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Sell Your Book Like Wildfire: The Writer's Guide to Marketing and Publicity
Note from the This book, published in 2012, is outdated and out of print. For my most up-to-date, expert, marketing advice for authors, please refer to my new collection of books called The Author's Guide Series .
In Sell Your Book Like Wildfire , marketing expert Rob Eagar explains how to use the best promotional methods available to get your book noticed and drive sales. You'll learn how Whether you're a first-timer or an old-hand, self-published or traditionally published, a novelist or non-fiction writer, get the most comprehensive book marketing guide available.
In Sell Your Book Like Wildfire , marketing expert Rob Eagar explains how to use the best promotional methods available to get your book noticed and drive sales. You'll learn how Whether you're a first-timer or an old-hand, self-published or traditionally published, a novelist or non-fiction writer, get the most comprehensive book marketing guide available.
284 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
May 23, 2013
This book is a great marketing book if you're interested in writing nonfiction. If you're interested in writing fiction, then the book plays a shell game with you, trying to convince you it is relevant, but in reality is far from it.
The author expends a great deal of time trying to sell the idea that you need to find a need of your reader, and that once you do you have them in a place that will allow you to sell more books. Like I said, this is great for nonfiction where you're actually delivering information that might be of use. But the author makes an attempt to appeal to fiction writers, but he knows very little of what causes fiction readers to want to read fiction books in the first place. Fiction readers aren't looking for something that will "benefit" them or bring them value. They're looking for something that is interesting, a great read and enjoyable. Sure, you can spin that original claim all you want, but the reality of the situation is that this isn't going to cause more people to buy a fiction book.
There's lots of interesting information in the book, and if I was writing a nonfiction one, I'd feel it was greatly informative. Unfortunately, there is a dearth of good information for writers of fiction out there, especially when it involves marketing. Unfortunately, much of the information we keep receiving is either this kind of thing that is repackaged from other purposes or new marketers who hope to sell old ideas to fit new formats.
The author expends a great deal of time trying to sell the idea that you need to find a need of your reader, and that once you do you have them in a place that will allow you to sell more books. Like I said, this is great for nonfiction where you're actually delivering information that might be of use. But the author makes an attempt to appeal to fiction writers, but he knows very little of what causes fiction readers to want to read fiction books in the first place. Fiction readers aren't looking for something that will "benefit" them or bring them value. They're looking for something that is interesting, a great read and enjoyable. Sure, you can spin that original claim all you want, but the reality of the situation is that this isn't going to cause more people to buy a fiction book.
There's lots of interesting information in the book, and if I was writing a nonfiction one, I'd feel it was greatly informative. Unfortunately, there is a dearth of good information for writers of fiction out there, especially when it involves marketing. Unfortunately, much of the information we keep receiving is either this kind of thing that is repackaged from other purposes or new marketers who hope to sell old ideas to fit new formats.
February 21, 2014
I found only about 1% of the information in this book useful. And he really lost me on page 50 when he writes "Unless you're a world-class writer who can capture readers with your prose, you must get comfortable marketing your message." I found myself shaking my head, saying, "Wait...what??" It made the rest of the book seem like tips to sell garbage because why bother learning craft, writing good prose, when you have all these marketing tools up your sleeve! Also...most of the information in here isn't marketing so much as publicity, but...details, I suppose. Anyway, a disappointing book.
July 31, 2012
Rob Eager's book is another "How to Sell Your Book" book, filled with advice and tips. Like most books I've read in this genre, while Eager says his tips are for both non-fiction and fiction authors, most of this advice is squarely for non-fiction writers. And, previously published non-fiction writers at that.
(That Eager chooses to end his book on a chapter devoted to fiction writers only seems to prove my point. That chapter is a combination of rehashing his points throughout the book for fiction writers and, oddly, points that, to me, seemingly had little to do with his chapter topic.)
Eager's best piece of advice, IMHO, is that an author not talk about themselves, but talk about what their book offers to the reader. A writer shouldn't come across as a hard sell, but rather as someone who has something of benefit to the reader.
(That Eager chooses to end his book on a chapter devoted to fiction writers only seems to prove my point. That chapter is a combination of rehashing his points throughout the book for fiction writers and, oddly, points that, to me, seemingly had little to do with his chapter topic.)
Eager's best piece of advice, IMHO, is that an author not talk about themselves, but talk about what their book offers to the reader. A writer shouldn't come across as a hard sell, but rather as someone who has something of benefit to the reader.
