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7 myths about reviews

I got a review.  Every author will be delighted by reviews of his book. It means someone read it and posted an opinion. Reviews are hard to get because competition is big. Also, readers in Amazon read books from famous authors, and we, indie authors are getting a piece of cake. Probably you heard about this magic number of reviews. 20-25 reviews, your book will be marked as "you might also read". 50 reviews will bring you to mention in the Amazon newsletter. It looks tempting and authors are struggling to get a huge number of reviews, but in reality, things look different. 7 myths about reviews: Bad ratings mean that book is trash, the same as bad reviews. It is not true, as tastes are different. Someone can spit on your book because of the genre you write, or because this person doesn't like the author. Also, many trolls are around, who can't wait a chance to ruin someone's rating. Excellent reviews mean that book is a bestseller. It is hard to please everyone, a...

How to find a good editor?

Your book is done. You wrote your story, but it is not ready for publishing. Why not? You need an editor. Before you assume it is easy to find, I offer some tips to save you from liars, cheaters, and opportunists. What kind of qualities a good editor should have? It must be an American or British editor. Don't think you can find a good editor in your country if you are not a native English speaker. Those who are Americans or British know the best about their culture, habits, phrases, and they will make a benefit for you. Your editor must have a testimony. It is praise from readers, usually made on their website, about their work. A good editor will communicate with the author. It is not like, I have done your book, give me the money. No! You must talk to your editor about your sentences, emptiness in your story lines, things that are not logical, and make a common agreement on what is missing in your book. It means, your book should go to the editor at least twice. A good editor...

Why some people don't want your success?

Jealousy and envy are followers of success. When you hear stories about friendships that broke because one friend is successful and the other did not manage, that is not a surprise. Marketing your book might lead you to some dark waters, where you can meet people who don't want your success. These categories you can meet: People who offer you to promote the book on their sites for a high price. You will just make your wallet empty. People who want your book free in exchange for a review. Many people will take a book, but you will not get a review. People who offer "favor for a favor" but there is a trap. You can read their book and they will never read yours. Trolls. Those people will rate your book with negative stars just to ruin your sales. You wonder, where is the cause, why this happens? It can explain by various reasons. Many people wish for success, and sabotaging their competition is their way to clean their path. Many people did not manage, so they wish the same ...

Basic mistakes in promoting your book in social media

You wrote a book. The next step would be to promote it on social media if you are an independent author. Promoting books is the way to reach visibility and potential buyers. This is important to find your reader's circle and get reviews. You are hungry for success, I know it. A huge desire to make sales could result in a negative effect. You might be blocked and deleted, even reported if you force your sales and annoy people. These are basic mistakes people do in promoting books: Randomly tagging people with your links. Who are you and do you know these people? You can't tag someone you don't know and offer your product. Sending private messages to unknown people. "Hi, I wrote a book and I would love to review or purchase. Click on the link, go and read it." Spam your page with the same links every day.  This is annoying, you are repeating yourself. Repeating the same things as parrot will not help you to reach a potential audience. Try to ask for money for your r...

6 kind of traps in book promotions

I want to sell many books. This is something that every author dream of. In making this score, authors will use promotional tools, and some of them are not useful. Accord my experience, here are traps that suck your wallet and waste your time. Review promises. It is not once that someone promises me a review and it never happened. I asked twice, and it stayed the same. When you realize that a person is not giving you a review, give it up. Some people are just like that, giving empty promises they don't want to realize, or they wanted to be kind, without real intention. Paid promotional sites. Be very picky when you promote books on paid promotional sites. Many of them are just taking your money and you will not make a good investment. For example, I paid 40 dollars for my book promotion and sold only 10 books. Next time I paid 25 dollars and sold only 6 books. You will never see me again. Potential buyers. The best buyer is a person who buys your book and sends you a message or ...

Hanging on the roller coaster - my suspense thriller

  Dear readers, I have awesome news.  My thriller suspense, Hanging on the roller coaster is in preorder and the release date is 17th August. If you want to have a book at a discount, here is the preorder link. https://www.amazon.com/Hanging-Roller-Coaster-Kristina-Gallo-ebook/dp/B092VW8GRQ/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&qid=1622191940&refinements=p_27%3AKristina++Gallo&s=digital-text&sr=1-1&text=Kristina++Gallo This story happens in Verona, Gardaland, and partly in Pula, Croatia. While riding the Roller Coaster at the amusement park Gardaland an accident happened to Adela. She fell from his seat and finished into a coma condition with brain injuries. Soon doctors discovered she was under a drug influence. Her fiance Dominik is seeking answers. The track will lead him into the world of the mafia and debt collectors. Some people don't want Adela to wake up because she knows secrets that will ruin their lives. If you read my books before, you know that I write without l...

How to make an interaction with your readers?

Connecting with readers is a hard task. In the world of indie authors, competition is big. Every author needs an audience, and famous authors are an advantage. So, you are not John Grisham or Stephen King, and your audience will not come automatically. To make a reader's community, you need to do next: Read some authors' books. If you read other's author's books, they will maybe read yours, especially because they need readers. Promote other people. You need a chain, and as the chain is bigger, your business is better. Show gratitude. Someone gives you your time by reading your book, so you must be grateful. Make interviews. People believe in visuals, so if you were on television, people might be interested in your work if you reached more than 1000 video views. Don't be a brainwasher. That means, don't show: Egoism. Vanity. Don't look down at other people. Pick up your friend's circle. You need to show attitude. If you let people fool you, if someone is...