lolasreviews's review
4.0
After reading Let's Get Digital by this author I bought Strangers to Superfans as well. This is another solid read. Where Let's Get Digital covers the basics of self-publishing, this book deals with the steps behind that and focuses mostly the reader journey and how to convert your readers from strangers to superfans.
So the main concept of this book is this theory about the different steps a reader goes through when they come into contact with your book. He explains these steps and then explains how when things don't go with your book, at which stage the problem is. It's a very reader oriented point of view. I think it gives you a good idea of the different parts of your book to fix and why when something isn't working. I also liked how he emphasized the problem isn't always a discovery problem and addressed the danger of sending more traffic and marketing to a book, while the problem is at a later stage in the reader journey.
I thought this was an informative read, the whole reader journey was an unique perspective and while at times I think he missed some reader behavior or explanations for behavior in general I think it's a good theory to look at books and see what you can improve. It's a framework that can help you see where things are going wrong or can be more well done with your book and how to address that.
And not only is the book informative, it's also well written. I thought the writing style worked well and was easy to follow along with and it kept my attention. It's fun to read and has some good pieces of information. I definitely learned some new things thanks to this book and it had me looking at books and book marketing from a slightly different perspective. It also was interesting to realize at which stage of the whole reader journey my Lola's Blog Tours business focuses.
The only thing that I didn't really care for was the case study at the end, I would've liked more details for this to really see the difference his marketing techniques made. Now it was mostly just saying his techniques worked, but I wanted to see the actual changes he made, what the covers were like first and the keywords and branding etc and how they changed that. Then again I've seen some authors do rebranding, so I can image what this might've looked like, but it would've been nice to see more details.
To summarize: This is a great book that focuses on the whole process of book promotion form product to marketing and traffic. And explains where in the process you might fail to convert readers to the next step. The reader journey theory seemed like a good way to visualize the reader process and look at things from a reader point of view. This book was both informative and pleasant to read. I learned some new things and also managed to realize where my business fit into this whole process, which was interesting. I would definitely recommend this book.
So the main concept of this book is this theory about the different steps a reader goes through when they come into contact with your book. He explains these steps and then explains how when things don't go with your book, at which stage the problem is. It's a very reader oriented point of view. I think it gives you a good idea of the different parts of your book to fix and why when something isn't working. I also liked how he emphasized the problem isn't always a discovery problem and addressed the danger of sending more traffic and marketing to a book, while the problem is at a later stage in the reader journey.
I thought this was an informative read, the whole reader journey was an unique perspective and while at times I think he missed some reader behavior or explanations for behavior in general I think it's a good theory to look at books and see what you can improve. It's a framework that can help you see where things are going wrong or can be more well done with your book and how to address that.
And not only is the book informative, it's also well written. I thought the writing style worked well and was easy to follow along with and it kept my attention. It's fun to read and has some good pieces of information. I definitely learned some new things thanks to this book and it had me looking at books and book marketing from a slightly different perspective. It also was interesting to realize at which stage of the whole reader journey my Lola's Blog Tours business focuses.
The only thing that I didn't really care for was the case study at the end, I would've liked more details for this to really see the difference his marketing techniques made. Now it was mostly just saying his techniques worked, but I wanted to see the actual changes he made, what the covers were like first and the keywords and branding etc and how they changed that. Then again I've seen some authors do rebranding, so I can image what this might've looked like, but it would've been nice to see more details.
To summarize: This is a great book that focuses on the whole process of book promotion form product to marketing and traffic. And explains where in the process you might fail to convert readers to the next step. The reader journey theory seemed like a good way to visualize the reader process and look at things from a reader point of view. This book was both informative and pleasant to read. I learned some new things and also managed to realize where my business fit into this whole process, which was interesting. I would definitely recommend this book.
mxinky's review against another edition
5.0
Gaughran has the right idea, something along the lines of 1,000 True Fans. It is foolish to focus on the one-time event of selling a book if you want to have a writing career. Highly recommended and available on audiobook.
stanwj's review
4.0
This is a good book. It's a short book. You should read it.
The End.
Okay, I should probably elaborate a bit. If you've read David Gaughran's two other books on self-publishing, Let's Get Digital and Amazon Decoded, then Strangers to Superfans will nicely complete the trilogy, and unlike some trilogies, the Shire doesn't get burned to the ground in the process.
Superfans is less nuts and bolts than the other books, discussing some of the intangibles of self-publishing, focusing on the potential pitfalls (the failure matrix, as Gaughran calls it) in trying to capture and hold readers, then turn them into willing promoters of your work. In this sense, the book is going to be more useful to those with one or more books ready to be set loose into the sea of millions of other self-published efforts. Amazon is once again the focal point of discussion and rightly so, as it utterly dominates the ebook market, but Gaughran doesn't ignore other markets, and even highlights how they can present unique opportunities given their smaller size.