June 15, 2018
“Sell You Book Like Wildfire: The Writer's Guide To Marketing & Publicity” by Rob Eagar is a good book for any writer to use to help with marketing and promotional efforts. After all, writing the book is only part of the battle, selling it can often be more difficult than writing it in the first place. Eagar, the founder of WildFire Marketing, a consulting practice that helps authors and publishers sell more books and spread their message, has put the information he's used to help himself and clients into this book to help all authors and publishers sell more books.
There are chapters on a variety of strategies, and even if some of what Eagar teaches is not for you, there will undoubtedly be some that is. Some of the topics covered include establishing your expertise, making your mark with an author brand, websites, interviews, using amazon, social networking tips, working with publishers and agents, selling books through public speaking, and creating newsletters that get results and help sell books. The final chapters includes some extra marketing tips for fiction.
The strategies contained in this book might not be easy, but they can be effective. Some of them are not cheap, so if you are working on a shoe-string budget, you might have to pass on some or wait until you have a little more cash flow. However, other strategies can be done, and should be done, by any author who desires more sales.
After a quick read through, this book should be handy on the writer's shelf to use when working on marketing plans and strategies. It's a good guide with principles that will help authors that implement them. Even if you have other marketing books for writers, I suggest you add this one and use them all.
There are chapters on a variety of strategies, and even if some of what Eagar teaches is not for you, there will undoubtedly be some that is. Some of the topics covered include establishing your expertise, making your mark with an author brand, websites, interviews, using amazon, social networking tips, working with publishers and agents, selling books through public speaking, and creating newsletters that get results and help sell books. The final chapters includes some extra marketing tips for fiction.
The strategies contained in this book might not be easy, but they can be effective. Some of them are not cheap, so if you are working on a shoe-string budget, you might have to pass on some or wait until you have a little more cash flow. However, other strategies can be done, and should be done, by any author who desires more sales.
After a quick read through, this book should be handy on the writer's shelf to use when working on marketing plans and strategies. It's a good guide with principles that will help authors that implement them. Even if you have other marketing books for writers, I suggest you add this one and use them all.
December 26, 2017
Let me be clear: this rating is about the book’s value to fiction writers. For non-fiction writers, I might give the book 3.5 to 4 stars, but I don’t write non-fiction books.
It’s clear that Rob Eagar knows and cares about promoting non-fiction books. Virtually the entire book is dedicated to that work. But while Eagar claims to have successfully helped a few fiction authors promote their books, there is little advice for fiction writers, and what there is is often plopped in as if it was an afterthought, or was added because his editor demanded he add it.
The last of the book’s 14 chapters is dedicated to novel promotion, yet much of the advice he offers there is a rehash of what was presented elsewhere, or non-fiction advice slightly recast. On top of this, he recommends now-discredited techniques such as creating fake (his word) Twitter or Facebook accounts for a novel’s main characters so that readers can interact with them! He advocates spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on blog tours, while noting that there’s no way to guarantee that such a tour will increase sales. And he seems to think that all novelists, especially new ones, come to this book already equipped with hundreds or thousands of fans and social media followers, needing just a few additional techniques to get those followers to actively promote the author’s work.
Eagar also focuses on traditional publishing, while giving scant attention to ebooks and independent (of the Big 5) publishing or even small presses. He might be forgiven this since the book’s copyright date is 2012, but CreateSpace and the predecessor of IngramSpark, plus Kindle Direct Publishing and Smashwords on the ebook side, were already well established, if not yet the publishing powers they’ve since become.
In short, while non-fiction writers might consider this book, novelists could better spend their time and money elsewhere.
It’s clear that Rob Eagar knows and cares about promoting non-fiction books. Virtually the entire book is dedicated to that work. But while Eagar claims to have successfully helped a few fiction authors promote their books, there is little advice for fiction writers, and what there is is often plopped in as if it was an afterthought, or was added because his editor demanded he add it.
The last of the book’s 14 chapters is dedicated to novel promotion, yet much of the advice he offers there is a rehash of what was presented elsewhere, or non-fiction advice slightly recast. On top of this, he recommends now-discredited techniques such as creating fake (his word) Twitter or Facebook accounts for a novel’s main characters so that readers can interact with them! He advocates spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on blog tours, while noting that there’s no way to guarantee that such a tour will increase sales. And he seems to think that all novelists, especially new ones, come to this book already equipped with hundreds or thousands of fans and social media followers, needing just a few additional techniques to get those followers to actively promote the author’s work.
