- Getting book reviews is one of the most important
and the most challenging tasks for authors.
And getting those book reviews for launch day
and launch week is hard work.
Today, I've got a success story from one of authors,
Michael Brenner, who wrote "Mean People Suck,"
so you can learn what he did to get tons of reviews
on launch day and beyond.
If you want to learn the tips of what is working today
to get book reviews for your book launch and beyond,
this video is for you.
(upbeat music)
- Hey there, I'm Julie the Book Broad.
I'm an Amazon overall number one best-selling author
and the founder of a fabulous company called Book Launchers.
Our superpower is caring more about you and your book
than anybody else as we help you write, publish,
and sell a nonfiction book that will boost your brand
and make you money.
We're starting a new Author Spotlight series
where we're gonna introduce you to one of our fabulous
Book Launchers' authors and ask them what worked and
what they would do differently around their book launches.
Today, I'm interviewing Michael Brenner,
the author of "Mean People Suck."
And rather than me tell you who this book is for,
I asked Michael to share.
- I wrote "Mean People Suck" for anyone
who's been frustrated with their boss, their company,
their colleagues, their customers, or their client.
Basically, anyone who's frustrated,
who's disengaged from their work,
and maybe pointing the finger at other people.
If you're a leader or you're an employee in a company,
really if you're anyone who deals with other people,
then you should read "Mean People Suck."
- So you heard it from Michael.
This book is for you if you deal with people in your job.
(laughs)
I love this book and I got some great tips from it.
It always helps to get book reviews
when your book is awesome and it stands out in the crowd.
Just like Michael does when he's wearing that shirt,
which is awesome branding, by the way.
He even wore it on his TV interview.
Michael had a very strong launch.
He comfortably topped number one in several categories
and moved a healthy number of books for his book launch.
And he also had reviews on day one,
which is gonna help his sales that week and well beyond.
So what he do to create such a strong launch?
Well, I asked him to share.
- One of the reasons why I think
I had a really strong launch with "Mean People Suck,"
number one, the milestones and the calendar from
Sarah Bean and the folks at Book Launchers
really helped me to understand what were the things
that I should be doing and when.
One of the most important aspects of that
I think was really building my book army.
Identifying the influencers that I wanted
to get to support the book, getting testimonials,
when to ask for those,
when to let people know that the book was coming out.
All of those communication activities were really helped by,
I think, the calendar and the milestones that were provided
by the Book Launcher marketing calendar.
That really helped.
- Our book marketing team really does create
a great step-by-step plan of what you need to do
and who you need to reach out to.
But you might be curious,
who should you be asking to be a part of your book army?
By the way,
I talk about your book army in this video right here,
but I also asked Michael,
who did he find to be the best people to have
in his book army?
- I really tried to reach out to the people that were
closest to me, the people who have helped in the past.
Mainly the people who I have helped.
I think building a network, you know,
long before you start thinking about marketing your book,
that was really helpful for me,
building that network and then you know reaching out
and not being afraid to ask for those favors.
I don't know if you saw it,
but I created an animated GIF of someone saying "I love you"
when I said thank you in sort of wide copied email
that I sent out asking for people to go review the book.
So those are some of things that I think
really helped the launch of "Mean People Suck."
- Truly, Michael executed his launch incredibly well
and we were so impressed with the fun he injected
and the responses he received.
But there are always lessons to be learned.
So I also asked Michael what he would have done differently
if he was to do this launch over again.
And here's what he had to say.
- What I think also helped to detract from the launch
that I reached too late in often cases
in a couple of instances to some of the folks
who I don't really have a relationship with.
Dave Grohl is mentioned in the book.
I really with I had a relationship with Dave Grohl,
for example.
If he and I were best friends,
we could sit here and he could jam out
and you know I think we could have some fun.
And it would've been great if he would've supported
the launch of the book.
So creating those relationships early I think
would have been something I would have done differently.
- So if you're watching this and you have a book launch
coming up, or you're writing a book,
start thinking about who you want to connect with
and try connecting with them now.
I love something James Altucher talks about,
and that is adding value to someone with no expectation
of getting anything in return.
All I'm trying to tell you is build relationships today
because you'll be able to leverage them later in your book
and in other ways in your life.
And besides, it's just nice to have friends, right?
(laughs)
But here's the big tip you're waiting for.
Michael, what did you do to get so many reviews
for "Mean People Suck"?
- The things that I think really helped me to get
those early Amazon reviews was I reviewed the books
of the people I knew when they asked me
for a testimonial or a quote or some social sharing
to announce the launch of their books.
And I'm fortunate enough to have a lot of friends
who have posted or published their own books.
That was really helpful,
reaching out to them and seeing them return the favor.
I also loved Julie Broad's advice
to treat different people differently.
So for example, my social media manager,
the account manager who supports my clients,
I didn't really give them an option.
I pretty much told them that I was expecting them (laughs)
to give me an honest review on Amazon,
whereas when I reached out to people
who are more friends and family
it was like a personal favor.
And then professional contacts, obviously,
I was asking in much more professional way.
- The video Michael references is this video right here.
So build those relationships today.
Get out of your comfort zone
and ask people to review your book.
Have fun with it and create a brand experience
around your book launch.
And you're gonna much more likely
to enjoy launch success like Michael Brenner did.
If you wanna learn about "Mean People Suck,"
buy your own "Mean People Suck" T-shirt
or connect with Michael to ask him about his book
or how he created some cool "Mean People Suck" swag.
You can find him on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter,
and most importantly, go to MeanPeopleSuck.com.
A huge thank you to Michael Brenner for being part
of our very first Author Spotlight series here
on Book Launchers TV.
Please go ahead and smash that thumbs-up bottom
because it feels good and it will also make
both Michael and I feel good for being here with you today.
Now I'm curious,
do you like this style of Author Spotlight video?
I'm trying something different to bring you
the best tips from successful authors of today.
So let me know if you like them,
or if there's a topic you want me cover
with one of our authors in the future.
You can go ahead and share that in the Comments below.
And of course, when you comment the day a video is released,
you'll be entered to win some sweet Book Launchers' swag.
And in appreciation of Michael Brenner joining us today,
you'll also be entered to win your very own copy
of "Mean People Suck."
And if you're looking for the video on book armies,
ta-da!
Or the one on getting Amazon reviews that is right here.
(laughs)
Check those out.
I can't wait to hang out with you some more.
(upbeat music)