Guest Post: Darke Conteur on Book Bloggers

With the rise of indie and self-published ebooks, there is a different way of bringing the books to the public needed. Traditional media doesn't cover these books yet. That's where we come in, book bloggers! Darke is here today to share her view as a writer on this all.

The Guest Post

Book Review Bloggers; the backbone of Ebook marketing?

If you've been floating around the writing world over the last couple of years, no doubt you've been bombarded with 'experts' telling you to join as many social sites as possible, as this is the key to marketing your book. I say, forget Twitter or Facebook for promoting your novel. In the new digital age, the book blogger can be the strongest tool a writer has to promote their work.

With the tsunami of indie and self-published books washing over the publishing world, many things are changing. One of them is the way people find new books among the piles of hopefuls. I read an article online that stated the majority of readers find books through recommendations by book store employees, but many of those are geared toward traditionally published books, overlooking some of the smaller indie or self-published novels. This is where the book blogger comes in.

Book blogging has exploded over the last few years. These fanatics of reading take to their keyboards and give their honest opinions of books. To some, that might seem intimidating. The thought of getting a bad review sits in the forefront of every writer's mind, but part of writing is accepting and dealing with criticism. Not everyone is going to like your work, and how you handle these reviews tells a lot about how well your writing career will proceed.

Another reason book bloggers are becoming so popular--their honesty. How often have you bought a book through Amazon/Smashwords/Apple/Nook/Kobo on the high recommendations of the comments from other readers, only to find it's not worth the money you paid? It's a sure bet the author's friends put up those reviews trying to be helpful and supportive, but any writer will tell you that close friends and family are the WORST people to review our work (unless, of course, they're professional writers). Their attachment to us is what fuels their comments and many don't understand that a high-praised, raving review does more harm than good.

Book bloggers give an honest opinion not only the story, but everything about the book; from the cover design and grammar (or lack of), right down to how the book made them feel. For a writer this is invaluable information. It shows the author where the weak points are, and in the long run, helping them to become a better writer. As these bloggers aren't paid, it puts more credibility on their honesty. The only thing that's motivating them is their love of books and a good story. The same thing that motivates writers.

Bio

I am a Stay At Home Mom (SAHM) with a passion for writing. At the mercy of my Muse, I create stories ranging from paranormal to science fiction, or whatever she decided to whisper into my ear. When not writing, I look after one Husband, one son (Sithboy), two cats and a ghost dog.

You can visit Darke on her blog, her other blog, or find her on Facebook and Twitter.