#BookishThoughts-‘Tag, You’re It!’ aka What Keeps Me Awake At Night…

My latest #bookblogger musings have been prompted by several interactions this year with authors, blog tour organisers and publicists. It’s basically my blog birthday tomorrow, yay, I stuck at something for a year! HURRAY!

Notoriously short on patience, I have no idea if this is actually being read or going anywhere.Response is not equal to validation, I know this,so I hope this post finds a place where it makes sense outside of my befuddled thinking.

And also, maybe brings some clarity.

To someone or some thing…somewhere, out there….or just recommends some new bookbloggers or authors or blogtour organiser, whatever floats your boat!

Mostly influenced by Twitter, where so many authors use this platform to communciate, support and promote, I have noticed a couple of things which are keeping me up at night…..

 

• Tagging authors in reviews-is it self promotion or are you clogging up an author’s timeline?

I would really love to know the answer to this one because on one side, I think I am saying ‘Hey!I love your book!‘ but am I just drawing attention to me and my blog not the author in question?

These are the type of musings that keep me awake at night! And are probably nonsenical but hey, if we can start a debate about it, maybe I can put that one at rest!

I LOVE being able to read a book and get it out there on a platform like this as there are so few irl people who actually get to talk books! Apart from the members of the #SBCollective,who are an amazing group of bookish people, it’s me and this keyboard in the dining room, tapping away into the interweb….

 

 

• Tagging authors when you hate their book-WHY OH WHY OH WHY! This has been seen across several authors” timelines where they are jokingly sharing some truly horrific reviews of their books .Your initial reaction is to gasp and laugh , but, it really isn’t funny. You may not have enjoyed it, but why tell the person who put their life, their heart, their everything into their novel ,that they stink? And another thing…reviewing on Amazon makes a HUGE difference to an author so why are we allowed to post ‘1* as it came late’ and then drag down the author’s rating? It’s INSANITY! Like when people were able to rate the latest incarnation of Doctor Who before 1 single episode has been shared. AND where has the ‘unhelpful’ option gone? If we cannot vote something down as this, we shouldn’t really have the upvote option either!

 

• Posting reviews by a particular time-does this again create waves or create blockages?

Again, another tossing and turning thought wave, this panics me. I post super early or super late. I cannot get scheduling to work for me AT ALL and I panic anyway about this. Posting before I leave for a shift means posting at 5 a.m, after can be up to 8.30 p.m. Do I do it at lunchtime when people check their mail/social media , do I reshare my  blogposts or is that super needy? And then do I tag in the author again (see point 1). You see why I have bags under bags under bags at the moment?!

 

 

• Do attitudes put you off reading books? Authors owe us nothing, publicists and blog tour organisers owe us nothing, but I have been truly humbled and touched whenever someone reaches out and says ‘Thank you‘ or ‘You got it!‘ It is so so appreciated! However…I have had dealings with 3 authors this year which have been quite challenging and my response from now on is now going to be ‘you need a review more than I need books to read’. There is still a perception that bookbloggers do it for the free books. It could not be further from the truth. There are hours and hours involved in reading a book. Then there is the formatting of a post,writing a review, thanking the publishing people/tour organisers/ publicists as well as posting the review across all social media platforms. And sharing fellow bloggers posts, interacting with comments etc. It all takes time. We have lives, no one knows what is going on on the other side of the keyboard so please, be kind to your friendly neighbourhood blogger. You don’t have to respond to our reviews, we get it, but to be rude? No need of it.

 

• Does an author’s online presence affect how you read their books or whether you choose to pick one up? We all know that online life is generated by a sense of FOMO-people create situations that make you want something so much it haunts your dreams (I am thinking of ‘The Chain’ by Adrian McKinty which is my current object of bookish desire…)But I have genuinely, in this first year of blogging and seventh of book reviewing, had some wonderful authors highlighted because of social media. Book Twitter, in particular, has created some great interactions that have honestly made my heart sing, made me cry and laugh uncontrollably. I have found new friends which I never would have and as for my literary heroes? TOTALLY BOSSING IT ! I am looking at you Stephen King, Joe Hill and Owen King, Peter Straub, Ramsey Campbell, Alice Bolin, Zoje Stage, and sooooo many more!  Stay to the bottom of the page, if you have a mind, for some fabulous bloggers, publishers,authors and instagram people who are so, so worth following! They will expand your mind, your tbr mountain and take you to places you cannot imagine!

Anyway, that has been keeping me up late at night whilst I read, reflect and write-how about you??

A Not Exhaustive List Of Useful Links-

Blog Tour Organiser Supremos!

All these ladies are fabulous bloggers and reviewers in their own rights, as well as blogtour organisers!

Emma at https://damppebbles.com/

Tracy at https://www.compulsivereaders.com/

Anne at http://randomthingsthroughmyletterbox.blogspot.com/p/services-to-publishers-authors-blog.html

Kelly at https://lovebooksgroup.com/

Rachel at https://www.rachelsrandomresources.com/

Shell at https://twitter.com/BakerPromo

 

Independent Publishers Par Excellence!

http://orendabooks.co.uk/

http://www.fahrenheit-press.com/

https://www.reddogpress.co.uk/

https://www.flametreepress.com/

https://www.quirkbooks.com/

https://reddoorpublishing.com/

https://www.hashtagpress.co.uk/

https://urbanepublications.com/books/

http://www.wildpressedbooks.com/

https://titanbooks.com/

 

Tried and Rated Bloggers!

Michelle @https://thebigfatbookworm.wordpress.com/

Kerry @https://likeherdingcatsblog.wordpress.com/

Mart @https://beardybookblogger.com/

Dave @https://espressococo.com/

Kelly @https://frombelgiumwithbooklove.com/

Meggy @https://chocolatenwaffles.com/

Bella @https://bellajones.home.blog/

https://thestrawberrypost.wordpress.com/

 

Authors which will slay you with their wit and wisdom

https://zojestage.blogspot.com/

https://alicebolin.com/

https://theodoragoss.com/

https://www.dansimmons.com/

https://jonathanjanz.com/

http://www.meganhart.com/

https://louisebeech.co.uk/

https://harriet-evans.com/

https://www.harriettyceauthor.com/about

http://tom-cox.com/

https://www.richardkadrey.com/

https://rioyouers.com/

http://www.gradyhendrix.com/

https://www.joehillfiction.com/

 

AND If you got this far then a) 6000 kudos points to you and b) here’s an ear worm from ‘The Doors!