When is a review not a review? 02nd October 2010.

When is a review something it is worth sending a free copy of a book to the reviewer?

On the face of it, the answer could be construed as.... it always is. As always the truth is somewhat more complicated. One of our authors presented me with this dilemma – and my response, although not kneejerk certainly provoked an exchange.

This particular author approached me to ask if I would send an Epub format book to a particular reader on Goodreads who had promised a review. Let me just add, I’ve been a member of Goodreads myself for a couple of years, not particularly an active one, but a member none the less. I find the site useful, and helpful, and I’d recommend it to any book lover. It is essentially though a peer review site and designed for ordinary readers to give their opinions of books they have recently read.

I did a little research, e-mailed a couple of contacts and asked the question of my author contacts on Facebook. The result, universally, was sending a free copy to a peer reviewer was not the right thing to do – after all if you gave a copy away to everyone who ever asked you’d never sell any books, the author wouldn’t earn royalties and as a publisher you would go bust. Since these opinions matched my own, armed with this I wrote a polite, but in hindsight possibly too firm, an e-mail to the author.

Although the reply didn’t blister my screen or my hide, it was certainly forceful enough.

It turns out that yes this person had contacted the author through Goodreads but in actual fact ran a review site, although admittedly one I hadn’t heard of. A separate research project ensued and I have now sent the copy, apologising for the delay, apologised to the author (even if I wasn’t given the full information at the get go) and the book now appears on the preview page of the site.

You live and learn.... but at the same time – surely if you want someone to do something for you – you should provide all the information, or at least all the information that will aid them arriving at the decision you want – not hiding the most important bit?

Sigh..........