Nonfiction Authors: Get Bloggers to Promote Your Books

Book Bloggers, i.e. people who blog about books, like to interview authors for their blogs. Some bloggers have tens of thousands of followers and can totally change an author’s life by exposing you and your book to their audience.

Finding a blogger who interviews authors in your genre and particular topic allows you to reach your target niche. Blogs tend to generate a fairly dedicated following with certain blogs sending some authors right to the best seller ranks. By having a blogger interview you and post the interview on their blog, you will potentially pique the interest of everyone who reads that particular blog. People will be more likely to visit your site and read your work, increasing your sales.

Here’s a short list of book bloggers who interview authors. Find the ones that fit your genre and give them a shout:

• Book Bloggers Association: http://bookbloggersassociation.com/
• YA Book Blog Directory: http://yabookblogdirectory.blogspot.com
• Eri Nelson: Wonderful Reads of the Month: http://www.wonderfulreadofthemonth.blogspot.com/
• Teddy Gross on Jewish-themed books: http://teddygross.blogspot.com/
• Morgen Bailey: http://morgenbailey.wordpress.com/blog-interviews/
• Kate Brauning writes excellent book reviews: http://katebrauning.wordpress.com/
• Indies Unlimited: http://www.indiesunlimited.com/
• Review Carnival: http://www.reviewcarnival.blogspot.com/
• The Writer’s Life: http://thewriterslife.blogspot.com/
• Beyond the Books: http://beyondthebooks.wordpress.com
• Cynsations: http://cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com
• The Next Best Book Club: http://thenextbestbookblog.blogspot.com
• Book Chums: http://www.bookchums.com/blogs.php
• Rainy of the Dark: http://www.rainyofthedark.com
• The Indie Exchange: http://theindieexchange.com
• Neal Thompson: http://www.nealthompson.com
• Expat Bookshop: http://www.expatbookshop.com
• The Writing Corner: http://www.thewritingcorner.net
• First Book Interviews: http://firstbookinterviews.blogspot.com/
• Lena Sledge: http://www.lenasledgeblog.com/
• Better World Books Blog: http://blog.betterworldbooks.com/
• Proud Book Nerd: http://proudbooknerd.com
• I Am a Reader, Not a Writer: http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.com
• Blogging Authors: http://www.bloggingauthors.com

As long as a particular blogger covers the genre you write about, most of these bloggers will be happy to interview you about your book. Some bloggers may conduct a phone interview while others will email you questions to answer.  Others will invite you to submit a book synopsis, your bio, head shot, book cover and a press release. They’ll use all of this to create the blog page about you and your book.  After all, it is fresh material for their site.

By reaching out to a targeted list of bloggers you will be promoting yourself in online circles, which will increase your visibility and potentially increase book sales. You can also search for bloggers who interview authors by typing keywords such as “list of book bloggers” or “blogger author interviews.” If you want to track down a certain audience, you can be more specific with your Internet search and search phrases like “young adult fiction book blog.”

For more in depth information about promoting your book using blogs I suggest you read How to Blog a Book by Nina Amir. It’s filled with useful tips and techniques that will guide you through the process.

Bottom line: Finding a blogger to interview you about your work is one ‘arrow in the quiver’ of a book marketing strategy and one that can lead to new fans, publicity and increase in book sales.

About the Author

Book publicist Scott Lorenz is President of Westwind Communications, a public relations and marketing firm that has a special knack for working with authors to help them get all the publicity they deserve and more. Lorenz works with bestselling authors and self-published authors promoting all types of books, whether it’s their first book or their 15th book. He’s handled publicity for books by CEOs, CIA Officers, Navy SEALS, Homemakers, Fitness Gurus, Doctors, Lawyers and Adventurers. His clients have been featured by Good Morning America, FOX & Friends, CNN, ABC News, New York Times, Nightline, TIME, PBS, LA Times, USA Today, Washington Post, Woman’s World, & Howard Stern to name a few. Learn more about Westwind Communications’ book marketing approach at http://www.book-marketing-expert.com  or contact Lorenz at scottlorenz@westwindcos.com or by phone at 734-667-2090. Follow Lorenz on Twitter @aBookPublicist

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