With maybe getting 1 book read a week, I only had 1 post a week. Anyone who has been blogging for any length of time knows you need to be adding new posts 3 - 5 times a week. So I went looking for other avenues of content. Memes helped fill in some of the dead space, but I wasn't real keen on doing too many. I started offering authors guest post spaces on my blog, which helped in providing new content and satisfied my need to help authors get exposure. I know many bloggers regularly have guest posts and interviews, so that is not the focus of this post. What I want to suggest to you is to get involved in your local community and help spread the word about books among your neighbors, friends, and family.
With marketing dollars dwindling and the increase in self & indie publishing, authors aren't having big city tours, but that doesn't mean literary events can't happen in your town. Actually because of the rise in self and indie publishing, there might be authors closer to you than you think. I live near a small college town (the town is small, not the university) and we have an active writing group. It's likely your town does, too (or at least in reasonable driving distance). If you live in a large market (Seattle, Austin, NYC, etc.), you will have access to bigger names. But then again not all big name writers live in these big name cities. Check with your local bookstore, library, university/college to find out about writing groups, area authors, and venues.
Venues for book events are endless: Coffee Shops, pubs and wine bars, civic organization meetings, as well as your typical places like bookstores and libraries.
The options are limitless with a little creativity and perhaps a bit of work. But the pay off is great. You will gain local exposure and credibility, which will lead to a greater network of readers to your blog. Remember to do a write up of whatever event you attend (there may already be book related activities going on in your community). The word of mouth exposure an author and book receives will be greatly appreciated and who knows you might just launch the next bestseller.
If you have a blogging or book related tip to share please post a link to your post below. A link back to this blog would be greatly appreciated http://www.girl-who-reads.com
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