A couple of months ago I wrote a post titled Stop Looking. It was my way of holding myself accountable to stop looking at the numbers, i.e., Amazon rankings/ratings and Goodreads ratings. Well, friends, I didn’t completely stop looking. I simply slowed down a bit. I mean, what can I say? I have a degree in Math and Computer Science, and I am a former Database/Data Analyst. Dealing with numbers/data is my jam! I love analyzing data!
Admittedly, the times that I do look are times when my books have been mentioned on the Internet or during and after I have participated in an event. I mean, I’m only human. I like to know whether these things make a difference in sales and ratings.
Some of the times that I’ve noticed a rise in the ranking (meaning that a few folks bought my book!) were when Kate DiCamillo recently recommended The Lucky Ones (again!) on a local Minnesota T.V. station during an interview, after Bank Street College of Education posted their “Best of” list for 2023, and when the children’s librarians of New Hampshire posted their Stone Face Book Award nominees for 2023/24. It was hard to tell which made a difference—Bank Street or CLNH—since they both occurred at the same time. Either way, the point I’m making is that people take notice and buy books (even if only temporarily) when books make a list or when someone well known gives the book a shoutout.
Two excellent examples of this is when a couple of my friends’ books were mentioned in two high-profile news outlets. When Yellow Dog Blues by Alice Faye Duncan was listed as one of the top ten best illustrated books of 2022 by the NYTimes, the sales rank rose, I believe, to triple digits, which is fantastic!!! And just recently when Becoming Ezra Jack Keats by Virginia McGee Butler was reviewed in the Wallstreet Journal, I was able to see the sales rank for my friend’s book rise from mid 700,000’s to around 20,000 (when I remembered to check). Yeah! Go, Virginia!!!
And, no, I’m not stalking my friends!!! I just love seeing good things happen to good people. (And I also love data. And numbers. I love data and numbers!!!) But the real point I’m making is when just the right outlet, the right list, the right person, etc. mentions a book, people go out and buy the book. Of course, we already know that due to that phenomenon called BookTok. Is there anyone who has not heard of Colleen Hoover by now? Her rise to fame was a result of trending on BookTok.
But what about when the author posts about these accolades?
What I have observed is that the author posting does not make a big difference in sales rank. Author posting basically only results in a pat on the back from peers. Why? Because by this point the author is preaching to the choir. The folks who see the posts already know about the author’s books and have either already purchased them or has no plan to purchase them regardless of the accolades or who’s giving them a shoutout. The “choir” doesn’t need convincing (theoretically speaking); it’s the rest of the congregation that needs to hear a word. Plus, outlets like the NYTimes, the Wallstreet Journal, the Washington Post, or the right influencer on TikTok have a broader audience than the average author.
But author posting also helps bring attention to books, and it sometimes results in more followers, which sometimes translates to new readers. And even if it doesn’t, I still think it’s important for an author to let others know how their books are doing. I think it gives us hope to see others succeeding. At least it does for me!
Speaking of shoutouts, I’m no big-time influencer, but I would like to mention a couple of books that I’ve pre-ordered and I hope you will too. So much darkness is in the world right now, and I think both of these books will be a breath of fresh air and sunshine for young readers and the people who buy books for them.
This Train Is Bound for Glory by the prolific picture book author Alice Faye Duncan. She had three books published last year, and she will have three published this year! Woot! Woot! Go, Alice! You rock!
Next up is The McNifficents by Amy Makechnie. Amy also has a newsletter you should subscribe to: Come Along with Me. Amy is a delight to know, even if I’ve only met her online.
Don’t delay! These books will hit bookstores SOON! Pre-order now so you don’t forget. I can hardly wait to receive both of these books next month!
Until next time, happy reading!
I was reading along, nodding my head, and there was Linda giving a shout-out to The McNifficents - THANK YOU, Linda! It really does make such a difference and I SO appreciate the endorsement <3