12,000+ page views a month! Still not a whole bunch of Followers, but a good number of page views.
         Dr. Kathleen McCoy went on to explain that a series of postings she did on parents/adult-children relationships changed the number of page views she began to receive per month.


         So I’m left wondering if perhaps my blogs simply don’t appeal because of what I write about. I have two. One is an on-line memoir on which I post a story of my life each Wednesday. The other is the one you are reading right now. It is a memoir of my life as a writer seeking publication.
         For the first, I have 205 followers and fewer than 2,000 page views a month; for this second one, I have 25 followers and fewer than 200 page views a month. So you see, I literally have no platform.
         Dr. McCoy believes that a platform may be necessary only for nonfiction. So perhaps the novel I’ve written—The Reluctant Spy—won’t need a platform. We’ll see. All I’m sure of right now is that for each of the past three months, neither of Dulcy’s books has sold more than five copies.
         The bottom line to this lengthy posting is that I’d greatly appreciate any help you can give me with the following:

  • Writing a book review on Amazon or Goodreads for A Cat’s Legacy and/or A Cat’s Life if you haven’t already done so.
  • Asking those to whom you’ve given the book(s) to write a review.

Thank you. And peace to you ever and always, pressed down and overflowing.         

33 comments:

  1. I think part of it, Dee, is the incredible plethora of blogs and material that is out there. I follow over a hundred blogs and am glad that most don't write daily, or I wouldn't be able to keep up. I've read both of your books and enjoyed them immensely. One I have in hard cover and the other on my Kindle app. I have lent the hard copy one to friends who have also enjoyed it. I'm hoping they will "catch on" with those of us who love cats. Dulcy was a very special being.

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    1. Dear DJan, yes, there are so many blogs to read. Moreover, so many of them--like your two--are so interesting. I follow only 70 blogs and keeping up with them takes me a whole week, reading 1 1/2 hours a day!

      Thank you for reading both of Dulcy's books. I so appreciate that. Like you, I hope they will "catch on" with cat lovers. And I do so appreciate also your belief that Dulcy was "a very special being." She surely blessed my life. Peace.

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  2. I didn't realize a blog could be counted as a platform. And 12,000 page views??? I guess because I have a small number of followers and page views, that just seems like a huge number to me, but I could see where yours could build up into that kind of number.

    I will be more than pleased to put up reviews on Amazon tomorrow for both books. I'm not on Goodreads, but I'll do what I can to get these wonderfully satisfying books out there to be read and enjoyed.

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    1. Dear Shelly, 12,000 also seems like a huge number to me. It makes me think "and maybe pigs will fly!!!!!"

      Thank you so much for considering putting reviews of the two books on Amazon. That's so good of you. Peace.

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  3. 12,000 page-views a month sounds like an enormous number to me too, Dee. My blog has 96 followers, plus some who subscribe - say about 120 altogether? I get something over 2000 page-views a month, some of which are purely as a result of Google image searches and nothing to do with anything I've written. That 2000+ page-views is according to StatCounter, which doesn't count my own page views. The total would be higher if I relied on Blogger's own statistics which count both my own page views and those as a result of spam.

    Quite how a non-professional writer can be expected to do their own publicity in this way I just don't know. The only way I know that you could easily increase your number of page-views to some extent would be NOT to allow the whole of your posts to be published straight to the blog feed, so that only a section would be seen in Google Reader and subscription emails and people would HAVE to come to your blog to read the rest. I know you follow Friko's blog and this is what she has done.

    If you wanted to do this it's easy to set up. Just go to your dashboard and in the left sidebar click on Settings/Other. Then under Site Feed/Allow Blog Feed go to the drop-down menu next to Blog Posts Feed and select Short instead of Full. Then click on the orange 'Save Settings' button in the top right corner of the page.

    Hope this helps.

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    1. DEar Perpetua, 12,000 sounds like a lot to me also and I can't imagine ever having that many. It truly does seem like an impossibility to me, given what I write about.
      Thanks for telling me about the posts that invite a reader to read more. I'll try to navigate your instructions and see what this would mean for me. You know, I'm truly technologically challenged!!!! and so this blogging world is a never-ending source of amazement to me. And I'm also amazed that you know so much about it. Several times, you've explained things to me and others about how to do things with Blogger. Peace.

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  4. I wish I knew the answer to your questions and concerns, but marketing can be such a crazy game. You never know what will take off and sometimes you get surprised. I'm proud to one of the reviewers of your book and I stand by my 5 star review. You should have more reviews than what you have now.

    Lee
    Wrote By Rote
    An A to Z Co-host blog
    Twitter: @AprilA2Z

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  5. Dear Lee, thank you so much for that wonderful review you did several months ago. I still remember the words/sentiment with which you began and you really drew me in.

    The puzzling thing for me is that "A Cat's Life: Dulcy's Story" sold so well for an entire year and then the sells just dropped off. From 35 down to 20 then to 5 and then to 3. It's puzzling. Peace.

