The Story Siren

10/16/10

Dear Story Siren: Special Dear Publisher Edition (Abrams Books)

Posted In: Blog Tips & Tricks

If you’ve visited The Story Siren, 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

Today’s blogger/publisher interaction questions are from
Abrams Books.

What should I include in my review copy request?

Book Title and author. If it’s an older book the month/year it came out.

When is the best time to post my review?

As close to the book’s on sale date or after.

Do you want to be sent reviews of titles I’ve bought?

Only if they are applicable.

Do you want to be sent reviews of titles that have been on the shelves for a while?

Sure!

Is it okay to have a contest for an arc that I’ve gotten from a publicists?

Of course you can, but only if you make mention that these are free, uncorrected proofs that cannot be sold to the public.

How many months do you like to see someone blogging before they can request an advance readers copy?

Doesn’t matter.

What criteria do you look for in a book blog before you will send you an advance readers copy?

That you are a legitimate reviewer.

When you send a copy for review, do you like us to let you know it arrived?

It’s helpful, but not necessary.

Do you want us to send you links of our reviews that are negative?

Not necessary, and I would actually prefer if you didn’t review a book you don’t like. This doesn’t mean we won’t still send you books, but there’s no point in wasting anyone’s time or bruising egos by writing about something you don’t want to recommend.

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?

Sure!

When is the best time to request an arc?

As early as possible.

Is it better to contact an author for swag (bookmarks, postcards, etc.) or should we ask the publicist?

Always contact the publishers.

12
comments

12 Comments

Karlinha
10/16/2010

Kristi, I loved the post. Here in Brazil we do not like when we read a book (from a publisher) they give us total freedom to express our opinions.
Lee
10/16/2010

Wow, this post was AWESOME and I am now going to go through all the previous posts in this series! This was immensely helpful and informative; thank you so much for sharing it!

One interesting thing I took away from the recent #yalitchat about reviewing books: Someone mentioned that even if a reviewer didn't the book, saying who the book might like the book could be helpful, since every book will have an audience. In your opinion, how does this jibe with what Abrams Books is saying about not writing the review at all?

P.S. What a gorgeous layout!
Karlinha
10/16/2010

Kristi, I loved the post. Here in Brazil we do not like when we read a book (from a publisher) they give us total freedom to express our opinions.
Lee
10/16/2010

Wow, this post was AWESOME and I am now going to go through all the previous posts in this series! This was immensely helpful and informative; thank you so much for sharing it!

One interesting thing I took away from the recent #yalitchat about reviewing books: Someone mentioned that even if a reviewer didn't the book, saying who the book might like the book could be helpful, since every book will have an audience. In your opinion, how does this jibe with what Abrams Books is saying about not writing the review at all?

P.S. What a gorgeous layout!
DC&P
10/16/2010

The fact that they only want positive reviews rubs me the wrong way. Positive or negative, it's still feedback that will help others determine whether or not they want to read it.
Savannah Smith
10/16/2010

I don't know why, but the fact that negative reviews aren't accepted by them bothers me a bit. I mean, I have a whole bunch of respect for everyone in the publishing industry because I'm sure it's a tough job and very busy, but wouldn't you want to know how the public will react to an upcoming book, even if it's not going to be a good answer?
DC&P
10/16/2010

The fact that they only want positive reviews rubs me the wrong way. Positive or negative, it's still feedback that will help others determine whether or not they want to read it.
Savannah Smith
10/16/2010

I don't know why, but the fact that negative reviews aren't accepted by them bothers me a bit. I mean, I have a whole bunch of respect for everyone in the publishing industry because I'm sure it's a tough job and very busy, but wouldn't you want to know how the public will react to an upcoming book, even if it's not going to be a good answer?
the story siren
10/16/2010

I do want to mention that that is not the official policy for Abrams. (In reference to the negative reviews) That is just the day to day preferences of a publicist that works there.
the story siren
10/17/2010

I do want to mention that that is not the official policy for Abrams. (In reference to the negative reviews) That is just the day to day preferences of a publicist that works there.
Charlie
10/17/2010

Saying the same as Savannah. This is the only post of this series that has made me think "eh?" Saying not to post it sounds unprofessional. I've bought a book before because I'd read a negative review, because what the person had pointed out as bad was something that I found appealing.
Charlie
10/17/2010

Saying the same as Savannah. This is the only post of this series that has made me think "eh?" Saying not to post it sounds unprofessional. I've bought a book before because I'd read a negative review, because what the person had pointed out as bad was something that I found appealing.