So… at first it seems like a typical day of getting down to work, my workout is over, I have my coffee, I’m going through emails and generally getting caught up in the book world. For me, that includes a lot of book blogs, Twitter and Facebook for news, networking, researching, pitching, following up.
I immediately see a Tweet that catches my eye, from one book blogger to another that involves PR-blogger relations. Uh-oh, I better check that out, and I follow the link to a post on Flavorwire: How to Alienate Bloggers and Boost Book Sales, http://flavorwire.com/17026/how-to-alienate-bloggers-and-boost-book-sales.
The full post about the campaign for Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, a new novel by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith, is worth reading because it includes the letter the blogger received along with a review copy of a book. The letter contains a number of demands – and the problem begins there. It’s one thing to make requests, but the way this letter is worded is so unprofessional, threatening and harsh that any recipient is bound to be annoyed – perhaps to the point of not wanting to review that book or any book from this company. That’s PR FAIL, no question about it.
I’m particularly sensitive to bad PR practices because I was a journalist for many years and on the receiving end of some bad PR myself (I also had professional relationships with plenty of good PR people). Now that I’m on the other side of the fence, I try to do the things that I appreciated when I was being pitched. Lately I’ve seen a lot of griping about PR practices, so this has been on my mind.
From a PR perspective, there are several problems I have with this letter, starting with attitude and tone. I’m not aware of a single successful PR pitch that included threats – such as a warning that bloggers will never work with this firm again if they don’t do things the firm’s way. PR and bloggers have a give-and-take relationship that can be mutually beneficial – when executed appropriately.
Here are some of my thoughts about what seems more like a bully’s temper tantrum on paper than a review request from a PR pro:
* The wording of the request for an embargo. I understand the desire to have reviews appear only after a certain date, but the condescending tone is a turnoff. And I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you choose to send out a book (or any information) with an embargo request the recipient does NOT have to comply with your request. If the review date matters, ask the bloggers if they can schedule the review after X date in a nice way and explain *why* that particular date is important. Then, the bloggers can make an informed decision and many, if not all, will probably be happy to agree to those terms. Yelling at bloggers in the letter, using all capital letters and ending with an exclamation point is rude, childish and pointless – unless you’re hoping to never deal with any of those bloggers again. In that case, congratulations, you’ve succeeded.
* The admonishment about not using excerpts is factually incorrect and also comes across as childish – under Fair Use reprinted quotes are not a copyright infringement. Sounding like Big Brother, the letter writer states: “Trust me, I’ll find it…” in reference to reprinting excerpts. That tone certainly doesn’t result in a spirit of cooperation. Again, why not simply ask the bloggers to let you know if they plan to use book excerpts, if there is some reason to track their use? Reviews that use book excerpts are a plus; it’s another way to give people a feel for the book. Using a threatening tone is not going to ensure compliance – or even a book review.
* My favorite line: “If you don’t abide by the above terms, we will never work together again.” In bold type, too. I’m thinking by this point, most people are probably hoping to never hear from that PR person/company again, and for good reason.
I’m amazed at the sense of entitlement this person seems to have. Developing relationships as a PR pro takes care – every person (blogger) is different and if you’re in this for the long haul what matters is taking the time to get to know people, their likes and dislikes, and their preferred method(s) of contact. Sometimes being in PR feels a lot like the Rodney Dangerfield routine – we just don’t get any respect – but it’s critical to have a thick skin and act professionally at all times. It stings to send out a nice review request and receive an unkind comment in return (it’s happened – maybe they’ve had a bad day) and rejection is never fun (yet a huge part of being in PR, but it’s not personal). The rare unkind comment and not-so-infrequent rejections are part of the job, and taking the high road 100% of the time matters. I might take a break from the unkind commenter and look for an opening to contact that person later on, but the blogger who says “no” today to one book review request may be quite enthusiastic about saying “yes” to the next book request, so there’s no need to burn bridges.
It can be tempting to try to cut corners with form letters, mass mailings and an impersonal or even curt approach because there are only so many hours in the day and it seems difficult, if not impossible, to get everything done. That approach is guaranteed to fail, however. For one thing, bad PR practices these days will probably have the practitioner outed online almost immediately – via Twitter and blogs – and instead of alienating one person there may be a large number of people who will want nothing to do with that PR person/company. Clearly that isn’t going to help future book publicity efforts when your online footprint consists of a large number of people noting how poorly you perform your job.
