Hello, gotoblack-ga!
It is true that writers have discovered blogs as a means to promote
their books and get valuable feedback. Some journalists are also using
blogs as a method of keeping current on subjects of interest. I have
compiled some interesting articles for you!
BOOK AUTHORS AND BLOGS
========================
From "Author's Blog on Lycos Drives Upcoming Book to Number One on
Amazon Advanced Sales List. Lycos Press Room. March 28, 2005
http://info.lycos.com/pressroom/032805_press.asp
"Keith Thomson, author of the soon to be published novel, "Pirates of
Pensacola" (St. Martin's Press, April 1, 2005), has successfully used
his blog on Lycos to help catapult his upcoming book to the top of
Amazon's Early Adopter list (based upon sales). Readers of Keith's
blog, "Gus Openshaw's Whale-Killing Journal"
(blubberybastard.tripod.com/blog), have exhibited such interest in his
new novel, that it stood at or near number one for three consecutive
weeks. Only one new book bumped it: the forthcoming "Harry Potter."
"Everyone from my literary agent, to the publisher at St. Martin's
Press, has been totally astonished by the display of a blog's sales
power," said Keith Thomson. "Blogs can be a singular sounding board
for the writer, and provide a unique experience for the reader, as
well as a very effective vehicle to create consumer buzz around any
product."
"It's very hard for a writer to get decent feedback, yet, anonymity
permits bloggers to be much more open. The readers have a vested
interest in being honest because they're taking part in the adventure
via the main character. So when the character is doing something they
don't like, they express their discontent. More often than not,
they're right, and it helps me to improve the story," Thomson added."
==
From "Writing & Selling Books with Blogs." March 9, 2005
http://www.site-9.com/blog/archives/2005/03/
"In January, during a stop of his virtual book tour, I discussed with
Bernd Röthlingshöfer how book authors can use weblogs to support their
work. Over the last couple of days I came across two interesting new
answers to this question:
"Shel Israel and Robert Scoble are writing their book about business
blogging more or less online - on the Red Couch Blog. Two weeks ago
they posted the first chapter there and got lots of priceless feedback
from their target group."
==
From "Blogging your book is a must," by Debbie Weil. Bookblog. July 15, 2005
http://blogwrite.blogs.com/book/
"You gotta have a book blog to create buzz around your book. I knew
that when I set up this blog. But it's confirmed in yesterday's New
York Times in an article, Dear Blog: Today I Worked on My Book. The
article quotes three nonfiction authors on their blogs and their
books-in-progress: John Battelle ("The Search"), Chris Anderson ("The
Long Tail") and David Weinberger ("Everything is Miscellaneous")."
"The article wisely points out: "Authors' blogs also change the
solitary mission of writing into something more closely resembling
open-source software."
"So... why a book blog? It's a way to draw on the "collective
intelligence" of your readers to get feedback, ideas, tips on who to
interview, pointers to articles to read, etc. It can build buzz for
your book after it's published."
"However, a book blog may or may not mean that you are inviting
readers into the writing process. Some authors are more willing than
others to post drafts of chapters. Robert Scoble and co-author Shel
Israel have been postings drafts for months to Naked Conversations
(the blog for their book about business blogging). In contrast, David
Weinberger, a co-author of the Cluetrain Manifesto and author of Small
Pieces Loosely Joined, tells the NYTimes reporter that he's not going
to seek so much input from readers this time around. It made the
rewriting process cumbersome and time-consuming."
Read several responses to the the above article:
"Why Authors Shouldn't Be So Quick To Blog Their Books," by Dave
Taylor. Blog Business Summit. 18 Jul 05
http://www.blogbusinesssummit.com/archives/2005/07/why_authors_sho.htm
==
From "Author Interviews: Melanie Lynne Hauser." Book Blog
http://dhamel.com/book-blog/authorinterviews/melanielynnehauser.html
"bb: "You started your blog Refrigerator Door in May of 2005. How have
you taken to blogging? Are you one of those people who love it--for
whom life's events are either blogable or not-blogable--or is it more
of a duty?"
