When author Gail Mencini wrote her fiction novel To Tuscany with Love, she included a character who must deal with breast cancer. The novel follows the adventures of Bella Rossini, a vivacious college junior, who is suddenly thrust into living in Tuscany with seven strangers during one life-altering summer.
Gail, a breast cancer survivor, hoped that writing about the struggles with breast cancer would remind women of the importance of mammograms.
She was thrilled when, this week, reader Toni Daylor emailed to tell her that the novel nudged her to make a long overdue appointment for a mammogram. Toni also included a selfie of her and her Xray tehnician, holding a copy of Gail’s book. Gail asked for permission to post it to her Facebook page, and from there, word is spreading.
“Little did I know that the book would actually have this type of effect, even though that was my hope,” Gail said. “And, by the way, it’s also good publicity.”
Takeaway:
Jump on testimonial photos like this one. It’s a feel-good story that your friends, followers and fans will love to share and, often, it can be just as powerful as getting a great book review.
Other Tools That Can Help You with Book Publicity:
Where to Find Millions of Readers Online to Review, Recommend and Buy Your Books
How to Launch a Book, Promote It and Sell a Truckload, Without an Expensive Publicist
Crowdfunding: How to Use Other People’s Money for Your Book or Project