Monday Musings - The Accidental Blogger

Hi, Kat Sheridan here. First up, an update on Sia. For those who don’t know, Sia has been having a tough time lately, as she explains here.
 
I’ve heard briefly from Sia and her hubs. Surgery day last Thursday was long, but Sia is at home now, floating on a sea of painkillers, and typing one-handed, but she’s recovering! YAY! She dictated a comment for her hubs to type for her on last Monday's blog that reads:

surgery went well but a lot more damage than we first thought. Serious recuperation time and still a lot of pain--thank God for pain meds. But seeing all these comments made the pain in the heart the heart, much better.

THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!!!

~Dan taking dictation from Sia~

I’ll be keeping the lights on and the coffee hot here at Over Coffee for the month of April until Sia is back with two good arms! Sia wanted to participate in the annual A-Z blog challenge. I’ll be keeping that commitment on her behalf. Because the blog only appears three times a week, we won’t hit all the letters, but I’ll do my best to bring you content I hope you’ll enjoy, by the alphabet. Our theme is “Favorite Books and Authors.” I’ll have friends stopping by on occasion throughout April, talking about everything from Dwarves to Zombies, and I’ll be filling in with articles that reflect my weird, eclectic taste in books.

 

 

And of course, I'll be counting on all of you to help me keep the conversation going!

 

Here's a secret: I never meant to be a blogger. I admire folks like Sia, and many of the commenters here, who blog regularly. It’s a huge commitment to keep coming up with fresh ideas and to have the patience and skill to produce enticing content day after day and to build an audience.

When I first started my own website, I had to decide if it would be a fairly static site that would include only news of my books, or if I would join the legions of bloggers on the interwebs. At the time I was working 60-80 hour weeks, learning my craft, and trying to fit in work on my fiction in the odd leftover moments. I chose not to add blogging to that list. I’m grateful to Sia, however, for inviting me to join her here as the occasional co-host and accidental blogger! And of course, I love being able to "lend a hand" (LOL!) to a friend like Sia!

 

Though it may look or sound a little different in April, you can always count on this here at Over Coffee: we'll be talking about books and writing, there will alway be a pot of fresh coffee on the counter, and something good to eat! So grab a muffin and kick back!

Let’s talk:  What makes a blog appealing to you? How did you find, and start following the blogs you follow? And if you're a blogger yourself, what made you start it and what keeps you going?

 

 

MONDAY MUSINGS—LETS TALK ABOUT GETTING REVIEWS

Having a book published is a joyous thing for a writer. The first idea to finished product is a lot of work and while you can breathe a sigh relief because it’s done, there is still much work ahead of you. What about reviews and blog tours? Let's talk about reviews.

• What sort of groundwork have you laid, as an author, to get your books from the sale shelf to the hands of readers? 

• Are you creating a buzz for your work (notice I said work and not just the current book)? Have you planned which reviewers to approach?

• If you’re with a small press or self published, will you have reader’s copies (electronic or print) available in enough time to allow reviewers to read it and publish the reviews before the book is released?

The reviews are generally released the month leading up to the release date. That buzz builds anticipation in readers for getting their hands on the book and reading it—because so and so said it was really good. Good, but honest reviews can boost your sales.

How does the book get to a reviewer?

Some traditional publishers are more involved than others in getting author’s books to reviewers. Aside from the handful of reviewers they might use (and most aren’t going to be People magazine or the New York Times) they will also make copies available to review sites.

Netgalley  is a big one of late. Reviewers (they’re touted as professional readers) can request books from the publisher to review. NG has publishers big and small, which is good because it’s equal opportunity. Reviewers have a profile on the site that publishers can vet prior to releasing a book for them to review (it’s a publisher/publicity team decision). The publisher may only release a few books to a few reviewers or they can release a blanket amount available to many approved reviewers (and because most of the books are electronic galleys or uncorrected Advance Reader Copies {ARC}, it’s very cost effective).

Night Owl  is another good-sized review site and they have a group of reviewers on hand to review about any genre. There are also Book Blogs that review books.

What about the author?

The author cannot simply rely on the publisher to do this work. Authors need to be proactive, not reactive. A smart author has done their research, especially with book blogs and they know who reviews what. They’ve asked fellow authors for reviewer recommendations, they’ve checked out the names of those who do reviews, for example, on Goodreads, and know what genre those reviewers read. Or at least they should have been doing that.

When approaching people to review your books, here are a couple of things to keep in mind.

• Look for those reviewers who read the genre you write. This is important because the best reviewers are going to be those who enjoy reading the type of story you write. They know what to expect from the story, they know the type of words used, plot settings, and characters. They are your target audience (the ones you’re writing for and who buy that genre) and those who read their reviews or follow their blogs, for most part, read your genre. 

• Keep in mind reviewers (and book blogs) are booked in advance. We have been provided an ARC (advance readers copy) at least two to three months prior to release date (for example, I’m now receiving ARCs for November and December release). That gives us time to read and write the review. Don’t approach them a week before your book is out and expect to get a positive response. If you’re self-publishing, plan to have a reader’s copy ready at least four to six weeks before you release the book. Hint: electronic galley copy

Don’t forget your beta readers. Get them involved to write a review. 

If I might offer a suggestion, don’t have them all release just the book cover and blurb (that’s not a review) on the same day on their blog. I may want to support the author, but oh my god, fifteen blogs with the exact same information is not fun. Have each add something different—tell me something unique about the author, about a character, or something fun about the setting, or something brief about what they enjoyed about the book. 

It’s all about laying the proper groundwork. Planning the release of your book with as much care as you did in writing the story.

• What sort of groundwork do you put into the release of your books? 

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