How to ask a blogger to review your book

How to ask a blogger to review your book

advice to authors wanting to pitch a book blogger for a review
Hey Everyone!

Over the past few months I have been receiving requests from authors to review their books. The first few had me so excited and I jumped at the chance. As HeySaidRenee has become more popular, more and more requests have been rolling in. The novelty has started wearing off and I have become a bit more discerning about the books I agree to review. Here's my advice for authors wanting to pitch a book blogger for a review.


1. Read the blog!

Before you approach a blogger, become familiar with their blog. Do your research. What genre of books do they read? Is their blog a good fit for your book? Have they read anything else similar to the book you have written? Did they like it? Do they generally write scathing reviews? (If so, you probably don't want to ask them to read your book).




2. Check their review policy.

Some bloggers have a clearly marked tab for review policy, others have it included in their about me or contact page. Look for it and read it. Do they take review requests? Do they require specific information in a request? Make sure you provide all the necessary information in the first email. At a bare minimum - cover image, blurb, genre, available formats, page count, publication date, link to the book on Goodreads, Amazon or your website.


3. Follow them on social media.

If you do this a couple of days before you send the email pitch, it will come up in their feed and your name will already be familiar when they receive the email. But don't ask for a review via social media. You can say hi, I loved your blog, share one of their blog posts or tell them you will send them an email tomorrow. You can't pitch in 140 characters.


4. Write a personalised review request.

Don't just send out the same stock standard email to everyone and hope for the best. If a blogger can tell you have taken some time to try to impress them, they will be more impressed. Find something you have in common. Tell them why they would like your book. Is it similar to something else they read (and liked)? Mention a post they have written that you liked. Give them a bit of an ego boost, but don't be gushy. And don't forget to address us by name. We are people, not "Dear Blogger".


5. Be confident but not cocky.

Don't talk yourself down. If it seems like you don't believe in your own book, why should we? But don't be pushy. Remember that we are doing you a favour by donating our time to read your book and write a thoughtful review. Many bloggers have a busy schedule of books to read and review, as well as a life offline.


Bloggers, do you have any other tips? Authors, what has worked well for you?