Some Word of Mouth Advertising

 

Recently I put together a presentation for local authors that opened my eyes to some staggering statistics. Did you know there are over one million books currently in print? Whew! No wonder when I go into a bookstore I can never imagine how one book — specifically one of mine — can possibly get noticed by the reading public. The number doesn’t even count the used, some print-on-demand or old books available online.

If it’s marketing that makes the difference, even the most enthusiastic marketer admits it’s word of mouth that sells books. Women purchase the bulk of most books today, and when asked what makes them choose a certain book to buy, the majority say a friend’s recommendation influenced their decision.

I know that’s how I am. If someone I trust tells me about a book they enjoyed (perhaps my daughter, who is the most avid reader I know!) I either make an effort to buy a copy for myself or at the very least remember the author’s name so if an opportunity comes up to read one of their books, I take it. Recommendations are the best form of marketing, and it’s the kind that no one can pay for. It just happens.

So, what have I been reading lately that I’ve really enjoyed? Right now I’m reading a couple of books for endorsement that I’m thoroughly enjoying, but they won’t be out for a while so this is a very early recommendation. One is by debut author Anne Mateer, Wings of a Dream, and another is the third book in Jill Eileen Smith’s Wives of David series, Bathsheba. Both are wonderfully written books that I can’t wait to feature on my New Fiction Wednesdays when the time comes!

But here are a few other titles of books I read over the summer that I thoroughly enjoyed—books that are on the store shelves now:

The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay)

These are technically Young Adult books, although I thought they were a bit dark for some young readers. But the writing is so compelling I have to recommend them to all my readers – at least those who are in 7^th or 8^th grade and up!

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

This book is wonderfully told through a series of letters. Don’t despair if you don’t know who’s who in the first few pages, it all becomes clear and it’s definitely worth figuring out. Although the one Christian character was handled with PC ineptitude, the story charmed me nonetheless.

Before Green Gables by Budge Wilson

If you’re a fan of L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green stories, you’ll love the way this author captured Anne’s voice and gave her an early history that’ll make you laugh—and of course cry. I suspect the reason Montgomery didn’t start at the beginning of Anne’s life was the necessary series of traumas that would have led to the beginning of her life with the Cuthberts. Today’s audience, though, is a bit less sheltered than they were when these books were first released in 1908. Even though some of it was terribly sad this author did a great job at building the eternal optimism Anne shows in her later adventures.

Those are the ones that come to mind first, so I’ll leave my personal “word-of-mouth list” at that for now. So until next week, Happy Reading!