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The Author's Guide to Working with Book Bloggers

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Every author knows that book reviews are an important part of author success
How do you find someone to review your book?

Have you exhausted your personal contacts & want to explore the online world of voracious readers & reviewers?

You have found the right book!

Award winning The Author’s Guide to Working with Book Bloggers explores the world of Book Reviewers and Book Bloggers. Based on survey answers from over 700 bloggers, this book contains down to earth, basic information that will help every author understand the book blogger world. Although there are many sources of book reviews, this book will focus specifically on the benefits the online reader world can bring to you and your book.

In this book you’ll learn about who book bloggers are and where to find them as well as learn all about these essential promotional tools:

The Query
The Review
The Giveaway
The Guest Post
The Book Blurb/Cover Graphic Feature
The Cover Reveal
…and so much more!

Discover how to move comfortably in the blogging world, putting your best foot forward. Learn to introduce yourself to coveted reviewers to obtain valuable reviews and promotion of your book.

Whether you are a new author or have many titles under your belt, let the award-winning The Author’s Guide to Working with Book Bloggers demystify the promotion of your book.

Pick up a copy today!

112 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 15, 2013

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About the author

Barb Drozdowich

58 books302 followers
Barb can teach anyone to use WordPress. She is a voracious reader of Regency Romance, taxi driver, gourmet chef in training, and slave to a cute puppy.

Barb has taught in colleges, universities and in the banking industry. More recently, she brings her years of teaching experience and a deep love of books to help authors develop the social media platform needed to succeed in today’s fast evolving publishing world. She owns Bakerview Consulting and manages the popular blog, Sugarbeat’s Books. She is also the creator and curator of The Book Blogger List

She is the author of more than 15 books 38 YouTube videos, a beginner WordPress course, a Goodreads course and lives in the mountains of British Columbia with her family.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
Profile Image for Cynthia Hamilton.
Author 19 books215 followers
November 29, 2018
I got the referral for this book from a book blogger on Twitter. It couldn't have been a better fit for me; the author makes it very easy to understand the importance of connecting with bloggers in order to expose their works to a much larger, genre specific audience. She provided links and resources along with commonsense approaches to appealing to both bloggers and ardent readers. I look forward to putting her advice to work with my own books. I would recommend this book to any author who wishes to step up their marketing game. Many thanks to Barb for making the wide world of book promotion easier to navigate!
Profile Image for Gisela Hausmann.
Author 42 books363 followers
September 23, 2015
Barb Drozdowich's book "The Author's Guide to Working with Book Bloggers" is an excellent book. Most importantly it explains that book bloggers are humans, who want to be approached like humans. Sadly, too many wishy-washy marketing blogs throw out slogans like "Get your book featured by a book blogger" or "Take your book on a blog tour," which are slogans that suggest to the novice that that's all it takes.

Well, of course it's not. While getting your book featured by a book blogger is not necessarily a science, there is a "sweet science" (am borrowing this word from boxing) to it - the little details that count. Authors need to observe the bloggers, see what they do, and align their own actions with what they see.

Drozdowich also makes it very clear that there are no shortcuts to success and there are no magic bullets,

"... You are looking at each blog to see if it’s somewhere you would want you and your book to be represented. Does it look like it is posted to on a regular basis? Are the posts neat and well-organized? If this blog posts reviews, read a few. Are they being respectful to authors in their reviews? Can readers leave comments easily?..."

Like with everything else we do, doing the leg work pays off.

Additionally, book bloggers are humans (not unpaid means to reaching a goal) and they want to be addressed in an appropriate manner. Drozdowich stresses the fact that authors should not waste bloggers ' time by providing too little or too much information. She provides helpful hints how to do it right.

"... I will go the extra mile to help promote authors who are polite and personable, if I love their book. Find bloggers who love your book and they will go above and beyond to help. Also keep excerpts and guest posts short. I tend to skim right over the long ones— don’t have time to read it all. Don’t be afraid to ask book bloggers for help. I mean, we do love to read. Personally, I love getting new opportunities to do new things for my blog..."

All in all this is a must-read book for any author who does not have a huge budget to pay a book promoter and wants to take advantage of one of the best new opportunities of the 21st century - the blogosphere. The book also contains many helpful links to websites.
High recommended.

