Rosie Talley, West Texas resident and children’s book author, said that building a team of advanced readers who provide honest reviews is crucial for gaining traction on Amazon and getting noticed by potential readers. Talley was a guest on a recent episode of the Best of Midland Podcast.
“I'm doing a little bit better about reaching out to influencers and like asking them if they would like to review my book,” said Talley on a recent edition of the Best of Midland Podcast. “That's one of the big things—is getting a lot of reviews right away on Amazon. There's like a two-week window where if you get a lot of traction on your own to your Amazon page, then Amazon triggers something in that algorithm, and then they will push your book.”
“So, I really need to try to get at least 50 is a benchmark for them to -50 reviews- for them to really take notice of your book,” Talley said. “So, trying to build a team of advanced readers that read my book for free in exchange for an honest review. Whether or not they want to review it's up to them, but yeah, that's the thing—it has to be an honest review.”
Linus the Troll is a children’s picture book about a troll named Linus who looks frightening on the outside, but is actually friendly and loving. Talley has also published a second Linus book, The Island of Huggles, and a guide called How to Self-Publish a Children's Book.
Best of Midland Podcast is hosted by Ryan Shewchuk and Terra Avery. It is an extension of the broader Best of Midland program, which aims to support small, local businesses by showcasing them and the people behind them. Their website lists top business and upcoming live events happening in the area.
The podcast is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.