Book bloggers

book bloggers

book-lovers who share their opinions about books online, usually without compensation

Should I agree to do an online interview with a book blogger?

If you want to. Blog interviews are usually informal. Sometimes the questions are meant to be fun and silly, and sometimes they are stock questions like “How do you come up with your ideas?” because the blogger might not have gotten the chance to read your book. Consider how much time you have and what kind of traffic the site gets, and consider asking your editor if s/he has an opinion.

Should I follow bloggers on social media?

Bloggers love books, so following them on social media can be great–you’ll see all kinds of book suggestions and maybe even strike up a friendship with them. On the other hand, some bloggers tweet/post their negative opinions of books, and you probably won’t enjoy reading negative opinions of your own book. Some writers like to keep very clear boundaries between themselves and bloggers. Whatever you do, DO NOT respond to negative tweets or posts about your book.

What if a blogger bashes my book?

Bloggers are entitled to their opinions, and their opinions are often very passionate. Bloggers are also generally connected to lots of other bloggers in the book community. NEVER respond to a negative review of your book. “But that blogger’s review was really harsh and/or factually incorrect!” It happens. Better to turn a blind eye than to start a conflict with a blogger. In fact, just don’t read reader reviews of your book to start with. They’re meant for readers, not for the author. And consider that bloggers spend hours crafting images and posts to share their opinions on books–without compensation–and they don’t need grief put on them.

A blogger tagged me in a negative tweet/post about my book!

That sucks. It’s considered rude, but some bloggers don’t know this. Don’t respond. Pretend you never saw it.

A blogger tagged me in a positive review of my book!

Yay! Doesn’t that make your day? Give them a like and/or respond with a thank you. But if they didn’t tag you, don’t butt in.

What if a blogger requests an ARC or finished copy of my book?

Most bloggers know it’s unprofessional to ask an author for this. New bloggers might not; direct them to a publicist at your publishing house. If they have already tried going through the publicist and have been denied (maybe because their blog does not generate enough traffic), it’s not on you to give them one of your own copies from your very limited supply, especially now that publishers are sending out far fewer ARCs to authors and others.

Should I do an Instagram tour, or any other kind of social media tour?

Some authors pay bloggers to post reviews, giveaways, or pictures/videos of their book on their Instagram or other social media account (like TikTok). You can also hire a company to pay bloggers to do this for you. I personally haven’t seen much evidence that this is effective, but if you want to give it a shot, or if you just really like to see nice pictures/videos of your book on social media, go for it! Sometimes your publisher will do this for you, like if you’re a lead title; I’m not sure how common this is, though.

Side note: If you’re sad that no one posts about your book on social media, please remind yourself that many lovely posts about other books have actually been paid for or otherwise requested. I mean, many of those posts have not been set up by the author or her team, but it’s still good to remember that all is not as it seems on social media.