Help Wanted!

I don't understand it, I can't explain it. The first book in the Goose Pimple Junction mystery series, Murder & Mayhem in Goose Pimple Junction currently has 574 reviews on Amazon.com. Great, right? Yes! Thank you and hallelujah! I am so grateful for that response. What am I whining about, right? Well, the problem is: reviews for the other three books have been slow to come in. The second and third books currently each have a rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars, and the fourth book has a 4.9 rating. Meaning, for the most part, reviews have been overwhelmingly positive. But the number of reviews is . . . well, kind of sad:
Heroes & Hooligans in Goose Pimple Junction: 203 reviews. Not bad, but more are needed!

Short & Tall Tales in Goose Pimple Junction: 23 reviews. Considering the book has been out for nine months, that number seriously needs improvement.
Rogues & Rascals in Goose Pimple Junction: 16 reviews. Sixteen reviews in six weeks—yikes! That number makes me want to take up scorpion petting.

Please, Please, Please

So this is my unabashed plea for more reviews. 

What's that you say? You don't know how to write a review? Pshaw! What did you like or dislike about the book? Write it down. Write it like you are telling a friend about it. Reviews don't have to be long; in fact shorter reviews are usually preferable because longer ones tend to give away plot lines or attempt to be a synopsis of the book. Once you've read the review detailing the book, you pretty much don't need to read the book! 

You want to remain anonymous? Perfectly fine! Just register for an Amazon account under the name of your choice.

 

Here are some examples of perfectly good (and short) reviews for the three books desperately in need of reviews:

Book 2: Heroes & Hooligans in Goose Pimple Junction
"To say I enjoyed Ms. Metz work would be an understatement, I relished it, adored it, want to marry it. "
". . . be careful drinking while you read. You could be snorting soda out your nose."
" . . . a side-splitting, pee-in-your-knickers hilariously funny cozy mystery, thanks to its cast of colorful characters.

Book 3: Short & Tall Tales in Goose Pimple Junction
"Reading these short tales was like hanging out with friends."
"She still writes each character in a realistic, distinctive, and three-dimensional manner . . . "
"I can truthfully say this book was laugh-out-loud funny and impossible to put down."

Book 4: Rogues & Rascals in Goose Pimple Junction
". . . full of oddball eccentric characters that you just have to love."
"Southern charm meets murder."
"This was such a fun read I really hated for it to end and just FYI it has one heck of an ending."
"Absolutely love this series!"

These reviews are short and sweet yet convey the feelings of the readers/reviewers. Yes, I shortened them, because really, any of these would be fine reviews by themselves. Of course, reviews are really just a person's opinion, and you can be the juiciest, ripest peach in the world, but there will still be people who don't like peaches. But bad reviews are welcome too. They tend to get people talking about the book, or even better, curious about it. And curiosity leads to book sales. 

Stars matter

I would ask one favor: if you loved the book, give it five stars. It doesn't mean it's your most favorite book of all time. It just means that you loved the book. If you liked the book, give it at least a four-star rating. Because ratings contribute to ranking, and reaching the top 100 best seller list in a particular genre gives more exposure to the book, which means . . . MORE SALES! Plus, there are some sites that won't promote a book if its rating is below 4.0. So the difference between the number of stars you give a book really does matter.

What's the point?

My point is . . . you don't have to love the book to leave a review. The thing is, Amazon.com pays attention to the number of reviews. After you reach a certain number, they start promoting your book for you. And the more reviews a book gets, the more promo time it's going to get, which translates to what? Yes! Sales! And critical reviews are sometimes very helpful feedback that help an author make necessary changes in future books.


So . . . if you've read any of the four books in the Goose Pimple Junction series but haven't written a review and posted it on Amazon.com, I need your help. I would so appreciate it if you could take just five minutes to leave a short review and rate the book(s) from 1-5 stars. If you haven't read the book(s), why not? They are each currently priced at just 99 cents for a Kindle copy. If that is still too much for your budget, leave a comment, and you may just win a copy.

Go On, Get Goose Pimples!

