[image description: two books standing up side by side on a table, opened slightly to reveal the edges of their pages.]

I believe in the power of having a writing community, so I’m in several Facebook groups for both established and aspiring authors. Book blogging doesn’t often come up in these groups, but when it does I try to shed some light since I’ve been doing this since 2014.

Recently, in one of the writing groups I’m in, an author asked what was the best way to approach bloggers to get their books reviewed. Most of the comments in reply were helpful tips from other authors who’d done it, but several comments expressed frustration and anger. This one, in particular, caught my eye:

I don't reach out to bloggers anymore, but from my previous experience, smaller bloggers are the most helpful and kind. Big blogs wouldn't give me the time of day; they chase bestsellers. I suppose because it does well for their street cred. I remember how I used to stay up late spending hours contacting blogs, only to have maybe one or two or none bother with even the courtesy of a polite no.

I get annoyed when I hear authors being angry at book bloggers because 1) just because something is a labor of love doesn’t mean it’s easy, and 2) authors are not entitled to coverage of their book. They’re entitled to write and share their opinions on the basis of the First Amendment, but they’re not entitled to a positive reaction from readers or any attention from the marketplace at all. It ain’t pretty, but it’s true.

And frankly, I could write about books all day without actually talking to authors. I do it all the time––consider how many of my posts are not book reviews. (The majority!) I would keep this book blog going even if I got zero book review requests and reviewed no books on here. When you consider that, authors acting entitled to attention from book bloggers is just silly. I want writers to write because I want more books to read, but if they get sassy about book bloggers, I’m inclined to ignore them.

Anyway… I listened to my better angels and instead of getting defensive about the jab, I decided to share some insight from a book blogger’s perspective. These tips are geared toward authors who want to work with book bloggers and bookstagrammers but may be interesting to anyone who enjoys reading book blogs since it’s a look behind the metaphorical curtain.

I've had Off the Beaten Shelf since 2014 and have built a dedicated readership over the years, so I'm often inundated with review requests from authors, publicists, and publishers. And that’s not counting the ARCs I request to review myself.

I often don't respond no to authors who want me to review their books because I've had some bad experiences doing so. No matter how kind my no is or how much effort I put into making it as gentle as possible, I've had authors get offended and tell me I'm stupid, heartless, have no taste, and much worse. When the truth is that if they'd bothered to read my review policy (which is on this website for a reason!) they'd know I don't cover political thrillers, for instance. So…

1. If there's a review policy, read it. Bloggers write it for a reason. It's there to help.

2. Don't follow up a ton of times. It takes a while to read a book, formulate an articulate opinion, and write about it. If I've got a backlog of half a dozen books to review and I'm trying to make up my mind on whether to take on another and the author blows up my inbox, it's going to be a no. My book blog is for fun, so if an author is demanding and makes it feel like work, I don't want to do it.
   This is especially true since I now have several magazine clients who pay me to write book reviews. My already high book stack is even more towering than usual.

3. Scan through the book blog and make sure the blogger actually covers the kind of book you write. A few minutes of perusing could save authors the icky feeling that comes with rejection. Pitch smarter, not harder.

More importantly, the things that make me very likely to accept a book review request pitch are:

1. If the author addresses me by name in the email. I realize the email may be copy-pasted, but if my name is in there, that tells me the author at the very least read my about page.

2. If the author pitches me a genre of book I've covered before. While I'm open to a wide variety of genres, I'm not open to every single genre. (Probably not going to review your Amish quilting romance where the spiciest scene is when she shows him her ankle, sorry!) Pitching me a book in a genre that my site indicates I've enjoyed previously is a good thing!

3. If the author includes a quote or two and high res photos in the pitch (like the book cover pic and their author pic). It makes my life so much easier!

4. Link your website! There's really no reason not to and it saves me from going down an unnecessary google rabbit hole, especially if the author has a common name. (Smiths, Joneses, Browns, I'm talking to you!)

5. Likewise, if you have an initial for a first name or two first names or something, indicate that somewhere. Does M. Night Shyamalan go by M. or M. Night as a first name? I have no idea. And share your pronouns in the introduction. No one (except an asshole) wants to intentionally misaddress or misgender someone, so make it easy for folks not to.

And a tip for working with bookstagrammers (which I also am/do): If you have the choice between a glossy cover and a matte cover for your book, choose matte. Glossy looks pretty to the naked eye, but matte is so much easier to photograph and your book will look far better on bookstagram. I realize not every author will have a say in their cover, especially if they're traditionally published, but self-published folks should take note.

I hope all this helps and if you’re an author who wants me to review your book, let me know! Just be nice when you do. :)