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  6. I will do something for A Cat's Legacy soon and post on my blog. I haven't thought it through yet, but I will do it. I already posted my reviews on amazon, but then there are some other places too. I think I recommended you check out Celery Tree from Karen Jones Gowen's blog. Much as I don't like Facebook or any of the other social media sites, I think it's good that you have signed up with them. Now I have to go and see how many page views I get per week. I never check those things.

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    1. Dear Inger, you are such a good friend to Dulcy and me. Thank you for your thinking about doing something for our second book. Whatever you decide will be wonderful. Peace.

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  7. I do recommend to all of my cat friends, and will continue to. This is an important and profound book.

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    1. Dear McGuffy Ann, thank you so very much for recommending "A Cat's Legacy" to your friends. That is so thoughtful of you. Peace.

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  8. I have a draft of the post about A Cat's Legacy. I'm sharing how much Dulcy's Habit # 5, helped Samson and me after Angel died. It is true, it really helped us both. Still does. It will be a while before I finish it, but I really like the draft and my idea to show how much the book helped me and Samson at a terrible time in our lives. Just wanted to let you know. Will email soon.

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    1. Dear Inger, I waiting eagerly to read what you've written. Thank you from both Dulcy and me. Peace.

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  9. Dee,
    I just keep thinking that if we persevere through all of this, something amazing will happen. I have so much hope :0)
    -E

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    1. Dear EC, I think you are right, but I also wonder if there isn't some glitch on Amazon that keeps sells from being shown. The sudden drop in sells from 35 and then 20 to 5 and then 3 for "A Cat's Life" just doesn't make sense to me. Peace.

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  10. Dee, I keep meaning to read both of your books and have just now ordered both of them that I am certain I will enjoy - and will go back and review.

    The few published writers I know personally have told me the same sort of thing you are going through. It is so hard to believe publishing has come to this.

    I think the suggestion to not post the entirety of your blog at one time is a good one of Perpetua's. You could still write one post a week, but divide it into two posts, say on Wednesday and Friday. You might try adding a few more labels and include the two titles more often on Coming Home To Myself. I'm not sure if that helps, but, worth a try.

    Good luck!

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  11. Dear Penny, I'm so pleased that you've come to this blog as I always welcome and enjoy your comments. Are you thinking that if I blogged more often I'd have more page views? You know I never thought of that, but I can see the sense of it.

    So If I wrote a posting at one sitting then I could divide it into two or three smaller segments and post two or three times a week. (I used to post three times a week, but I just couldn't keep up with new stories.) This makes sense to me. I'd post twice I think so that readers didn't have to leave comments so often. I find that I can't keep up with some blogs that post four or five times a week or even daily--like Kate in England whose writing so enthralls me. I miss some good writing because I can't keep up.

    Penny, I have a favor to ask of you. If, indeed, you do order "A Cat's Life" and "A Cat's Legacy" would you let me know when you do so? The reason I ask is that I think there is some glitch in the Amazon reporting apparatus and that it's not reporting the e-books' sells. Please see my response to Arlee Bird above to see what I'm basing this on.

    So if I knew if and when you ordered, I'd be able to see if they're reported because I can go to Kindle to see the e-book orders and to CreateSpace to see the traditional book order. Thanks for considering this.

    The above was about e-books mostly. If you are going to order a traditional book, please type on "new" book for "A Cat's Life" and you'll see a number of booksellers selling it. I sell it through "Dee's Cat Books" and autograph the copy I send. Peace.

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    1. That is what I am thinking, Dee - more page views. It might be worth a try to see what happens.

      I am having trouble keeping up with all the blogs I read right now as well, as well as writing as often as I did before. If it is a longer posting I intend to read, I will often click on, do a quick scan of it and go back later to really read it and comment later, or, more often than I want to, just wait until I have more time. If I go back, this means I've visited some blogs technically twice, giving an extra page view. This morning, I had a few hours and visited my favorite spots and left comments.

      I did order "A Cat's Life" and "A Cat's Legacy" through Amazon. I ordered the books, not E-books. I purchased both books new, so you would get some royalty, but, there were some there for a pittance that others are selling used. I wish I had thought to click on Dee's Cat Books. I will let you know when the books come, Dee. I'll leave a review as well. I know I will enjoy both of them.

      I love Kate's posts, I always learn something from her, and usually have a good chuckle. She often writes about her dog, Mac, and new kitten, Clive Bond. Looking at Debra's comment below, you might contact Kate, or tag one of her posts, as an example of how you can add views.

      I'll keep thinking here and will let you know if I have any other thoughts, Dee.

      I'm so glad we have connected through our blogs.

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    2. Dear Penny, I need to think about all this as I really don't want readers who have become blogger friends to have to come back to my blog more than once a week. I know just how busy they are visiting other blogs!!!! So I just need to decide whether having lots of page views is really necessary. Wayman Publishing tells me that the more page views a blogger has, the higher up that blogger's posting titles come on the Google page. It's all a little too much for me right now!

      I will contact Kate. Her blog is one of my favorites.

      And thanks so much for ordering Dulcy's two books. I do hope you will enjoy them and I look forward to your Amazon reviews. Since I asked for help in this posting, two readers have left reviews. I'm just--as my mom would say--"tickled pink!"