Eagar also focuses on traditional publishing, while giving scant attention to ebooks and independent (of the Big 5) publishing or even small presses. He might be forgiven this since the book’s copyright date is 2012, but CreateSpace and the predecessor of IngramSpark, plus Kindle Direct Publishing and Smashwords on the ebook side, were already well established, if not yet the publishing powers they’ve since become.
In short, while non-fiction writers might consider this book, novelists could better spend their time and money elsewhere.
September 3, 2013
Something like a 3 1/2 star... I rounded up because it's all well explained and not a slog to read.
I think this is probably a great introduction to book marketing for those who initially know next to nothing about the process. Personally, I felt a lot of the basic info was a repeat of things I'd already gleaned from countless online articles and workshops I've taken in over the last two years. My greatest complaint would actually be that it seems so geared toward writers of non-fiction--though the author repeatedly insists there's more cross-application than most author's believe. I wasn't entirely convinced of that by the end of the book, however. I found myself skimming a number of sections that seemed exclusively tailored for inspirational writers/speakers.
To be fair, Chapter 14 does have tips specifically for marketing Fiction. And the effort he goes to to decrypt some of the mysteries of Amazon's ranking system made it worth the read. The book is a good reminder that human nature is basically self-serving, and one needs to remember that when trying to sell a book. (I hadn't been thinking of marketing in terms of answering the age-old, jaded consumer question of: "What's in it for me?") His approach is more logical an analytical than manipulative--which this reader greatly appreciated. The recurring motto he uses seems to sum up the author's attitude nicely:
-"Logic makes people think, but emotion makes them act."
I think this is probably a great introduction to book marketing for those who initially know next to nothing about the process. Personally, I felt a lot of the basic info was a repeat of things I'd already gleaned from countless online articles and workshops I've taken in over the last two years. My greatest complaint would actually be that it seems so geared toward writers of non-fiction--though the author repeatedly insists there's more cross-application than most author's believe. I wasn't entirely convinced of that by the end of the book, however. I found myself skimming a number of sections that seemed exclusively tailored for inspirational writers/speakers.
To be fair, Chapter 14 does have tips specifically for marketing Fiction. And the effort he goes to to decrypt some of the mysteries of Amazon's ranking system made it worth the read. The book is a good reminder that human nature is basically self-serving, and one needs to remember that when trying to sell a book. (I hadn't been thinking of marketing in terms of answering the age-old, jaded consumer question of: "What's in it for me?") His approach is more logical an analytical than manipulative--which this reader greatly appreciated. The recurring motto he uses seems to sum up the author's attitude nicely:
-"Logic makes people think, but emotion makes them act."
August 11, 2012
This is one of the best books I’ve read on book marketing. Rob Edgar, who also serves as a consultant in this field, has really put together an up-to-date and very practical guide as a resource for writers. If you are out there selling your books, I highly recommend you buy, beg, or borrow a copy of this one.
The organization of Sell Your Book Like Wildfire is excellent and leads you carefully step-by-step in creating a great marketing plan. Rob’s writing is clear and liberally sprinkled very helpful examples and links.
One entire chapter of this book is devoted to marketing fiction. Other chapter titles of special interest are:
Start a Wildfire with Your Website
Feed the Beast: How to Use Amazon to Sell More Books
The Flammability of Free: How to Drive Word of Mouth
The organization of Sell Your Book Like Wildfire is excellent and leads you carefully step-by-step in creating a great marketing plan. Rob’s writing is clear and liberally sprinkled very helpful examples and links.
One entire chapter of this book is devoted to marketing fiction. Other chapter titles of special interest are:
Start a Wildfire with Your Website
Feed the Beast: How to Use Amazon to Sell More Books
The Flammability of Free: How to Drive Word of Mouth
April 20, 2015
I found this book kind of trite and geared toward novelists and sometimes-scammy self-help kinds of writers. As a professional writer of serious nonfiction who's written for national and international publications, I felt like it was mostly talking past me. I really liked "Guerrilla Marketing for Writers" and Kawasaki's "Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur" much more. Campbell-Scott's "Goodreads for Authors" is also news-you-can-use, and have become great resources for my own first book, "The Case of the Cleantech Con Artist: A True Vegas Tale."
