Comments on: How to Get Reviews and Feedback on Your Ebook from Big-Name Bloggers

By: Suzanne Bird-Harris

Suzanne Bird-Harris — Wed, 13 May 2009 15:24:48 +0000

Thanks, Michael. That’s exactly the answer I expected. And I agree – if this person and I knew each other well, it would be a whole different situation that would fall into the “little sins” category you mention.

I’m glad to hear you don’t do this, and it reconfirms my own unwillingness to do it…either side of it.

I really appreciate your candor.

By: Michael Martine, Blog Consultant

Michael Martine, Blog Consultant — Wed, 13 May 2009 14:28:53 +0000

@Suzanne – That’s not as unheard-of (or as bad) as you might think. But it works best when trust is involved. In other words, if you and I know each other and I trust your ebook will be good, that approach makes sense. It’s still not as good as the real thing (and I would never do it), but as long as the information is correct, it falls under the “little sins” category.

By: Suzanne Bird-Harris

Suzanne Bird-Harris — Wed, 13 May 2009 13:01:51 +0000

Michael,

What good timing that this popped into my inbox this morning! I am actually in this situation right now. I’ve written an ebook. It’s going to be a freebie. It’s written well, is entertaining and informative at the same time.

I got a real surprise a few days ago when I received a reply from a big-name social media consultant:

Suzanne, I’m too busy to read your e-book right now. But if you want to word a paragraph for my approval, you can do that. Otherwise it’ll go at the bottom of a long list of things waiting for my attention.

Ewwwww! Write a review myself and slap your name on it? I think I’d rather have been told ‘No’.

This arrogant behavior is a far cry from a reviewer asking me what do I most want the review to focus on? That, to me, is a valid question and helps you get a review that is both helpful and targeted. But this crap? No. This person just lost a fan.

I don’t need a review so bad that I’d take a fake one. Please tell me this is not normal practice among big-name folk.

By: Eric Tipon

Eric Tipon — Wed, 13 May 2009 12:54:22 +0000

This is exactly the question that I want to ask but (a bit) afraid to do so .

Thanks to Mandy and to all Pro-Blogger who are replying to Michael’s post. I’m reading this as if you knew what I want to ask next.

By: Nicki D. Harper

Nicki D. Harper — Tue, 12 May 2009 18:48:50 +0000

Be sure your ebook has been edited before you send it for review. You cannot overcome a bad first impression. When you hire an editor, you will usually get what you pay for–amateurs for little, professionals for more.

If you cannot afford a professional editor, ask a local English teacher to read it and check for grammatical errors and typos.

Nicki D. Harper

By: Michael Martine, Blog Consultant

Michael Martine, Blog Consultant — Tue, 12 May 2009 16:56:24 +0000

@Franklin – Hmm… I don’t think I would agree that a top blogger would not promote a free ebook. Affiliate commissions are great, but they don’t make your audience love you any more. You what does? Fantastic content. Free fantastic content, too.

By: Michael Martine, Blog Consultant

Michael Martine, Blog Consultant — Tue, 12 May 2009 16:53:02 +0000

@Chris – Chris, those are some really great points. Thanks for commenting! Bloggers who are still somewhat new and starting out can help each other by reciprocating reviews, as well.

By: Michael Martine, Blog Consultant

Michael Martine, Blog Consultant — Tue, 12 May 2009 15:53:19 +0000

@Allen – I did, but Darren was the only one who replied. No biggie: when you’re following that many people, it’s easy for tweets to slip by you.

By: Franklin Bishop

Franklin Bishop — Tue, 12 May 2009 15:50:21 +0000

Great post! I actually saw that he responded to you about this. It is definitely good information to know. The monetary value is probably one of the most important things. And of course it has to be somewhat relevant to one of his blogs.

The problem is, it is likely that top bloggers will not promote any of your free ebooks.

By: Chris Garrett

Chris Garrett — Tue, 12 May 2009 14:16:05 +0000

One thing to keep in mind is that you should not be offended or nag if a review is not forthcoming in what you regard as a reasonable timeframe. Once you do a review then inevitably it leads to other people sending you stuff to review. They build up, and most blogs do not have the capacity to take lots of reviews all in a row, even if the blogger has the time to review them all.

So my advice is to only send stuff to blogs that are already selected as relevant, who know you and trust your stuff (one thing I worry about is a friend got caught reviewing something he later found to be largely plagiarised, not cool as once you have been quoted praising something your name is attached). Once someone says they will accept something for review, prod them *gently* occasionally but do NOT demand a review.

For other bloggers, do get into reviewing relevant stuff as it is great content when done sparingly and well, and the free stuff is a perk of the “job” when you do not allow it to influence your judgment.