I’m also not particularly fond of sending unsolicited books to a list of people – this tactic has been used on print journalists forever and it hasn’t been wildly successful so why it would be considered a good idea with bloggers is beyond me – unless you’ve received their permission to simply send books. Otherwise, it’s a matter of getting to work, getting to know people and using your information on their likes and dislikes to match them to your books. Besides, circumstances change all the time – reviewers take a hiatus, or have to stop accepting books when the TBR pile gets too large (it’s probably too large all the time, but sometimes a break helps make it seem manageable).
I realize that there are certain growing pains in the book world, as print is ceding its role to the online world and there aren’t many, if any, rules yet. There are plenty of issues to discuss as the old guard (print) gives way to the new guard online, and many bloggers are new to this arena. (I would argue though, that the average book blogger online gets the point of book reviews in a way that the old guard never did). That’s a future blog post or more – old guard giving way to the new; professional standards/guidelines, etc. – but, nothing trumps good old common sense.
In the end, it boils down to one thing: respect. Mutual respect, in which book bloggers are not seen as lackeys who take orders from PR people but book lovers who put a lot of time and effort into reviewing books and creating a dynamic online community that showcases books in a variety of ways. When PR people understand that, and treat bloggers accordingly, they will find some great opportunities for their authors and books, and then everybody wins.
For more on this issue, visit:
http://heylady.net/2009/04/09/in-which-i-rant-about-fair-use/
Thanks for a terrific post, Paula. As a blogger who receives lots of books for review, I was a little stunned to read the letter from this particular publicist. My relationships with other publicists (like yourself!) has always been positive. I try to comply with reasonable requests (like holding a review until a certain date), but you are right about the tone of this letter. Wow. I would probably have sent the book back to them and paid the postage to do that had I received this book/letter. Luckily, I think this is a rare case (at least I hope so). There is no reason why bloggers and publicists can’t work together for mutual benefit.
Wendy,
I do think this is a rare case – most PR people do a good job and work hard to build contacts, represent their clients well and so forth. That’s why a situation like this is hard to watch. And as we see here, when you commit a faux pas like this, it’s impossible to live down.
~Paula
Thanks for the great post, Paula! After spending all day discussing this PR FAIL (as you put it), it is nice to be reminded of the GOOD publicists out there who know how to play nicely with others and do their jobs well.
Jen,
There is no reason everyone can’t play nicely, either. You win a lot more that way. Thankfully most PR people take pride in what they do and would never do anything that would damage their reputation, or their clients’.
~Paula
Thanks for the positive perspective. Many of us work hard on building our non-paying professional relationships and writing decent reviews, hosting giveaways, and conducting author interviews. It’s nice to get some recognition.
Beth,
You touch on a great point – you are part of a network of unpaid but very hard working bloggers who have really done some amazing things. We began going online for promotion a few years ago and it’s been incredible to watch the book blogosphere grow and develop. I consider all of you professionals because of your dedication to quality blogging, and for never just resting on your laurels, I continually see new features, ideas, etc.
~Paula
Well done Paula. When I came across those tweets this morning I was stunned. Between Hachette publicists and yourself, I have nothing but praise to offer for the professionalism you all have shown whenever I have had requests or concerns.
Luckily, I don’t think this one bad apple will spoil the bunch.
Thank you for this post and sharing your opinion. Again, well done!
J.C.,
Thanks for your comments! I don’t think any good publicists will be hurt by this episode and nor should they if they do their jobs well. But it is a chance for PR people and bloggers to rally around some accepted practices, and that’s always a good thing.
~Paula
Thanks for the post Paula. It is great to hear your side of things. I’m appalled by what happened and I’m glad I’ve never worked with them. Won’t now!
Shelly,
I suspect you are not alone in not wanting to work with that company. It was so unnecessary on their part, and now they have to live with the fallout.
~Paula
As someone who has received material in the mail from you and realize how to treat a book blogger, I applaud you for taking the time to discuss this PR FAIL. I agree wholeheartedly with everything that you said. Thank you! And in this case, I love how social media has brought book bloggers and publicists together on issues like this instead of both of us floundering in our own corners.
Natasha,
I do think it’s great to have this dialogue between book bloggers and publicists. Day to day life is so busy and we don’t get to discuss these issues often. But we can learn a lot from each other and it’s clear that when an issue requires attention, everyone joins the conversation and offers their insights!
~Paula
Very well written. I’m going to link to you on my post because you go through the whole letter, explaining what’s so off putting, much better than I could have done. I only touched on one point in the letter.