Gisela Hausmann, author & blogger
Profile Image for Babs.
Author 13 books189 followers
September 13, 2013
It makes no difference if you are a new author starting out or one that needs a refresher course. This book is wonderful and can help an author succeed with their book and promotions. Everyone writer / author would benefit from this book. There is so much information that will get you started in the right direction.
A great job by the author.
Profile Image for Chrystal.
395 reviews115 followers
September 4, 2013


I remembered being a part of Barb's survey and had wondered what happened with the data she had collected, but I had no idea that she was able to collect enough to create this informational book for authors. As soon as I heard that she had compiled it into a guide for authors, I went and bought a copy right away.

This guide is not only a great tool for authors, but book bloggers as well. I found that the information was presented in an easy to understand and logical order. It was very straight forward and pretty much summed up what I think book bloggers everywhere are hoping to get across to authors.

We book bloggers love working with authors and publishers, but sometimes the ways we communicate are not clear. I think Barb's book will help to guide authors and bloggers in the best way to accomplish the promotion of our favourite books.

I loved how she incorporated many of the comments from the book bloggers surveyed. You actually get to see what we think about so many topics. This book is going to be a great resource for authors.

And since I can't seem to say enough about the book, I've invited Barb to guest post on September 12th (2013) to promote it.
Profile Image for Peter Younghusband.
364 reviews49 followers
November 22, 2020
This book is a great instructional guide for authors, especially new authors (and novelists) in what to do once they have their book ready for release. It is the mechanics of a blogger. The behind the scenes of what a blogger does and the relationship that develops between an author and blogger.

I bought this book as I was intrigued to see what it contained as far as the author's point of view in working with bloggers, myself being a book blogger for the past 7 years. And I wanted to see how book bloggers are perceived from this point of view.

I agree with everything this author offers. I have experienced and discovered most of what Barbara has experienced too. Authors are good at their craft, but not on the marketing of their work.  I receive many requests to review a novelist's work and the majority of these are first-timers. Authors wholeheartedly admit that they know nothing or very little about publishing their work and especially the marketing of it. This is one reason I offer an author, a variety of posts on this blog:

-Review
-Interview
-Author/novel spotlight
-Guest post
-Blog tour (when one is available through a blog tour company or if the author is organising one).

This is just my way of offering the novelist exposure and promotion of themselves and their novel. From seeing what an author needs to do to market their novel by working with bloggers, it is reassuring to see that I am doing what bloggers do right and that we are perceived in a good light and as a valuable resource to authors. This is certainly the feedback I have received from authors who have been a guest on this blog for any or all of the functions I offer above. It is a positive, effective and encouraging relationship.

This book discusses in concise and specific detail all of what I offer the novelist as described in the description:

-The Query (first contact with the author and the blogger usually as a request to have a review or be a guest on their blog),
-The Review
-The Giveaway
-The Guest post
-The Book Blurb/Cover Graphic Feature
 -The Cover Reveal

On a side note, I found it reassuring that all of those elements above and what I offer, I had worked out myself when I started this blog 7 years ago! I wish there had been a book like this one for us book bloggers when we entered this arena!

Here are what some of the reviewers have said, 

"This book is a valuable resource to any new author, but I am certain experienced authors would get some gem of knowledge they have not experienced or knew from reading what Barb advises."
This will not take you long to read. It is easy to read, understand and at 120 pages, it will only take a few hours to complete.

"I will offer this book to any author whom I have contact with, especially if they are a first-time novelist. It will certainly give them some vital information on how to start marketing their novel."
Here are what some of the reviewers have said, 

"So, the low down is: this wonderful, well-organized book will assist any author in their goals of self-promoting their work. I highly recommend it, both for the almost step by step format the book follows and for the perspectives it offers. Understanding your audience is the only way to be able to reach them, and this book will help in that." ~Amazon reviewer

"I have learned a mountain of indispensable information for authors. It would be impossible for me to acquire all this knowledge by rummaging about the web. Great job!" ~ Amazon Reviewer

"I found this book to be very forthright, with no fillers, easy to understand and easy to reference. I think every author should have this in their private library to refer to from time to time." ~Robin

