Reviewed
by: BigAl
Genre:
Non-Fiction
Approximate
word count: 4-5,000 words
Availability
Click
on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes &
Noble, or Smashwords store
Author:
Donavon
Parker is “a blogger, author and the creative director for New
England's Best Artists.” For more, visit the website for NewEngland's Best Artists.
Description:
“Did
you know 94% of all records released today sell less than 1,000
units? In fact, according to Nielsen, 80% sold less than 100 units!
Are you amongst the 10 million indie musicians whose last release did
not sell 1,000 units? Are you interested in increasing your album
sales and building your fan base? You probably do not have millions
of dollars to promote your next album. Fortunately, with the help of
this book, you don't have to. It breaks down the multiple ways
unsigned artists can gain more exposure for their music. With easy to
understand steps so can you act as your own music promoter and
separate yourself from the millions of other musicians whose music
goes unheard. This manual breaks down how you should promote your
music online and offline. The author provides some great tips to help
you succeed in this new era of music.”
Appraisal:
When
this book came across the transom it grabbed my attention, even
though it isn't something I'd normally read. Yes, it's no secret that
I'm an observer of the music business and got my start reviewing for
music magazines and websites, but then it occurred to me that more
than a few of my blog followers are indie authors. I've long felt
that the publishing business has in many ways been on the same path
as the music business, just five or ten years behind. There are some
differences (mainly related to the time commitment to listen to a
song compared to reading a book, and that music consumers will listen
to a song many more times than a reader will re-read a book), but as
a starting point to guess what might happen in publishing next, the
music business is full of clues.
This
book could be viewed as a check list, with multiple potential avenues
for promotion listed and somewhere from a paragraph or two to a few
pages discussing how each might be used. Some of the specifics might
be different, but with a bit of thought there is often an equivalent.
(For example, the music streaming services like Spotify are the music
equivalent of the book subscription services like Kindle Unlimited
and Scribd.) Several of the suggestions are promotional activities
that I've seen used by authors. As a way to prompt brainstorming for
different promotional approaches, whether for music, books, or
something else, I think this book is worthwhile.
Format/Typo
Issues:
No
significant issues.
Rating:
**** Four Stars
2 comments:
You make interesting points about the similarities of promotion and timescales between of musical and fictional endeavours, Al. I have long thought much the same myself.
The killer is that whereas most musicians come in groups, most writers come in ones. If you have a group you instantly have more people to share the chores - and promoting the thing you've created is sooo a chore. If I wanted to be a PR person I wouldn't be a writer. And I'd be making oodles of boodle instead of starving in this rather over-heated garret. But we makes our choices, and I'm happy with mine.
I shall read Donavon Parker's Top 18 tips with great interest.
Thanks for the comment, Judi. You make a good point about musical groups having more people to market. They also have more songs that might be the entry point to get a potential new fan exposed to their work and interested in checking out more, and I think word of mouth spreads farther and faster as well. But despite the differences, I can't think of a better place to look for ideas and clues as to the direction the book business might be heading.
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