Who says newspaper book reviews are dying? Thriller novelist Dave White saw the Amazon sales rank for his novel increase 2,000 percent after a glowing review in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel last weekend.
As you can see by the “Movers and Shakers” screenshot embedded above, the rank for White’s Witness to Death skyrocketed following the newspaper review. The novel also illustrated the power of a 99-cent Kindle eBook–one of seven popular eBook prices debated yesterday.
White explained his sales in an email interview: “Before the review I’d been selling decently, the first month the book was out. But after the initial reception (and coinciding with Amazon’s summer sale) my own sales slowed to 10 or so a day. Since the review came out on Sunday, I’ve sold over 400 books and my sales ranking has skyrocketed.”
White offered this advice for other writers: “Be patient and try to get as many readers as possible. Books sales are like waves in the ocean, up and down, even at a bargain price. But reviews are really helpful.”
