erin!balser

The other day I received an email from a small American book publisher wondering if I would like a review copy of their latest book so that I could review it on my blog.

I write a whole bunch of other blogs and this particular one is Chic By Nature, a blog about environmentally friendly fashion and designers. The book in question is a book about becoming a more environmentally conscious consumer of fashion.

I jumped at the chance. Not only to receive a copy of a book I’d probably buy anyway, but also to participate in a more streamlined and niche oriented book marketing tactic. A review on a niche blog like mine would ensure the readers reading the review are more interested in the subject matter, and thus, be more likely to purchase the book.

However, there are several, justifiable questions a publisher needs to ask. Is the blog reputable? Is the author trust-worthy? How do they not know I’ll take my free book and run away into the blogosphere?

Here are a list of questions any pblisher should ask before sending a review book to a blogger:

• Is the content original and engaging? (Does the author have a brain?)
• Is there a community built around this blog? (Does the blog have readers?)
• Will the community engage critically with the review and the book? (Will they care about my book?)
• Do the readers of this blog match my target audience? (Will they buy my book?)

Considering the deceasing traditional media space being dedicated to books, the numerous micro-niche blogs out there, and the relatively low risk it costs publishers to ship a book to a blogger, to me, this needs to be a method publishers should consider to get their titles out there. Sure, my review might only translate into 3-4 sales and will never gain the renown of the New York Times, but those sales should re-coup the costs it took to send me the book and will probably result in exposure elsewhere on the net.

The only downside for publishers will be finding the resources to seek out the blogs and other smaller, non-traditional media that will match title for title with their lists. But as publishers become more web-savvy, this should become less and less of a problem.

So, if any other publishers out there are interested, I also write several celebrity and television fan sites. And I’ll happily review books!

Image by robinhamman. Liscensed via Creative Commons.

A few weeks ago, the Wall Street Journal wrote an article about how Borders was going to increase the number of titles they shelve face-out, as to further entice buyers to a wider variety of titles. This article resulted in several very strong letters in protest.

For example, Scott Ehrig-Burgess wrote:

We treat books like books, rather than breakfast cereal, by hiring and retaining great booksellers who take reading seriously and who are passionate about building relationships with our wonderful customers who are great readers themselves. Until Borders realizes that great books begin in the hands of great booksellers and great readers, not in boardrooms and concept stores, we will continue to thrive at the cutting edge of our industry, with this simple, insurmountable, competitive advantage.

Mr. Ehrig-Burges’s letter has lots of valuable things to say that I agree with. I, too, am disdainful of the fact it’s boardrooms and concepts that may drive the sales of certain books titles and not others, and of how certain co-op programs and bookstores favor large publishers and unfairly punishes smaller ones. I value an independent bookstore over a big-box giant and a knowledgeable, helpful bookseller is a priceless commodity.

But when it comes to the average reader, buying an average book, the liklihood they are going to Borders and not that quirky bookshop downtown is pretty high. I doubt the book-buying population that drives the publishing industry are those who consider themselves “great” readers who read “great” books. While I am taking the term “great” in the most pessimistic light possible, there exists an undeniable pretension in some aspects of publishing that can’t be ignored.

Therefore, claiming that the publishing industry is built on “great booksellers” and “great readers” is the same pretentious attitude that scares a lot of people off of reading. Shouldn’t booksellers care more about getting more people to read more books than caring about what attracts people to certain titles?

Putting the issues of corporate culture and the struggling publishing industry aside (and Borders’ own problems!), if a reader buys a book because the cover is pretty, we shouldn’t scorn them for it. We should just be glad that person is reading.

Image by Austin Tolin. Licensed via Creative Commons.

Chip Kidd, the renowned book designer, created the YouTube video below to promote his latest book, The Learners.

While the comments the video received so far are mixed, you have to give the guy credit for being truly unique when it comes to book marketing and promotion!

Do you think YouTube views will translate into book sales?

And does this video even appropriately reflect the book’s content? Guess I’ll have to read it to find out!