Guest Post from Author Deanna Sletten
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As an indie author, you know that writing and publishing your novel is only half of the work. The other half is promoting it. Your book needs a few reviews attached to it as well as an outlet for readers to learn that your novel even exists. But how do you obtain these on a limited budget? Book bloggers are the answer.
What are Book Bloggers?
Book bloggers are dedicated individuals who love books and are willing to spend their time and energy on finding great books and sharing them with their readers. They may be full-time bloggers or busy moms at home, college students or men and women with full-time jobs who blog in their spare time. Book bloggers take the time to slosh through the \”slush pile\” of indie books to find the gems and share with others. They write honest, serious, detailed reviews of the books they read. They generally participate in social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads to promote their blog posts and many will post their reviews on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. And they have loyal followers who read those reviews when deciding which book to buy next. In this era of the indie author, book bloggers have become the main source of spreading the word about books in all genres.
Finding Success with Book Bloggers
Author Amanda Hocking , who started as an indie author, soared quickly to fame with her young adult novels, and who landed a book deal with a major publisher, attributes her success to book bloggers and reviewers who helped get the word out about her novels. Terri Guiliano Long, the author of In Leah\’s Wake, also gives credit to book bloggers for helping to promote her novel. Only a few short months after self-publishing her novel, she sold over 80,000 copies.
As an indie author, I\’ve had relatively good success with my books due to book bloggers. The bloggers I\’ve communicated with have been open to reviewing or featuring my books and have been very generous with their time. However, you have to remember that book bloggers are independent people who do not answer to anyone – not the publishing industry and not to authors. They do not have to review or promote your book if they don\’t feel it is the right choice for their readers. Before approaching a book blogger, do your homework and make sure your book is right for their blog. Be polite when requesting a review, a feature or offering to write a guest blog post. If the blogger accepts, great, but if she declines your offer, just say thank you and move on. And don\’t complain if you disagree with a review – remember, you asked them to take the time to read and review your book. Be respectful to the people who are helping you build your writing career because book bloggers have the ability to help you bring your self-published novel to number one.
Where to Find Book Bloggers for Indie Authors
Your best bet is to become active in Facebook Groups and cultivate relationships that way. If you are a children\’s book author, Groups like KitLit411 or the MCBD Group might be worth a try. If you are a non-fiction author, give this one a look. Simply type what kind of group you are looking for into Facebook\’s search bar and discover new ways to connect with reviewers.
Deanna Lynn Sletten is an indie author who writes women\’s fiction novels and has also written one children\’s novel. Deanna eagerly awaiting the publish date of her newest book, Night Music, which is available for pre-order on Amazon Kindle! Visit Deanna at her blog: www.deannalynnsletten.com ,on Twitter @DeannaLSletten, Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/
I think it is so important that book bloggers review indie authors. I hope to get my book reviewed. It takes a lot of work to get the word out about a book. I write about publishing because I worked for several New York publishers.