And while there may be fewer specifics in this book compared to his others, there is still plenty of sensible advice on advertising (he is a strong advocate on newsletters), positioning and categorizing your books, along with tips on how to hook the reader at the end to keep them engaged and wanting more.
Overall, anyone thinking of self-publishing would do well to read all three of Gaughran's books, in the order of release: Let's Get Digital, Amazon Decoded, and Strangers to Superfans. There's no guarantee his advice will make you rich, but your odds will certainly be better. As a bonus, his writing style is so utterly friendly and engaging you can't help but feel more excited to self-publish afterward.
Recommended.
The End.
Okay, I should probably elaborate a bit. If you've read David Gaughran's two other books on self-publishing, Let's Get Digital and Amazon Decoded, then Strangers to Superfans will nicely complete the trilogy, and unlike some trilogies, the Shire doesn't get burned to the ground in the process.
Superfans is less nuts and bolts than the other books, discussing some of the intangibles of self-publishing, focusing on the potential pitfalls (the failure matrix, as Gaughran calls it) in trying to capture and hold readers, then turn them into willing promoters of your work. In this sense, the book is going to be more useful to those with one or more books ready to be set loose into the sea of millions of other self-published efforts. Amazon is once again the focal point of discussion and rightly so, as it utterly dominates the ebook market, but Gaughran doesn't ignore other markets, and even highlights how they can present unique opportunities given their smaller size.
And while there may be fewer specifics in this book compared to his others, there is still plenty of sensible advice on advertising (he is a strong advocate on newsletters), positioning and categorizing your books, along with tips on how to hook the reader at the end to keep them engaged and wanting more.
Overall, anyone thinking of self-publishing would do well to read all three of Gaughran's books, in the order of release: Let's Get Digital, Amazon Decoded, and Strangers to Superfans. There's no guarantee his advice will make you rich, but your odds will certainly be better. As a bonus, his writing style is so utterly friendly and engaging you can't help but feel more excited to self-publish afterward.
Recommended.
mcmanlypants's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent, thorough advice!
If you want to know the key elements to improve in order to increase readership and rankings, this book has them. It won’t tell you what words to put in your book, but it will tell you the parts of your career’s engine that need to be kept tuned.
If you want to know the key elements to improve in order to increase readership and rankings, this book has them. It won’t tell you what words to put in your book, but it will tell you the parts of your career’s engine that need to be kept tuned.
vanelle87's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent read. Lots of information
Thanks to this book, now I have a ton of ideas on how to fix the mistakes I made with my very first book and how to prevent those mistakes going forward. Truly recommended read!
Thanks to this book, now I have a ton of ideas on how to fix the mistakes I made with my very first book and how to prevent those mistakes going forward. Truly recommended read!
khauthor's review
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.0
I read Amazon Decoded and decided to give this book a try since I got a lot out of his other book.
The fact that I didn't learn many new or useful things from this book doesn't mean it's bad. It does mean that Gaughran repeats quite a few things that are covered in much more detail in Amazon Decoded.
The way he broke down the description of the reader journey was a helpful way of framing problems indie authors may be having with converting and selling their books. But while he does offer some solutions to these issues, he doesn't go into much depth with most of them either.
I'm starting to notice a trend among many authors like this who preach writing exclusively to Amazon's algorithm. The advice is basically: release books as fast as you can, make sure they are super targeted at specific readers, make the presentation tight, then rinse and repeat.
It turns writing into a factory process rather than a creative one. This is just my hunch. I'll have to do some more investigating to see if that's the case.
Anyway, all in all not a bad book, but not much depth either. Read Amazon Decoded if you want more comprehensive advice on gaming the Amazon algorithm and building superfans as a result.
The fact that I didn't learn many new or useful things from this book doesn't mean it's bad. It does mean that Gaughran repeats quite a few things that are covered in much more detail in Amazon Decoded.
The way he broke down the description of the reader journey was a helpful way of framing problems indie authors may be having with converting and selling their books. But while he does offer some solutions to these issues, he doesn't go into much depth with most of them either.
I'm starting to notice a trend among many authors like this who preach writing exclusively to Amazon's algorithm. The advice is basically: release books as fast as you can, make sure they are super targeted at specific readers, make the presentation tight, then rinse and repeat.
It turns writing into a factory process rather than a creative one. This is just my hunch. I'll have to do some more investigating to see if that's the case.
Anyway, all in all not a bad book, but not much depth either. Read Amazon Decoded if you want more comprehensive advice on gaming the Amazon algorithm and building superfans as a result.
originaltomc's review
4.0
After reading Amazon Decoded and Let's Get Digital, I was eager to get my hands on David's newest book. I was expecting to learn new ways of presenting my books to the right readers. And I did.
Whether you're a beginner or an experienced writer, Strangers to Superfans will open some new doors for you. And you never know what lies behind them. David gets you prepared for the journey of your life, if you choose to take it.
Whether you're a beginner or an experienced writer, Strangers to Superfans will open some new doors for you. And you never know what lies behind them. David gets you prepared for the journey of your life, if you choose to take it.
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