"She gives perfect insight into the book blogger's psyche, as well as tips on how to befriend us and make the most of that friendship" - Lucy Pireel

"This is a great resource for authors. The book is filled with advice and resources. Self-publishing can be overwhelming and the author does a fantastic job of helping new (and experienced) authors navigate the world of book bloggers." - July Faley

"Ms. Drozdowich has done a wonderful job of taking all of the questions I have ever had about approaching a book blogger and plopped them into one very well written book. Through the use of research and her own experiences as a book blogger, this book was born." - Nana Prah

"Barb speaks frankly and with great practicality as to what the author needs to do to stand out from that dreaded 'slush pile.' Barb's book is short and to-the-point. I highly recommend it to authors across the genres." - Brenda Maxfield

"...She has written a seminal work that belongs in every author and aspiring author's library. It sits in a prominent place on my book marketing references shelf - now, my primary book blogger reverence." - Michael Allan Scott --This text refers to an alternate kindle edition.


I highly recommend this book for any author or book blogger who is starting out in the fields of blogging or authorship.
Profile Image for Mark Speed.
Author 16 books81 followers
October 29, 2015
I found this interesting and helpful. The author's coming from a loving place. She's a book-blogger and she wants to help authors to help book-bloggers. She gets huge virtual hugs from me for having done some original research by surveying a very large sample of her ilk and sharing the results with us. I suspect many other people have made more money than her off the back of her research. It's a quick and useful read. We should all be grateful that there are people like Barb who help make the world go round for all of us by making a real and original contribution.
Profile Image for Elena Mikalsen.
Author 4 books152 followers
January 30, 2018
A very helpful and informative guide to help an author form an appropriate relationship with the world of book bloggers.
Profile Image for T.J. Wray.
Author 3 books95 followers
February 28, 2019
There is a lot of good information here. I plan to read this book again. I bought the actual paperback book, so I could read it more than once and use it as a guide...TJ
Profile Image for Teena in Toronto.
2,278 reviews77 followers
December 10, 2013
I love to read! And I post my book reviews on my blog.

That has led me to participating in virtual blog tours for the last couple years ... I've discovered some great authors through these tours. So I was curious to read this book to see what's recommended from the author's point of view who wants to work with book bloggers like me.

The author is a book blogger at Sugarbeat's Books and wrote this book to help authors with her experience. She'd posted a survey focused at book bloggers on her blog and advertised it on Facebook and Twitter (alas, I never came across it). Expecting about 50 responses, she heard from 215 book bloggers. The details and responses from the survey are posted in the appendix.

I enjoyed this book and agreed with the findings of the author. Yes, I do feel appreciated when an author drops by to comment on a book I've read and reviewed.

I would recommend this book if you are an author who would like to learn how to promote your book using bloggers.

Blog review post: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2013/12...
Profile Image for Kristina Aziz.
Author 3 books25 followers
July 15, 2015
I received this through a firstreads giveaway

I read this book first as an author, and then as a book blogger. I found this book a valuable addition to my reference shelf during both reads. As an author, Drozdowich showed me how much work actually [should] go into review queries I receive. She lists many valuable resources including links to where you can find lists of book reviewers.

As a reviewer, I have to be honest. It took so long after receiving the confirmation that she was sending the book to get it that I thought she forgot about me. I also reached out to her on Social Media after I finished reading to see if she follows her own advice (as any good self help author should, she does.)

I do want to add one more thing to her list of 'things bloggers want authors to do'. While it's not a necessity, a small note written on the first page always makes me feel appreciated and less likely to procrastinate on the review. A simple "thanks for reading" or "hope you enjoy" goes a long way with me.

Despite the delay in receiving the book, I'm still offering a 5/5.
Profile Image for Romancing the Book.
4,420 reviews220 followers
October 8, 2019
Reviewed by Robin
Book provided by the author

I found this self-help book for authors to be quite informative. With a lot of books going the way of the e-book along with self-publishing; it is really a whole different market out there. Things aren’t done the same as when you have your book in print.

Ms. Drozdowich shows us how to navigate the world of blogging/social networking/media to make it work for the author. Showing or rather helping to guide us on the path to success. With everything going cyber now it makes it nice to know how to add these types of marketing skills to our repertoire which helps us to get our books out there and noticed and read.

