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.
Past Dear Publisher Posts:
Penguin
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
HarperCollins
Bloomsbury & Walker
Egmont USA
Flux
Random House
Candlewick
St. Martin's Griffin
Abrams
MacMillan
Today's blogger/publisher interaction questions are from
Simon & Schuster
What should I include in my review copy request?
The title and author. Whether your interested in reviewing, hosting a giveaway, or both.
When is the best time to post my review?
Anytime on or after the on sale date
Do you want to be sent reviews of titles I've bought?
Yes!
Do you want to be sent reviews of titles that have been on the shelves for a while?
Yes!
Is it okay to have a contest for an arc that I've gotten from a publicists?
Yes, but please let your marketing contact know, so that we can send over another title.
How many months do you like to see someone blogging before they request an advance readers copy?
We just want to know that you have a blog up and running. Please send along links to reviews you post on Amazon or Goodreads. We'd like to know that you will review and send a link to your post once it is up on your site.
When you send a copy for review, do you like us to let you know it arrived?
Yes, please
Do you want us to send you links of our reviews that are negative?
Yes! We'd like to know what kind of books you like and if you prefer one genre over another.
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?
Yes, please.
Do you like sites that promote sharing advance readers copies?
Sure!
Is it better to contact an author for swag (bookmarks, postcards, etc.) or should we ask the publicist?
Either one.