Feel the glory of a good thing

I can’t believe it’s been only two months since Belle was published. What an incredible experience it’s been so far – I’ve been completely knocked out by the enthusiastic response.

If you’re the right age, you remember Sally Field accepting an Oscar for Places in the Heart with the words, “You like me!” Since then, she’s clarified that the context of that oft-quoted line is a reminder to take the time to appreciate successes. “Because believe me, you really feel the bad things, and you take them to heart, and you own them, and they fester. So then I knew you have to also allow yourself to feel the glory of a good thing.” 

I hear you, Sally. I hear you. So this is me feeling the glory of a good thing.

It’s far too easy for me to focus on the flaws I notice and feel that it’s not good enough. But now, two months since the book’s pub day, enough people have told me how much they enjoyed it, and why, that I have to acknowledge that – yes, people like the book.

Thank you to everyone who’s bought the book, everyone who’s read it, everyone who’s taken the time to share their opinions. It means a lot.

Reviews are social proof

This is a friendly reminder that if you’ve read Belle and haven’t posted a review yet, it’s not too late! I’ve bumped into several people lately who’ve mentioned they’ve been meaning to post a review but haven’t had a chance to yet. It occurred to me that probably a lot of people are in that same situation, and it might be a good idea to send out a reminder.

For better or worse, Amazon has had a dramatic impact on the publishing industry. The online bookseller has changed how books are published, how they’re discovered, and how they’re consumed. Reviews can even determine whether a book succeeds or fails.

Book marketing and media relations expert Penny Sansevieri noted that “a marketing survey company found that 61% of online purchases were made after reading a review. Reviews on Amazon can also help your book turn up more often in customer searches.”

This is not surprising, given that reviews are a form of social proof, a “psychological and social phenomenon wherein people copy the actions of others in choosing how to behave in a given situation.…  In e-commerce, social proof takes the form of positive testimonials from previous customers.” When lots of people leave reviews that are generally positive, that tells others that a book is worth reading. And every reader finds something different in a book, so letting others know what you liked and disliked helps readers find a book that’s right for them.

In our algorithm-driven online world, reviews are worth their weight in gold to authors. For a book by an unknown author, reviews can make or break a book. And this matters not just for sales on Amazon itself.

Even if you prefer to shop locally, reviews on Amazon matter because of Amazon’s role as a browsing tool. People use Amazon to search for books and products, relying on the algorithm to show them what they might like, and then make their purchases elsewhere.

If you’ve been meaning to post a review but uncertainty about how to do it has been holding you back, I posted a little tutorial on Facebook, and here’s a handy link: post a review of Belle on Amazon. And to those of you who have posted already, thank you!

Rabbit hole findings: Rough on Rats

In a recent post, Location, location, location, I described one of my most invaluable rabbit hole findings, the Sanborn fire insurance maps. These were indispensable in describing La Porte in the 1890s.

Another rabbit hole finding that made its way into Belle is Rough on Rats. The name surfaces in the book a small handful of times and figures importantly in the death of more than one character. Rough on Rats was a brand name for rat poison whose main ingredient was arsenic.

Rough on Rats was invented in 1872 by Ephraim S. Wells. He didn’t come up with a novel formulation; Rough on Rats consisted mostly of arsenic with some fillers, and arsenic had been used to exterminate rats for hundreds of years. What Wells really excelled at was marketing.

Wells created all his own advertising, including these four

He conceived and created advertisements for his formulations, and this product in particular, that were eye-catching and clever – and very successful. His prolific marketing output ensured that his product was known and used widely in the US and abroad.

Not featured in the copy, however, were pesky little details like what the ingredients were, the fact that it was a poison, and – oh yeah – that Rough on Rats was just as rough on humans.

But people figured it out, and the product was known to be used as a method of both self-harm and murder. Wells never said anything explicit regarding his thoughts on this use of his product, but he received a lot of flack and his advertising pace never abated.

In fact, looking at some of the ads, you might draw the conclusion that he flouted this concern. He included this comic strip in one of his ads:

Rough on Rats comic strip: The Proposal, The Rejection, and The Finale

The strip shows a rat suitor trying to woo an uninterested ratette. When she gives him the thumb, he drowns his sorrows in a tin of Rough on Rats. Can you imagine a product today being advertised this way? “Hey, just think. Our product has so many uses – including a great way to off yourself!”

The advertisements were also a reflection of common opinions and sentiments, including racist stereotypes and a sly implication about what to do with “unwanted” visitors.

Rough on Rats trade card

This one shows an image of a Chinese man in stereotyped dress eating a rat under the slogan, “They must go.” The obvious implication played on strong anti-Chinese sentiment at that time.

Chinese immigrants were instrumental in developing the West in both the US and Canada. Many people emigrated from China to escape extreme flooding, famine, and political unrest. They arrived in western Canada and US and found work in the gold mines and on railroad crews, among other occupations. But virulent anti-Chinese prejudice soon followed those waves of migration, which was reflected in the phrase, “yellow peril,” popularized by William Randolph Hearst, and which resulted in legislation in both Canada and the US to limit Chinese immigration.

Wells freely exploited common prejudices and fears like this one to promote his products. Rough on Rats was sold widely, and there were no regulations to restrict who could buy it, where it could be sold, or what had to be on the label. My fictional Belle would have had easy access to such a product, and she seized on it as a convenient tool for furthering her objectives. But she found the painful death it inflicted unacceptable, and she set out to find easier, more humane ways to “release” her “clients” from their “contracts.”

Upcoming events

I’ll be at the Enfield Public Library on April 16 at 6pm. My book talk there earlier this month was unexpectedly interrupted, and we’ve scheduled a new date. I would love to see you there! It’s a free event and you don’t need to RSVP, but knowing how many would attend was handy in setting out the right number of chairs. So you can let me know by replying to this email, or you can email Nancy at EPL at librarian2 at enfield.nh.us, or you can call her 603-632-7145.

Do you have a book group or library book group you’d like me to attend? I'll gladly visit the book group via Zoom. I would also love to do more library book talks, so if you’re interested in me coming to your library, let me know!