So Your Publisher Emailed Me Today


This morning I got an email from a PR team at one of the publishing houses here in the US. It was an ordinary pitch email that I didn’t delete only because I recognized the author’s name and thought it was strange that she didn’t email me directly. The pitch was a very standard one, talked about the book, why she wrote the book and all the accolades she’s received online. It’s the pitch most bloggers would send out when their book is published but it’s weird.

This is someone who I’ve met. Why wouldn’t she email me? Why wouldn’t the email start with The Author asked me to reach out to you because …. [insert sloppy kissing up here]. It just doesn’t make sense to me.

I hate to belabor bad pitching because my personal belief is that bloggers are much more atrocious at execution than publicists could ever be at blogging. This isn’t even bad pitching, this is just “off”.

When Marsha Collier’s books come out the publisher sends them but there’s always a handwritten note inside. In fact, Marsha’s the one who sends the email asking for my address, not her publisher. I understand that most people can’t work the way Marsha does. I know I can’t keep up with her.

There’s something missing. Other bloggers are the closest thing I have to co-workers so an impersonal pitch from an almost-coworker sends a message. The message is, “You aren’t someone I’d ever help back.”



Photo Credit Lolly Knit on Flickr via creative commons. 

Comments 6

  1. I know so many writers and if they are published… they don’t want to (or don’t have to) do their own marketing because they need to be writing. So I can see just having the PR Firm do everything.

    However, everything is always best done personally. I think the problem here is that the PR Firm sends out stupid ass emails and they should be a hell of a lot better in how they market their products. :)

  2. i received a pitch regarding a bloggers book today too. The blogger is someone I’m “friends” with on FB. I, too, thought it was odd.

  3. As an author myself, my bet is that the publisher did this pitch without the author even being made aware.

    Every publisher I know maintains lists of “influencers” in various topics and when a new book comes out that they think particular people would be interested in they do pitches like this.

    It is too bad that it still happens, but without knowing the person or the particulars I wanted to call attention that it could and most likely happened without your friend even knowing about it.

  4. I’ve observed that many book-review bloggers would rather be contacted by a publicist about a review than hear directly from the author, even when they KNOW the author–it helps preserve some objectivity, I guess. In my case, it depends on how I know the writer–do I know the person, or just the work? I approach posting about books by people I know differently than those I’m pitched by a third party. I can REVIEW a book by an author I don’t know. I can SUPPORT and PROMOTE a book by an author I know, but I can’t really review it objectively. That said, I’d much prefer to be approached personally by a blogger/writer I know than just be someone else on the e-mail pitch list.

  5. I agree with what some said above, maybe she wanted to go on the official path, and have the published do the release to reviewers.
    I’d reach out on twitter to friends if I know them in RL, for example, but I think having it come from the publisher makes it more professional, if you are only small acquaintances.

    Also yes, make a note that the publicity done by the publisher might not be coordinated with the writer. Unless they are a big name they probably don’t have a say in this, or might not have been aware who is it being sent to exactly.

  6. One of my blogging co-workers, so to speak, just published a book. She wrote me a nice email with a personalized press release and it meant the world to me. She wen’t above and beyond even when she has a lot on her place. As others have said, she may have never known that you were being contacted…but that would still bother me if I were you because why didn’t she contact you? That’s just my opinion though. I can understand how you feel!

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