We see bloggers reviewing books all the time.
In fact, bloggers are one of the truly sought after review groups on the internet. There are many good reasons for that to happen.
Bloggers are seen by writers as being a fairly impartial group, as a general rule. A blogger tends to wear his or her main biases on the proverbial sleeve. Regular readers know their favourite blogger's stance on most issues.
Many bloggers are reliable reviewers because they bring a good steady target readership along with them. Have a business blogger read and discuss the merits of a business book, and chances are, many of the blog readers will purchase the book themselves.
Writers need to understand that blogs sell books.
A lot of copies of books, as a matter of fact.
I have written before about Aaron Gleeman et al and their selling of their Hardball Times Baseball Annual, and its rise to the top of its publisher's all time best seller list.
The book currently sits at #4 all time. When I wrote the post about the book, it sat in the #10 all time position. Blog marketing efforts have since raised its sales totals even higher.
The reason for those tremendous sales numbers were bloggers. The book was writtenby bloggers, reviewed by bloggers, and marketed by bloggers. In blogs.
Vikk Simmons of the fast rising writer's blog, Down The Writer's Path joined with other forward thinking authors and strongly recommends blogs to other writers.
In this way, Vikk is employing the blog marketing concepts suggested regularly by other writer bloggers like Trudy Schuett of WOLves, for example.
Vikk has hit the blog marketing tool nail on the head as she understands that writers need to do more than simply write.
She says of writers:
More and more today's writer assumes the role of a shape-shifter. He or she must move comfortably between the creative, the artist-writer, the editor, the pitch man, the salesman, the agent/representative, the promotor and events planner, the graphic artist and designer, and on and on and on until the the business man or woman emerges, one who not only writes but who is also comfortable marketing, selling, speaking and promoting his or her's artistic creation.
It's not just about writing anymore.
Over on my roller derby blog, I constantly tell the startup roller derby league owners to forget the old and I hope by now discredited idea, that if they open the doors, people will simply appear by magic.
Authors seem to share that non-marketing delusion as well.
Good books don't sell themselves. No one can or will ever by the book if they don't know anything about it.
A blog is a tremendous medium to let readers know your book is out there and available for sale. You can give the readers a sample chapter and excerpts, right on the blog itself.
You can offer the book for sale right on the spot.
Other bloggers will review the book on their blogs too, multiplying the power of blogs as book sellers extraordinaire.
Get into blogging and sell some books!
