Blogger Books
I recollect that, some time back, there was a discussion about seeking guest posts and promotion of bloggers' books. I have seen that the Forum permits a separate category for seeking guest posts. Has any such thing been proposed for book promotions as well? If not, is it considered advisable to have one such category?
Given the need for even authors from known publishing houses to market their books, what are the other avenues available to a blogger-author to publicize his/her books?
(P.S: I am not too conversant with the latest rules relating to Forum posts and, so, if I have transgressed there shall be no hard feelings if this thread is locked or deleted)
What I understand is that marketing is all about making strategic inroads into the minds of a consumer... and selling is making sure that it is your product that a consumer pays for when finally poised to buy. What most authors do today is to bully themselves into every nook and crevice in the virtual world to shove their creation up your nose and keep it there until you loosen your purse strings.
Authors must understand that their job is to write and not to sell. They need to promote their work by writing blog posts that enlighten a reader about their specific writing process or some interesting facets during the time their book was written... I mean they need to write posts that are linked to their book and not just keep saying: 'Buy my book. It is available here!'
Readers are intelligent enough to read posts and decide if they would like to read a full-length work by the writer or not. Why bring books to the level of a pepsi-coke tussle or the way soaps-n-oils are sold?
I have mentioned just one strategic marketing concept... ie, impressing the mind of readers through blog posts! There must be plenty other such ideas. Looking forward to read them here on this thread.
Your idea is indeed quite brilliant of writing about your subject and making people aware of what it is about and how it has interested you. Offlate, I have come across promotion of a different kind, where in there are free giveaways and the people who get those books have to review them.
I was unaware of this trend and applied for a couple of book reviews. When I googled for any reviews of the book, surprisingly I found close to a hundred reviews on Flipkart, GoodReads, Blogs giving glowing reviews to the book.
A year ago, this was not the case. I hardly used to find any book reviews, but this promotion has really caught up with readers and publishers (few) alike. After reading couple of substandard books, I'm opting out from this type of promotion.
I would love to know of them too, Arvind. Yes, I would also love to see authors free to only write with the onus of the marketing left on the publishers - but my recent experience tells me that such freedom, unfortunately, is not the lot of today's authors. But I do agree that it gets irritating to have a book thrust under your nose no matter where you run on virtual media :) But, that, unfortunately, is possibly because the author is thrust willy-nilly into the role of a marketer without any expertise in the art of marketing. Ergo, this thread. If, like you, people can contribute ways and means of properly bringing a book to the notice of an audience it may well help the authors as well as the unsuspecting public :)
Yes. Especially when bloggers know the authors personally, it becomes difficult to give an honest review. 
fortunately i dont know any of the authors of the books i reviewed so far...though many of them contacted personally via email asking for a review
I think I won't review Indian authors except for the one I have taken. No review, no hard feelings. 
i dont have any such issues -- indian, western or japanese, as madhu mentioned..wat matters is honest review..
I give honest reviews only. That's why no reviews for authors whom I know.
I believe that all the post-publishing events are almost as important as writing a novel. But authors can sometimes influence bloggers to have biased reviews. I have observed it in the past. There are "genuine reviews" and then there are "book reviews"
i dont think anyone can influence...bloggers are not paid for the review, they are merely given a book -- how can that influence anyone?
1. There are other ways to influence except fiscal gain.
2. I was asked for money from a couple of bloggers for the review of my first book. I didn't like that notion though, and decided not to mail them a copy. But I know a few authors who see no harm in "paid" reviews. Sigh.
actually theres no harm in paid reviews...as long as author donot expect the review to be all praises and the reviewer gives totally neutral views. reviewer spend lot of time reading book and giving space in his/her blog as well as help martketing so if he takes money for that i dont see it as issue ---- only his views should be independent and author shudnt mind if they dont like a particular book and says so.
I totally second that! But it is not the same everywhere, if you know what I mean.
But as a personal choice, I would not prefer paying anyone for posting a review of my book. I just don't like the idea of it :|
Hmm! I put up a thread about a separate Forum category for Book promotions as well as to know about other means to promote books available to authors and it seems to have turned into an exclusive discussion of the pros and cons of book reviews on blogs 
Had to re-check my subject to verify that I had not started a thread on book reviews alone by mistake
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