Social Media and Review Crews: A Q&A with Susan Mallery

Book Three Sisters - Susan Mallery There are some authors who are superb at engaging with readers through various forms of social media like Facebook, Twitter, or personalized email newsletters. Susan Mallery is one of those authors. Her Facebook page is always active. Like, umpty-thousand comments active. I've seen her ask or help naming characters' children, or future heroes. A few months ago, she invited her readers to send a snapshot of themselves, which Mallery and her crew Photoshopped to add a picture of Mallery's most recent book, making it look like the person was reading the book and peeking over the top. Readers were invited to use that as their photo on Facebook – which is just some savvy inclusive marketing like whoa. 

Recently I noticed that she'd started a Review Crew, a group of dedicated readers who were invited to receive copies of her books in exchange for an honest review of the book itself. From 2012

How would you like to receive an advanced copy of my books? I have a crazy idea… I want to put together a Review Crew, a group of readers who will get my books early – and for free – if they promise to post a review online. Nothing formal! I’m not talking about a long, drawn out review. I’m talking about a sentence or two. What does a real reader think about this book? What would you say to your best friend about it? (emphasis mine)

The world of publishing is changing. On sites like Amazon and Barnes and Noble, the number of reviews helps “goose” the website doohickey into showing my books more often in search results. (Yeah, doohickey. I’m not very techie. All I know is, the more reviews the better.)

Here’s the deal. I have 200 copies of ALREADY HOME to give away. ALREADY HOME was first released last year in trade paperback. It’s coming out next month in mass market paperback. If you’re picked for the Review Crew, we’ll send a copy of the book to you. Then, if you post a review on Amazon and BN.com, you’ll be invited to sign up for an advanced review copy of THREE SISTERS (Blackberry Island Book 2) if we do this again. And if you post a review of that, we just might do it again with the Fool’s Gold romances.

The latest group of reader added to the Mallery Review Crew is a considerable list. I hadn't seen an author engaging with a large group of readers in such a way, and wanted to ask her more about it. She was kind enough to answer my nebby questions. 

Reviews are a tricky subject for authors and readers, and you've addressed the question of reviews directly by asking directly for reviews, explaining why they're important to the books' success, and inviting readers to join your Review Crew, wherein they receive a free copy of the book in exchange for leaving a review on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.  Do I have that right?

Susan Mallery: Yes, but I’ll clarify. There’s no way I could send a free book to everyone who promised to write a review. We launched the Review Crew with the mass market paperback reissue of Already Home in November. My publisher kindly provided me with 200 copies of the book, so we invited readers to submit their names to be included.

I was extremely nervous that we wouldn’t find 200 readers who were willing to commit to posting reviews on both Amazon and BarnesandNoble.com. . . and I was shocked and gratified when thousands of readers applied. The only fair thing to do was to choose at random, so that’s what we did. Everyone who followed through was invited to join the Review Crew for Three Sisters, leaving us with a limited number of slots to fill.

More than 5,000 readers applied in the second round!

We chose at random and sent the book. This time, reviews must be posted during the first two weeks of release in order for them to receive an invitation to join the Review Crew for Just One Kiss (Fool’s Gold book 10). As long as the program continues, those readers who follow through will be invited to join the next Review Crew.

 

Review Crew mailing - piles and piles of books and mailing envelopesWhat sparked this idea?


Susan Mallery: My agent and I were talking one day about how important the number of reviews seems to be for the Amazon algorithm, and we were brainstorming ways that we could encourage more reviews. I hoped that I might be able to ask my readers directly for help. And wow, did they come through for me!

 

Do you encourage a specific type of review? Are readers welcome to leave a negative review or a positive one?

Susan Mallery: All we ask for is an honest review. Here are the tips that we included in the cover letter:

  • Be brief. Amazon requires a minimum of 20 words. That’s really not a lot, and frankly, sometimes the long reviews tell too much about a book. You don’t have to say what the book is about – this is not a book report. Just say whether or not you liked the book and why.
     
