I know you probably remember your parents reminding you to say your "please" and "thank yous". The same applies to how an author should deal with ALL online venues. Since many of your promotions are online, and you do not have that face to face contact, you must be extra careful how you treat people and organizations. Your author reputation is important and these are the movers and shakers of promotion on the net. You don't want to burn bridges and you want to keep things professional and courteous at all times. Here are some tips to keep in mind when dealing with review sites, promotional sites, and anyone you correspond with via the web:

Tara's Straight Talk Tips For Authors (Part I) - How To Be a First Class Act

• Remember to say thank you, whether they are updating a free listing of your bio or book on their website
• Use polite wording when requesting minor review error changes, and remember to say please. Everything takes time and you want to be sure what you are requesting is done and done correctly.
• Never place blame on the promotional venue if a "human error" occurs, give them time to correct it in a timely fashion - mistakes happen
• Never treat a promotional venue as if they are your employee -- they aren't, they are your colleague
• Don't be a tyrant ;-) Don't bark orders but make requests politely and clearly
• Don't approach a promotional website and say you are on a budget. Choose what works for you, and don't have unrealistic expectations. You aren't obligated to purchase anything and you can always try to negotiate the terms.
• Don't book promotions and then cancel at the last minute. Remember to give adequate and proper notice. These online promotional venues might have turned down other business for you or be counting on your payment
• If you agree to send a book, a contest prize, or promotional content, be sure to do it in a timely fashion
• Never threaten legal action lightly - you'd be surprised how many authors without a lot of experience with dealing with online venues bring out the big guns when something goes wrong. Don't threaten someone unless you really mean it. Try first to give the venue a chance to fulfill their obligations in a satisfactory manner

As always, please post a comment or question to my blog. I'd be happy to answer you.

Tara