The Next Bestseller: Book Marketing for Success is a hands-on guide to help authors tackle marketing problems and needs. Tim Riordan, a pastor and an experienced author, uses his knowledge from publishing both bestselling fiction and religious non-fiction to offer a lot of advice primarily to newer authors and self-publishers. The book explores the often difficult and time-consuming marketing that most authors must do, no matter where they were published, and the first half introduces basics like finding your platform and using a website and social media. Later chapters move from intermediate to advanced author techniques such as video, conferences and public speaking, mastery of Amazon's features, and revitalization of older publications.

For authors faced with a maze of book marketing options, The Next Bestseller: Book Marketing for Success is a great, comprehensive summary of the tricks of the trade. An impressive array of tips and strategies are explored here, and the book doesn’t underdeliver. There’s a lot of material packaged into The Next Bestseller that, if applied, can really take an author from beginner to polished, branded author over time. The thoroughness of the topics was impressive and I found that the lists of useful links, the pie chart of author platform components, and the sample job description to send to a launch team made this book a real find. Tim Riordan’s cheerful sincerity about how he incorporates God into his marketing plan and goals as a writer makes this a must-have for Christian authors who are researching a publishing journey, but this is a perfect overall study resource for anyone who wants to learn the secrets of how to improve their book sales.

The Next Bestseller: Book Marketing for Success by prolific author Timothy E. Riordan is a must for any author aiming to get the best possible outcome for their literary oeuvres. It would be of particular benefit for those writing in the Christian genre with some excellent information on publishers and conventions which may be of specific use. It offers sage advice to all authors on getting their book to market and giving their work the best chance of success. It is honest in that the process is not an easy one and requires application and determination to succeed. It provides guidance on developing and defining your brand, getting to know your readers and developing a platform.

If you, like me, do not know what a platform is, the book will explain a feature that has become an important part of book marketing. It provides advice on website construction, self-publishing and one of the most important aspects of marketing your book: social media. It contains valuable advice on maximizing your usage of the facilities offered by Amazon and KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) and goes on to deal with getting your work reviewed, along with email and video marketing, even to the extent of advising on public speaking and organizing a book launch team. Each section ends with a list of useful action points, making Timothy E. Riordan’s book an invaluable tool for both new and experienced authors.

The Next Best Seller provides the sort of nudge that most authors need on a regular basis. We all know that promoting your book is probably the most important aspect of getting an audience. I suppose, like me, we all hope that a publisher or agent will do this for you, or that the brilliance of your work will occasion massive sales and immediate celebrity. But the fact is that publishers and agents will expect you to do a lot of the work yourself and success and celebrity are always hard-won. It is best to know what needs to be done. I found Timothy E. Riordan’s book instructive, illuminating and useful, particularly the sections on website building, making the best of the facilities Amazon offers and most of all the advice and guidance on social media. The Next Best Seller: Book Marketing for Success is a highly recommended, valuable tool for both experienced and aspiring authors.