I'm doing the final version of my forthcoming book, Your Writing Coach, to be published by Nicholas Brealey next Spring. Because there is quite a large section on new media, I wanted to include some reviews of relevant books. I wrote to one publisher, asking for a review copy of a new book on writing for games and interactive programs. They wrote back saying, "Sorry, we only have a very limited number of review copies and you're not getting one." Or words to that effect.
How short-sighted is that?! The book costs something like $25 (about £16), but of course that's the retail price. It probably costs the publisher less than one-third of that. So for, say, $10 including postage, they could have had their book mentioned in a key section of another new book. Of course I don't know how many copies my book will sell, but one of my other books, Successful Scriptwriting, sold over 60,000 copies. Would that kind of exposure be worth $10? I think so. Furthermore, I was considering sending a proposal for a new book to this publisher, but now that I know how little support they offer their authors, they're off my list.
Compare that to the response from a software manufacturer I asked for a review copy of their program. Not only did they send it, they suggested that we consider how we might work together in the future to mutual benefit, and I've already come up with one win-win idea.
Some people get it, some people don't. Keep reaching out and forge alliances with those who do!
