Four Reasons to Send Me Your New Book

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

Every day new books pour into the market and millions of other titles are already in print and on the market. As an acquisitions editor at Morgan James, a New York publisher with about 150 new titles a year, I'm actively involved in bringing new books into the market. I'm a contributor to the volume of new books entering the marketplace.

Over the years, I've received many books from publishers and authors. At a Book Expo in Los Angeles, I picked up an advance reading copy (ARC) of a book from Doubleday called Covenant House. I had this book months before it released to the public. I read the book and wrote a short query letter to a magazine. This publication gave me a word count and a deadline for my review (which I met). It was my first published book review.  I was a book review columnist for two print publications (both no longer exist). Each issue I selected the books which were reviewed in these columns. Some publishers sent me most of the titles they published with the hope I would select one of their books to include in the magazine. It amounted to hundreds of books in many different genres and types. I gave away so many of these books to a church library in Kentucky, the mayor of the town declared an official Terry Whalin Day.

In this article, I want to give you four reasons to send me your book (even if it has been out a while):

1. I read constantly in many different genres—mostly nonfiction but some fiction.

2. I write reviews about books (currently over 900 on Amazon and over 500 on Goodreads). In general if I read a book (or listen to it in audiobook format), then I write a review of the book. From my experience it is often a challenge for writers to find people who will not only read their book but write a review of the book.

3. I tell others about these books when I teach at conferences. When I teach at these events, I talk about authors and the different books that I've read.

4. I tell others about my reviews of books through my social media connections (over 200,000 on Twitter, over 15,500 on LinkedIn and over 4900 on Facebook).

How to Pitch Me on Reading Your Book

1. Understand I only read print books. I do not read Ebook versions through net galley or any other format.

2. I don't read every type of book and I'm selective. For example, one author has been pitching me several times to read and review his book. I looked at his Amazon page and it is over 500 pages and not on a topic that I'm interested in (much less the large size). I politely declined that book

3. Email your pitch on your book and why I should read it. Your pitch should be interesting yet short and to the point with the page count, the release date and the publisher.  I will read it and email you back whether I want to read it or not. If I want to read it, I will send you a mailing address for the book.

Every author can use this simple pitching process for their own books. The best way to get reviews for your book is to ask others. If you are not proactive on gathering and getting reviews, normally it does not happen—especially for nonfiction books. Sometimes fiction writers have an easier time getting reviews (depending on the genre and publisher of your book).

Do you read books and write reviews? Let me know in the comments below.

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