Why Saying Thank You Goes a Long Way

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.