Tomorrow, October 20, my BLOG TOUR for The Fence My Father Built kicks off. It’ll be hosted by CFBA, or Christian Fiction Blog Alliance, a group of book-loving blogs, book clubs and other groups, like libraries, that are interested in seeing what’s new in fiction. One of my students asked what a blog tour is, and it’s a fancy way of saying a bunch of web sites are featuring me & my book for 3 days. I expect my Google Alerts to go up at least for a little while. Meanwhile, if you feel left in the dark about all these newfangled terms and stuff-writers-have-to-do, an easy way to support your favorite author (me?) after you’ve read my book and raved about it to everyone you know, is to go to Amazon.com, look up The Fence My Father Built, and write a brief review. I’ve heard that even those who buy books from indie stores or other places are known to check out these reviews. Potential book buyers seem to trust average Joe and Jane reviews over the slick stuff and endorsements on book covers.
Writing Tip for Today: An Amazon review will help an author gain visibility and although I hate to think too much about sales and numbers, the only way your favorite author gets the next contracted book is if those numbers are sufficient. If you aspire to publishing a novel or other book, you can help make your odds better by supporting authors you like and admire. Amazon reviews, attending readings and signings, suggesting a book for book clubs and especially WOM (word of mouth) are some ways to help make sure publishing is still alive by the time your own book hits the stands.