Editorial by Beth Kephart
News travels fast in the Land of Book Blogs. That’s by design and according to passion.
But what is the value of book blogger news? Who does it ultimately influence? And are the publishers that are still courting book bloggers — hosting them at the BEA, sending them ARCs by the crateful — calling it right? Or was William Morrow on to something when it sent book bloggers its now notorious “your job” e-mail, signaling a possible era of fences?
It’s not just the industry that seeks answers to the book blogger value question. It’s the bloggers themselves, many of whom have been at this for years — reading those books, giving public voice to their perspectives, tweeting give-aways, running contests, interviewing authors. Book blogging takes time. And while some bloggers have certainly found ways to monetize their efforts (a move that is not without its own complex controversies), a substantial number of the bloggers are still doing what they do for the simple love of books, and for the chance to turn someone’s head toward a story they have loved.
Can they? Have they? Does anybody know for certain?
If there are statisticians working on rubrics and finalizing the math, I’m not privy to them. I am privy, however, to the details of my own book life. I can, I’m saying, report from the trenches and allegate — with more than a touch of the emphatic — that book bloggers don’t just shore up a writer’s confidences, or make her feel less lonely. Book bloggers rescue certain books. They may even rescue quite particular careers.
I began to get a hint of the power of book bloggers when my third young adult novel, Nothing But Ghosts (Laura Geringer Books/HarperTeen) was set for release and two notoriously generous bloggers, My Friend Amy and Presenting Lenore, announced the underpinnings of a book drive. It was June 23, 2009. My Friend’s Amy blog read, in part, like this:
“The book drive is an intentional effort to expand the readership of Nothing But Ghosts by driving sales…I’d love to have a measurable example of how book blogs can drive sales for a book.”
Full story at Publishing Perspectives
Beth Kephart (right) believes in the power of bloggers
It’s not just the industry that seeks answers to the book blogger value question. It’s the bloggers themselves, many of whom have been at this for years — reading those books, giving public voice to their perspectives, tweeting give-aways, running contests, interviewing authors. Book blogging takes time. And while some bloggers have certainly found ways to monetize their efforts (a move that is not without its own complex controversies), a substantial number of the bloggers are still doing what they do for the simple love of books, and for the chance to turn someone’s head toward a story they have loved.
Can they? Have they? Does anybody know for certain?
If there are statisticians working on rubrics and finalizing the math, I’m not privy to them. I am privy, however, to the details of my own book life. I can, I’m saying, report from the trenches and allegate — with more than a touch of the emphatic — that book bloggers don’t just shore up a writer’s confidences, or make her feel less lonely. Book bloggers rescue certain books. They may even rescue quite particular careers.
“The book drive is an intentional effort to expand the readership of Nothing But Ghosts by driving sales…I’d love to have a measurable example of how book blogs can drive sales for a book.”
Full story at Publishing Perspectives
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