Write Good or Die

it's not fair. They can write whatever they want about your book and you aren't allowed to respond. It sucks -- but who ever said that life is fair? A review is just one person's opinion, even if it is printed in the New York Times. It's not worth getting in a pissing match over. Authors never win pissing matches with critics.
    9. Thou must be persistent. The harsh reality is that the chances of any given book being reviewed are slim. I get a minimum of 100 books every month, and the number is usually closer to 200. Out of those, I review 6 or 7. That's why you have to plan for the long term. Maybe this book won't be reviewed, but if you're able to build word-of-mouth, you've got a better chance with the next one.
    10. Thou must write a book that's worthy of being reviewed. This is the hardest commandment of all to follow. Most books are very similar to other books. They tell the same old stories in the same old ways. Critics want to write about interesting books. They want to review books that are new or different, books that excite them, that move them. They want to write about books that cry out to be read. If you write a book like that, your chances of being reviewed increase substantially.

    David J. Montgomery— http://www.davidjmontgomery.com
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30. FREE EMAIL NEWSLETTER MARKETING FOR AUTHORS
    By Douglas Clegg
    http://www.douglasclegg.com

    You're an author with a book coming out—and you need to communicate with readers on a regular basis. My top recommendation to any author is to have a free email newsletter to send to readers who subscribe to it at your website or blog. Here are some tips and bits of advice about the basics of this to help you launch your newsletter online. And remember: "free" is king online. Offer a free email newsletter to everyone who comes by your website—and increase the awareness and sales of you book and your name.
    1. Set up a newsletter in one form or another. You can find various newsletter services online—see what other authors use and if you know them, ask them how they like the delivery service. My advice is: if you have a very limited budget, use a free service and then later on, take your group to a paid service. If you're a programming whiz, you can set up your own on your computer. For a more professional look, a paid service is the way to go.
    2. Put a sign-up form on your website. Include a "Please subscribe to my free newsletter..." note and then add any additional text you want to put in there. Let people know they get a free incentive to subscribe such as a chapter excerpt, an original story, or a reprint of a story. Think of what one of your readers might want from a writer online. Downloads like desktop wallpapers, avatars, and screensavers work well for this, too.
    3. Decide how often you want to put out the newsletter. I used to think it was better to send it more frequently, but I've come to the conclusion that the fewer newsletters I sent out each year, the better. That is, unless you have things to offer your subscribers all the time or want to inform them about events they'll benefit from a bit more often. I used to send the newsletter out weekly, but I found that the more frequently I sent the newsletter, the less it was opened by the subscribers (although for awhile there, I did have a "get a free bookstore gift certificate" trivia quiz each week that got nearly everyone to click open that email!) Now I only send out an email newsletter when I have specific news, offers, or upcoming events. When a serial novel is in the works for my subscribers, the newsletter posts more frequently.
    4. Do not sign people up to your newsletter—ever. Even if they ask. Instead, show them where to sign up on your website so they can do it themselves.
    5. Make your newsletter as appealing as you can to anyone who hears about it. It is your communication channel to the people most likely to want to hear from you regularly about your writing—these readers are important to you. My experience is that they're a good group of readers, too. As you hear from them over the years, you'll learn a lot as they tell you about their lives and the books they're reading. You'll gain valuable insight into how readers approach your fiction.
    6. Each reader is important. I don't care if you have 10 subscribers or 100,000. No matter how large or small your subscriber base is, it'll keep growing over time so long as you treat the subscribers well and don't abuse their inboxes.
    7. Keep