Trish,
I was glad you focused on Fair Use. There was so much going on in that letter I didn’t pay much attention to that piece of it at first. However, it’s information that every reviewer should know!
~Paula
Thank you for the comment re sending unsolicited books. I’ve had a number of books come to me that I would have politely rejected had I been asked first. The unsolicited books often make me take a more critical (and negative) approach with my reviews.
Sarah,
Given how expensive mailings can be, I don’t think unsolicited mailings are wise (and it’s highly doubtful they pay for themselves). Plus, any publicists who pay attention know how busy bloggers are. It’s important to check with bloggers to see if their schedules even permit accepting a new review copy, and it’s common courtesy.
~Paula
Great post, Paula! I, too, am often appalled with what some feel they are entitled to get away with. I fell in love with this world and the people long before I realized I could actually combine my hobby with my work.
I am so grateful for everyone I work with, the passion they exude and the friendships I’ve made. I work very hard to ensure that I never offend, demand, implore, command, or bully, and I hope that shows.
Here’s to wishing everyone a PR friendly world! 🙂
best wishes,
Lisa Roe
Online Publicist
Lisa,
We’re lucky to get to do work we love, that’s for sure. And I know most publicists share your attitude toward their work, and the proof lies in the relationships we build and develop. Clearly, there’s more to be earned by being a nice, professional PR person than by bullying – unless you’d like to be raked over the coals online. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by to comment!
~Paula
Love this part: “book lovers who put a lot of time and effort into reviewing books and creating a dynamic online community that showcases books in a variety of ways”
Great post. Well said. Blogs are different than print review outlets, but that doesn’t make them bad. I’ve never had this problem before, everyone I’ve worked with at Hatchette, FSB, St. Martins etc has been awesome. Seems like most PR people do their jobs well. 🙂
Laza,
I think most PR people truly appreciate the book community online. The level of support you show each other and the desire to continually improve is really impressive. Print had space limitations of course, but print didn’t always show much innovation or a desire to try new things. Online, the book blogosphere really is dynamic!
~Paula
Bravo for a thoughtful and informative post.
“Yelling at bloggers in the letter, using all capital letters and ending with an exclamation point is rude, childish and pointless – unless you’re hoping to never deal with any of those bloggers again. In that case, congratulations, you’ve succeeded.”
Unfortunately, in my case, you are quite correct. I received one of these letters with my review copy, and that will be my first and last review copy from Quirk Books.
Ruth,
I am so sorry you received one of those letters. I can’t even imagine how it must have felt to read it. I don’t blame you for not wanting to deal with them again!
~Paula
What a wonderful job you’ve done Paula! I am honestly speechless and so happy that you decided to take a stand in this matter and reasonably but firmly dispute all those really insulting issues. Thank you Paula. You are one of the people who know how to do PR right and pretty much how to treat people right.
Lilly,
Thank you for your comments – that letter really has us shaking our heads – it’s just not the way to communicate.
~Paula
Thanks for this post and your positive words and attitude, Paula.
Dawn,
Thanks for stopping by, I’m glad you found the post worthwhile!
~Paula
I thought the real travesty was this publicist thinking because we ‘blog’ we must be too ignorant to know what an embargo is.
Thank you for this post Paula I am sure it will bring to light a better practice with bloggers. We are people too, and I don’t live in a trailer have a husband named Earl and five chillin’s.
Pam,
It really is a matter of respect and thinking about how you sound – before sending out that letter (or email….). And most of us really do appreciate what bloggers do!
~Paula
I have a feeling there are two things going on here. First, the PR person is trying to be funny when the Good Lord just didn’t make him or her that way. Second, the publicist is scared to death of those Interweb blogger types who steal copyrights, say nasty things and probably put that virus on her computer, and is trying to prove superiority by not showing any professional courtesy to them.
Wendy,
That’s an interesting insight. If the intent was to be humorous – well, that didn’t work so well – it’s hard to come across as humorous with people who don’t know you well. Although there are legitimate copyright infringement issues online, any publicist who is doing his or her homework vets reviewers before agreeing to send out books, so the tone of the letter really wasn’t appropriate for this group of bloggers.
~Paula
Very well written post, Paula. You’ve started a meaningful discussion that has been insightful.
Thanks for stopping by – I do think it’s valuable to have this discussion!
~Paula
Great post, Paula. To me, it boils down to manners. It really is possible to get a point across and make a request without being rude. If someone comes off as not-so-friendly, why am I going to want to work with him/her? This is a great discussion.
