Book Promoters and Book Promotion Services Emails

Book Gargantuans.  

Book Promoters Extraordinaire.

Book Blimmin' Big Balls Agents.

There are plenty of people (companies, entrepreneurs) out there, willing to promote your book on their site and across their social channels, aren't there?

So many in fact, they are running out of names for their businesses that haven't already been taken - the ones I’ve used above are still available as far as I'm aware.

But how useful are these promoters? I've limited experience, myself.

I did something with one who’ll remain nameless mainly because I’ve forgotten their name a couple of years back and don't remember much of a sales spike as a result.

But an email I got from one such 'business' irked a little. Here's what it said (I've removed the company details):

Dear Jon Lymon,

I just saw your book "The Diamond Rush". I would love to write a post about it and list it on my website [WEB ADDRESS PROVIDED]

One more thing, if you are running a promotion for "The Diamond Rush" then you can use our service called - Book of the Day to promote "The Diamond Rush" to more than 400,000 readers across the globe. 

Check it out here [WEB ADDRESS PROVIDED AGAIN]

Thank you & all the best 

My problems with it: First up, there was no name at the bottom. Equals not very personal.

Then the opening line, or is it more of an opening gambit?

My reaction to reading 'I would love to write a post about it' is, well, go on then. You don't need my permission. Go ahead, write away. Slate the book if necessary. And while you're at it, yes, you can list it on your own website too. No need to ask me. Go list crazy. Look, you've even included a link to your own web address... ah wait a minute, you want me to click on your website to take a look. So that's what this email's really about.

The next paragraph confirms my suspicions. By 'one more thing' what you really mean is here's the crux of the message, here's the real reason I'm sending this email, but I'll try and disguise it, downplay it, introduce it as an aside. You want to tell me about your Book Of The Day feature, which I have to pay for. Gotcha. Thanks. Next...

Am I just being cynical? I work as a copywriter, so I know a few tricks of the advertising trade, especially email writing. But there is a thing called Passing Off, where you pretend not to be selling when that's really exactly what you're doing. 

Maybe this email just arrived in my inbox when I was a bit grumpy, dunno. But if anyone's ever replied to one of these sorts of emails or direct messages on X, and got their book listed and gone on to sell a million, let me know!

One more thing, I have this book I’ve written…

Jon Lymon is the author of 11 novels and a few short novels. He also writes for marketing companies (if he didn’t, there’d be no food on the table) so knows a little about the tricks of the trade.