Book ~ "The Author's Guide to Working with Book Bloggers" (2013) Barb Drozdowich

From Goodreads ~ Do you feel out of your comfort zone when dealing with book bloggers? They are the New Gatekeepers to book publishing success – but how can you tap into that source of free promotions by putting your best foot forward? 

The Author’s Guide to Working with Book Bloggers combines the advice of 215 blogging professionals collected in a survey covering all aspects of communication between authors and Review Blogs. Whether you are a new author or have many titles under your belt, let us demystify the promotion of your book on a book blog. 

You’ll learn about whom and where book bloggers are, and the following:

• The Query
• The Review
• The Giveaway
• The Author Interview
• The Guest Post
• The Book Blurb Excerpt and Cover Reveals 
• and more!

I love to read!  And I post my book reviews on my blog.

That has led me to participating in virtual blog tours for the last couple years ... I've discovered some great authors through these tours.  So I was curious to read this book to see what's recommended from the author's point of view who wants to work with book bloggers like me.

So who are book bloggers?

The only thing that we all have in common is that we love books; we love books so much that we have created blogs to express our thoughts about the books that we read. Book bloggers also have access to a computer. Other than that, they can be male or female (although in my survey there were many more females than males), they can vary in age, quite computer literate, or just barely holding their own as far as technology is concerned. They may be teenagers, sharing their love of Young Adult (YA) as they conquer their high school classes; they may be a stay-at-home mom spending her free time, sharing her thoughts on her favorite books as an escape from the kids. They may be budding authors using a book blog as a way to experiment with their writing. A book blogger may be a parent/child duo, with the parent encouraging the child to read more. They may be newly retired looking for a mental challenge and a way to share their lifelong love of books.

Book blogging is usually a hobby; it is something that is done in a blogger’s spare time. If book bloggers make money from ads on their blogs, it generally isn’t much—it might keep them in lattes. There are a few exceptions, of course, but book blogging and reviewing books is something that book bloggers do for no pay.

Many book bloggers started blogging to simply share their thoughts with other book lovers. Have a look at this selection of the answers that I received when I asked the question “Why did you start book blogging?”

• “Because I wanted to be able to share great books with other readers.”
• “I started reading book blogs after joining GoodReads. I already had other blogs, and felt like book blogging was something fun I could also do. I have an eclectic taste in books, and I wanted to share that beyond GoodReads.”
• “I am very supportive of many changes taking place in the book industry. I am particularly supportive of ebooks and talented Indie and small press authors and LOVE helping spread the word about their books. I also personally enjoy discovering new to me authors who can help support my book addiction.” 
• “I love to read. This was a way to share what I like and to find new books and authors to read.” 
• “To talk with other book lovers, and to have a creative outlet online.” 
• “I wanted someone to discuss books with and there aren't any book clubs in my area.”
• “To have a place to talk about books, to be a part of a community.”
• “I love reading and none of my friends understand, so I decided to join a community that not only understands, but embraces my nerdiness.”
• “To encourage my students, to share my love of books.”
• “I started my blog as a place to put my writing, but when I discovered book blogs I thought ‘I have to be a part of this.’”
• “As a hobby/just for fun.”
• “Nothing is better than finding “that” book. The one that rings your bell. I like helping people find it!”
• “I wanted an outlet to discuss YA literature—not many people in my real life read the same genre/category as I do or even as voraciously. Online seemed the logical place to go to find other readers like me.”
• “To have a place to put my thoughts about the books I read, to meet other people who love reading as much as I do, and to be able to create something to be proud of.”
• “I read a lot. I started writing reviews because I know authors like them. I started posting them to help other readers find great books.”
• “I wanted to share my opinions on books for others to see. Plus, there aren't many people I know in my school who read the same books I do, so it makes it hard to gush.”
• “To share my love of books with the world.”
• “I wanted a way to keep myself writing at least something down. That way I might not get writer's block as often for my writing projects. It is also a way for me to discus my love for books and find new books that are out there.”
• “Because I wanted to find new readers like me who are big romance fans to discuss books with and share this big passion of mine!”
• “To create a space where my kids and I give our opinions about children's books— we don’t always agree!”

The author is a book blogger at Sugarbeat's Books and wrote this book to help authors with her experience.  She'd posted a survey focused at book bloggers on her blog and advertised it on Facebook and Twitter (alas, I never came across it).  Expecting about 50 responses, she heard from 215 book bloggers.  The details and responses from the survey are posted in the appendix.

I enjoyed this book and agreed with the findings of the author.  Yes, I do feel appreciated when an author drops by to comment on a book I've read and reviewed.

I would recommend this book if you are an author who would like to learn how to promote your book using bloggers.