Just when you think you know the general rules of marketing your work, something else comes along. If you're like me and don't have a lot of time to stay on top of every little thing, it helps to have other people give you a head's up. Here are a few new things that have come up this year that authors need to know.
The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Some of you might have heard about this. It may be a European law, but it affects all businesses including writers. These regulations will better protect people's information online. It will help it from being used for purposes other than what they have given permission for.
If you have a newsletter, you will need to have readers resubscribe to give you explicit permission to email them. Yes, this is only for Europeans at the moment, but it is good if you have all readers do so.
Update: If you wish only to have your European readers resubscribe, but you don't know which ones are in that region, Mailerlite will be releasing new tools later this month that will allow you to see what country your subscribers are from. I hope other email marketing sites will do the same thing.
Amazon reviews. Oh, Amazon. Always messing around with rules about reviews. The newest one is that a review will be deleted if it states that person received a free copy of the book in exchange for a review. I've recently posted a few reviews which included that, and my reviews have not been taken down. Yet.
More links for you:
Do you have any news on author marketing? Please share with us in the comments below.
We need to take care of that with the IWSG newsletter.
ReplyDeleteGood thing you have Mailerlite. It will make it very easy. :)
DeleteAmazon is just crazy. It seems like they change the rules every other day. What I've been seeing is that if you state that you received an ARC but "voluntarily" chose to leave a review, they're happy with that as it isn't an "exchange." But who really knows what the rules are.
ReplyDeleteIt's so weird. I think they should just worry about the reviews that are paid reviews. I hope it doesn't extend to to Goodreads since Amazon owns them.
DeleteOh come on, Amazon, that's just silly.
ReplyDeleteMighty silly!
DeleteFrom what I understand about the GDPR that if you used double opt in, then the list is already GDPR compliant. A new thing I've heard is that you can't require a newsletter subscription for a freebie (not 100% certain it's true, but the way some sites are changing their opt-ins, it might be), so I'll be changing that on my site and books as well as adding a privacy notice for my newsletter on my website (I've seen a lot of big name places just update their privacy notice as opposed to their list). The whole thing is making me glad I don't have a big list and everyone who signed up did of their own volition.
ReplyDeleteAs for Amazon, that's why I don't review there anymore. It's not worth the hassle and potential of losing my account, even though I play by the rules.
I hadn't heard about the freebie thing. I know lots of authors that use it. Amazon just drives me bonkers sometimes! =P
DeleteHi Christine - thanks for this ... I've been getting 'please confirm you wish to remain subscribed' or similar from a number of opt-ins I belong to ...
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I'm not published and thus worrying too much about these things ... I do have something on marketing - but I think I'll do a post on it ...
Cheers Hilary
Ooh, I'll be there to see it! :)
DeleteI tend not to worry about things, but Amazon is finally making me a little nervous. I review things quite a bit, but hopefully things are calming down. I've never actually mentioned when I've gotten something for free.
ReplyDeleteI've had to stop mentioning that too. It does get frustrating because you can only review things (3 times a week?) that you haven't bought from Amazon. Sometimes I wait until I have a few reviews to write before I do, and I can't do them all on Amazon at the same time.
DeleteWhoa, those both sound like big shockers to me. I sort of get the European one, but Amazon, come on. Major publishers rely on marketing via giveaways and reviews.
ReplyDeleteI fully agree. Amazon is strangling the publishing industry.
DeleteI've seen the messages coming in my email for newsletters and whether or not I want to remain signed up. I'd wondered what that was about.
ReplyDeleteAmazon seems to be a fickle place for reviews. Sad thing that is.
It is sad. You'd think they would want people to write more reviews and make it easier for them.
DeleteLooking at their guidelines it says you can do up to 5 non-verified purchase reviews a week. I have been mentioning the free thing because most tell you to do that and my reviews so far are still there.
ReplyDeleteI may stop saying so. One author I have received an arc from says to include the word voluntary as mentioned above. The rules say compensation of any kind so not sure if that really makes a difference. All mine are still there so far.
I use yahoo groups for my newsletter, which has a double opt-in, so there is data to show they subscribed themselves. I did add a privacy policy to my website/blog recently to cover that aspect too.
ReplyDeleteI should add that all 8 subscribers are blogger buddies! LOL
DeleteIs Amazon for real? I thought they wanted that info so readers knew? Now, they don't want that in? Make up your damn minds, Amazon.
ReplyDeleteIt's ridiculous. Yet I've been hearing you can say you received an ARC with no obligation to review it and voluntarily left a review.
DeleteYou don't have to ask people to resubscribe. If they keep getting your newsletter, they've granted permission. And it is usually implied, if not explicit, they'll be on your newsletter in exchange for the book. Plus, they can always opt out. And, I've heard that about Amazon.
ReplyDeleteOoh, I did not know that! Thank you. I wanted to make certain so I didn't have any trouble down the road.
DeleteGood old Amazon. That means that book giveaways are a thing of the past in promotion, but that doesn't make sense. They own Goodreads and they encourage book giveaways. I'm confused, but that's my normal these days.
ReplyDeleteI know the feeling! I came across this article today about what you need to write a review on Amazon: https://authorscommunity.net/missing-any-reviews-lately/?utm_source=sendinblue&utm_campaign=May_14_2018_VOL_2_ISSUE_18&utm_medium=email#axzz5FUoq2xa7
DeleteThanks for the tips on the newsletter and EU regulations. Glad Blogger says it posts the notice automatically. And I don't have a newsletter yet.
ReplyDeleteI've already been getting Newsletters that have asked me to resubscribe due to the EU regulations. I use Mailchimp, I haven't heard anything from them yet.
ReplyDeleteI just got a new review, and that person says, she got a copy for an honest review. I'll have to warn reviewers not to state that. Thanks, Christine for the heads up!
Dagnabbit, Amazon. That's not a good reason to take down a review... >.<
ReplyDeleteAre you a business man or woman bored with the rate at which business is moving? Well, it is possible that you want to take your business to the next level? I want to suggest expose you to some of the Marketing Platforms<
ReplyDelete