publishing – Girl of 1000 Wonders

As most of you know, I’ve only undertaken this book blogging journey this year. I’ve been going for about seven months.

I have a very helpful book-reading friend – Momabel of The Eclectic Bookworm (where I also co-author) got to help me start out. And I realized…this isn’t that hard. I can see how people get advanced copies of hot new books, whether best-sellers or from independent presses, and churn out book reviews.

If you’re a reader and not sure where to start – use this as a jumping off point. It has helped me immensely. You can definitely get relevant, upcoming books to review – for FREE (almost always in an ebook format) in return for a review.

Have you heard of….

Goodreads?
Smashwords?
Book Bloggers?
NetGalley?
Book Reviewer Yellow Pages?
Indie Review
EReader News Today?
Amazon – Kindle Best Sellers List?

Goodreads is a go-to spot for all things reading. It has everything: book synopsis, quotes, book clubs, book recommendations, and book discussions. You can rate and review books, answer trivia questions, enter book giveaways, explore lists (by all types of categories) that other users create and take part in a creative writing community. You can also create your own personal reading goals, and “shelves” where you can keep track of books you’ve read, books you own, books you want to read and books you’re currently reading. (If you enter a book giveaway, the book it automatically added to your “to read” shelf.) And lastly, you can see what kinds of books your friends are selecting to read, which can add flavor to your reading palette.

SmashWords is another way to get free books. There are additional titles that cost, so if you’re not generating revenue from your blog or reviews – start with the free route. Smashwords is also a place where you can independently publish an ebook. It’s a great place to start building relationships with publishers.

BookBloggers is a site where authors can submit their books to be up for review. You can email the author via BookBloggers to request a copy to review, and they may send you an ebook version. I’ve had some success with this site – but lately it has been down A LOT. Like, all the time. I’ve received two copies from this source in 4 months.

NetGalley is a host site to publishing houses. I strongly recommend using this as a main (even primary) avenue to getting books. You create a profile, select books you’d like to receive, and the publishing house may grant you access to a book based on what they need in a reviewer. Setting up your profile for the genres and types of books you want is important. For example, I’m a teacher and have listed that my book blog has educational resources for YA novels I review as well as reviews for personal reads…and I don’t get many “request granted” email notifications for romance novels. You can rate and review books, which I think helps you receive access for future requests. Often your additional requests for books from the same publisher will be granted if you’ve already been granted access to one of their books. I have had moderate success with this site: out of 100+ books I requested (all that were available and interested me at one point), I was given access to 49 titles. This is why I recommend this resource.

Book Reviewer Yellow Pages is basically a Yellow Pages listing of book bloggers of all types. The main focus is bloggers who review self-published books, but they do list a few reviewers who aren’t self-pubbed only bloggers. This is a wonderful resource if you are just starting out, need more variety in your reading, or want to create relationships with a few authors. This is also a great resource for authors: there are numerous articles about writing, how to get your books on store bookshelves, how to get reviews, and just how to market your book. Reviewers and Bloggers, you can join at ANY time! There are monthly newsletters available, and your blog is listed as a newcomer in the newsletter after you’ve gotten onboard. You also get displayed on the homepage for a while! Wonderful, wonderful resource.

The Indie Review is for readers, reviewers and authors – much like Book Reviewer Yellow Pages. This is for Indie book reviewers ONLY. If you are affiliated with a publisher, you are not an Indie reviewer. There is a list of Indie authors, so never fear! According to their site, they “[rank] within the Top Ten of Book Review sites on Google, globally.” If you don’t like traditional publishers, this may be a route for you to explore, and hopefully connect with some authors.

EReader News Today is designed for Kindle readers. It even has help for using your Kindle. Each day EReader posts bargain deals and free books! Although they only do two free books a day, there is still a selection of choices. The best thing is that you can still go back and get the free books from past days! Follow them on Facebook to see when they post their book deals.

Amazon Best Sellers has cheap AND free book lists. Here’s how you get there: on the left panel of Amazon.com, select Books -> Kindle Books -> Best Sellers (across the top). On the left will be Top 100 Paid, and on the right will be the Top 100 FREE.

**The EBW and I (through EBW) are listed in both the Book Reviewer Yellow Pages and The Indie Review, and we get multiple requests daily. I also utilize Smashwords, Book Bloggers (not so much anymore, due to website availability) and NetGalley.

Reviewers: what resources do you utilize? I’d love to share your input! Leave a comment below, or email me at girlof1000wonders@gmail.com.

Early last month I received an email from Angela Craft, a marketing and publicity manager for Diversion Books. She was sending out queries for those interested in participating in a book blog tour for a summer book about to be released, Pieces of Tracy.

