Month: January 2022

Book Bloggers Unveiled: Meet Flora ~ the blogger behind Flora’s Musings

Posted on by Kim

Hello everyone and welcome to The BG Blog. Today’s post is Book Bloggers Unveiled: Meet Flora the blogger behind Flora’s Musings.

In the last decade, there has been a self-publishing revolution as I discussed in my first Book Bloggers Unveiled post. I have a strong appreciation for the book blogging community and the part it plays. It’s obvious to me that book bloggers are a valuable marketing resource for any author wanting to self-publish their novels. Not only will they read your novel and write an honest review, but they’ll share their thoughts with their friends – they have hundreds of blogging friends.

Therefore, I’m using my voice to sing the praises of the humble book blogger. Today, it’s the lovely Flora @ Flora’s Musings. Flora has already written a couple of posts for The BG Blog and has kindly agreed to be my first victim participant of the Book Bloggers Unveiled series.

Hello Flora, thanks for joining us again and for agreeing to answer my questions about the life of a book blogger. Firstly, let’s find out a little bit about you.

Book Bloggers Unveiled: Meet Flora (Part 1)

Flora's Musings - Flora's Signature-3

Why Did You Start Blogging?

I just wanted an online space that allowed me to share more than a Tweet. Stuff that I found inspiring, and somewhere I could share my thoughts on what I was reading and watching. But also a place I could talk about subjects that were important to me.

What’s The Best Part About Being A Book Blogger?

You mean apart from authors and publishers sending me audiobooks to review? Lol! 😘 Well, I’d have to say the best bit is being part of a wonderful book blogging community. I’ve made some fabulous friends and have found so many new-to-me authors.

girl reading book on brown wooden table
Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

What Books Do You Read?

Fiction

Are There Any Genres or Type of Books You Avoid?

I avoid stories where that protagonist is under 18.

Do You Have A Favourite Genre, Author, Series? Tell Us More.

I love paranormal romance and urban fantasy. My favourite author is Dianne Duvall, she’s got a few series – Immortal Guardians, The Gifted Ones, and Alderbarian Alliance. Each series could sit on a different genre shelf but they all have gritting plots with adventure and a romance weaved in.

Which Five Authors (Living or Dead) Would You Invite To Your Dinner Party? Tell Us Why.

person holding clear wine glass
Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

Dianne Duvall, Felicity Heaton, Teresa Gabelman, and Holly Bell of course because they’re all my favourite authors and I have a million questions I’d love to ask them. My blog’s review archive is full of their titles. But I’d also like to invite Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, apart from finding out how he devised his plots, I’d also like to know how he feels about all the TV and film adaptations of his books.

What’s The Worst Part About Being A Book Blogger?

I had to think about this one for a bit. I used to get stressed about the number of ARCs (Advanced Reader Copy) I had to read/review by a certain date. Having to read a book and wanting to can shift your emotional state. You get reading slumps, blogger burn-out, and flounder about like a fish out of water. However, this year I swapped to audiobooks and no longer have any deadlines. I’m much more relaxed.

Do You Have Any Hobbies Outside of Blogging? What Do You Do To Relax?

Listening to audiobooks is my happy place. Oh, and I like doing jigsaw puzzles, sudoku, and watching stuff on Sky or Netflix.

Tell Us Something That Your Existing Followers Don’t Know About You?

When I was a teenager, I used to write stories about The A-Team and Battlestar Galactica where I was the protagonist.

person holding white ceramci be happy painted mug
Photo by Lisa on Pexels.com

Thank you for sharing your innermost secrets with us Flora. Now, I’m even more excited to find out more about your book blog.

Book Bloggers Unveiled: Meet Flora (Part 2)

Flora's Musings - Blog Graphic

What’s Your Blog Called?

Flora’s Musings

How Long Have You Been a Book Blogger?

about 8 years

What Type Of Posts Can We Find On Your Blog?

Reviews, Lists, Blog Tours, Tags and memes

What is Your Favourite Type of Blog Post to Write?

I still love sharing my thoughts about the audiobooks I listen to.

How Long Does it Take You to Create a Post For Your Book Blog?

Not including the actual listening/reading, a good few hours. I have a regular format but I still have to organise my thoughts, create the graphics, add purchase links so my followers can buy it too.

What Are Your Top Three Favourite Blog Posts You’ve Written?

This is another tough question, Kim. It’s like choosing which of my kids I love the most! But I’ve found three that I enjoyed writing

What Has Been Your Proudest Blogging Moment To Date?

