This Week In The Blogverse

            Last week I announced that today I would be looking at the blog run by Shelly and Chad. They have a great feature over there that I want to point out to everyone, but I think the timing will be better if I cover it next week. Sorry to have mislead all of you.

            The featured blog for this week is Why Is My Book Not Selling run by Victorine Lieske. The title feature is the only one on the blog; Victorine has another blog that discusses writing topics, but it’s been awhile since she last posted there.

            Just as the title states, this features looks at the reasons why a book isn’t selling. Self-published authors submit information about their book that includes the title, genre, how long it has been available for purchase, the total sold so far, a link that shows the cover, and the first 300 words of the story. Victorine posts that information along with suggestions on what can be improved and then invites everyone to leave helpful comments for the author.
            The obvious great thing about this feature is that it provides a place for self-published authors to get help in marketing their book. Victorine offers some great advice on how to change the cover and the first page of the book to better attract more readers. This pairs nicely with the comments left by the readers which can give the author a feel for the reaction the book is getting in the market.
            This is an excellent free resource. If you are a self-published author take advantage of it to improve the sales of your book. It also serves as a perfect example of a basic principle in blogging; give your readers something of value. When you make it worth the reader’s time and effort to visit your blog they will continue to return and may even tell their friends about it. And no matter what your reason is for starting a blog the ultimate goal is to gain a readership and then grow it.
            Even if you don’t have a published book to submit this is a great feature. In my mind it’s the equivalent of an on-line workshop. You can sharpen your own writing skills by looking at the featured book and figuring out what works and what doesn’t. Post your comments and see what the other writers had to say about the book. Do this enough and you will start to develop a keener eye for spotting fatal flaws in the presentation of your own stories.
            Sooner or later a book will be featured that has similarities to your WIP. This gives you a chance to receive feedback when it helps you the most. Take a look at the comments with an eye on how they apply to your own writing and this becomes a valuable stop each week during your blog-browsing.

            Why Is My Book Not Selling has become a regular habit for me. I recommend that you make a couple of visits yourself and see if it can help your book marketing efforts.