Silly me, new book blogger who just jumped in feet first (which I don’t recommend!) had absolutely zero idea what a book blog tour even was! I fired off a response to Angela that I definitely wanted to be included…again, jumping in with my feet first. Don’t do it! So I asked a friend, my lovely co-writer at The Eclectic Bookworm, who’s been in the book blogging biz for a while. She explained about blog tours, and then I felt even sillier! I signed up for everything on this book blog tour: a review, a give-away, an author guest post and an interview with the author, J Daniel Parra. You can follow Daniel on Twitter and like him on Facebook for more about his debut novel.

I’ve guest reviewed on EBW, but I’ve never had a guest post on Girl of 1000 Wonders. J Daniel Parra, you hold the distinction and honor of being the first guest writer and the first author guest post! Welcome!

Some of the things I outlined that I wanted Daniel to focus on were suggestions for potential authors, as self-publishing has exploded like the .com of the mid-90s with the invention of the eReader and other digital reading devices. Lots of authors are bypassing the traditional route of being published with a large, well-known publishing house and going with small, independent presses, or self-publishing. It is definitely changing the world of books. This is what Daniel had to say about it…

Sweet Rewards: The Path to Publication

The path to publication is a bit like playing that old board game, Candy Land. You have to make your way through places like the Gumdrop Mountains, the Peppermint Forest, and of course, Molasses Swap. The rewards are sweet if you have the courage to tackle the colorful obstacles in your path.

As you work your way to the ultimate goal of publication, none of the pieces will click unless you start out with a good story that’s told in a compelling way with an original voice. This could take years to accomplish, but it’s important to focus on your writing FIRST and to create the best possible product to send out into the perilous world of publication.

Once that crucial component is in place, you have to decide if you want to publish traditionally or self-publish. These days, there are many great arguments for self-publishing and various self-publishing sites (like CreateSpace on Amazon or Smashwords) to help you on your way. Self-publishing is particularly helpful for those who like a “hands on” approach to distributing their work. In many cases it creates a higher profit margin. It also requires the author to wear many hats, as editor, publisher, and publicist. A traditional publishing house will expedite all these things, distributing the workload among various internal branches. However, most publishers pay a modest advance for your work and then provide royalties based on sales. Consider the pros and cons, do your research, talk to other published authors. If you want longevity as an author, you might publish in a variety of ways over the course of your career and these days authors have more options available than ever. Best-selling author Sylvia Day is an example of someone who has successfully used all possible options, publishing on her own, through publishing houses, in print and in Ebook.

Another helpful component to getting published is the community of authors and readers available online. I recommend joining Goodreads or a similar site to get involved with your peers, to see what’s being published, read, discussed, and reviewed. On Facebook and Twitter, follow your favorite authors and see what techniques they are applying to spreading the word about their latest works. They are all building a readership and so should you. The days of merely writing something and expecting it to catch on with the use of a few well-placed ads, blurbs, and reviews are long gone. These days authors are engaging with their readers like never before and that’s useful all around, so take advantage of this accessibility and use it to learn how to create the framework for a sustained relationship with your readers.

In Candy Land, you often have to step backward before you move ahead. The road to publication also requires patience and a thick skin. We’ve all heard the stories of authors like Kathryn Stockett (The Help) who was rejected 60 times before finding a literary agent. It’s a tough industry to break into and that means you should prepare for criticism and rejection. This requires deep reserves of conviction and self-esteem. In my process, my first published book isn’t the first book that I wrote. I worked on a couple of books that will likely never see publication before arriving where I am today. But I don’t consider those other manuscripts a waste of time. They helped me improve as a writer and to get a deeper sense of my voice. Without them and the rejection they received, I wouldn’t have become a published author. I also learned to appreciate any advice I received from agents along the way. The best agents will reject you creatively and offer constructive criticism. Embrace this criticism and don’t let your ego get in the way.

Candy Land ends when you arrive at the Candy Castle. It’s every aspiring author’s goal to achieve publication and arrive at his or her own castle of sorts. It will not happen overnight. It will require overcoming various pratfalls. But I can assure you, if you stick with it and follow some of the guidelines above, it will be one of the most rewarding things you’ve ever done.

Here is my review of Pieces of Tracy – and you can enter the giveaway to win the book! Check out my interview with Daniel.

Tomorrow’s blog tour stop for Daniel’s Pieces of Tracy will be with Cinta Garcia De La Rosa. Check out Daniel’s guest post at Indie Authors You Want to Read. Monday, 7/22, the blog stop will be at Diary of a Mad Stitcher.