Make It Easy
Marketing Shifts in Traditional Publishing
Do you ever get that feeling like a monumental shift is about to happen? Remember how much your life became easier when you got…
Internet
Drive-Thru
Expedia, etc.
Amazon Prime (don’t judge me)
I’ve noticed plenty of shifts in publishing over the last 5 years and honestly - not many stand out as especially remarkable. But, something happened the other day that I feel is going to lead to a sizable shift. As your Literary Assistant, I thought I should keep you “in the know.”
I’ve reviewed over 200 books on NetGalley. Yes, it’s one of my proudly nerdy accomplishments in life. Since I’ve been reviewing books, I’ve rarely heard from the publishers. They provide the ARC. I leave my feedback. It’s a pretty simple exchange.
In the last year, I started getting the occasional email from them reminding me that it was release day and they would love it if I posted my review on Amazon, goodreads, etc., etc.,
Ok, I get it. They need to send reminders to reviewers, just like I do when I send out ARC’s to my client’s review teams.
Well, in the past 3 months, two very notable things have happened.
One publisher messaged and said that if I reviewed their book on Amazon and sent them the link, they would mail me a physical copy of the book. What?!? Sign me up! What book lover wouldn’t find time to leave a review for a free book. The fact that they are willing to pay to send me a book and pay for shipping costs for an Amazon review, lets you know just how difficult it is for them to get reviews.
Next, I had a publishers marketing team send me a reminder that a book was released AND they sent a google drive file full of graphics with pulled quotes and images.
This wasn’t just a few graphics thrown together. It was graphics in EVERY social media platform sizing. From stories to Twitter graphics, it was all there, handed to me with a bow.
So what are they doing to get reviews?
Incentivizing the reviewer
Taking out the pain point(s) of creating the graphics.
The publishing world is always a bit slow to change. So, I think this is definitely a glimpse of what will become more mainstream in the future.
What do you think about this shift in providing marketing content for reviewers?
Have you considered incentivizing your readers to become more consistent reviewers?
I look forward to hearing your thoughts!
Happy reading,
Melissa, The Literary Assistant
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It seems a little presumptuous, sending the graphics. What if the reviewer didn’t like the book? Is there a graphic for a 1-star review? This is tongue in cheek, but still… I would feel weird sending graphic hype about my books to reviewers.
I like the idea of the graphics to remove pain points for sharing. As an indie author it seems like a good low-cost way to encourage readers to share about a book. Especially if you're able to build up a street-team.
Something about the desperation of publishers to get reviews is disconcerting. I mean, I get it. It's marketing and it's the algorithm-driven, digital age we live in and probably variations of this have been happening for ages. And clearly it's good for the reader to get access to books and graphics and the incentives. But also somehow reading about it felt off, like this should be the way of things.