My Book and My Coffee: October 2012

I am so happy to have Jessica Lavé, author of A 21st Century Fairy Tale, today here @ My Book and My Coffee. She is going to talk about a very interesting topic for authors and book bloggers (like me) out there. Check it out!

Welcome @ My Book and My Coffee, Jessica Lavé!

Collaboration, Cooperation, Community: The 3 C’s of the Author-Blogger Relationship

Self-publishing used to be held in low respect, like a grown-up with a lemonade stand. A writer was not really successful unless the book was published in a major brick-and-mortar publishing house. Today, there are more options. Self-publishing is becoming more respectable and legitimate as a way for writers to make their creative voices heard.

That is actually the easy part. Someone who has already written a book, had it edited, and has a cover design is ahead of the game. The hard part is getting people to notice and, hopefully, read that book. That is where the author-blogger relationship comes into play.

1. Collaboration

For bookworms everywhere, one of the great things the Internet brought about is the book blogger. Readers no longer have to rely on word of mouth or reviews by well-known authors, editors, or critics to find out if a book they are interested in is worth reading. Book bloggers can appeal to a much broader audience than traditional reviewers and critics because their audience is not limited to a particular circulation base or region. Book blogs are worldwide, as in World Wide Web.

Not only that, bloggers can also home in on a like-minded audience; for example, they can connect with other readers who like pulp fantasy stories or chick lit—genres that do not always get much attention from the “professional” literary critics.

Before the Internet went mainstream, publishers usually took care of distributing and marketing a book: getting it reviewed, stocking it in bookstores and libraries, etc. Since the advent of self-publishing through online publishing platforms, a lot of authors, even those with publishing contracts, get to wear the hats of writer, publicist, blogger, and marketer.

Because of these changes, authors and bloggers often join forces. They collaborate on a book’s promotion and release, to their mutual benefit. Whether the blogger offers to review books, host a blog tour, publish a guest post (like this one!) or do an interview, the author can benefit from their book being seen and written about on the blog.

Likewise, authors will promote the book blogger’s site to their audience, online and off, through social media, their own website, and word of mouth, meaning that the blogger will receive new readers and visitors to their site in return. This reciprocity makes the author-blogger collaboration worthwhile and legitimizes the efforts of both.

2. Cooperation

While book bloggers and authors have developed a co-dependent relationship—authors relying on bloggers as a big part of their audience and bloggers relying on authors to supply the creative indulgences we call books—part of the reason the relationship works is because both sides work together to achieve similar goals.

Many bloggers are particular about the types of books that interest them, and authors who are truly interested in building a relationship with a particular blogger must respect that person’s policies and goals. For example, a writer trying to drum up publicity for the release of a new science fiction novel should not force it down a romance book blogger’s throat.

Keeping one’s audience in mind is key for both blogger and author. If an author targets the wrong audience with their book or a blogger tries to work with a writer whose genre they are unfamiliar with, the cooperation aspect fails. Neither person is going to benefit very much because it will not appeal to their audience’s interests.

Understanding and respecting each other’s goals is important to the relationship between authors and bloggers. Their mutual interests help propel the book and publishing world forward. They cannot achieve their ends if their objectives are not related or similar to one another.

3. Community

Ebooks and online book purchasing is still a relatively new concept in the history of publishing, and the publishing and literary communities are still adjusting to the change. With some online publishing platforms, there are templates for cover art and no restrictions on the quality of the book’s content. People can write a book, or even just a few pages, and publish it on the web within a few hours, resulting in many books and ebooks produced only to make a quick buck.

Though some individuals might be concerned and overwhelmed by the sheer number of books that are created through this process, others are grateful for the opportunity online publishing has created for them. For the writers and other artists out there who believe in their work and have dedicated themselves to their craft, these new avenues provide an outlet for them to share their passion with the rest of the world.

The upside to this is that new relationships and connections have been established. The digital age of publishing has created digital booklovers and writers communities as well. They are each other’s audience. Authors write for the people who have interest in their subject matter, and book bloggers often provide feedback that an author cannot always get from a traditional literary critic. Bloggers will answer emails, reply to comments, and so will their readers. That type of communication and interaction is something the publishing community and writers from a previous era were unable to experience.

The publishing world is in a period of transition, and authors—especially indie authors—and book bloggers are the major players in it. If they can sustain and nurture the relationships they form today through collaboration, cooperation, and community with each other, it will be easier for them to adapt to the changes that come as the industry continues to shift.

About the Author:

Jessica Lavé is a freelance writer, and has experience writing everything from sales copy to novels. When she isn’t working on her writing projects, she enjoys yoga, going to the movies, and reading crime and horror novels. Her new book, A 21st Century Fairy Tale, is a fantasy mystery novella available through Amazon.

Jessica Lavé's book, "A 21st Century Fairy Tale"

Amazon: Kindle edition

Amazon: Paperback

Book Description ~ A 21st Century Fairy Tale:

WELCOME TO LAMONT, COLORADO: a quiet little town nestled in the heart of the Rocky Mountains. It's the type of town where people know each other by name and see each other every day. It's the type of town where things like murder, fire, and anything supernatural just don't happen. But Lamont is about to get a new resident--a resident who carries these things wherever he goes, and leaves the land scorched in his wake. When the disappearances begin and things start going bump in the night, there are only a few of the local townspeople who notice and decide to act. For them, protecting their town from this new evil is the only thing that matters. These lonely crusaders will have to confront their own disbelief and doubts--as well as those of their friends and neighbors--to face a foe unlike any they could ever have imagined.

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