What is the cornerstone of any successful author's promotional platform?  Unlocking the Secrets of Successful Publishing! I was asked by Orna Ross of Alliance of Independent Authors to share what I consider to be the “Seven Must-Haves for Independent Authors” at  UPublishU event that was held at the Book Expo of America 2016 held in Chicago. Of course, I agreed! However, the Seven Must-Haves are applicable for all authors whether they are self-published, small press published, traditionally published, or hybrid published. Today, I am addressing the second of the Seven Must-Haves for Authors.  What is the cornerstone of any author platform? Editorial Book Reviews Why? Why is it that the big traditional publishing houses have staff and contractors whose main job responsibility is to secure editorial book reviews for their upcoming releases?  First a PDQ lesson about the different types of reviews (and, yes, books should have all four): Editorial Reviews by professional reviewers in the publishing industry (required by librarians before purchase) Peer Reviews by peer authors or same genre authors who further up the top-selling list Consumer Reviews by individual consumers (readers) Manuscript Overviews: these are pre-editing, pre-publication evaluations Why are Editorial Reviews Important to Traditional Publishers? Editorial Reviews are needed for pre-launch sales, bookseller tradeshows, sales catalogs, distributor catalogs, sell sheets, and to create marketing collateral. Editorial Reviews establish credibility and competence in the publishing marketplace. Editorial Reviews help set the tone for reader interaction. Editorial Reviews give readers the language and vocabulary to write [...]