      I, too, am so glad we connected through our blogs. Your gentle touch always leaves me with a sense of contentment when I read your postings. Peace.

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  12. I definitely think that less is more with posting unless someone has something relatively unique to say. 6 mundane posts a week(not saying you do this, but I briefly read people who did)lead to my unsubscribing. Also, a blog can get a lot of hits without most of those people sticking around to concentrate much on the content.

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    1. Dear Mary, like you, I've come to believe that less is more. I started out posting three times a week in May 2011 on my first blog--coming home to myself; then I went to 2; and now I'm at 1 a week and that's comfortable for me. And I think it's also comfortable for the readers who come to this blog and my other one. Peace.

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  13. Finding readership as a blogger is not a simple thing. The network aspect is huge. And selling one's self is not so simple either. Even my own family members are rarely keen to read my posts. And that's after encouragement.

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    1. Dear Heidrun, my family and friends rarely read my two blogs. Or if they do, they never mention doing so to me! I think I'm just going to keep writing on both my blogs once a week and see where that leads me. I trust it will, ultimately, lead to my good. Peace.

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  14. I enjoyed your books personally, so I've also given them as gifts, Dee. I don't have any answers in the publishing field. One of my closest friends had her book published by a reputable publisher, but then almost all of the marketing fell to her. After a couple of local book signings she really didn't know what to do.

    The one suggestion that I have is that you might want to attract more true animal lovers as readers. It might feel manipulative, but it works. I honestly don't find too many of them all that interesting to me, but photos of animals with captions and a very, very short accompanying story are extremely popular. If you tag the post correctly it attracts the other animal lovers. If this is at all interesting to you, let me know, and I'll share my observations with you in an email.

    I'm going to put my thinking cap on, Dee. I want to see you succeed...you have such a wonderful story to tell!

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    1. Dear Debra, I do undersand from what I've read that traditional publishers--those big houses in New York and Boston--now insist that writers do their own marketing/publicizing. Even in 1992 when Crown published "A Cat's Life: Dulcy's Story" all that large publisher did was give me the phone numbers of newspapers, television stations, and radio stations in the Twin Cities, and advertise once in the magazine "Cat Fancy." I did all the calling of bookstores and television programs. I must admit that I enjoyed doing all of this and ended up with about 30 book signings and a number of radio and tv appearances. It was harried but a lot of fun. Now, 20 years later, I don't seem to have the "get up and go" that marketing demands!

      Please do let me know--via e-mail--your thoughts on how to attract more animal lovers to my blog. And thanks for putting on your thinking cap. I know that there a wellspring of creativity beneath that cap in your noggin! Peace.

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  15. I'm having a terrible time leaving comments on this post...perhaps others are having trouble also? I will contact you through email...I do have a couple of suggestions for you. :-) Debra (breathe lighter)

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    1. Dear Debra, as you see, your comment did get through. I wish I could help you out somehow with this problem. Peace.

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  16. Hi, Dee:

    I'm so glad you've got more reviews on Amazon for your wonderful Dulcy book! I think that the insistence on platform is largely a requirement of traditional publishing, non-fiction at that. So maybe, if one is targeting a smaller publisher or deciding to self-publish, the dreaded platform requirements aren't so important. I think that great reviews on Amazon are good and also checking out popular animal blogs, making comments and following those are the most effective ways to bring more animal lovers to your blog -- and to your book!

    By the way, I now have 15,700 pageviews for the past month (this is on Google, not counting my own page views) BUT all but about 2300 are for the Adult Children series of blog posts. Those are bringing a storm of comments still. And also, I am getting a LOT of spam comments, so I may have hooked into a search engine for spammers which would account for some of the dramatically increased traffic. It makes me a little nervous because I remember what happened to Rosaria when her sixtyfivewhatnow site got hacked and stolen. So while the number of pageviews looks good on my book proposal, only a modest number of them would be truly helpful for my cat memoir -- and I'm also nervous about the hacking implications of such a dramatic increase in such a relatively short time.

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    1. Dear Kathy, I do so hope that no problems occur for you and your blog because of the spam. Someone keeps sending me anonymous comments that simply make no sense. I click on them as junk and also bounce them, but they continue coming.

      Did you read the comment from Debra about finding animal blogs so as to increase readership/followers? I hope to work on this somehow. If you figure out a way, please let me know. Peace.

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  17. Count me in on reading/reviewing your book. I know from experience the challenges associated with marketing a book. I don't have the answers but I do know that reviews help. Happy to help out a fellow writer.

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    1. Dear Linda, thanks so much. You've given me a shot in the arm! Peace.

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  18. First I want to wish you success in the Marketing of your Book. I have no advice since I am not an Author, but I do Love to Write and Blogging has given me that platform and Freedom to Write whatever I want and give me yet another form of Artistic Expression. I never really expected anyone to find or read my Blog, so it was just an added bonus when others began visiting and then supporting my little slice of The Land Of Blog. Thanks for coming by for a Blog Visit and for leaving such sweet and poignant words... I could tell by that comment that you MUST be a Writer!

    Happy Valentine's Day from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian

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