One more thing: word of mouth really is the best promotion for a book. So if you like a book, tell your friends. Post it on Facebook, Tweet about it on Twitter, Pin it on Pinterest, Google+ it on Google+, add it to a shelf on Goodreads, ask your local library to order it, like and follow the author on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Goodreads, Amazon, etc. Show an author some love and spread the word! We will be eternally grateful.

ABOUT THE BOOKS

In case you're not familiar with the Goose Pimple Junction series, here are the book blurbs for each book:

#1 Murder & Mayhem in Goose Pimple Junction

When Tess Tremaine starts a new life in the colorful town of Goose Pimple Junction, curiosity leads her to look into a seventy-five-year-old murder. Suddenly she’s learning the foreign language of southern speak, resisting her attraction to local celebrity Jackson Wright, and dealing with more mayhem than she can handle.

A bank robbery, murder, and family tragedy from the 1930s are pieces of the mystery that Tess attempts to solve. As she gets close to the truth, she encounters danger, mystery, a lot of southern charm, and a new temptation for which she’s not sure she’s ready.

#2 Heroes & Hooligans in Goose Pimple Junction

Goose Pimple Junction is just recovering from a kidnapping and a murder, its first major crimes in years, when trouble begins anew. Life is turned upside down in the quirky little Southern town with the arrival of several shifty hooligans: A philandering husband intent on getting his wife back, another murderer loose in town, a stalker intent on frightening Martha Maye, and a thief who’s stealing the town blind of their pumpkins, pies, and peace. Together, they’re scaring the living daylights out of the residents and keeping the new police chief busier than a set of jumper cables at a redneck picnic. Suddenly, he has his hands full trying to apprehend a killer, stop a stalker, and fight his feelings for the damsel in distress.

#3 Short & Tall Tales in Goose Pimple Junction

This is not your average Southern town. With a hint of mystery, a lot of laughs, and its unique charm, you'll catch a glimpse of everyday life in Goose Pimple Junction in this short story compilation. Short & Tall Tales occurs chronologically between Murder & Mayhem, book 1, and Heroes & Hooligans, book 2, in the Goose Pimple Junction mystery series. Book 1.5 is a fun escape that will answer questions readers may have about the residents of this quirky small town.

How did Johnny Butterfield become police chief?
How did Tess and Jack get engaged?
How did Ima Jean come to live with Louetta?
How do you celebrate an Apple Day?

These questions and more are answered in Short & Tall Tales in Goose Pimple Junction. Five short stories, one novella, and three recipes will give you more of life in Goose Pimple Junction, make you laugh, and have your mouth watering. If you want a feel-good read, you've come to the right place. Grab some sweet tea and escape to Goose Pimple Junction.

#4 Rogues & Rascals in Goose Pimple Junction

Like any good Southern belle, Caledonia Culpepper was raised by her mama to be gracious, charming, witty, and above all, a devoted mother and loving wife, so she's baffled when her marriage falls apart.

Wynona Baxter is a master of disguise but is often a ditzy airhead. A hit woman wannabe, when she's hired for her first job in Goose Pimple Junction and things don't go as planned, she's forced to resort to Plan B. She'll also need Plan C and D.

Crooked lawyers, restless husbands, a teenaged hoodlum – it seems there are rogues and rascals everywhere you look in Goose Pimple Junction.

When Caledonia and Wynona's paths cross, they prove there isn't a rogue or a rascal who can keep a good woman down. Mama always said there would be days like this . . .

Featured Author: Penny C. Sansevieri

About the book

Amazon wants you to sell a lot of books. And How to Sell Your Books by the Truckload teaches you exactly how to do it. Internationally renowned Amazon book marketing expert Penny Sansevieri has created the ultimate guide for mastering the Amazon marketing system.

And in moments it can be right at your fingertips! The savings in time you’ll gain is enormous — when compared to painstakingly researching this information yourself.

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Interview with Penny C. Sansevieri  

Penny, what’s the story behind the title How to Sell Your Books by the Truckload?
Funny you should ask, it’s actually part of what I talk about in the book. So I was doing research on Amazon one day to see what searches were popular in regards to what I was writing and I discovered that the keywords in my title (with the exception of the word ‘Truckload’) were very popular so that’s how I named it. I’d love to say that it just popped into my head one day, but it didn’t, it was actually based on keyword research on Amazon.