August 6, 2016
The *best* book on marketing your book that I've ever read (and I've read a few). This is a must-have for every writer of non-fiction (and I suspect for many fiction writers too). If you're in the proposal stage, it will help make your book concept that much clearer. If you're in the selling stage, it will help you get more speaking gigs, more interviews, and sell more books.
June 24, 2013
For anyone who is interested in publishing books and earning a bit of money by doing so .... this is a must read. Of all the books I've read on writing (quite a few in the last two years), this is the one I now most recommend. One area I hadn't seen addressed in others books is how to write value statements that will help promote your book. So glad I bought this!
February 27, 2015
This really is a wonderful book for writers. It has so much information on breaking into the market and making yourself known. It is, however, very much based around nonfiction books. Granted there is a chapter about selling fiction, but predominantly the tactics in the book could not help me personally. I still recommend it as a must read as it helped me build my website and supporting channels.
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August 2, 2012Since I don't know a thing about selling/marketing and am not comfortable with the conventional methods, I found Selling Your Book like Wildfire to be very good advice. The stuff that I have implemented seems to be working and it is a much more comfortable approach for me.
July 18, 2015
Chock full of fantastic, practical, proven strategies! I refer to it often and use his website link and articles for additional resources.
April 17, 2018
The information applies for both fiction and non-fiction books so it is resourceful for everyone in the publishing industry. Though some of the information is a bit outdated so I would like to read a new version.
Also all of the information should be taken with analytical mind. For example some of the methods (like printed newsletters) would never work in my country - so when reading the book, keep in mind your options and environment.
As a yet-to-be-published writer whose readers base is around 20 people, it provided me great insight on what should I do before I get my book published. Great things ahead!
Also all of the information should be taken with analytical mind. For example some of the methods (like printed newsletters) would never work in my country - so when reading the book, keep in mind your options and environment.
As a yet-to-be-published writer whose readers base is around 20 people, it provided me great insight on what should I do before I get my book published. Great things ahead!
March 29, 2018
Rob Eagar's book is actually a very good introduction to the subject of book marketing for authors. Though lacking in specifics on some things (like how to get speaking gigs), his emphasis is on practical steps like building an author's website, getting media interviews, and so on. He's acutely aware of the fact that in today's market, publishers expect authors to do much more to generate sales of their books, and the days are long gone when an author's work was done when the manuscript was submitted.
February 21, 2019
Initially good as it explains that the book's market needs to be determined. Based mostly upon non-fiction it suggests a website to get potential purchasers, Amazon reviews, speaking engagements, and more. Mentions famous authors that earned their positions. Occasional insight.
April 17, 2023
If you are an author and would like to sell more books, this book can help you.
July 3, 2024
This book is mostly targeted at non-fiction writers, but there were still some useful nuggets scattered throughout.
March 1, 2017
This book is a great book filled with amazing tips for getting your book into the hands of people who truly want it the most!
December 1, 2013
I bought this book after seeing Rob at a writer's conference almost a year ago. I didn't start reading it until just recently (because I do have this habit of buying more books than I can ever consume), but quite enjoyed the approach he took in the book -- it brought me back to the way he had inspired me in his talk; and that's a fundamental strategy he comes back to throughout this book, reminding me of the core reasons WHY I felt inspired as a writer and inspired to buy the book from him when his talk finished.
This book contains some solid promotional value for non-fiction authors as well as fiction authors, and really helps writers get back to the basics of defining not just their target audience, but the specific value that their book will bring to that audience's needs.
My copy of the book is marked up, highlighted, has notes in the margins and the spine is creased from having already flipped back to previously read passages several times to re-read and re-digest the material. And I haven't even checked out the plethora of additional free online resources that the book points to on Rob's website.
Any writer serious about marketing is well-advised to get their hands on this book.
This book contains some solid promotional value for non-fiction authors as well as fiction authors, and really helps writers get back to the basics of defining not just their target audience, but the specific value that their book will bring to that audience's needs.
My copy of the book is marked up, highlighted, has notes in the margins and the spine is creased from having already flipped back to previously read passages several times to re-read and re-digest the material. And I haven't even checked out the plethora of additional free online resources that the book points to on Rob's website.
Any writer serious about marketing is well-advised to get their hands on this book.