MLH: "That's a good question! I've found blogging to be invaluable in
cultivating an audience prior to the book launch--but it is time
consuming. I don't find the writing part to be difficult, nor do I
find that it "takes away" from my other writing--and honestly, I've
never let the truth get in the way of a good story, if you know what I
mean! However, the other part--the visiting other blogs and leaving
comments and gathering links--can really suck you in. While it's great
fun and I'm reading terrific stories and learning about smart people,
I've got to discipline myself with regard to the amount of time I
spend. One blog leads to another blog leads to another.... That's the
part I fear will somehow prevent me from getting my other writing done
in time. But I'm still pretty new at this, so hopefully I'll figure
out how to budget my time."
==
See "What are the pros and cons of author blogs?" Ask Dave Taylor
http://www.askdavetaylor.com/what_are_the_pros_and_cons_of_author_blogs.html
==
From "Blogs in the Communications Mix." Power Blogger. April 20, 2005
http://pop-pr.blogspot.com/2005/04/blogs-in-communications-mix.html
"When The News Went Live is a blog written by four old-school
journalists, and how their lives changed the day of the Kennedy
shooting down in Dallas. The blog was set-up to support the public
relations campaign for the book of the same name the four had written
together, and has lead to more press and more public appearances for
the four."
"Via email, I have been speaking to Steven about the project. We first
talked about the difficulty on getting parents to blog - I gave up on
my Mom's real estate blog, but if you want to buy in Scottsdale, let
me know - and I was sure he had some of the fun headaches I had. I
believe he characterized it as taking a stick to the fellow authors to
adopt new communications technology."
"Here's where it is interesting - and why it shows that a blog can be
a good mix in a public relations campaign if correctly done."
"The book publisher launched a traditional campaign - media outreach
to print, radio and TV. And book signings. With the blog - and
Steven's work - those book signings have increased, and C-SPAN came to
Austin to film a segment. The blog has also reached people in foreign
countries, something that the PR campaign was not accomplishing. As
Steven noted, his father gets very excited when he gets a comment or
trackback from outside the United States."
"Let's be honest, though. If the authors were not interesting - and
the book subject not Kennedy - the blog reach would not be as massive.
But, Steven is working with the authors to make sure that they are
blogging the right way, are posting interesting information, and
driving greater traffic and awareness for the book."
==
From " Blogs sell books: Writers take note." Blog Business World. 11/13/2004
http://blogbusinessworld.blogspot.com/2004/11/blogs-sell-books-writers-take-note.html
"Blogs sell blooks. Lots of books."
"One such real world example, of a blogger book success story, is the
statistically oriented baseball book called the The Hardball Times
Baseball Annual."
"Blogs provide the single most powerful means of getting out the word
about a book. Coupled with the flexibility of a self publisher of
print on demand books, bloggers can become best selling writers. By
not going through the traditional publishers, bloggers can market and
promote their books in any way they choose. One technique is through
blogging their book. Once the book gains a bit of momentum, as a
direct result of the blogging efforts, other avenues of promotion and
marketing open up immediately. Nothing gets success like success. That
initial success is from bloggers using their blogs to get the book
moving."
==
From "Promote Your Books by Blogging," by Deborah Woehr
http://www.sensiblesoftware.com/articles/a/Promote-Your-Books-by-Blogging.html
"Three Big Reasons Why You Should Blog:
Reason #1: "A blog gives your book more exposure on the web, thanks to
pinging services (pingomatic.com) that alert the search engine spiders
and newsfeeds every time you post a new entry. You also have the
option of submitting your site to the top blog and RSS feed
directories for an even wider exposure for your book."
Reason #2: "A blog not only establishes your expertise in your
genre/topic, but allows you to build one-on-one relationships with
your readers. Your blog is an excellent tool to build your fan base.
Take the time to answer your reader's comments. Once you develop a
relationship with them, the more likely they will buy your book. If
they like your book, well . . . need I say more? I was surprised to
find that very few bloggers take the time to network with their
readers."
Reason #3: "The more your blog grows in popularity, the more inbound
links you'll get from other bloggers/readers. If you link your website
to your blog, this will help boost the search engine ranking for your
website, which will give more readers to the opportunity to buy your
book."
