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.
There were no stars, it was quotes from the book and a few with 3D images of the book itself. It was sent very much in a spirit of “use them if you like”. I guess you would just as easily use them in a negative review if you felt so inclined. :)
Since I was already on the review team, I saw it as a way of saving me time if I wanted to use them.
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.
Thank you for your comment! I wonder if I articulated incorrectly. I was more trying to make an observation of what I see as a shift that will more than likely become the norm from publishers. I know how busy indie authors are, and do not want to make them feel stressed about this. Just help them stay informed. :)
While I agree that trad publishing definitely can make those moves, it's worth remembering that indies often don't have the money to send physical copies to reviewers. It's pricey and can add up fast. Graphics are doable, but most of the time I ask people to write reviews on platforms where those wouldn't be extremely useful (Amazon, Goodreads, B&N, etc.). I'm not sure it would be worth the time to create such a thing, necessarily?
Oh, yes! I hope this didn't give the impression that I recieve tons of physical copies. This was a rare occurance. I think it could be customized to maybe send a bookplate or bookmark as a thank you to a dedicated reviewer (to be a bit more cost effective). I work with lots of indie authors, and I know that the budget can be tight - totally understandable. I think it opens the conversation for each author to look and see if it might work for them. Thanks for adding to the conversation! :)
Absolutely! If I had a dedicated reviewer who was reliable and always followed through, I'd give them something, anyway! There are a lot of ways to show appreciation.
This is great to hear! Really simple yet effective.
I recently had a short feature on the radio and BBC sent me a similar pack. It was great (and so easy) to be able to use all the graphics on my social media.
Glad to hear publishers are doing this too. Thanks!
They played an excerpt from one of my radio plays, and we did a brief interview. It was a lovely experience. And it was great to have the graphics to tell people about it easily on social media.
Something to mull over for sure. Curious to know about the situation that drives this. Your experience tells you that, even with ARC, getting reviews is difficult? A too busy world or too many books?
Yes, even with review teams, I've seen some statistic show as low as a 20% conversion rate of reviewers actually leaving a review. The more resistence you can eliminate the higher the conversion rate. And yes, to your point, I think it's business that stops people from leaving reviews, I don't think there is anything malicious in them not leaving them.
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.
There were no stars, it was quotes from the book and a few with 3D images of the book itself. It was sent very much in a spirit of “use them if you like”. I guess you would just as easily use them in a negative review if you felt so inclined. :)
Since I was already on the review team, I saw it as a way of saving me time if I wanted to use them.
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.
Thank you for your comment! I wonder if I articulated incorrectly. I was more trying to make an observation of what I see as a shift that will more than likely become the norm from publishers. I know how busy indie authors are, and do not want to make them feel stressed about this. Just help them stay informed. :)
While I agree that trad publishing definitely can make those moves, it's worth remembering that indies often don't have the money to send physical copies to reviewers. It's pricey and can add up fast. Graphics are doable, but most of the time I ask people to write reviews on platforms where those wouldn't be extremely useful (Amazon, Goodreads, B&N, etc.). I'm not sure it would be worth the time to create such a thing, necessarily?
Oh, yes! I hope this didn't give the impression that I recieve tons of physical copies. This was a rare occurance. I think it could be customized to maybe send a bookplate or bookmark as a thank you to a dedicated reviewer (to be a bit more cost effective). I work with lots of indie authors, and I know that the budget can be tight - totally understandable. I think it opens the conversation for each author to look and see if it might work for them. Thanks for adding to the conversation! :)
Absolutely! If I had a dedicated reviewer who was reliable and always followed through, I'd give them something, anyway! There are a lot of ways to show appreciation.
Because you are awesome!
Aw, shucks. <3
This is great to hear! Really simple yet effective.
I recently had a short feature on the radio and BBC sent me a similar pack. It was great (and so easy) to be able to use all the graphics on my social media.
Glad to hear publishers are doing this too. Thanks!
Ooo! Interesting to see it's happening in other areas. What was the topic for you feature?
They played an excerpt from one of my radio plays, and we did a brief interview. It was a lovely experience. And it was great to have the graphics to tell people about it easily on social media.
Something to mull over for sure. Curious to know about the situation that drives this. Your experience tells you that, even with ARC, getting reviews is difficult? A too busy world or too many books?
Yes, even with review teams, I've seen some statistic show as low as a 20% conversion rate of reviewers actually leaving a review. The more resistence you can eliminate the higher the conversion rate. And yes, to your point, I think it's business that stops people from leaving reviews, I don't think there is anything malicious in them not leaving them.