Anna,
I agree, and I think we all have to realize that when we send out communication – via letter, email or other form – the recipient may not “get” our true intent and something meant as satire or humor could fall flat. I also think that given the challenges of this book campaign, explaining some of the background to the bloggers would have gone a long way to a) achieve the desired results/cooperation and b) avoid controversy.
~Paula
Paula, great post. Thankfully, I have not had a bad experience with review request…if I had received this letter, it would have been the last request accepted from that publisher.
Dottie,
You’re not alone in feeling that way, and I’m glad you’ve had good experiences with review requests – that’s the way it should be! Thanks for stopping by!
~Paula
I just wanted to say that I’m sorry to have offended so many of you with my letter. I realize now that it came off as condescending, but it was actually meant to be tongue-in-cheek. Clearly, that tone was lost. There are good explanations for the other complaints, such as why we had the embargo, and I also understand your concerns with fair use. The way I discussed the embargo and excerpt practices in the letter came off all wrong. I sincerely respect and value what bloggers have done for the book publishing world in general and in particular–with Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Without independent blogs and bloggers, our book would not have been such a success. I hope you can all accept my apology. It won’t happen again. And please, know that in no way was Seth involved in any of this. Quirk PR
Thank you for stopping by – this can’t be easy especially since it’s clear your intent was much different from the outcome. It is difficult for recipients to know the sender’s intent – tongue-in-cheek to one person comes across as out of line to another. I know this has been a hectic and challenging campaign (although ultimately very successful!) and hopefully everything can be smoothed over now. I think there have been some really good and productive discussions in the past couple of days that we’ve all learned from, and I hope we can keep the communication going!
~Paula
I wrote an almost 600-page dissertation on irony and satire, and how 18th-century ironic panegyrists (poets who praised famous people in order to blame them) were prosecuted if their irony was not successful. So I know a little about failed attempts at humor resulting in public disapproval. Funny how a good number of the failed satirists tried defending themselves by claiming “it was just a joke.”
Jeanne,
Wow, sounds like an amazing dissertation, and most appropriate for the discussion here. I think everyone involved meant well, but communication style is so important. What you say – and how you say it – matters.
~Paula
I meant to comment on this earlier, but this weekend got away from me…I think this is a great discussion and I’m glad Quirk PR stopped by to leave a comment too. It’s a great reminder that the written word (this letter, emails or forum posts) can lose the intended emotion and come across as something quite different.
Very true – we know how we feel when we write something, but the recipient may interpret the tone very differently. Why run the risk of offending people when you can keep it simple and make sure every communication you send out is how you would want people to treat you. I hope Quirk will be able to make amends with those offended and consider this episode a lesson learned.
There are people who treat stores and salesclerks that way with no apologies. We call them ‘bad customers’ which is often a misnomer since they don’t actually spend money, they just try to cheat the system.
A genuine apology must also be carefully worded or it’ll be dismissed as pouring salt in the wound. Since there’s more to be lost than gained a real apology will be sincere. That seems to have been accomplished here.
In this era of instant social media, these kinds of mistakes are a nightmare to deal with. However, I know the apology is genuine, and I hope Quick can move forward from here.
Great post, Paula!
Previously from the PR world and now entering the writer’s world, I’ve been frustrated by some of the PR-unfriendly practices I encounter as a freelance writer.
In my current adventures as a book blogger, I’ve thankfully only met nice publicists like yourself 🙂
We take our relationships very seriously, and we would never do anything to jeopardize them! Although the letter was meant to be tongue-in-cheek it failed, and the end result is a good number of bloggers want nothing to do with the company or its books. Perhaps a good rule of thumb before sending a letter, email, Tweet, etc., is to ask: is this how I would like to be treated? 🙂
Thanks for such an in depth piece, Paula. I tip my hat to you for such a detailed analysis of not only what would irk a blogger book reviewer, but why.
I have nothing but praise for any publicists I’ve dealt with regarding book reviews. They have had such enthusiasm about their projects that it’s infectious! I love reviewing partly because of all the positivity that oozes from them. Maybe I’ve just been lucky, but I find them an absolute pleasure to work with.
In fairness to Quirk, I also have to give the publicist brownie points for having the guts to post an apology.That can’t have been easy. Heck, I’m the first one to admit I’ve made mistakes in life myself. That happens to the best of us and we wouldn’t be human if we didn’t make the occasional error in judgment. The key is to never stop learning from them.
Thanks again, Paula! Have a wonderful day.
bu benim yapt?g?m bi cal?sma incelermisiniz ? http://www.akademiajans.com