Find a partner and send a swap request

Sending a swap request means picking another author's list, a date they are open, and what you offer in return. This article follows the Browse Book Swaps tab from search to sent request. If you have not read how book swaps work, start there.

Before you start

• You need a book with a link readers can follow, and a mailing list connected to that book's author name with saved swap settings.
• You can browse without any of that. The request form is where the gaps show: without saved swap settings it stops at Set Up Your Availability First, without a book it points you to Upload a book, and without a list for that author name it asks you to connect one.
• The one exception: lists that sell paid slots can be booked before your own availability is set up. Free swaps stay locked until then.

Search for lists

Browse Book Swaps searches by author name, list name or category, then narrows by Categories, Swap Types, Language, List Details (minimum subscribers, open rate and click rate, and whether the list accepts lead magnets) and an Availability Range. Most of these apply when you press Search. Booking Mode, Max Price and Sort by apply instantly to what is already on screen.

Each row is one mailing list, so an author with several lists appears several times. A dash in a rate column means there is no figure; a dotted dash means the provider does not report opens and clicks for that list, so they cannot be verified. The Categories pill counts the list's target categories and lists them on hover.

Read a result

• A grey Swap pill means that slot is a free exchange: your promotion for theirs.
• A green price pill means the slot is for sale. Both together mean the author accepts either.
• A dash means the list does not offer that type at all.
• Your List in place of Book marks your own list in the results.

Send a request

Book opens the request in two steps.

1. Pick their date. Filter by Swap Type and choose a day from their calendar. Green days are open for the types you filtered, yellow days only for other types, purple days already hold a request from you. If this author has already sent you a request, a notice offers to take you to it first. Continue with Booking moves on.
2. Complete the request. Choose the type you are asking for, then the rest of the form below.

• Select Your Book is the book they will promote for you. Books that do not fit their list's genres or lead magnet rule are hidden, and a notice says how many.
• Select Your Mailing Lists are the lists you offer in return. Offer more than one and the recipient chooses which to use when they accept.
• What are you offering in return? takes one or more types; they pick one.
• Book Link is what they will send their readers: a URL, one of your BookSparker landing pages, or nothing yet if you tick I will provide the book link later. The link is saved to the book for next time.
• Message is optional. For a paid slot you save a card instead of offering lists, and it is charged only if they accept.

Send Booking Request sends it and closes the form after a moment.

The book link deadline

Leaving the link for later is only possible when the share date is more than three days away. From then on the clock runs.

Send requests in bulk

Bulk Request, next to List View, sends the same request to many lists at once. Choose a date range of up to 10 days and press Search, tick up to 40 lists, pick one book and one link for the whole batch, and optionally let BookSparker offer the requested type in return automatically. If any chosen date is less than three days away, the link is required upfront for the whole batch.

What happens next

Your request appears under Sent Requests, where you can edit or cancel it while it waits. The other author has 5 days to accept, decline or send a Counter Offer before it expires; they get a reminder two days before the end. An accepted request moves to Active Swaps for both of you. If you are over your plan's monthly swap limit, BookSparker tells you when you try to send.

Common questions

Why can I not choose to provide the link later?

The share date is within three days, so the link is needed now. The form says so under the checkbox.

Why is one of my books missing from the list?

The recipient's list does not accept it: either the genre does not match their target categories, or it is a lead magnet and they do not take those. The notice above the book field lists the hidden books and why.

Can I use a landing page that is switched off?

You can select it, but the form warns you. Activate the page before the share date, or readers will hit a closed page.

Can I change a request after sending it?

Yes. On Sent Requests you can edit it or cancel it until the other author has answered.