Comments on: Do Bloggers make a difference in sales

By: Pam

Pam — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 19:55:24 +0000

@Christina Even if your blog can’t be designed by a pro, you can have it organized and free of images that may crash browsers.

By: Christina

Christina — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 17:32:00 +0000

Belatedly here – excellent article. The look of a blog goes so far and it’s always a shame to read wonderful posts on my reader only to find out cluttered and poorly designed the site is when I go to leave a comment. If I were just stumbling upon blogs, I’d never know how well some are written based on that alone.

By: pachuvachuva

pachuvachuva — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 06:28:17 +0000

I like your style. Yes, being direct and honest about his/her own capabilities are what makes or breaks a blogger especially one who intends to stay for the long haul. For established book blogs like this one, it is indeed important for the blogger to be clear with his/her reviewing policies lest he be found a problem rather than a delight.
But before I veer off from the original topic, I’d like to agree to your point that having a specific audience in mind does help raise the no. of hits. Depending on the style and the readers’ preference, a well-written review, be it positive or negative, certainly increases the chances of sales (I’ve a friend who once bought a book because she got curious why it got a really bad rating), rather than merely relying on the traditional promotional methods (word of mouth may fall under the “traditional” category, but as you said, when it’s coupled with internet & social networking-savvy, it’s a hundred times more effective).

By: Pam

Pam — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 06:02:28 +0000

Thanks! I also agree that no one should signifigantly limit what they post. If they have a strong blog with 100 YA and 300 Chick Lit books then they have an audience for those two things, if they post a random Sci-Fi book how many readers from the genres the blogger has been devoted to will pick it up? Having a book blog is at least my way of sharing my love of reading with others, accpeting ARC’s and ARE’s fall into the category of marketing the book, whether you like the book or not and give an honest review, you should make sure you are able to target with your blog an audience that will appreciate that review. If I can’t I do not accept a title, it’s a waste of time and energy for me and the publisher.

By: pachuvachuva

pachuvachuva — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 05:57:01 +0000

This is a great post and the first one I’ve met that discussed the impact of book blogging on actual book sales. While many indeed still ask sales persons about their recommendations, researching for products online is steadily gaining ground. I myself don’t buy books unless I’ve thoroughly read and re-read about them unless of course I was smitten at first sight. Though the potential customer’s having heard about the book’s plot or of the author certainly helps memory recall and possible sales opportunity for the store.

One point though, I don’t think anyone who hosts personal blogs not strictly devoted to books (mine included) would need to apologize for not narrowing their fields of interests as this sense of variety only adds to the kind of flavor that you alone [the blogger] can offer your readers. Whether your influence on your readers’ buying habits is significant or not, a book blog which has found its unique voice among the field of thousands, is still worth celebrating.

I like this blog. Will add this to my blogroll. ^_^

By: Pam

Pam — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 15:26:08 +0000

Absolutely books and television fit in the same entertainment catagory, but which types of shows and books bring in her audience. When the blogger posts about comedy shows and ya books her traffic is higher, its okay to post about LOST but just don’t expect that amount of traffic. A niche can be a a huge thing, fiction in itself is a niche. I never said you need to narrow your focus to one small thing, just see what drives your traffic and build on that as your brand.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 12:51:19 +0000

I wonder though if it’s not advantageous for a blog to be somewhat eclectic in it’s posting style.

For example, if a blogger posts about books as well as television. I see the advantage of having a specialty or niche of focus but I also imagine that variety brings in more viewers. I would also imagine that publicists would like that not only are visitors coming specifically to find information about books when going to a blog but also that they might happen upon impulse or other purchasers via a secondary set of blog readers.

I’m not advocating for either just that I can see where narrow focus isn’t necessarily an advantage in all cases.

By: Pam

Pam — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:46:26 +0000

Jackie: This is written from a pure marketing perspective. If I have an online business that sells cell phone chargers that is what people want to know about. I keep a seperate blog that if I wanted to I could link from here where I write funny stories that people probably don’t care about :) A publisher sending you a book and a reader need to be able to first and foremost find your articles and reviews and news.

Pam: I do a bit of both, if I like a blog we feel the same way about a lot of books we have in common then I know I probably am getting really good recs for myself.

By: Pam

Pam — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 12:21:15 +0000

This is such a great post, Pam. It amazes me that the conclusion some are drawing from stagnant online sales is that online publicity sources are not effective. That’s like saying, because I don’t walk into my television to order a pizza from this vendor or that vendor, pizza joints shouldn’t advertise on t.v.!

I’ve spoken with two publicists and an author, recently, all who have raved about the advent of the book blog. It is certainly where I get my book recommendations, which, by the way, I buy at my local indie shop, NOT an online conglomerate. ;)

By: Jackie (Farm Lane Books)

Jackie (Farm Lane Books) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:26:00 +0000

I don’t think that stories about the blogger’s dog should be a negative factor. Some people write very entertaining stories about their pets/children/life and still persuade me to buy books.

What you really need to look at is whether the blogger will:
a) actually read your book and not just collect ARCs
b) like your book – based on other things they have liked in the past
c) is able to then write a well written review for it