==
Also read "Why Every Author Needs a Blog." MamasInk
http://www.mamasink.com/node/view/86
==
"How To Get A Book Deal With Your Blog," by Biz Stone.
http://help.blogger.com/bin/answer.py?answer=674&topic=-1
"Blogging is hooking people up with book deals willy-nilly. Have you
always wanted to see your name on the shelf at Barnes and Noble? Do
you want to tell your friends, "I can't come out tonight, my editor is
breathing down my neck"? Well, there are bloggers out there getting
book deals right now. Hell, Wil Wheaton just signed a three-book deal
and he credits his blog and its readers for his good fortune....."
JOURNALISTS AND BLOGS
========================
From "Study Bolsters Blog-Related PR Practices," by Pamela Parker.
ClickZ News. June 21, 2005
http://www.clickz.com/news/article.php/3514176
"A study by Euro RSCG/Columbia "shows that more than 51 percent of
journalists use blogs regularly, and 28 percent rely on them to help
in their day-to-day reporting duties. By contrast, a recent Pew
Internet and American Life Project survey showed that just 11 percent
of the U.S. population as a whole reads blogs."
"The fact that the media are using blogs for reporting and research...
demonstrates that blogs have an enormous potential to not only
influence the general public, but to influence the influencers --
journalists and the media -- as well," said Aaron Kwittken, CEO of
Euro RSCG Magnet, in a statement."
"Journalists mostly used blogs for finding story ideas (53 percent),
researching and referencing facts (43 percent) and finding sources (36
percent). And 33 percent said they used blogs to uncover breaking news
or scandals. Still, despite their reliance on blogs for reporting,
only 1 percent of journalists found blogs credible, the study found."
==
From "Ink-Stained Retches." Reason Hit and Run. June 25, 2005
http://www.reason.com/hitandrun/2005/06/inkstained_retc_1.shtml
A survey of professional journalists by Euro RSCG Magnet, a PR and
marketing outfit, and Columbia University....focused on journalists'
attitude toward blogs.
"Only 1 percent believe blogs are credible," yet "more than half of
journalists use Weblogs regularly, with 28 percent relying on them for
day-to-day reporting." Assemble those responses as you wish. Many pro
journalists use blogs, the survey reported, to find story ideas and
sources."
"Tech blogs get especially high marks. Indeed, one of the Columbia
profs involved in the survey observed that "it is becoming imperative
that journalists and journalism students continue to integrate blogs,
especially blogs that cover technology, into their reporting
practices."
==
Also see "Ideas for Online Publications: Lessons From Blogs, Other
Signposts," by Dan Froomkin. USC Annenburg. Online Journalism Review.
Posted: 2004-05-26
http://ojr.org/ojr/workplace/1085603014.php
Excerpt:
"So I think that at least a portion of every online news site's home
page should be turned over to some sort of blog space, where
journalists can post items and readers can post comments, effective
immediately."
"The most successful blogs all have something in common. Their authors
are unashamedly enthusiastic about the topic at hand. (Often, of
course, they're outraged.) The lesson: There is no virtue in sounding
bored online."
"Online, journalists should not conceal their fascination for the
topics they cover. They should not hide behind the traditional bland
construction of news stories. They should still be fair, of course,
but they should also have voice and passion -- and sometimes even
outrage. There is a risk here that the line between news and opinion
may get blurry, but so be it. We should be turning our online
journalists into personalities -- even celebrities -- rather than
encouraging them to be as faceless as their print colleagues. The
Internet demands voice."
==
Two articles that might be of interest:
"What Journalists Can Learn From Bloggers," by Steve Outing. Poynter
Online. Dec 2004 http://poynteronline.org/content/content_view.asp?id=75383&sid=26
"What Bloggers Can Learn From Journalists," by Steve Outing. Poynter
Online. Dec 2004 http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=75665
==
I hope these are helpful!
Sincerely,
umiat
Search Strategy
Journalists OR writers AND blogs
journalists get ideas from blogs
how book authors use blogs
authors OR writers use blogs for public comment on their work
blogs help authors write books
authors promote books on blogs
writers promote their book on a blog |
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