SEARCHING FOR SECRETARIAT

SEARCHING FOR SECRETARIAT- October, 1984

It had been a long day’s drive from Kansas City to Lexington, Kentucky.  I was getting that spaced out feeling from being on the road too long as I headed to my hometown in West Virginia.  Ahead of me I noticed a sign that read Keeneland Race Track.  I knew that Lexington was the heart of thoroughbred racing. But I knew little about the sport other than following the career of Secretariat, the Triple Crown winner.   At that moment, I decided that I had to see the greatest race horse of all time.   I knew that he was a Kentucky horse and wondered if someone at Kenneland could put me on his trail.   It was one of those crazy ideas that never work out, but seem possible when operating in the cloud of a driving haze.

At Keeneland I found a parking space and surveyed the outside of the race track. Then I entered the first entrance I could find.   There were some men milling about and horses being led by grooms. I must have looked perplexed because a man approached me and asked if he could help.  I shook his hand and we introduced ourselves.  He was a trainer and he asked if I was interested in horses. Of course I said yes.   We chatted for a few minutes and then he said he would like to show me around the racetrack, but he had to get some horses ready to race.  I had heard of Kentucky hospitality, but this was a bit much and I wondered if the trainer thought I was someone important in the world of horse racing.  I decided to push my luck, fully expecting him to laugh, and asked him if there was any way that I could see Secretariat.   

He graciously informed me that Secretariat was not kept in Lexington, but at Claiborne Farms in Paris, Kentucky. He also said that it took a reservation months in advance to see the race horse.  Nice try I thought as I shook his hand and thanked him for being so kind to a stranger.   But then that rare moment that you live for happened and he said he knew the lady who worked the guard gate at Claiborne Farms and that he would make a call and try to get me in.  He directed me to Paris, Kentucky and there was no way I was not going to go.   I approached the guard gate at Claiborne Farms fully expecting to get the old Kentucky boot, because the trainer had forgotten to make the call or a zillion other reasons for not letting a stranger in to see the racing legend.

I gave my name to the lady at the gate and explained my situation. To my complete surprise she replied that the trainer had indeed made the call.  She signed me in and then told me to walk up the hill to the barn and a groom would bring out Secretariat.  I had anticipated that if I did get to see the horse it would be with a large tour group, but had not imagined that it would just be me, the horse and the groom.  At the top of the hill I waited a moment in the cool October air and then Secretariat came sauntering out led by a groom.  He was just as I had imagined, big and red and beautiful. I asked the groom if I could take some pictures and he informed me that Big Red liked to have his picture taken so I snapped away.    

I chatted with the groom for a few minutes and then thanked him for taking the time to show me the greatest race horse of all time.  It was a special moment that had turned a boring drive into an unforgettable experience.         

            

THE TRIED AND TRUE WAY TO GET BOOK REVIEWS

The review process has been the most frustrating part of marketing my new novel on Social Media.  The conventional wisdom about contacting Amazon reviewers and established reviewers has proven to be dead  wrong. I wasted many months contacting these reviewers and did not receive a single reply.  Although not a big name author, I am an established one, and receiving no response from over 60 queries was a complete surprise.  That the Social Media Gurus had no clue about this was even more surprising. Here’s hoping the following information will be helpful and save you many months of frustration.   

The number one tool for reviews is Goodreads.  What better place to get established with reader/reviewers than to go where they are.  There are only a few hundred established book reviewers that have millions of books to review, but there are several million readers who would like to be book reviewers. In today’s Social Media context  readers carry more weight than established reviewers because other readers trust them and their message.  So step number one step for getting reviews is to get established on Goodreads.  

Step two is to give your book away on Goodreads.  So far I’ve given away over a hundred books for giveaways and for review copies.  At $15.00 each that is $1.500 and has proven to be worth every penny.  You are not doing your book reviewers a favor by sending them a free book; they are doing you one by agreeing to review it.  Consider that a reviewer spends 5 to 10 hours reading your book and then writing a review.  If you broke down the cost of your book with the return you are getting the reviewer would be making about $1.50 per hour.  Be thankful there are readers willing to review books, and be sure to send them a thank you note. 

Once your giveaway is over the readers who have shown an interest in your book and marked it as a read will show up on the left side of the Goodreads screen. These are the readers you want to contact. And please note that no lawyer would sit a jury without going through the vetting process and finding jurors they are compatible with, and you shouldn’t either when vetting reviewers.  In other words, don’t send your historical romance to a reader who loves science fiction. And when you check the reviews of readers who have shown an interest in your book, for obvious reasons, don’t send a copy to readers who consistently give one and two star reviews.  And you should also skip the readers who give ratings but will not write a review.    

When you click on the photo of the reader who has shown an interest there will be a send message link where you can send your message.  My contact letter simply states that: I noticed on Goodreads that you have marked by book to read. If I send you a signed, hardcover, first edition copy of the novel, would write a review on Goodreads and on Amazon?  Thank you so much for showing an interest in my book and for considering this proposal. You can check me out on Goodreads and on my website. (Put your  links here.)   Please send me your mailing address if you agree to read and review the novel.   Salutations and signature and you are good to go.

And please keep in mind that regardless of your vetting process you may get zinged with a less than flattering review.  Some reviewers won’t like your style, your views on politics, your handling of sex scenes and so on.  My advice is to accept the bad review as part of the process and go on.  And as difficult as it may be, never ever try to retaliate.  You are not going to change anyone’s mind about your book and it will just make a bad situation worse.  Better to concentrate your energies on getting more 4 and 5 star reviews to offset the bad review.  This review process has worked very well for me and I hope it works as well for you, so good luck on getting those  book  reviews.