  • Be informal. Think of what you would tell your best friend about the book, and then say that. In fact, if it’s easier for you, pretend you’re talking out loud to your best friend, record yourself, and then type out what you said.
     
  • Be genuine. Susan loves five-star reviews, of course, but we’re not asking the Review Crew to only write five-star reviews. Share your opinion. Did you like the book and why?

 

How many readers are on your Review Crew so far? I noticed some folks were sad not to be included in the last round of new member selection. Do you have plans to make the group bigger?

Susan Mallery:  It really is difficult to disappoint so many readers, but as I said, there was just no way that we could send a book to the thousands of readers who applied. We don’t have plans to make the Review Crew larger.

 

What other plans do you have for engagement with your readers?

Susan Mallery:  The Fool’s Gold Cheerleader try-outs will take place in April, and the cheerleaders will kick into gear in May for a summer of cheering for Just One Kiss, Two of a Kind, and Three Little Words. The cheerleaders talk to people in their towns about Fool’s Gold, hand out bookmarks, drive around with Fool’s Gold car magnets, and they earn prizes along the way. We have some amazing prizes lined up this year.

The first year, there were 25 cheerleaders. Last year, there were 60, and this year, we’ll have a squad of 80. Anyone who’s intrigued should sign up for my mailing list to receive the email about try-outs.

Here's an example of the car magnets, and one of the cheerleaders, Angi, and her dog, Max:

A very happy white fuzzy dog looking out a car window with a Susan Mallery magnet on the door.  One of the Fool's Gold cheerleaders, Angi, and her dog, Max

 

I had one more question, which Susan's assistant, Jenel, was kind enough to answer for me: 

Do the review crew people label their reviews or in some way indicate that they're part of the review crew?

Jenel, Susan's assistant: I do think there were probably a few bloggers among the readers chosen at random for the Review Crew, and I’m sure they probably did label their reviews. The others were just regular readers, though. In fact, for many of them, this was the first time they had ever posted a review online ever. Hard to imagine, isn’t it?

I'm completely fascinated by this idea. The importance of reviews in terms of adding a book to the retailer algorithms that then serve that book as an alternate option to other shoppers is not a secret. The way in which Mallery is engaging with her readership is interesting, because it addresses that importance directly and builds a team and comeraderie around that importance. 

What do you think? Would you want to be part of a review team? Do you leave reviews for books you've liked or disliked? 

Big thank yous to Susan Mallery and her assistant Jenel (ETA: and Jenel's dog Sidiqi) for their time in answering my questions, and to Angi and Max for giving their permission to have their photo posted here. 

Comments are Closed

  1. CG says:

    You know what I wish? I wish reviews were for consumers or readers to evaluate whether they wish to purchase a product, not a place for manufacturers or authors or publishers to push a product. And let’s be honest, no matter how you want to dress it up, this is an attempt by an author to manipulate the review system to sell more books. “On sites like Amazon and Barnes and Noble, the number of reviews helps “goose” the website doohickey into showing my books more often in search results.”  In my book, that’s manipulation.

    And to say that the Amazon and B&N reviewing environment is already polluted so what do a few hundred more reviews matter (and this number will only increase exponentially if this catches on) is like saying let’s dump more toxic waste in the Hudson since it’s already pretty bad and let’s hope it doesn’t overflow and pollute other resources (like Goodreads). Why don’t we try to clean this shit up instead? Or at least discourage additional polluting.

    I’m working myself up into a dither…must step away from laptop…

  2. SB Sarah says:

    I don’t think this would affect GoodReads, because GoodReads is already populated with dedicated readers who are ferociously protective of their community. That’s a very good thing.

    Amazon and BN are already polluted, as I said, and frankly, neither party is going to clean that up. Amazon won’t because that’s part of their profit system.  BN most likely won’t because as this thread I linked to indicates, they’ve been notified of the bizarro role playing cat people in the reviews for certain books, and despite that they’ve done nothing to stop it.

    If they’re not going to care, well, that’s why there’s GoodReads, and why GoodReads is a site for people who are dedicated and active readers – and has more value for readers who use it.

  3. kkw says:

    This seems like a clever idea, and I’m not sure why it shouldn’t be manipulative.  Authors want to sell more books, and if they can do so, more power to them.  It’s not dishonest to mobilize your fans.  If anything, it’s foolish not to, notwithstanding my personal bias in favor of authors who allow me to maintain the illusion their existence is devoted to churning out my entertainment.
    I don’t want to receive tweets (personalized or otherwise) from my favorite authors.  Could someone explain to me why anyone does?  I want them to spend their time writing books for me.  This is the only venue in/on which I regularly engage online, and I can’t recall how I was lured into doing so.  I don’t read the reviews on Amazon or Barnes and Noble.  I don’t friendster, facebook, or goodreads.  I don’t like Susan Mallery’s books. I don’t *hate* them, but they’re not for me.  And in the interest in of total disclosure, everything I read is from the library, thus free.  It is a rare and exciting day when I can buy a book, and even then it’s usually a gift (and almost always from a used book store).  So this topic couldn’t concern me much less.

  4. hapax says:

    Meh.

    When I am paid (cash money) to write reviews, the only thing I feel I owe the book is *to review and to read it.*  As a result, I end up reading and review a hella lot of books I don’t like, and wouldn’t choose to read on my own.  I try very hard to evaluate them on their merits anyhow, and approach them as a reader who would likely be initially attracted to that particular title.

    When I review for free (Amazon / BN / GR), that’s a book I independently chose to give my money and my (infinitely more precious) TIME to.  As a result, I am *already* pre-disposed (“winnowed” if you like) to give it a positive review.  (Of course, if I’m disappointed, I’m also more likely to feel “cheated”, and be more sharp in my negative response.)

    Which is why I think that this particular campaign as described is no more than a fairly clever formalization of what is alread y occurring.  If anything, the encouragement of “disclosure” will make these reviews more valuable, by revealing a reader’s level of investment in the author and adding context to the review (after all, do we REALLY want to read more outraged reviews from, e.g., a diehard erotic paranormal reader who ordered an Inspy by mistake?)

  5. “All they have to do is to email me to let me know that they left a review on Amazon and BN.com. If they do that, then they will be invited to join the next Review Crew, even if they hated the book and gave it just one star. Initially, they’re chosen at random.”

    ‘Initially’? And who’s to say that you won’t tend to choose the more ‘cooperative’ of your reviewers next time? Seriously – you aren’t going to send books to those who hate Mallery’s writing, are you?

    “After that, as long as they follow through with their commitment to read the book and post an honest review, whatever that review might be, they will be invited back.”

    So you say, but we only have your word for that.

    Which makes me sound vile and cynical but after the shenanigans I’ve seen, I can’t help but be. Unfortunately, no customer can afford to take these kinds of assurances on trust – not from authors or their people.

    “We asked for honest reviews, and it seems to me that readers genuinely loved the book.”

    They probably did. But I really, really don’t like the smell of this, even if it’s inevitable. As a customer and a reader, it’s too much like the bought review issue. At the very least, every single reader participating in this needs to offer full disclosure.

  6. Joonces says:

    I see a lot of comments calling this “manipulation” but I haven’t seen other suggestions on how these authors are supposed to promote their books.  And why wouldn’t they want their books to succeed? Publishing is a brutal business and I can’t blame them for harnessing the power of their fans if they want to keep on writing. 

    That said, I agree that reviews should say they are part of the “review crew” or that they got the book for free.  When I’m looking at reviews for a new-to-me author I read a bunch of them – the 1 stars, the 3 stars and the 5 stars.  I’ve bought books because of a 1 star and others from a 5 star because the reviewer gave me some info that told me that the book would appeal to me.  Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn’t but isn’t taking a chance on a new author always a crap shoot?

  7. d'art says:

    I’d like to see a disclaimer that the reviewer received a free copy. It’s standard on blogs and it should be encouraged for a project like that (if it was enforceable, I think it should be required by Amazon.)

    Other than that, I think this is a fun and interesting way to reach out to readers in the same way that authors and publishers are doing through small review blogs already.

  8. Ridley says:

    “I see a lot of comments calling this “manipulation” but I haven’t seen other suggestions on how these authors are supposed to promote their books.”

    That ain’t my problem. I don’t have to offer someone a workaround. This shit feels manipulative. The end.

  9. Aidaalberto66 says:

    I was one of the lucky ones chosen for the review of Three Sisters and I was so thrilled when I received the book.  I read it in less than one day.  I am an ordinary reader with a huge love of books and a huge love of Susan Mallery’s books.  I couldn’t wait to add my review everywhere and tell people how great the book is. Can’t wait for the next one.  I thought this was a really great idea to get the word out.  Why not choose everyday people to get the word out?  We’re not being paid for this.  We’re doing this because we choose to and if she continues to choose me I’m more than happy and willing to spread the word everywhere I can.

  10. CG says:

    I keep seeing comments for suggestions on how authors should promote their books. Guess what? As a reader, I’m not your bitch. Nor do I work for free. It’s not up to readers to figure out ways for authors to promote and sell their books. If you’re lucky, that’s the job of your marketing department and your sales team. You may not have a marketing dept and sales team so give the job to your spouse/friend/writer group/cat/goldfish. But not your readers. Your readers are there to read, thereby creating sales for you by spending their hard earned cash and valuable time. If we’re lucky we find an author whose voice transports us for a few hours and who has an extensive backlist and we spend even more money and give up more of our precious time. We may even tell our friends about this awesome book we just read, we might go so far as to write a review or blog post extolling your wondrous storytelling skills. If this happens take it as a win. Respect this reader ecosystem; don’t pollute it for your own gain.

    I get there are some readers who don’t mind/ want to shill for their favorite author for free (which is a whole ‘nother issue). Yay for them, I’m glad they’ve found an author to squee over. But I’ll say it again because I think it bears repeating: Respect. Reader. Spaces. 

    Also, if anyone wants to actually pay me for suggestions on how to promote their book I accept Amazon and B&N giftcards.

  11. Well, in the end, that’s on the author.  It’s a tricky line to walk, but if the author wants to do it…the author has to figure that line out.

    Readers don’t like feeling manipulated…(and I’ll say that up front, author-me aside)

    I do think including ‘reviewer was provided a free copy’ does help and a lot of people are starting to do that on Amazon, or at least I’m seeing it with my reviews.

  12. pixiedust8 says:

    Honestly, not a fan of GoodReads, because I think every review of every book I check out there is four or five stars—whether it deserves it or not. I take every site with reviews with a grain of salt, but I actually think Amazon and BN are more likely to have negative reviews.

  13. pixiedust8 says:

    I don’t really have a problem with this, but perhaps because I am an aspiring author and I know it’s damn hard to get a book noticed. As for the idea that she wouldn’t invite the people who wrote bad reviews, I don’t see how she’d know who wrote what. They aren’t supposed to send their reviews, just send an email that they posted one within the timeframe. My Amazon and BN user names have nothing to do with my real name.

  14. Maggie Jaimeson says:

    I find this discussion very interesting both as a reader and an author.  Personally, I don’t think Susan Mallory is doing anything wrong.  I think it’s very honest to be transparent in asking for honest reviews and not penalizing anyone for giving something less than 5 stars. It’s much more hoenst to do it that way, than the way some authors have, which is paying for reviews.  You can pay Kirkus for a review. In many author magazines you are only guaranteed a review of you place an ad or pay for an interview.  That’s the same as paying for a review isn’t it?

    First, NO review is unbiased. It doesn’t matter if it is from PW, from Kirkus, from Smart Bitches, or from Jane reader.  EVERY reviewer has biases, and you need to know that reviewer’s biases if you really want to know if what they think is helpful to you.

    Think about movie reviewers in the paper.  Before spending my hard-earned money on a movie I read reviews from several paper sources. Eventually, I learned that a specific reviewer in the Oregonian and one in the L.A. Times were closest to my biases about movies. So, when they recommended a movie I would likely see it.

    I review a number of books, primarily from small presses and from indie authors.  I usually sign on for these reviews via virtual book tour coordinators.  After writing my review (particularly if I’ve given it less than 4 stars), I’ll go and read what other bloggers have written to compare.  I question if I’m being too harsh, if maybe I notice flaws in the book because of my own biases about how a book should be written or how the character arc is best played out. I frequently find I’m a lower rater than other bloggers. In the beginning, I contacted some of the other reviewers and asked “Didn’t this bother you?” or “Did you truly find nothing wrong with the book and you gave it 5 stars?”  In the majority of cases, the reviewer responded that they saw a couple of a problems but they liked the book, they ended up rooting for the characters, they were satisfied in the end. 

    Is that dishonest? Is that because they got the book for free? Is that because they want more free books? Is that because they feel an obligation to be nice to authors who have worked so hard to get a book out?  Personally, I don’t think it is any of these. I think that is honestly how that person would rate the book.  I have found that readers, as a whole, are more forgiving of flaws if they end the book feeling satisfied.

    If you are concerned about an “honest” review (meaning finding someone who would review the way you would), I suggest you look at a particular reviewer and what else they’ve reviewed and see how it sizes up with your experience of those same books. On most venues you can click on their name to see all their other reviews.

    If all that person ever reviews are Maggie Jaimeson books then you know she’s a fan and probably already likes me. So, if you’ve never read me before, don’t count on that review. If all that person ever gives are 5 stars on every book she reads, then you know she’s easily satisfied (or chooses really well) and that may not fit your reading experience. Find those who fit you and ignore the rest. That’s the beauty of Goodreads. You can quickly compare someone’s list of books and their ratings to your own experience and then follow him/her.

  15. Jenel Looney says:

    “Seriously – you aren’t going to send books to those who hate Mallery’s writing, are you?”

    Susan’s assistant here again. 🙂 As I said, we don’t require the Review Crew to tell us what they said in their review. Here’s a copy and paste from one crew member’s email:

    “I posted my review on BN.com and Amazon.com. Thank you!”

    And my reply to her was same I’ve been sending to everyone else. If we do a Review Crew for JUST ONE KISS, she’ll be invited to participate. We asked her to post a review. She did. She’ll be invited to the next Review Crew if we do it again. Period.

  16. laj says:

    I just read Three Sisters and I have to say it did not meet the expectations touted by Mallery’s review crew.  The fact that all the pain, grieving and mental illness suffered by the three women is cured instantaneously by love and then crammed into one book made me crazy. I didn’t like her neatly packaged ending or her cardboardish main characters. All three woman were unauthentic to me and their individual stories felt unbalanced. Some of the issues she broached are very serious and I felt Mallery didn’t respect the long term impact or reality of them with her quick resolutions.  The men were well, just not there and mere plot devices.  I am also so tired of the “I was jilted at the alter and my over-achieving family blames me and has never approved of me trope”.  And the blue collar/white collar angst…Hate it. 
    Oh and there is blatant sequel bait, I see at least three more books.
    There was one scene in the book were Andi goes on a wine tasting tour, the scenerio was so annoying I almost stopped reading the book for good.  The alcohol use in this book was weird and off putting.  I could go on and on about how much I disliked this book, it really made me mad.
    Mallery who has always been hit and miss with me is one of my library authors. I enjoyed some of her earlier books, but since The Sweet books she is no longer an auto-buy author for me.
    BTW this book has over 40 holds at my library, so maybe the review crew is working.

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