If you’re requesting a book, please, provide an address
Over the past week I’ve received no fewer than four review copy requests that were missing one key piece of information: an address. This means that instead of sending out the book immediately, I need to wait until I have a moment to respond to ask for the address and then when I do get the address I again need to wait until I have a free moment to send out the book. So basically, I need to jump over hurdles to get you something you’ve asked for?
At my publishing house, more than 100 publicists in dozens of imprints spread out over five floors in two buildings work on thousands of books each month. This means things can get really confusing really quickly. To increase your chances of obtaining a review copy of a book quickly, submit all your information. At once. This includes:
Basic information about yourself:
– Name
– Mailing address
– Phone number
– Email address
– Venue for which you are covering / plan to cover the book and a brief description if it is not well known
– Your website / your organization’s website (if applicable)
Information about the book:
– Title
– Author
– Publication date
– Imprint or ISBN
If you want, send the link to the book you are requesting rather than typing out this information. Also, keep in mind that much of the personal information can (and should) appear in an electronic signature so you needn’t retype it each time.
For a list of imprints at the large publishing houses — which will make it easier to get your request to the right department from the start — check this post, Media requesting review copies of books. And here’s lots more information about review copies in general.
For those of you who have looked through these posts about review copies — you know who you are (and I know who you are too!) — your time and attention is much appreciated. Please share this information with your colleagues (and feel free to share with me any questions / comments you might have about requesting review copies).
Maybe book reviewing bloggers should consider putting together a database for publishers to use: our blog titles, the sorts of books we’re interested in reviewing, a list of other publications we’ve had our reviews appear in, and so forth.
Matt
http://condalmo.wordpress.com
Stupidity should not be rewarded! =) I say don’t bother with the courtesy email back. Your time is worth more than that.
The book Crossing Borders by Michael Ferris is a book about traveling, living and working abroad. Great if you interested in different cultures and dealing with people of different nationalities. For more info, check any search engine or bookstore. ISBN: 9781602643734
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