Pretending I didn’t know anything about this area I found that this book gave us the basics to help us on our way. It was written on a very basic level making it easy for the novice to understand; but also not so basic that the seasoned writer couldn’t go back to refresh the ever changing world of technology.

I find we all need a little assistance from time to time in doing things the proper way to help eliminate the stress which helps to alleviate the pain of rejection.  The information that Ms. Drozdowich collected is very efficient in helping with e-books and self-publishing. She shows that it is very important for the authors to build relationships with our readers through social media as this makes us more real and personable.

I found this book to be very forthright, with no fillers, easy to understand and easy to reference. I think every author should have this in their private library to refer to from time to time.  Blogging is important to keep in touch with the reader after all they are the ones who buy your books, read your books and in the end refer them and talk about them to friends, family and co-workers which mean more sales.
Profile Image for Jencey/.
782 reviews7 followers
December 3, 2014
I attended the Decatur Book Festival this year. One of the discussions was a panel discussion on Book Reviews. This panel included professional authors and professional reviewers. I attended the discussion and asked one question during the Q and A at the end. I also mentioned that I am a Book Review Blogger. One of the reviewers told the people asking questions they needed to come see me and see how I the Book Blogger could help them.
What these authors really needed is to check out Barb Drozdowich’s book Author’s Guide to working with Book Bloggers. I unfortunately could not help all those authors who came to see me that day, but Barb can offer some great suggestions.
This novel is about twelve chapters. Barb used a survey of all of us Book Bloggers to help give guidance to the authors we are likely to work with. This survey is included in at the end of the book.
The main topics covered are:
How to select a Book Blogger
How to contact a Book Blogger
How to write a Guest Post, Interview, or Promotional post.
How to then promote those posts once up on a Book Blogger’s website.
My advice is it is best to read this book as an ebook because there are some interactive elements. You can read it as a paperback but you may want to refer to the internet with the websites mentioned in the book.
Profile Image for Lucy Pireel.
Author 10 books164 followers
October 7, 2013
This is a on-fiction book meant for, the title is a dead giveaway, authors, and as such I really enjoyed reading it seeing I’m an author. But I’m also a book blogger and I was impressed with how accurate this author, she doesn’t think she is, but this little book has just proven her wrong, can spin a yarn, a non-fictional one.

She gives authors the perfect insight in the book blogger’s psyche, as well as tips on how to befriend us and make the most of that friendship.

Her way of repeating certain things is done in a way to drive the message home and never feels pushy or over the top. Instead her way of steering authors toward a more personal approach of us bloggers was a much needed thing. As is the chapter she devoted to the reviews which are left by us, the book bloggers, and how authors should handle those, even if they are not what they hoped for.

All in all, a book every author should read before trying their luck on the book bloggers trail.
Profile Image for David Dennington.
Author 5 books90 followers
February 10, 2018
This book has inspired me to take action and move to the next phase. I’ve written and published two books and had some success (not enough of course), but now it all needs a boost. Barb Drozdowich has helped by introducing me to the bloggers’ world. Authors live and die by reviews and I’m at the stage of approaching that subject more intelligently. Barb Drozdowich has given me the tools. I shall follow her advice and work painstakingly to find the right bloggers. I’ve learned lately that you must accurately nail your genre and not waste bloggers’ time or your own—nor any reader’s for that matter. Barb has shown me that bloggers are not really scary as long as you follow their rules, don’t harass them and only approach those who might be interested in your work. Thank you Barb Drozdowich for helping me understand the world of bloggers, what they do, how they think.
Profile Image for J. Walker.
Author 13 books15 followers
June 4, 2014
Are you looking for ways to get your new novel noticed? Want to get the word out about your fabulous new work? You need a book tour! For that, you also need to know how to interact with book bloggers. The Author's Guide to Working With Book Bloggers is just the resource you need. Page after page of helpful tips and hints make this book a must have for new authors and the well established alike. Learn what to ask and what to send without being asked. Find out what the common complaints from book bloggers are and how to avoid the etiquette faux-pas. Barb gives industry inside information to help you make your next book marketing campaign easier and more productive! I'm giving The Author's Guide to Working with Book Bloggers 5 stars!
Profile Image for Karen Morrissey.
Author 1 book6 followers
March 18, 2016
Recommended. While planning by strategy for getting book reviews for two of the books I'm publishing in the near future, one book review blog encouraged authors to read this book. I bought the Kindle edition. It's a quick and easy read, and I consider it a must-read for any author or small publisher who is looking for additional sources of book reviews beyond the coveted and hard-to-get trade reviews by the big boys.

