How not to get your book read
Sigh. Just had another review request email (well, I assume it's after a review) which goes like this:
Hi
I'm a [qualification] who has written a book about [stuff]. It's called [I think this is a clever title] and is available on amazon.
thanks
[author]
That’s it. That’s the entirety of the email.
Let's talk about why this is not a great approach
You've not bothered to find out my name. It's not that difficult (even if some people confuse my surname with my first name). Starting with 'Hi Dave' suggests that you've at least had a look at my blog/twitter/etc
Your book subject. Whilst I am interested in the subject, it's not something I blog about, or review books on. Have you even looked at my blog and the kind of stuff I like to read? I suspect not.
You've told me what your book is called (good start), and where to find it (also good). Know what would have been better? A LINK. Seriously, they're not hard to do.
It's only available in the US. Again, you've not done your research on my blog. It's also $5 on kindle ($20 in paperback!!!). I do not have $ to throw at books random strangers ping at me in my inbox.
Look, I get it. Writing a book is hard, and getting it in front of people is really really difficult.
Also, when the first paragraph of the amazon listing is this:
The book is divided into three sections. The first section is “Highlight Reel” and uses bullet points to grasp the key points. The second segment “The Narrative” describes many of the ideas supported by research. The third section consists of clinical studies/research providing evidence to support or refute a claim. The studies in the book do not come to the same conclusion.
Then I’m going to back away.
Let’s look at how you can improve your chances.
Ten tips for getting a response from a book blogger.
Do your research. Does this blogger like/review books like yours? Is this blogger open to review requests? If not, move on.
Start with 'Hi Dave'. Note: this might not work if the blogger is called Sue. Go for 'Hi Sue' instead. You get the idea. Otherwise it looks like you might just be sending out a form email to a list of email addresses. You wouldn’t do that, would you?
Follow up with something nice about my blog (or Sue's blog) - "I saw that you really like books about x, and I loved your review of book y. My book is about x, you might like it!"
Tell me more about your book. Show me the cover, give me the blurb. Tell me why I should care.
Crucially, and I can’t emphasise this enough, include a link. Don't make me work to find it, because I can pretty much guarantee that I won't.
If you can, offer a review copy. Or at the very least a sample chapter so I can see if I like your writing style.
A review copy will work better though, 100%
DO NOT SEND ME A COPY UNLESS I ASK FOR IT THOUGH
Drat, I really should have said '8 tips' rather than ten
DO NOT, under ANY circumstance, follow up your initial email a week later with a 'hi, I sent you an email but you didn't respond. Here is the same email again.' I will delete it, furiously.
I wish this person well with their book. But I won’t be spending $5 of my hard earned cash to get a copy. I’ve got enough other books to feel guilty about already.
smooches
D