press release

Dealing with Negative Reviews

It takes a lot of emotional fortitude to be disliked. I sometimes wonder how black licorice handles it. So many people really hate the stuff (note: it’s a personal favorite of mine.) No matter what side of the black licorice yay-or-nay fence you’re on, you’re entitled to dislike or like what you want. There’s no right answer. Not everything is for everyone.

 

Not to get all Sally Field up in here, but the desire to declare, “You like me. You really like me,” is a natural one. Of course, we want everyone to like us. Sadly, it’s unrealistic. I know a recently published writer who was quite obsessed with getting 5-star reviews. When a 3-star came down the pike, she was crushed. I reasoned with her that the occasional 3-star, or even 1-star, is actually a sign of a healthy publishing ecosystem. All 5-stars might indicate something was “hinky” (purchased reviews?) and further, a 1-star review might be a signal that, as a writer, you’ve pushed some boundaries and defied expectations – and not everyone digs that. And that’s ok.

There’s even a new book called The Courage to be Disliked: How to Free Yourself, Change Your Life and Achieve Real Happiness which has become a massive hit in Japan and now globally. Whether the book is good or bad, I don’t know, but I sure like the title. I also love the fact that while it has mostly good reviews on Amazon, it also has a bunch of 1-stars. Ah, irony, you slay me sometimes.

Why do I bring this up? Is it because I have a new novel being released at the end of this month? Perhaps. The Carlötta Beautox Chronicles is my latest venture, and it’s quite a departure from my last book, Suffer.

 

Written in epistolary form, Carlötta tells the story of a cringy, yet charming, wanna-be actress as she stumbles and bumbles her way through Hollywood in her quest to become A Star™. It’s based on the award-winning fiction podcast of the same name. Truth? While Carlötta the podcast had overwhelmingly positive reviews, there were some people who didn’t like it. The book will probably garner the same reactions. Both are over-the-top screwball comedies which are just not some people’s thing. And that’s fine. Black licorice and all.

If you’re looking for an extremely light, bawdy, cringy romp through Hollywood that’s jam-packed with celebrity gossip, this might be your kind of candy. There are some deeper messages about the perils of fame-seeking and our obsession with social media, blah, blah, blah, but mostly, it’s a confection. A breezy, unchallenging, novelty novel if you will.

Kirkus Reviews called it “Awkward.” I say to Kirkus reviews: “May I offer you some red licorice?”

 

Press Releases for Indie Authors

Bet you didn’t know you had to BE YOUR OWN PUBLICIST

Not only do indie authors find themselves in the position of having to do their own marketing, they sometimes discover the hard way, they have to be their own publicist as well.

A well-executed press release can be a game-changer, propelling your writing career to new heights. Does the thought of writing a press release intimidate you? I’m here to take the sting out of the task with tips on to create a compelling press release that captures attention, generates buzz, and boosts their visibility in the competitive publishing world.

  1. Craft a Captivating Headline that Grabs Attention. Make it 20 words or less. Create a Sub-header that gives a little more information

  2. Dateline: Include the city, state, date, and the location where you are located.

  3. The Hook: offer a compelling reason why this book is important now. You want to convince a journalist that your book is worthy of coverage. Is it based on true events? A gripping read? Award-winning? A well-written press release will make a journalists job easier, give them something to write about.

  4. Add a Quote from you the author: what inspired you to write this or some compelling information about the book.

  5. Include Your Bio: keep it short but give some info that builds credibility — awards, acclaim, experience.

  6. Circle back to the book: write a short paragraph about the book itself. Don’t give a synopsis. Write more of a tease: something that compels the reader to want to buy it

  7. Link to a Press Kit. A Press Kit that lives on your website, or in a google doc and contains high resolution photos of your book jacket and an author headshot. The press kit also includes a page of text about the book and about you. At the end of the press release: include a link to that press kit.

  8. The End. At the end of the press release you want to add the words The end OR the symbols ### to indicate to the reader that they’ve reached the end of the doc. Seems silly? It’s actually a very professional touch.

  9. KISS: Keep it short, sis! Aim for one page only. But if you absolutely have to go to a second page, do it at your own peril ;)

  10. Now what? You’ve written the press release, now where do you send it? Virtually no one sends press releases by snail mail anymore. It’s all done via email. You can create a media list by targeting publications and finding out the email address for the journalist or relevant editor. This info is usually located on the publication’s website.

  11. Something more: don’t just email the press release, lots of people are now posting the summaries of their press release on social media, including Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook using relevant hashtags like #pressrelease and other keyword hashtags, with links to the full press release.