The three biggest things I learned from this book are
1) what book bloggers want
2) the biggest mistakes authors and publishers make in contacting book bloggers
3) things book bloggers can do to help promote your book beyond book reviews
Profile Image for Brenda Maxfield.
Author 133 books51 followers
December 9, 2013
I read Barb's book as part of her blog tour. As a writer, I was excited to get it! Authors are always eager to garner those coveted bloggers to review their books. Right away, I was taken by Barb's easy, friendly style. It was obvious that she knew what she was talking about. Barb speaks frankly and with great practicality as to what the author needs to do to stand out from that dreaded "slush pile." Barb's book is short and to-the-point. I highly recommend it to authors across the genres.
Profile Image for Hilary Grossman.
Author 21 books341 followers
May 27, 2015
This book should be mandatory reading for every author and aspiring author. It is chock full of incredibly useful information! I learned so much... In addition to gaining knowledge, I really enjoyed the way that this book was written. It was eye opening to understand the motivations and pain points bloggers experience. I think the use of the survey was brilliant. I know I will re-read this book numerous times, and I am sure I will pick up something new each time as well.
Profile Image for Dane Cobain.
Author 18 books318 followers
July 11, 2015
Disclaimer: Whilst I bought this book out of my own money, Barb is published and represented by Booktrope, the same publisher which released my debut novella, No Rest for the Wicked.

This is pretty much required reading if you’re an author who needs to learn how to market yourself – Barb covers all the key topics, from cover reveals and reviews to guest posts, giveaways and more. I picked up some tips, and I work in marketing!
Profile Image for Deanna Madden.
Author 10 books212 followers
July 14, 2016
Nice cover! I found The Author's Guide to Working with Book Bloggers at just the time I needed it. I was trying to figure out the world of blogging so I could request a book review for my first two novels, and this book told me everything I needed to know. Short, helpful, and informative. I picked up lots of good tips.
Profile Image for Charlotte Byrd.
Author 181 books1,631 followers
August 31, 2015
Very informative

Loved this book! I am a new adult romance author and I'm trying to figure out how to maker my new series, Desire: Big Bear Outlaw MC Romance. This book was very helpful!!
Profile Image for J.C. Lane.
Author 1 book17 followers
February 19, 2016
If you are an author wishing to give a boost to your book launch, this is the book for you! Ms. Drozdowich give many pertinent details and much great advice about how to work with book bloggers and make your book stand out. I recommend it highly!
51 reviews4 followers
September 11, 2015
*I received this book free via Goodreads First reads*

A very helpful book for authors and would-be authors.
Profile Image for KiKi.
150 reviews5 followers
December 7, 2015
So helpful

This book was extremely helpful , took so many notes. I liked the tips in the back. Great ideas and advice.
Profile Image for Terri Wilson.
Author 48 books143 followers
June 16, 2016
This was a great book for book bloggers and authors. Quick read and well worth the time.
Profile Image for Cathy Cole.
2,103 reviews60 followers
July 6, 2016
Good, no-nonsense guide for authors on how to approach, and work with, book bloggers.
Profile Image for William L Ingram.
Author 56 books17 followers
December 24, 2016
Excellent!

Excellent rescource ! A perfect introduction to the world of book bloggers. Well written and easy to understand with a friendly tone and subtle humor.
Profile Image for Dana Pharant.
Author 4 books7 followers
September 26, 2018
Well written book for anyone looking to promote there book through bloggers. Don't let the cover art throw you, this is short sweet and full of excellent information.

Learning how to promote yourself as an author is vital to your success and this author has done a good job of showing you how to pitch your book to bloggers and why you need to think about this 3-4 months out.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews

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