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Three Simple Steps to Getting Your Book Promoted on a Blog
by Cheryl Holloway
Books need a lot of marketing, whether traditionally published or self-published. Bloggers can offer exposure for authors through guest author interviews, guest author posts, or book reviews. The good news is that there are a lot of blogs out there willing to provide this service, whether for free or for a fee. The bad news is that most authors do not know how to make a proper request.
I will provide three simple steps.
What I’ve learned, over the last three years of blogging is that most authors, both Indie and traditionally published, must learn how to ask for a guest author interview, guest post, or a book review properly. What is needed is a “Win/Win Situation” guaranteeing a favorable outcome for everyone involved.
The Author Win: The average author is trying very hard to achieve local and/or national visibility and accessibility to readers and fans of a certain blog.
The Blogger Win: The Bloggers readers and fans deserve to hear about the best authors of today and the up-coming authors of tomorrow. They want to read books that everyone’s talking about and books that no one’s heard about…just yet. I write one of the best blogs on the web for authors (US and International) to promote their books.
Step 1: Connecting: A + B = C
If the author wants the blogger to take the time to look at the book and offer him or her a guest author interview, guest author post, or a book review, at least, tell the blogger that you’ve read the blog or show them that you have taken the time to read more than one post—make a connection.
Author + Blogger = Connection
Do’s and Don’ts of Connecting
- Do connect with a variety of bloggers: top, middle and new. Getting accepted on some of these blogs might be difficult.
- Do comment on blog posts or engage in any discussions on the blog.
- Do continue to cultivate your relationship—you will probably publish other books in the future.
- Do check the blog for a Blog Policy page.
- Do offer your opinion on blog posts or expand on some topic in the blog post.
- Do offer a relevant topic for a future blog post.
- Do leave a specific comment: I enjoyed the post on 7 Sentence Sunday. It helped me to write a short story and expand it.
- Don’t leave a non-specific comment: nice post (add something).
- Do show the blogger that you know who they are—even if it’s only to get the bloggers attention. At least you made an effort to make yourself known.
Once you’ve make the connection, then the next step is asking for what you want.
Step 2: Asking: Send a professional and personable email
If the author learns how to ask the right way, they will receive a lot more positive responses from bloggers.
Do’s and Don’ts of Asking for a Guest Interview or Guest Post
- Don’t address the email to Dear Blogger. The bloggers name is usually all over the blog.
- Do mention something about the blog that you like—perhaps, a post that caught your attention.
- Do tell the blogger if you have spread the word—you sent a post to your friends or you told them about the blog.
- Do spell check—misspelled words and poor grammar in an email do not give the impression that you can write a good blog post or book.
- Don’t send an email that comes across as a form letter—It is a quick way to turn off bloggers and in turn leaves a blogger feeling like if you couldn’t invest the time, why should they?
- Do try to be honest and sincere.
- Do make sure that your comment is useful and contributes to the post.
- Do wait until the blogger replies to your request.
- Don’t keep emailing the blogger, if he/she denies your request.
- Don’t be annoying and email the blogger everyday asking, “What’s the next step?”
Do’s and Don’ts of Asking for a Book Review
- Do offer a (free) review copy of your book (usually in eBook format).
- Do gift the blogger a book on Amazon, if they are willing to publish a free book review.
- Don’t expect the blogger to pay $18.99 for your book and give you a free book review. The math just doesn’t add up.
Step 3: Appreciating: Send a Thank You
Once the interview, post or book review has been posted…
Do Say Thank You!—The blogger has taken time out of their busy schedule to help promote your book, so the least you could do is offer a simple thank you—It can go a long way.
You would be surprised at how many people do not say thank you and ask for a second interview, post or book review!
That’s it—Three simple steps to getting your book promoted on a blog!
I really hope these steps are helpful for some of you. Do you have any steps you would add to the list? I would love to hear from you. A guaranteed Guest Author Interview for anyone responding to this blog post.
Find more writing and publishing tips at Nothing Any Good.
Email: authorCherylHolloway@gmail.com
Blog: www.CherylHolloway.net/blog
Website: www.CherylHolloway.net
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Cheryl.Holloway.940
Twitter: @Author_CherylH
Toll-Free: 1-877-WRITE18
Cheryl Holloway is an amazing contemporary romance author, writer, journalist, award-winning writer-editor, writing instructor, accountability writing coach for debut authors and experienced blogger. She has written several eBooks, including her collection from The Cougar Tales Series, Book 1: Father and Son; Book 2: The Italian Basketball Player; Book 3: Jamaican Lover; and The Bane Bath Salts on teen drug prevention. Her latest release–A Sisterhood of Women Living Life: A Short Story Collection—was published in 2016 and is now available.
Cheryl has worked for the Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press and has several forthcoming books. When she’s not writing books, she is either writing her blog or reading. Cheryl Holloway’s passion is to Pay-it-Forward to other authors on her blog.
As both an author and blogger of three book promotion blogs, I have to agree from both sides. These simply courtesies can go a long way towards building a professional rapport with someone. They’ll be more likely to deal with you in the future, and may even look you up randomly, asking if they can help out somehow.
Marie, you and Cheryl are both so right. As an author, we clearly have an agenda (to promote our book) and a goal (to have others support us), but authors also need to recognize:
1. That the blogger also has their own goals, and
2. That your own goal may not be that blogger’s goal.
Respect for their goals and kindness go a long way.
I couldn’t help but approving “jack’s” comment. It was just too incoherently good not to approve it.
So Cheryl, what do you think? Any feedback for “jack”?
Thank you for a very informative post. When you stop and think about it, much of what Ms. Holloway espouses falls under the heading of “Basic Common Courtesy.” But, then again, when has Basic Common Courtesy been a bad thing? I know I like to be treated with respect and courtesy when dealing with bloggers, and the vast majority of those I’ve encountered have done just that. Everybody wins. There are some very generous and helpful folks out there. The only fly in the ointment I see here is the number of queries an author must send out to receive one positive response. That makes it difficult to participate and make a connection with each individual blogger. Then you need time for social media work and everything else that comes with being an author and marketer. And don’t forget actual writing time too! Now, if only the bloggers weren’t so snowed under with books….
You’re exactly right, Ross. A lot of this advice is basic common courtesy. It always amazes how many people fail to understand basic common courtesy, though, especially (a) online and (b) when they’re selling something. It seems like everyone’s idea of social norms disappears when they’re online and when they’re driving in the cars. What’s the deal with that?!
Dan, I think you would need to consult a philosopher for the answer to that question, LOL! But methinks it has much to do with our wired society and the resulting “shrinking” of our world. The world seems to get a little smaller with each passing day. It is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore (or get away from) the annoyances!
That’s what you’re here for, Ross! I thought you were the resident in-house philosopher? If you don’t know the answer, then no one will!
I think it goes beyond just our culture’s changing reality and the shrinking world over the last twenty years. I think it is a basic factor of human nature and our own self-importance. We often think our own perceptions, our own realities, are the most important ones, without realizing other people’s realities are just as important and just as real. One of the characters in my book actually talks about this a little bit actually. David Foster Wallace’s “This Is Water Speech” is a much more intelligent and original version of this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZjpihl2pfg