on The Book Designer:
Extract 1:
Two years ago, it was so easy to find the top Amazon.com reviewers and approach them and ask for reviews. There was software that let authors and publishers find the name and email addresses of the thousands of Amazon reviewers who had already written reviews of books in a similar vein.
Extract 2
Then, for some reason, in March of 2018, Amazon made a decision to hide the email addresses of reviewers on their profiles. Speculation was they did this because of the new GDPR rules and regulations but no one really knows why. This completely stopped authors from being able to email potential reviewers–even if the reviewers didn’t mind being contacted with their information public on their profile.
Does this mean it’s the end of finding targeted reviewers for books? Absolutely NOT! But it is a lot harder than it used to be.
As a reviewer I usually don’t mind an e-mail asking for a review. What turns me off immediately is when they tell me they read a review I did for a certain book and their books is very similar. But it isn’t. Don’t compare your book to another. Just give me a brief synopsis and I’ll get back to you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Excellent share, Chris. Great tips from Amy. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, but read the comments (all 3 of ’em). I have to admit, I as I read the article, I found myself thinking what those folks said. I think “organic” reviews are the best kind, actually.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Ah! Oh I agree that mass emails are probably not a good idea, and the comments attest to that. But following readers who review and sending personal notes, asking if they might be interested in a free copy of a book doesn’t seem too bad.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Good point, Diana. Every author has to decide how (or whether) to approach this issue. There’s so much more to being an author than just a writer.
LikeLiked by 2 people