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Ask a Reviewer: Marc Schuster of Small Press Reviews

Kate McMillan — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:00:29 +0000

This week in “Ask a Reviewer” I’m delighted to feature some quick tips from Marc Schuster of Small Press Reviews, where Marc and Tom Powers review works from small and independent presses

My biggest “do” is to keep the pitch concise. It’s good for authors to remember that we reviewers usually have day jobs! If I get a query that goes on and on, I begin to wonder whether the book will have a tendency to ramble incoherently as well. Basically, I’d like a sentence or two that tells me what the book is about and why I might like it. If that brief description of the book intrigues me, then I’ll ask to read a copy.

My biggest “don’t” is to avoid asking a reviewer to read a PDF copy of the book. I spend so much time in front of a computer all day that when I read for fun, I prefer to do it the old fashioned way–with an actual book, words on a page.

In addition to the books he reviews on his blog, Marc’s first novel is The Singular Exploits of Wonder Mom and Party Girl. You can learn more about Marc Schuster at his website: http://www.marcschuster.com.

Ask a Reviewer: Irene Watson of Reader Views and Inside Scoop Live

Kate McMillan — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 13:00:00 +0000

This week in “Ask a Reviewer” I’m delighted to feature Irene Watson, Managing Editor & founder of ReaderViews.com. Reader Views reviews books and offers publicity for well known authors such as James Patterson and those that are unknown, self-published or published by a small press. Besides reviews of books, they provide services for authors such as book publicity services, editing, author interviews, literary book awards, as well as coaching to write book proposals. They will also act as an author agent and send book proposals to a traditional publisher on their list. Irene is also a host of Inside Scoop Live, a podcast that specializes in author interviews. You can learn more about Irene at her website: http://www.irenewatson.com.

Do’s:

1. Look for and read the guidelines thoroughly provided by the review site. Each one is different.

2. Autograph the book. Reviewers appreciate it.

3. Send the book with a postal tracking number so you know the book arrived safely. (See #3 in Don’t.)

4. Thank the reviewer for the review. They have given you a service and an acknowledgement would be very appropriate.

5. Check the site to see if they review the specific genre your book is in.

6. Indicate what genre/category your book is in if it’s not indicated on the book. We often have no idea where to place the book if it has no BASIC code.

7. Include your contact information with the book. Yes, there are people that just send in the book – no contact info, no supporting documents. We automatically put those in the “donate” pile.

8. Check the site for other reviews. Does it look like the book was read or a review written just from the supporting documents that were sent with it? You decide whether or not you want to send your book for a potential review based on what you see.

Don’ts :

1. Deface the book by stamping “review copy” on it. Reviewers love to keep the books in their personal libraries.

2. Stamp “requested material” on the envelope in hopes your package will get opened and the book reviewed. This is a turn off. We do keep a list of books we say we will review.

3. Ask the review service if they received the book. We get hundreds of books and do not have the time to hunt for your book. Get a postal tracking number to confirm your book has been received.

4. Publish a book without the BASIC code on the back. Don’t have the reviewers guess the genre of your book.

5. Ask the reviewer to contact your publisher or publicist to have the book sent. It is your responsibility to get the book to the reviewer.

6. Send in your sell sheets, press releases, and “stuff” to the reviewer without knowing whether or not they will even read it. Most reviewers don’t ask for books basic on the “stuff” they receive because we get hundreds of books sent into us on a weekly basis.

7. Think that your book is the best book on the market and get upset with the reviewer if they didn’t like it.

8. Expect a raving review because you think you have the best book on the market or your friends/family said it was. No, no, no. Consider the reviewer as your reading audience. Not everyone will like your book, not will everyone not like your book. Every person has a different preference and you have to accept that. Sending a nasty note to the reviewer is totally unacceptable. If you can’t accept another person’s opinion, then don’t send the books out for review or even attempt to sell them. You can’t control your audience.

You can find out more information about Irene Watson online at the following online locations:

Ask a Reviewer: Douglas Wolk, Freelance Journalist and Critic

Kate McMillan — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:00:25 +0000

This week in “Ask a Reviewer” I’m delighted to feature Douglas Wolk, freelance journalist and critic for the New York Times, Blender, the Washington Post, Publishers Weekly, Rolling Stone, and Salon.com (among others). Douglas’ most recent book is the Eisner Award winning Reading Comics: How Graphic Novels Work and What They Mean, published in 2007 by Da Capo Press.

