Thursday Blurb: This One is for Authors
Our main interest here in the Tub is literacy and connecting kids with books. LOTS of books arrive on the doorstep, most of them in yellow-padded envelopes. At every conference I’ve attended related to books, reviewing, and blogging, one question always comes up: how do get a reviewer’s interest?
The email pitch was simple (and personalized to me!)
Dear Terry,
I would love to submit a copy of my new book, SALTWATER TAFFY for a Reading Tub review. Where should I send a copy? The book has been endorsed by 9 Teachers of the Year around the country and we are confident you will love it.Please advise,
Teachers of the Year endorse a book? Yes, I’d like to know more … so I followed up and Eric sent us a copy. NEVER have I opened a box as cool as this one …
Check it out! From the ubiquitous white oval with initials to the brightly colored tissue paper to the wrapped sugary packing material. You have not only captured my interest, but you’ve put yourself on the top of the TBR pile … with a handful of sweet treats to enjoy while reading.
Now, I realize that this won’t work for every book because, well, they don’t involve the name “saltwater taffy.” Still, it shows how a well-thought-out strategy can grab the attention of someone who gets LOTS of books.
What was your favorite marketing strategy by an author?
It is cute, and I am impressed how well-thought out the package is. But the thing that resonated with me most was what you said first – a simple, personalized email pitch! Why do people persist in ignoring review policies and requesting reviews for inappropriate products?
Book Chook recently posted…September I Can Read Carnival
I always tell authors that they get much better results if they write personal emails or letters to reviewers. Personal is always best.
And the packaging for the book was also great. Of course, I prefer fudge. But I’d certainly settle for salt water taffy.
Oh, I am a chocolate hog myself! If only it shipped well! Personal, short, and sweet (no pun intended). Eric put together his pitch in the same way he wrote the ‘grabber’ for his book. Thanks for stopping by, John.
Wow…how cool is this? I just had a friend send me the link to your post. Glad you liked the package Terry…I’m confident you’ll find the book to be just the adventure kids are looking for. When I was researching this “tween market”…I was dumbfounded at the response by a book seller when I asked: have anything uplifting and filled with adventure for tweens? She said, hmmm…not really, that age is mostly about angst and frustration. I wished I had my iPhone shooting video on that because it was priceless. The look on her face when she tried to think of something that encouraged kids was also priceless. Anyway…I’m going to write a blog entry about this when our new website goes live this weekend. Changing everything to WordPress, but still keeping the look and feel of a website. Oh how there is SOOO much to learn about all that SEO stuff. Write on! Eric
You are welcome … sounds like Saltwater Taffy is setting itself apart on lots of levels. BTW, you will LOVE WordPress. It is so wonderful, and if I can suggest the Theme Foundry … Drew Strojny is just amazing to work with! When you figure the SEO thing out, can you let me know? Thanks for stopping by!
Indeed…but from the looks of the depth of SEO and all the intricate workings, I am better off hiring amazing people. I tweeted about the blurb and sent John Kremer an email. The man is a legend. I met him a few years ago when I was ghosting for Mark Victor Hansen on the follow up to THE ONE MINUTE MILLIONAIRE. Have a great weekend.
Here’s another way to personalize a pitch to reviewers, bloggers or anyone in the media.
Send them a CD with their photo imprinted onto the CD and include on the CD a short video pitch.
A lot of trouble? Of course it is.
But put yourself in the reviewer’s shoes. If you saw your photo on a CD that you pulled out of an envelope, would you pop it into the CD player?
I rest my case.
That’s an interesting thought. I think I’d be frightened seeing my own picture on a CD, though. It would take a lot for me to play a CD from someone I didn’t know, though because I’d have to do it on my computer. Having had computers trashed by viruses, I’d be very leary.