Agents and publishers in their submission guidelines often ask for a list of comparable titles. By identifying these books, they can estimate the size of the print run and a P&L (profit-and-loss statement). Identifying the current books on the market which serve the needs of your readers helps you with the business of being an author and your bottom-line, too. The comparative title analysis identifies the authors who reach your readers. You will want to get to know them. And their readers. And your best strategy is to pay it forward. The books you read and consider comparative titles in your proposal are ones you should write a thoughtful review and post it on GoodRead or Amazon. Authors read these and so do readers. If you want your book to be reviewed by readers, then you need to review books your readers are reading now. Consider this a form of guerrilla marketing. On Amazon and GoodReads you can meet your tribe of readers. Get to know your customers and what they like and dislike about the books they are currently reading. How can you write a better book to fulfill the expectations and needs of readers? Perhaps you want to write book reviews for publication in a journal, magazine, or newspaper. For example, if you write for women and hope to publish your own work one day then you might consider spending a year becoming a book reviewer for Story Circle Book Reviews. If you write nonfiction and belong to a professional…

It is the author’s responsibility to seek endorsements for their books and publishers expect you to get them. Blurbs – often only a few words from an endorsement from a high profile author, celebrity or expert  –  appear on a book’s cover or dust jacket flaps. Blurbs are used in letters to solicit book reviews, on tip sheets to booksellers, in marketing materials and press releases. Does the prospect of asking for blurbs make you cringe because it requires a level of narcissism you can’t quite muster into self-promotion? Remember, Narcissus is a gorgeous yellow spring blossom I hope to see soon in New York. The perennial flower takes its name from the Greek myth of the hunter renowned for his beauty who fell in love with his reflection in a pool of water and dies there unable to leave his own reflection. The moral of the story is it’s not about you, it’s about the book and asking for blurbs should be as easy as growing daffodils. Set the bulbs in the fall for spring blooms. If the book is your blossom, its up to you to plant, fertilize, weed, water, tend, and harvest the bounty of book blurbs. Endorsements add credibility to your work in the eyes of readers. If someone picks up your book and sees a blurb from an expert or author whom they already know, respect and trust, they are more likely to purchase it. Blurbs can be extremely beneficial to a debut author, a…

Where should your book be reviewed? What literary journals and magazines should you submit excerpts or adaptations to? Which bookstore events will be worth your while? Are there podcasts or radio interviews you should book to promote your new release? These and other questions you may have when you begin to put together a marketing strategy are not easy to answer. Studying your comp titles can help. If you are preparing a book proposal, you will need to put together a list of comparable or competitive titles. These are books that are similar to yours in that they are competing for the same readers. And these authors have successfully found their audiences so it behooves you to study their efforts. Start by looking at the comp titles’ product pages on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Indiebound. You’ll notice there will be short excerpts from reviews and blurbs from those who have endorsed the book. This will help you grow a list of places where you might get your book reviewed. While publishers may send out advance review copies to Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, or Shelf Awareness, they need you to tell them where else galleys should be sent. If you are writing for children or young adults, should your book be reviewed at The Horn Book? School Library Journal? Where else? See where the books on your comp title list have been reviewed. If you’re a female author with a book that interests women readers, do you see your comp titles…