ARC Essentials with Bloomsbury

ARC Essentials is a new feature here on the blog where I have interviewed several publishers about the process for requesting review copies and then what to do once your review is written and posted. Each publisher has their own way of handling things, so what works for one doesn't necessarily work for another.

Today we have:

1. What should I include when asking for a review copy (Page view stats? Follower count? All social media accounts)?

Yes to all of the above! It never hurts to include as much info as possible.

2. How long should I be blogging before I ask for a review copy?

That depends on how many reviews, interviews, etc. you post. Basically, the more content you have, the better. But if you’re new to blogging and don’t have impressive stats to share, tell us what inspired you to start.

3. Who should I contact about receiving review copies?

At Bloomsbury, both marketing and publicity work with bloggers, so we recommend you send your request to TeensUSA@bloomsbury.com, which reaches all of us. We’ll take note of your request, even if we don’t respond, and do our best to get you what you’re looking for.  Also, let us know if you’d like to be included on our blog tour outreach. And please please please include your address. Even if you know we have it, always put it at the bottom of your email. It saves us so much time!

4. Should I email an author about obtaining a review copy and have them forward my request onto their publicist?

You can try that if you and the author have a relationship. But authors get a lot of emails, so you might find it’s not often fruitful. In general, we would prefer review copy requests come directly to us.

5. Do you expect me to review books I never requested, such as an ARC or finished copy I was sent but never asked for?

Not at all. We hope you’ll read—and love!—the books we send, but there is no expectation.

6. When is the best time to post a review?

No more than one month before on-sale, ideally the week it comes out. While pre-ordering is easy enough to do these days, it’s always better when your readers can get their hands on a book you’re excited about right away and share that joy with you. 

7. Where can I send in review links?

TeensUSA@bloomsbury.com. But also be sure to tweet it to us (@bwkids) so we can retweet!

8. Do you want to see all reviews I’ve done—positive and negative?

Yep! We want to know what you think. And if there’s something in your review you didn’t want to say publicly, feel free to include it in the email. We want to hear it all. 

9. Am I more likely to get approved if I request an eARC of a book instead of a physical copy?

Yes, if you can accept eARCs, that works in your favor because we don’t make as many physical ARCs as some of the bigger publishing houses. But if you prefer physical ARCs for any reason (you plan to use it for an ARC tour, for instance), let us know.

10. When is the best time to request a book or be asked to be put on a list to receive a review copy?

4-6 months before publication. Our mailings (for physical ARCs) will be sent 2-4 months in advance, which is about the same time as we post on Netgalley, so be patient if you don’t receive it or get approved on Netgalley right away.

11. Do you have a catalog mailing list for bloggers that I can request to be a part of?

No, but you can find our catalogs here: http://www.bloomsbury.com/us/company/catalogs.  Then send your requests in an email to TeensUSA@bloomsbury.com.

12. If I want to interview an author or ask them to write a guest post for my blog, is it best to contact the author directly?

You can do that, but bear in mind that we might be planning a blog tour and, therefore, you’d have a better chance of getting the author to do this by going through us. Also, in general, an author is going to be more likely to do it if the request comes through his/her publicist. But plenty of authors are open to being contacted directly, particularly debuts. So consider what you think is going to be the best route for that book and author.

13. Anything else you would like to add that you think bloggers should/need to know?

Sure!

1)      We respond to enthusiasm. Did you love an author’s earlier book and give it five stars (or whatever)? Include that in your email! Is this the book you’re more looking forward to this season? Or did you meet the author at an event or see them speak at a conference? Tell us!

2)      We sometimes like to do blogger meet-and-greets with authors before events, so if an author is coming to your city and you’re excited about it, tell us that! Or, if you want to hear about it when we have authors coming to your city, let us know and we’ll make a note.

3)      Finally, if a book is already on sale, consider buying it instead of asking us to send it. Just like galleys, we have limited copies of finished books available to send out. Plus, it’ll win our hearts. And also, it’ll probably be faster.  

Giveaway:

So this week I have another giant prize pack of Winter 2014 ARCs to giveaway from Bloomsbury! Here's what you could win:

A Breath of Frost by Alyxandra Harvey

Going Rogue by Robin Benway

Bright Before Sunrise by Tiffany Schmidt

Insanity by Susan Vaught

Lady Thief by A.C. Gaughen

Cured by Bethany Wiggins

Dangerous by Shannon Hale

Open Road Summer by Emery Lord

a Rafflecopter giveaway