If you've visited The Story, you might be familiar with a feature I do occasionally called "Dear Story Siren." If you not familiar with the feature, basically readers submit questions... personal questions, questions about blogging, author interview, publisher interaction, reviews, etc. It's my way of sharing some of the things I've learned during my blogging adventure. That being said, I am in no way a blogging expert, but I'd like to think I've picked a few things up along the way.
A lot of the questions I get have to do with publisher interaction. This is something that I think is very important for a blogger that is actively receiving review copies from publishers. I know that at a blogger myself, I want to continue to improve those relationships and be as beneficial to the publishers and authors as I can. The majority of the time I don't know the answers to these questions. I have my assumptions, but who knows if those are correct.
In turn, I was inspired to do something a little different with "Dear Story Siren." I'll be doing a special edition of "Dear Story Siren" geared specifically toward blogger/publisher interactions. I've contacted several publishing houses with a set number of questions to be answered, and I'll be featuring a different publisher each post.
Today's blogger/publisher interaction questions are from Penguin. I contacted someone in their marketing department that works with all of their imprints. Please do take into consideration that this is not the 'official' Penguin policy, but is one person's take on their day-to-day job.
What should I include in my review copy request?
Full name, full US address, blog address, email address. These are the fields I have in my request log, so if I can just copy and paste that makes it ten times easier for me.
When is the best time to post my review?
I know the conventional wisdom is that reviews should generally go up at or around pub, but I often have people asking me why bloggers don’t post more reviews pre-pub. I personally would like to see more reviews pre-pub, especially for big titles we’re trying to build buzz for.
Do publishers want to be sent reviews of titles I've bought?
It’s always nice to send publishers the reviews that you write for titles they sent you galleys for. It makes clear to them that you’re professional and using the galleys for the purpose that they’re meant to serve, and that you appreciate that they sent it to you.
Do publishers want to be sent reviews of titles that have been on the shelves for a while
I don’t mind getting them.
Is it okay to have a contest for an arc that I've gotten from a publicists?
I think it’s fine, but if you do decide to give away an ARC you received for review, I think it’s good if you alert the person who sent it to you (with a link to the giveaway), just as an FYI. Plus, I like to help bloggers promote these giveaway opportunities on our social networking sites if I can.
How many months do you like to see someone blogging before they can request an advance readers copy?
I really prefer bloggers to be blogging for AT LEAST six months before requesting ARCs. I usually give preference to people who have been blogging the longest when I have a limited number of ARCs. But more than that, I look for consistent posting and real reviews—my favorite book blogs to read are the ones that post sincere, thoughtful reviews that are longer than one paragraph and don’t just summarize the book.
What criteria does a publisher look for before they will send you an advance readers copy
It depends on a lot of factors—how many people are requesting the book, how many galleys I have and can realistically send, whether or not the address is in the US (most of the time, I can’t send abroad), etc. I chafe at emails that I know were just cut-and-paste jobs, where they just plug in the name of the book (or sometimes DON’T), or that are poorly composed, or demanding. Bloggers should try to be as professional and polite as possible when requesting ARCs. I get a lot more requests than one would think, and the way in which I’m approached makes a big difference.
When you send a copy for review, do you like us to let you know it arrived?
Not required, but certainly good to know.
Do you want us to send you links of our reviews that are negative?
It’s fine, although you might want to warn that it’s not a positive review when you send it along. But we understand that not everybody likes every book; definitely don’t be ashamed to say, “I appreciate you sending the galley, but I didn’t love the book and wrote about that here: LINK.”
What if I can't get into a book that you sent me for review, do you want us to let you know that we won't be reviewing it?
I don’t feel like I have to know that.
When is the best time to request an arc, 3-4 months before the publication date?
I usually do galley mailings 3-4 months pre-pub. Anytime before that is good, but I often get emails from bloggers requesting the same book over and over again when they don’t receive it immediately—I often save up requests and send the galleys out at one time, because I work on a lot of books and do a lot of mailings and find that it’s easier for me to do it that way. So even if you request an ARC in January, you may not receive it until May, especially if the book doesn’t pub till September. Don’t keep resending the email; I might not have had time to respond, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t receive it. If it gets to about 3-4 months pre-pub and you haven’t heard anything/received the galley, I don’t mind getting a follow-up email reiterating your interest in reviewing the title, but please don’t say: “I haven’t received this yet, where is it?”
Do you like sites that promote sharing advance readers copies (such as traveling arc sites)
It’s less about whether or not I like them, and more that I like to know where our review copies are going, and when they start going on ARC tours I find it hard to keep track. I’d prefer it if people asked first before sending an ARC out on tour.
Is it better to contact an author for swag (bookmarks, postcards, etc.) or should we ask the publicist?
An author will probably be able to tell you if there is swag you can get from the publisher for a specific title.