Tag: book bloggers

Book Blogger Spotlight: The Magnolia Blossom Review

L. Avery BrownL. Avery Brown has an awesome book blog called The Magnolia Blossom Review. She is a former secondary level educator with over a dozen years devoted to the fields of history, special education, and curriculum development. Since 2007 she’s been a devoted writer, something she’s loved to do for as long as she can remember.

She says, “Professionally speaking, when I’m not busy working on my own writing projects, I am a freelance editor, publishing consultant, and digital media promotions consultant. I also pride myself on being a solid reviewer of books! I am about as Southern as Southern can get which is why I started my first blog, When a Southern Woman Rambles. That blog actually helped me set the back drop for a series of books with the same name.”

Ms. Brown does a little of everything. She has published five titles of her own. She also created BrownHousePrintWorks.com where she offers editing services, publishing consultation, and digital media promotion. Continue reading “Book Blogger Spotlight: The Magnolia Blossom Review”

Review-Only Virtual Tours: Are You Paying for Reviews?

I have to tell you that the whole time the sock puppet controversy was raging, I was cringing inside. The reason? I’ve paid for reviews. Kind of. Oh, not through some fly-by-night “good reviews guaranteed!” outfit. Instead, I’ve bought a couple of review-only blog tours.

I talked last week about virtual blog tours. If you missed that post, you can read it here. One of the flavors of tours that most outfits offer is the review-only tour, in which the operator recruits a number of bloggers to read and review your book. The tour operator asks you to provide a copy of your book, or a coupon or gift card so the reviewer can buy a copy, as well as the usual stuff: blurb, cover image, author picture, and buy links. If the reviewer hates your book, he or she can use the other materials to put together a book feature to run instead of a scathing review. Most of the time, bloggers will post their reviews not only on their blog, but also on Amazon and/or Goodreads, which of course helps your rating. Continue reading “Review-Only Virtual Tours: Are You Paying for Reviews?”

Hit the Road, Jack: How to Plan and Execute a Blog Tour

Maybe people have been telling you that a blog tour (or virtual blog tour, or VBT, not to be confused with VPL, an affliction from the ‘70s solved by some very clever but uncomfortable pantyhose) is great way to launch your book. Some would be glad to arrange one for you and charge you for the privilege. But is the marketing budget for your book release a little…what, you don’t have a marketing budget? You spent your marketing budget at the actual market, buying food and uncomfortable pantyhose? No problem. You can pull together a whiz-bang blogging adventure for next to nothing and get yourself a lot of eyeballs and buzz. I did it for my first book. I didn’t rack up gangbuster sales, but I got my name out and met some great people who were happy to help when the next book came out. All it took was a little time and effort. You have some of that, right? Okay, pour yourself a cup of coffee and let’s go. Continue reading “Hit the Road, Jack: How to Plan and Execute a Blog Tour”