Where did you grow up?
Well, I grew up in Southern California but also Belgium where I went to school (grade and high school) for ten years. I loved living there!

What’s your favorite memory?
I took my mom to the beaches of Normandy. She was a little girl in Belgium during WWII and she had never been, so we went there and to the American Cemetery and Museum which is incredibly moving.

Have you been in any natural disasters?
I have actually, we were in that fire that raged through California – I think 6 or so years ago. At its height it was chewing through 6,000 acres an hour, and by the time it hit us (with almost no warning) we had 30 seconds to get out of the house. No kidding. Thankfully my house didn’t burn but a lot of them around me did.

WOW! What is the most daring thing you've done, besides staying in your house too long in a fire?
Starting a business. No, really. I’ve been in business for fifteen years, and I can tell you that it’s the hardest and the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done. I love it, but it’s not for the faint of heart

What’s one thing that you wish you knew as a teenager that you know now?
I was a geek as a teenager, I loved to read, study, etc. I wasn’t big on fashion or up on pop culture, and I always felt like an outsider. I wish I had known then that it was okay to be a geek, that geeks rock, and many geek-type people have changed our work. Think Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, etc. I’m not even close to being in their league, but it’s nice to know that even a geek can create magic.

What makes you happy?
Well a few things actually. My uber-perfect dog Cosmo, I love traveling in Europe, and last, but certainly not least: I love, love, love it when I get great buzz for an author we’re working with. It’s harder and harder these day to do that, so hitting that mark is pretty thrilling!

Do you have another job outside of writing?
I do! I run Author Marketing Experts, and I’m so fortunate to work with a fantastic group of women who work with our authors and publishers to help them market and promote their work!

What’s one of your favorite quotes?
Do what you love, and you’ll never work another day in your life.

What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever had to write?
All of my books are hard really – the Amazon book which we’re discussing here is hard because Amazon changes what they do all the time, so the book needs to be written fast, produced quickly and updated frequently. It’s not a matter of "set it and forget it." I want the most current information out there. I’m a stickler for that.

You can be any fictional character for one day. Who would you be?
I would love to be Sydney Bristow from Alias – if you’ve never seen the show it stars Jennifer Garner, and many stars, like Bradley Cooper, got their start there. It’s also on Netflix! She is a super spy and kicks some serious a**, she always gets the bad guy.

I used to watch that show and love it! What’s the worst thing someone has said about your writing? How did you deal with it?
Great question! Years ago when I published the first edition of Red Hot Internet Publicity, there was a blogger who hated it – and I mean *hated* it. It was hard to read his review, and in fact, I thought for a moment about writing the person back. But I opted not to, I mean, what’s the point? Then, after a glass of wine and rocking in the corner, I realized that amidst some of his less–than-kind remarks, there were in fact some good tidbits and things I fixed the next time around. But I never pitched him for a book review again. Just sayin’

What would your dream office look like?
Minions, there would be lots of minions.

I love it! What are you working on now? 
Funny you should ask, I’m working on the next edition of Red Hot Internet Publicity!

About the author

Penny C. Sansevieri, Founder and CEO Author Marketing Experts, Inc., is a best-selling author and internationally recognized book marketing and media relations expert. She is an Adjunct Professor teaching Self-Publishing for NYU.

Her company is one of the leaders in the publishing industry and has developed some of the most innovative Social Media/Internet book marketing campaigns. She is the author of fourteen books, including How to Sell Your Books by the Truckload on Amazon and Red Hot Internet Publicity, which has been called the "leading guide to everything Internet." 

AME was the first book marketing and publicity firm to use Internet promotion to its full impact through The Virtual Author Tour™, which strategically harnesses social networking sites, Twitter, blogs, book videos, and relevant sites in order to push an author’s message into the online community. AME has had over eleven books top bestseller lists, including those of the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal.

To learn more about Penny’s books or her promotional services, you can visit her website. 

Connect with Penny:
Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Pinterest  ~  Google +

To enter the giveaway to win an Amazon Optimization Package, go here.

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