Friday, February 3, 2012

Review copies: Free or not to Free?

So a dear friend of mine has this burning question.  A question I had to figure out myself a while back--maybe I'm a bit stingy, but that's for you to figure out for your own marketing plan.


Let me know what you think.

Friend:
Hey, I have a question ... when someone says they want to review your book, do you wait for them to purchase it, or do you send them free copies ?


Me:
Your concern is a tricky thing, and it brings up a thought: first of all, if you're going to go with a publisher that provides ARCS or the first 20 copies free, then find your reviewers and send it off to them. IF you are through a small publisher and you must purchase your own copies, I would set a budget for marketing NOW! I didn't know to do that and I've spent so much on sending people swag (stuff we all get). Ugh...


Sometimes people will say, "I want to review your book, how much is it? I will also purchase one to give away." While many will say, "Could you please donate a copy for giveaways?" I usually giveaway ebooks! But during the holidays I was feeling mighty generous and agreed to doing many hardcopy giveaways...

If I were you, say something like this if it's something you feel comfortable with, "Sure, I'd love for you to review it, but as of now, I'm only providing ecopies. I would like if you could please post your review on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes and Nobles" (where ever your book is at). If it's no where yet, i would hold off a bit.

BUT! I would first give this person a short summary of your book and say, "Is this something you'll enjoy reading?" You do NOT want to send your baby who hates your genre and only loves historicals. Make SURE they enjoy that genre first. another thing is to start looking for published authors who will endorse your book--not someone like your neighbor who may only have credentials in plumbing. LOL

So that is the end of my reply... 




If you're an aspiring author, it doesn't hurt to create a plan now! What do you think yours will look like? How have you been handling review requests? 




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3 comments:

  1. My sense is that free review copies go out before the release of the book and maybe in rare instances afterward as dictated by me, publisher, or agent. I would be careful in who I would be selecting to give free copies and in many cases the free copies would be digital. This would especially hold true if I were self-publishing and paying for everything myself.

    Bottom line is that not all review copy requests would be fulfilled. I would have to have some sort or screening process to see if the potential reviewer might be able to help generate more interest in my book.


    Lee
    An A to Z Co-Host
    Tossing It Out
    Twitter: @AprilA2Z
    #atozchallenge

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  2. I give out Advanced Review Copies as downloads before release, then a few downloads after release. But that's it. No more paper bound books. Too expensive. Smashwords allows me to give away free download coupons so that's the route I take.

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  3. I'm careful about giving ARCs. I learned by making some mistakes my first time out. I now take a serious look at the reviewer. And I ask a few questions. Can h/she write without grammatical errors? Are the reviews carefully considered? Do people read those reviews?

    Great guidelines in your post. I've stopped in again from the A to Z Challenge. Lovely blog.

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