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Message: <blockquote data-quote="DonB" data-source="post: 437104" data-attributes="member: 5687">Too much product to review? Absolutely!! That's a problem for virtually every review medium in every genre. Reviewers for everything get stacks and stacks and stacks of books. Trying to keep up with everything is impossible - easier if you're doing electronic reviews (rapid issue frequency, no space limitations), but I think most people realize that with a print publication, you're competing for space.Partly you want to look at how different publishers send out reviews copies too - big companies who send out a lot of review copies (not just game companies but book publishers do this too) sometimes have standing orders that ship one of everything. No muss, no fuss, no staff time. I think WotC used to do this, but I'm getting more stuff with actual press releases/publcist letters in it. Someone who's doing this can't realistically expect that everything will get reviewed - that's definitely the danger with sending out unsolicited review copies. The review venue doesn't (or shouldn't) owe you anything.OTOH, a solicited review copy is something else. If I specifically approach a company looking for a review copy, it's because I already know I want to review it/have it reviewed. If I can't review something like that, I'd try to make sure the company knows it (fortunately, I haven't had to so far!). Requesting copies is actually my favored way of going though - I don't feel bad because I've got stacks of unreviewed material, plus it help build a rapport with companies' marketing people. And it gives smaller companies who can't afford to do mass-blankets of material a chance to know they're putting their resources somewhere that's actually interested.Someone said they saw a company at GenCon offering review copies, but only if a review was guaranteed. If I was on the receiving end of that offer, I'd be very tempted to tell them what to do with the product. Oy. That's just wrong. Almost on the level of a reviewer saying "we'll review your book, but only if you advertise with us."Don---------------------------------Don BassingthwaiteGaming Editor, Black Gate<a href="http://www.blackgate.com" target="_blank">www.blackgate.com</a></blockquote>

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