So You Want To Run A Book Blog?
Some tips that will bring you success if and when you decide to start your own book blog, so that your TBR piles, like mine, can also be sky high....
Have you ever loved a book so much that you wanted to shout it out to the world, or just stop people on the street to tell them about it? Book blogging is a way to do just that, but from the comfort of your own home. You can even elaborate on why you loved the book so much when someone on the street might not give you such an opportunity. Through book blogs, readers have an opportunity to check out reviews from people just like them, instead of from a professional book reviewer at a newspaper or magazine. They're also a great way to get to know authors, as most authors love making an appearance at blogs to promote their book. Having said that, there are a lot of book blogs on the Internet as of late, and they cover a multitude of genres.
Book blogs can be used in various ways, such as for marketing or promoting books, expressing thoughts on books (such as through reviews), establishing oneself as an expert in the field of writing or publishing, connecting with other readers, etc. Bloggers usually do not get paid to share their thoughts on a book or help promote an author. Yet they are very important to authors who don't always get the same publicity as celebrities (although authors are to book bloggers what rock stars are to music bloggers). There's even a book about book blogging (try saying that ten times fast). Blogger Girl, by Meredith Schorr, gives readers an insider's view of book blogging (at least for the chick lit genre). Her main character, Kimberly Long, is very easy for book bloggers to identify with and inspires other avid readers to start their own book blogs. If you're interested in jumping onto this book blogging bandwagon (is your tongue twisted yet?), here are some tips to become successful:
Become friends with other bloggers. It's a community, not a competition. Some of the greatest friendships you'll establish are with other book bloggers. You can support each other and even share book recommendations. There's no reason for one-upmanship or to try and take each other down. Even with all the book bloggers out there, it doesn't feel crowded in the slightest.
Come up with creative ideas that are unique to your blog. Focusing your posts around a certain theme allows you to get to know authors and readers in new ways. Having a special or unique feature for your reviews is another way to ensure that your blog will stand out and be noticed by more readers. In Blogger Girl, for example, Kimberly used pink champagne flutes instead of stars to indicate how much she liked a book.
Invite readers to participate. A blog without readers is like a theater without an audience. Treat your readers well and make them feel special. Invite them to write guest posts or reviews. Conduct interviews with them. Introduce them to other readers if you feel they have interests in common. If you have the ability to do book or swag giveaways, readers really enjoy the opportunity to receive prizes.
Be a fair reviewer. If you don't have anything nice to say, don't do it on your blog. You're not doing anyone a service by bad-mouthing a book. Authors put their blood, sweat, and tears into their work. While, as a blogger, you have a right to express your opinions, ripping someone's hard work apart is akin to Cinderella's step-sisters ripping apart her dress. Constructive feedback is acceptable, as long as you can find a balance between the positive and negative aspects. If you truly feel you have nothing good to say about the book, authors will appreciate you more if you tell them in private that you don't want to hurt their sales than if you blast a one-star review all over the Internet.
Know that it's okay to say "NO." You don't have to review every single book that gets offered to you. Unless you have a team of reviewers, or you are a speed reader, you won't have time to review that many books on your own. It's helpful to have a focused genre for your blog, which will allow you to weed out books that are not an appropriate fit. However, if you are open to reviewing any kind of book, know that you aren't obligated to review everything that is sent your way.
Don't get overzealous when starting out…or there's a good chance you'll end up being compared to Donkey from Shrek. (Like when he's jumping up and down and yelling "Pick me! Pick me! Oh, pick me!") You won't receive any respect from the bloggers you'll want to become friends with either. If you want an author to visit your blog, send them a private message via e-mail or Facebook, inviting them to check it out. Don't blast your blog all over their Facebook page or tag them relentlessly in Twitter in order to get their attention. It will just make you look bad. If you have featured them on your blog, it's okay to share the link on their page while thanking them for visiting. Although this is still not a competition, remember that slow and steady wins the race.
Have a presence on social media. Create a Facebook fan page and Twitter account for your blog so that authors, publishers, and readers are able to find you. That way, you can post your articles to your heart's content without having to blast them all over everyone else's pages.
Since I started Chick Lit Central in 2010, it has grown to almost 1300 blog followers, over 3000 Facebook fans (we're currently celebrating with a huge book giveaway), and over 8400 followers on Twitter. I've been acknowledged in several books over the past year, including one by New York Times bestselling author Jane Green! If you'd like to know how it all began, check out this post over at my personal blog.
All the best to you with establishing your book blog. Just remember to have fun while you're doing it!
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