Don't pitch the same book to everyone
An influencer's channel may serve a very narrow readership. Describe your genre accurately and ask whether that audience is actually present. A romance blogger is not automatically a fit for a literary novel about marriage.
Romance and romantasy
Lead with the central relationship, tropes you can substantiate, heat level, emotional arc, age category and series status. For romantasy specify whether the romance or worldbuilding is dominant. Do not claim enemies-to-lovers, a happily-ever-after or strong spice if the book cannot deliver it. Look for reviewers who have recently covered comparable titles.
Contemporary women's fiction and book club fiction
Lead with a compelling personal dilemma, family or relationship dynamics and questions readers can debate. Book clubs often welcome an original discussion guide, author Q&A or excerpt. Nadi Petrova's Dreams Live Here, about relocating a family with a shared business background, provides a concrete example of how to position themes instead of chasing unrelated romance hashtags.
Fantasy and science fiction
Specify epic versus cozy, high versus low fantasy, grimdark, space opera, hard sci-fi or near-future speculative fiction. Include series status, a crisp world premise and the moral or technological conflict. A glossary, map or spoiler-free reading guide may be useful. Not every speculative fiction journal accepts author-initiated review requests; read its own policies.
Mystery, thriller and horror
Distinguish cozy mystery, police procedural, domestic suspense, psychological thriller and horror. Mention detective or series continuity, pacing expectations and relevant content warnings. Avoid revealing the killer or final twist in a reader pitch; a literary-agent synopsis is a separate spoiler-inclusive document.
Literary and translated fiction
Offer an original cultural or craft question to editors at outlets such as Necessary Fiction or Asymptote; check each submission window and AI content policy. Thoughtful essays about voice and translation may generate stronger earned discovery than dozens of mismatched ARC pitches.
Before emailing anyone
Check five things: real genre, recipient's recent subjects, eligibility of self-published books, accepted submission channel and whether you are asking for a review, interview, guest essay or representation. For a short letter see the outreach email template.
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