Continuing the series of posts about book blogging, today we're taking a closer look at some of the things authors need to know about book bloggers.
Book bloggers want to share their love for books with the world, and serve one or all of the following: the reader, the author, and the publisher.
Book bloggers offer more than retail stores
Readers want to hear from readers. Book bloggers have an audience that is specifically looking for information and opinions about books: an authors target audience. Some also concentrate on specific genres and so reach a very niche audience.
Book bloggers will post to their blogs, but also to their various social media platforms, giving authors a wider audience.
Post review etiquette
Thank the book blogger, and share their blog post everywhere. Help drive more traffic to their site. The bigger their audience, the better it is for you.
The biggest challenges for book bloggers
Book blogging takes a large amount of time. Between reading and blogging, book bloggers can often feel overwhelmed. For many, it's something they do in their free time, and not as a full time job. Sometimes it can be hard to meet a deadline and they then worry about upsetting the author. The best thing you can do to help them, is be flexible and understanding.
The book blogging community
The book blogging community is very supportive of one another. They like nothing more than discussing the books they've read and giving reading suggestions to their fellow book blogging buddies. It's part of the reason they do what they do. They may also share information about authors who were a pleasure to work with (and those that weren't).
PR Research indicators
Book bloggers may also share their opinions about book tour companies they have worked with. If you are thinking of using a book tour company to do a virtual book tour for your book, check the sites of book bloggers to see which ones they regularly work with. It's a good indication that the company is doing a good job.
Also in this series:
Continuing the series of posts to help authors better understanding blogging, today's post takes a look at what book bloggers wish authors knew about book blogging.
I'm an author and a book blogger, but not all authors understand how much work goes into maintaining a book blog. Lots of authors damage their chances of being hosted on sites because they don't fully understand what happens on the other side. To stop you making any mistakes when looking for book bloggers to host you, I'm joined by some of my book blogger friends to share with you some of the things you need to pay attention to.
The thing I wish authors knew is that our review policies are there for a reason. Most every book blogger takes the time to write a review policy of their requirements to be considered for review. It’s rude if an author emails us and clearly shows that they’ve never read it. As book bloggers, we get many emails and requests and sometimes it comes down to who followed our policy. We all have busy lives and reading books takes a lot of time.
Lainy from https://bookishbitsblogblog.wordpress.com
I haven’t had this happen to me personally before, but I’ve seen some authors get annoyed when someone posts a review and haven’t enjoyed the book.
I would hope that all authors know that not everyone is going to love and feel the same about the book.
Oh, and also that we love replies to our reviews, (almost every author I have tagged in a review has replied) it’s lovely and make the review feel worth the while (although I would still write it even without the reply!)
Kate Parton from http://www.bookinkreviews.com
We are so incredibly happy to read and
review your baby. We know how much time, energy, passion, and vulnerability
went into making your book what it has become to hit our hands. We are grateful
that you’ve selected us with this honor, and most of us take it seriously. We
will promote our own book blogs across all of our own social media platforms
with your book review—essentially giving you advertisement across all platforms
for the price of one e-copy.
Here are some things we wish you knew:
1) At Book Ink Reviews, each book reviewed has between 5 and 10 hours spent on each review. Between reading the content, staging the gorgeous covers for a unique to BIR graphic, thoughtfully reviewing the content, then promoting that review I have a part-time job for a hobby!
2) At Book Ink Reviews, all negative reviews of Advanced Readers Copies are written, then rewritten, then rewritten again. This is in effort to fully explain why the book wasn’t liked while staying completely respectful to the author’s thoughts and feelings. Please know, book bloggers hate writing negative reviews. Some hate it so much they never actually write them. We know you’ve worked hard, we know you love your work and we try to bridge the gap between empathy and honesty.
3) There are mixed opinions on reviewing books book bloggers didn’t (or
couldn’t) finish. Some people feel they should review DNFs because there were
legitimate reasons that they couldn’t finish a book. Others, like Book Ink
Reviews, have personal policies where they never review DNFs because they feel
it is dishonest to their followers and a disservice to the author and sincerely
hope you understand when we say we can no longer review your book because of
that that you do not take offence.
4) SHARE OUR SOCIAL POSTS! We work hard to promote your book. We worked incredibly hard on your review. We’ve done our part, now please help our reach
grow by sharing our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest posts linking
to your review if it is positive. Besides, who doesn’t want a glowing review of
their work to reach as many potential readers as possible?
Benjamin Thomas from https://thewritingtrain.com
1) Consistently creating blog posts is A LOT of hard work, but we do it because we love books.
3) We don't get paid to do what we do. Period. Wordpress claims to power 29% of the internet, and that's only one blogging platform. Show some appreciation for their hard work.
4) We love authors!! Avail yourself for interviews, guest posts, or answer simple questions. It makes a world of difference.
Adrianna Schuh from https://www.fortheluvofbooks.com
I wish that authors new that what I do is a lot like what they do, except I don’t get paid for it. I review your books because I have a passion for them. I promote your books because I love your work and I want to help you succeed. And when you take the time to read and share my posts it means the world to me. I wish that authors knew how much work went into book blogging and how much we sacrifice to run our blogs. But mostly I wish that they knew how much they mean to us, how much our work depends on theirs, and how much we appreciate them.
Megan & Crystal from https://gingermomreads.com
That negative reviews aren't personal. We aren't writing negative reviews to trash authors or beat them down. Some people just don't like some books. It should be used as constructive criticism. And, of course, there are exceptions to this rule - people who rant. That, however, isn't my style.
Rachel Poli from https://rachelpoli.com
I wish authors knew how much work it actually is. We read for fun, to escape reality because we love it. When it's a request from an author it's considered "work." You have a deadline, even if it's a loose one, and sometimes you're reading outside your comfort zone to broaden your horizons, but some books are harder to get through than others. Then you write the detailed review and it's rinse and repeat. It's like a part-time job without getting paid and it's very easy to get a backlog of books and it can take months for you to look at your own bookshelf and pick out a book YOU want to read. I want authors to know it's time consuming and hard work.
I agree with all of these. They really do make a difference so here's a summary:
1) Read and follow review policies and submission guidelines.
2) Promote their blog, and share your post as much as possible.
3) Reviews should always be honest and that may mean less than 5 stars.
4) Bloggers appreciate your comments on their posts.
5) Don't get annoyed with them for having an opinion.
6) Be patient. Bloggers have long TBR lists.
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Visit Book BlogsA great networking site for owners of book blogs. You can set up your on page with information about your site, post photo's, an on site blog, groups etc...
Another fab tool!