November 14, 2013
I'm a new author that just released my first book 3 months ago, I found myself at the brink of hopelessness. Just last weekend, I was on the verge of giving up after investing an entire year writing and publishing my 1st book. This all changed when I read this book. I just finished it after reading it in 3 days. It is fantastic! It's such a breath of fresh air finding a How-To non-fiction book from an author who isn't spitting out theory, but instead is providing real answers to real problems that have been tested with success.
I must admit, it took me a while to convince myself to buy this book for $9.99. Especially considering there were so many other book marketing books for much cheaper. However, the price is totally worth it. As they say... You get what you pay for. In this case, you get way more than you paid for. Although I was originally hesitant because of the price, I now feel it was a true bargain based on the in depth info provided.
Great book Rob. Thanks!
I must admit, it took me a while to convince myself to buy this book for $9.99. Especially considering there were so many other book marketing books for much cheaper. However, the price is totally worth it. As they say... You get what you pay for. In this case, you get way more than you paid for. Although I was originally hesitant because of the price, I now feel it was a true bargain based on the in depth info provided.
Great book Rob. Thanks!
October 25, 2015
This book was a used as a text in my New Media class for my degree in Creative Writing. While it is starts from a place much further along than I am currently as a writer, I have no doubt that it will be useful when I begin to pursue publication.
It also contains important information those of us who are just starting. There were things I never thought to incorporate, at this early stage, into my my thoughts as I work on my manuscript and I'm thankful I now know better.
Whether you are a novice writer or already published, this is a great book to have in as a resource.
It also contains important information those of us who are just starting. There were things I never thought to incorporate, at this early stage, into my my thoughts as I work on my manuscript and I'm thankful I now know better.
Whether you are a novice writer or already published, this is a great book to have in as a resource.
November 15, 2014
I met Rob Eager at the Writers Digest Conference in Hollywood a few months ago and was blown away by his presentation on making a great author website. His advice and examples were excellent and easy to follow, and I bought his book the next day. It's the single best resource I've found so far on how to establish and expand your author platform, and I highly recommend it for writers planning to publish.
April 11, 2017
This was a fantastic book on marketing for authors and one I'll come back and read again in a year or two. Even thought I'm not quite at the point in may career where a lot of this information applies, I still found actionable steps I can take to market myself, as well as found a few things that I'm probably doing wrong. When my novel is finally released later this year, I'll be well positioned to tackle some of the more advanced marketing tactics.
June 22, 2015
This book is an excellent resource. I wish I had time to implement every strategy mentioned, but I'm not a full-time author. Regardless though, the information and advice is invaluable and I definitely learned so much. I was able to make changes on my website mainly and I have good ideas incase I write another book. I would highly recommend this book to any new or unrecognized author, whether they are self published or went with traditional publishing.
January 23, 2016
I've read many books on an author connecting to his reader, and this is probably the best. Rob Eagar has a servant's heart and sees writing as a means of making the world a better place. He instructs authors on how to reach more people so they can shape the world for the better themselves.
His techniques and strategies are easy to understand, logically laid out, and best of all, come with data that shows the scope of success one might expect when applying them.
Great read!
His techniques and strategies are easy to understand, logically laid out, and best of all, come with data that shows the scope of success one might expect when applying them.
Great read!
July 20, 2016
I was recommended this book by my editor when I was about to launch my own book, and it was a great book for any author looking for ways to market their book. I loved the analogy of starting a wildfire and ways someone gets a wildfire going, starting with kindling.
While many of the recommendations made were already things I had done to market the book, I think every author will take away enough new information and nuggets of value to make this a recommended buy!
While many of the recommendations made were already things I had done to market the book, I think every author will take away enough new information and nuggets of value to make this a recommended buy!
December 17, 2012
One of the BEST books you'll ever read on learning how to market and sell your book. Full of so much helpful information I don't even know where to start. Some of his principles I've already applied, and others I can't wait to get started on. This book is worth every penny and is a MUST for anyone wanting to invest in their writing career.
January 30, 2013
This is a very useful book with some great ideas, but I found it far more geared toward non-fiction authors. It's still worth a read even if you're a novelist, however. The author takes a different, fresh approach to marketing and promotion that will definitely ignite some fires in your mind. Well done.
August 19, 2013
Great book packed with tons of helpful info. It is definitely more helpful for non-fiction than fiction books. I'm already putting several of the concepts into practice, and have completely marked it up and dog-earned many pages - tons of ideas to digest. We'll see when my book comes out in November - the proof will be in the pudding . . .
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews