Review Copy Lead Time

To read a report of our time at Book Expo America, check out Ted Savas’ blog post here.

It’s amazing how fast deadlines come up in the book world. For example, we had to submit a complete list of our Fall 2008 titles to our distributor in April. Yes, April. And we already have a firm lineup for our Spring 2009 season. Another deadline with a lot of lead time? Getting advanced reading copies of books to large reviewers such as Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Foreword Magazine, etc. They require review copies three months in advance of publication. Maybe you already knew this, maybe you didn’t. I had a talk with an editor at one of these publications a couple years of ago. She no longer works there, but told me at the time that if they don’t receive TWO copies of a book at least three months before publication, they don’t even consider reviewing it.

Our big Fall book Once a Marine will be released September 15. Last week we prepared and mailed packets and galleys to all the major reviewers. If you are gathering a list of publications that review books, keep in mind that they have different requirements. Some require one copy, some need two copies. Some only review advanced unedited copies (bound galleys), others only review from the final book. Find out what to send, when to send it, and who to send it “Attention to:” to have the best chance at getting your book reviewed.