As a blog tour manager and a public relations consultant, I say a lot of thank you's during my day:
"Thank you for placing my client in the article!"
"Thank you for considering them for your podcast!"
"Thank you for writing your review of that book!"
However, I admit, sometimes I forget. It gets busy. I delay because of other priorities. I say to myself I'll get to it later. And then I don't.
But then, a reminder comes in. And I get an email that says something like this:
"Hi Nicole,Did the author read my post? I didn't even get a comment. I spent a lot of time on that post."
A blogger has even asked me to remove them from my list because of this reason. And I feel bad. I wonder, Did I at least leave a comment? And I can't say that I always do, although I try (and I'm getting better at it).
And sometimes I wonder if I did enough to remind the author to leave comments. Unfortunately, yes, I do. But can't force someone to comment, of course.
Which is why I decided to write this post.
Whether your expertise or book was shared by Real Simple Magazine or a small blogger that doesn't even own their own domain, a thank you goes a long way.
The funny thing is I also see reporters of established magazines and websites have the same problem. They go a long way for someone and never hear a thank you.
And I'm not sure we always see the benefits of leaving a thank you. And you don't want to say a thank you just because of what you can get out of something.
However, there are things that come from a well-placed thank you. I review books on my blog, and if an author shares a well-thought-out thank you, I'm more likely to review their book again. Or if I get a personal email from them with a thank you, and they invite me to take some next steps (follow them on social media, subscribe to a newsletter, join a review team, etc), I'm far more likely to stay involved.
One of the best things you can do for your book publishing career is a well-placed thank you. No matter what level of the blog, place a thank you. And you know, even if they didn't like your book. No, you don't need to say thank you but try not to get into a snark match with them. That goes a long way too. If you dare, thank them for their honesty.
I just wanted to write this because of my recent experience. Thank you for your time!
Nicole Pyles is a writer living in Portland, Oregon. When she's not hunting down the right word, she's talking to God, reviewing books on her writing blog, watching movies, hanging out with family, and daydreaming. Her work has been featured in Ripley's Believe it or Not, WOW! Women on Writing, The Voices Project, Sky Island Journal, and Arlington Literary Journal. Her poetry was also featured in the anthology, Dear Leader Tales. Read her musings at WorldofMyImagination.com.
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4 comments:
When I take part in a blog tour, sometimes the author is truly committed. Other times it is clear that they think it is a short cut to publicity. How can I tell? Sometimes the author ignores even the most positive posts. No comment. No share. No like on social media. Other times the author does all of this and the many people they've networked with take off with it as well. My numbers are really good on those days.
But really we can all use the reminder to say thank you or at least share the post. Ten minutes a day can make a big difference in terms of networking.
Great post, Nicole! Such an important reminder to be thankful. Sue brings up a good point about sharing posts too, which fuels the buzz, and shows the blogger you appreciate their time spent reading and reviewing. I don't understand why an author wouldn't take advantage of this opportunity. It's a chance to reach out to a real person who has read your book, and form a lasting connection.
You are so right in that a simple gesture like a thank you goes a long way. Recently, during Carmen Leal's blog tour, she tried to leave a comment on my blog and it got blocked by a firewall on my website. She very politely sent me a note letting me know, and it helped me realize that firewall had been preventing comments for a good while. Several hours later, I finally got the issue resolved with GoDaddy. She was nothing but kind and grateful for my review, and in return I thanked her for letting me know there were issues with my blog!
So true! I have heard this from authors on tour. Thank you takes little time and makes a huge difference! Great reminder to be kind and grateful, always.
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