Easy, the first time I plucked up the courage to reach out to an author and ask if we could do a Q&A for my blog.

Flora Meets Maria Vale ~ author of The Legend of All Wolves series.

Do You Have Any Blogging Goals This Year? If You Do, Please Share Them With Us.

I’d love to get more followers, but I’m happy with the organic growth I’ve got going. It’s quality rather than quantity.

I couldn’t agree more, Flora. Quality always outweighs quantity in my mind. Thank you for sharing these insights into your blogging life with us.

Flora’s Social Media Links. Go Follow, Like, and RT

I hope that you’ve found this post, Book Bloggers Unveiled: Meet Flora, as insightful as I did. I’m looking forward to unveiling another book blogger next month.

Book Bloggers Unveiled ~ Help for authors self-publishing!

Posted on by Kim

Hello everyone. Today, I’d like to talk about book bloggers and how they help authors with their self-published books. Introducing, Book Bloggers Unveiled.

In the last decade, we’ve witnessed a self-publishing revolution. Viva La Revolution! Amazon’s Kindle Print on Demand facility means that anyone from established authors to new writers are now able to send their words out into the world without the need (or cost) of a publishing house.

photo of a woman holding an ipad
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

Yeah, Amazon! They’ve single-handedly opened up the publishing industry. Right?

Well, not without help from forward-thinking people who jumped on the self-publishing ideal and went with it. I typed in “how to self publish a book” into Google the other day and got a whopping 30.5 million results!

The advantages and disadvantages of publishing your own work have been discussed in posts and articles for years so I’m not going to talk about that. There’s a plethora of help and advice out there at the click of a button so I don’t want to just rehash any of that either. I’m not an expert in book formatting, design or how to load your books onto the various retailers’ shelves. However, I do have a background in blogging and a strong connection to the book blogging community. Therefore, I’m going to add my voice to those who are currently singing the praises of the humble book blogger.

What’s so great about book bloggers?

I came across an article on NovelPublicity.com written by debut novelist Terri Giuliano Long that resonated with me. Long wrote How book bloggers sparked the indie publishing revolution back in 2012. I think book bloggers are even more relevant now, ten years later in 2022.

In her guest post, Long said that she’d been previously told by a former agent that her book wouldn’t hit the 500 sales mark. She credits the book blogging community plugging her debut novel with the resulting 80,000 sales. Long feels that the book blogging community has taken over from traditional reviewers. Providing reviews as in-depth as professional reviewers, but with a more personal feel.

Utilise the community of avid readers to promote your book

Promoting diversity is a recurring theme amongst book bloggers and utilising the book blogging community as part of your marketing strategy when you self-publish your next novel is logical. Long says that, among other things, book bloggers help people “discover new voices”:

“Unlike traditional media, most bloggers don’t stigmatize indie-published books. Except perhaps in free reads, no one pays bloggers for their reviews. Bloggers don’t answer to corporate publishers, nudging them to read books by their anointed authors, nor do they answer to a marketing team. Bloggers select books freely – their only goal is to share good reads with their readers and followers. Because they’re open-minded, willing to read books by an author they’ve never heard of, they discover new voices. This is what happened with In Leah’s Wake.”

NovelPublicity.com (2012) Online article “Thanks to you: How book bloggers sparked the indie …”

I personally don’t like to generalise like that. Yes, there are lots of book bloggers out there who do everything Long says and more, but I’m sure there are also those who don’t. However, it’s obvious to me that book bloggers are a valuable marketing resource for any author wanting to self-publish their novels. Not only will they read your novel and write an honest review, but they’ll share their thoughts with their friends.

So, what’s that got to do with me?

As I said, the book blogging community is a vast collection of avid readers. Just like you and me, each blogger has different reading tastes, likes, and dislikes. When you don’t have the resources or finances of a publishing company behind you, promoting your new baby takes valuable time, resources, and funds. Just the word “marketing” sends shivers down my spine and brings me out in a cold sweat!

I’m not a marketing expert. I started The BG Blog to help writers find solutions to the problems they may be facing. My new regular feature, Book Bloggers Unveiled, adds to that. Every month will feature a different book blogger. I’ll be sharing a little bit about their blog and the avid reader behind it. Therefore, you can get to know the book blogging community too and tap into this wonderful resource.

Look out for my first Book Bloggers Unveiled post later this month. In the meantime, you can check out my library where you’ll find lots of resources. There are posts and links that I’ve compiled for authors, writers, readers, bloggers and fellow editors and proofreaders.

Pinterest Pin - Book Bloggers Unveiled - Help for authors self-publishing (2)