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Reviewer's Checklist
Susan Salzman Raab
Reviewers Checklist, recently developed by Susan Salzman Raab, President of Raab Associates, Inc., is an online database designed to help visitors find new books for children, teens, and families. The Children's Book Council recently had an opportunity to speak with Ms. Raab about this program, and here is what we learned:
[CBC] What is Reviewers Checklist?
[SSR] Reviewers Checklist is an online search database designed to help the media and others find out about new, forthcoming, and featured backlist books for children, teens, and families. It also serves as a resource for educators, librarians, booksellers, event planners, and other industry professionals, along with also providing ways for publishers, authors, and illustrators to promote their books.
Why did Raab Associates, Inc. develop this site?
The inspiration for it came around the 2004 elections when our agency was promoting election books for several of our clients. We were working on four voting books and getting a very good response, but a number of our media contacts asked if we knew of additional books they could request to fill out their stories.
As a courtesy, we contacted several of the larger publishers to see who had new voting books, but I felt it would have been better to be able to look at the broad spectrum of publishers to find out what was coming out, that way the media would have a choice of books for a range of ages and in various formats. This was one of many times we had contacted others to see what else was out there for friends in the media, so it seemed there was a real need to do something to provide better information.
How does Reviewers Checklist work?
Reviewers Checklist is very simple to use. Anyone can visit the site to search for books by topic, age range, author, illustrator, publisher, and a number of other categories. The media who are vetted into the system get special privileges to place book requests via email directly to the publishers. We currently have more than 9,500 titles from 80+ publishers. We receive new data on a regular basis and the site is updated weekly. Publishers, authors, and illustrators provide us with data on current titles, forthcoming titles, and backlist titles. The site also includes audio books from a number of companies.
Who uses Reviewers Checklist?
Many people in the industry are using it as an information source. We have a broad range of media including CNN, AP, BNN.com, Parenting, Horn Book, Kirkus, Self, and USA Weekend, as well as lots of newspapers and special interest websites. In each case, the media contact has to provide credentials before we add him or her into the system. We're adding new contacts on a regular basis and word is spreading, so we know it will provide a way for the publishers, authors, and illustrators to make new contacts.
Other members include educators, librarians, booksellers, and event planners. Many have been very complimentary about the site and have told us that they have wanted a resource like this for a long time. We see from the traffic on the site that the interest is quite diverse.
What are the benefits?
For the media, it provides one-stop shopping. They can easily find out about important books and audio books, and they can make direct requests to the publishers. The system allows the publishers to keep their contact information current, so that requests go directly to the right person. There are also options for publishers to list contacts for permissions and other types of queries, so it's faster and easier for all involved.
For publishers, this ensures that when a story is happening in the press, on radio, or on television, their books can be considered. It's a great way to promote the whole list—including backlist titles. For small and mid-size publishers, it provides the chance to be included in situations where the media would otherwise have only contacted a few major publishers.
For authors and illustrators, this provides a new way to promote their books and get their name in front of a lot of media at one time. The system allows for them and for their publishers to place ads for books, provide links to author and illustrator websites, post reviews, provide tips for teachers, announce awards, and list travel plans and tour schedules.
Reviewers Checklist also has a special mechanism that works as a clip service. We encourage reviewers and producers to send reviews, clips, links to segments, and notification of stories directly to the publishers who have sent them books. We want to close the loop, so the media that ask for books will follow through by providing review and feature information in return.
What is different from searching on the Barnes & Noble and Amazon sites?
Reviewers Checklist is targeted to an audience with a very specific need. We have gone out of our way to meet the needs of media, publishers, authors and illustrators with many customized features. And we're making improvements on a regular basis. For publishers who may not highlight specific books on their own website, Reviewers Checklist provides a centralized showcase for their books, authors, and illustrators. For reviewers and others, it gives them a nine-month advance window of books that are forthcoming, so they can plan stories, author events, and programs a season ahead.
How long does information stay on Reviewers Checklist?
The site has two types of listings. There is no charge for these listings, so long as the data is provided in the industry standard Onix format, our own standard format, or if publishers enter it directly themselves. Frontlist data includes new books published within the past six months, and goes forward for nine months listing forthcoming titles. This data usually comes from publishers, though authors and illustrators can contact us about adding other titles.
The second area is backlist books, which publishers, authors, and illustrators can choose to add for a fee.
What do you see as most exciting?
Evolving the site has been very exciting! Currently there's nothing like it, so we can be very creative and it makes everyone's job a bit easier. We have a great team of people involved, including Bobbie Combs, former children's buyer for Koen Kids, and Joyce Stein, who has worked in adult and children's publishing doing mass market, communications, and marketing. Both have many years of experience in the business. It also combines the expertise of the two divisions of Raab Associates, Inc., in children's and parenting book marketing, and in data technology and consulting.
One of our primary hopes for this site is that by providing easy access for children's, teen, and family-related books, there will be more opportunities in non-traditional areas of the media such as health, sports, food, and even news. To that end, we have been promoting the site broadly to many media outlets and categories of media to open up that coverage.
Have you been surprised by the response?
We have been delighted to have such an immediate and enthusiastic response. Plus, people keep telling us new ways they want to use it. We have members ranging from nationally known reviewers, librarians and educators to individuals at industry organizations, who have not only welcomed Reviewers Checklist, but who, like the CBC, are helping us get the word out. Some surprises in membership have included librarians from award committees and a literary movie studio scout who is using the site as a resource. There's no charge for membership, just for promotions on the site.
How do I submit my information, or advertise on the site?
Publishers, authors and illustrators can contact us at info@reviewerschecklist.com to get information on submitting data, adding individual titles and advertising, and enhancing listings. •
Susan Salzman Raab is President of Raab Associates, Inc., a marketing agency dedicated to promoting and marketing children's, teen, and family-oriented books. She is Marketing Adviser to the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and author of the book An Author's Guide to Children's Book Promotion. She is also a correspondent covering children's publishing for Recess! Radio, which is syndicated nationally on public radio stations.
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About the author:
 Susan Salzman Raab is President of Raab Associates, Inc., a marketing agency dedicated to promoting and marketing children's, teen, and family-oriented books. She is Marketing Adviser to the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and author of the book An Author's Guide to Children's Book Promotion. She is also a correspondent covering children's publishing for Recess! Radio, which is syndicated nationally on public radio stations.
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