What I need to consider a book for review:

1) A physical copy of the book. PDFs are only for last-minute emergencies, and ONLY if they’re requested. They are a hassle to read, and life is short. A bound galley is fine. An unbound set of pages is sometimes borderline acceptable in a pinch (and again if they’re requested), but a bound one is much better. It must be the ENTIRE book–it’s acceptable to leave out the index, if you must, but otherwise forget it.

2) The release date for the book. It must be when the book is actually coming out. If you can’t publish things when you say you’re going to publish them, give up on publishing and go do some other job. Also, that date should be at least three months in the future, and ideally more like four or five months. This allows the book to be pitched to magazines and newspapers that require a long lead time. If I get something really, really, REALLY cool in the mail the week it comes out, I might be able to manage a blog post, but it’s going to be awfully hard to place with any print publication.

3) The following information: the book’s ISBN number, price, page count, and the phone number and email address of the publicity contact. Ideally, that should all be on the galley, but if you want to stick in a piece of paper with that information that’s fine too.

Also, be aware that many outlets don’t allow their reviewers to discuss what they’re reviewing with anyone before it runs. As a general rule, if a publicist asks me if I’m going to be able to review their book somewhere, I don’t answer (or say no), even if I’m already writing about it for a major newspaper.

You can find out more information about Douglas and his work at http://www.lacunae.com.

Ask a Reviewer: Do’s and Don’ts from Professional Book Reviewers

Kate McMillan — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 20:23:50 +0000

Today I’m starting a new regular feature on the blog, “Ask a Reviewer.” In it I’ll be asking professional book reviewers & book review site editors what their biggest do’s and don’ts are when it comes to getting your book reviewed.

In this post Magdalena Ball of The Compulsive Reader (on Twitter at compulsivereade) gives advice on how to present your book so that it has the best chance at being reviewed.

Magdalena: “I’d say the biggest don’t, and I don’t know that all reviewers will agree with me, is to send the book without querying first. Not all books fit The Compulsive Reader and there aren’t always hard and fast rules about what does, and doesn’t get accepted for review, so sending a book could be a waste if we don’t have a reviewer able to take the book on. A good, well written query is the best way of judging a book’s suitability for review and enticing our team of 20 or so reviewers, so it’s critical to start with that, rather than send the book on spec. My email address is on the website, as are guidelines (always read the guidelines!), and email is the best and easiest way to query.

“That brings me to my second ‘don’t', which is, don’t rush the query. Write a good one, and proofread it. I know that mistakes happen, but if your query is full of errors and incomprehensible (and I get an awful lot of those), then it’s probably a reasonable assumption that the book will be too. A good query contains a book synopsis of a paragraph or two, which gives a sense of what the book is about and above all, its style and target market. A couple of review blurbs (or puffs as they call them in the industry) are also very helpful. Just sending a link and no introduction or a review request with no synopsis or a full ebook or attachment, is asking an awful lot for a cold query. So do, please, take care over your query, and customize it just a little bit by using the editor’s name (most are available and current at websites), and maybe referencing the site and showing that you understand what the site does.

“One third ‘do’ is to follow up, courteously and professionally please. E-mail isn’t always perfect and queries go astray, or reviewers get sidetracked. I’m keeping track of 100 or so books in the pipeline right now, and tend not to nag my reviewers much, so if it has been a while since you’ve sent your book for review, don’t hesitate to check in to see how it’s coming along. If you can offer something like an interview or a piece of information (eg an award won or an interview/review that has been published), that’s even better. Don’t be too demanding though in the follow up, as all of our reviewers work amidst many other priorities, and sometimes have big stacks of books awaiting their turn. Our book reviews are detailed and pithy (a piece of good writing in themselves) and always involve at least one close, full reading, so can take time. That said, a courteous reminder is absolutely fine and not a bad idea if it has been over a month. A demanding reminder a day or so after you’ve posted the book is probably not a good idea!”

Not only does Magdalena run the show as Editor in Chief at The Compulsive Reader, but she is also the author of Sleep Before Evening, The Art of Assessment, and Quark Soup. She also hosts the Compulsive Reader podcast at Blog Talk Radio.