I’m up early for my flight home and thought I would let folks know what the Borders blogging experience was like, in case some of you are sitting on the fence about submitting for the Friday open blog slot.
Qualitatively: I enjoy writing for other blogs, because my voice always sounds a little different, and that was true in this case as well. I got a healthy number of comments, many from published authors, which was fun, and some from regular visitors to RRR, which I appreciated very much. It remains to be seen whether a reader/author/blogger community will develop at BTR, or whether it will have the feel of more of a promotional website, but it’s too soon to judge.
Ms. Grimshaw’s video intro was amusingly vague and inaccurate (JR Ward is NOT one of my fave romance authors), but I still got a kick out of it.
Quantitatively: Linkage from the Smart Bitches website and pimpage from SBSarah and Sue Grimshaw on Twitter gave me my best stats day ever, at about 10% higher than my last best day. Throughout the week, the linkage from Borders gave me a small bump in hits all week. I think if you are a smaller/newer blog looking to reach more people or an established blog looking to reach a different audience, it’s a great idea to do it.
Next up is Keishon of Avid book Reader, and soon after that, Katiebabs from Babbling About Books. Can’t wait!!
I leave you with one of my patented, totally boring Kindle on vacation shots:
Did you link to the guest post in this blog? I missed it.
yes check out my last post.
That’s really cool about blogger voice. It’s so interesting to read your in-depth analysis of romance.
By the way, I nominated you for The Lemonade Award in blogging:
The Lemonade Award is a feel good award which shows great attitude or gratitude.
Here are the rules:
* Put the Lemonade Award logo on your blog or post.
* Nominate at least 10 blogs that show great attitude or gratitude.
* Link your nominees within your post.
* Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
* Share the love and link to the person from whom you received the award.
Jessica, you post at Borders was amazing! How can I compete? lol
Hmmm, this is very interesting. Something to think about. Hope you had fun on your vacay!
I did like your post at BTR, but at this stage in it’s development, it’s not for me.
It just feels like promotion: ‘Tell me why your book is great!’ rather than blogging – which is fine, but not something I would spend time reading.
Also, and I know this is trivial, but I think the way the video clip is filmed looks like no-one’s taken the time to think about how it looks. I think she needs a bookshelf, or a poster, or a pot plant breaking that expanse of wall behind her.
I’m not a visual person, but the lack of a setting just distracts me – the lone red book propped oddly on the windowsill just isn’t enough. If the aim is for readers to see Borders as their romance-friendly bookshop of choice, then it’s advertising, and their advertising department should take five minutes and create a welcoming ambience.
But I hope BTR finds it’s audience: she seems genuinely interested in the genre.
@ jessica:
Thanks! Not sure how I missed that.
@ AnimeJune:
Thank you! Except I am a bitch and don’t do memes. I am so sorry and I owe you.
katiebabs wrote:
Very funny! It’s going to be awesome. I can always edit it if you want it to be less energetic, funny and interesting than what you normally write. Or you could hand the keyboard over to Mo.
@ Carolyn Crane:
Had a great time. Oh and you were totally lying about the hot car, weren’t you?
@ Marianne McA:
I agree with many of your points. When Jane asked me to do it, we had several email exchanges that involved me basically asking the same question, “What is this again? And why are you and Sarah doing it?”
She was patient and kind in her replies, but I confess I am still not sure, and maybe that’s just the way of these blog things … it’s organic, and you have to see what happens. I did it because I respect and admire what Jane and Sarah have done with their own blogs, and because they know a lot more about Romanceland than I do, and I trusted their instincts that Borders True Romance would be good for readers. Equally important was my self-interest in exposure of RRR, of course.
It’s funny, I am usually not that interested in hearing what authors have to say about their own books. I am usually much more intrigued by what other readers have to say. So I generally avoid author blogs and the like.
But I do agree with you on getting Grimshaw a better backdrop, and maybe coaching her on how to seem a little more energetic and enthused in the vids, without drifting into Kathie Lee territory.
Every new blog venture is a risk, but I know that both Jane and Sarah are extremely strong advocates of having readers’ perspectives on Romance and reading enjoy as broad and visible expression as possible. And while many of us have either our own blogs or blogs we regularly post on (and I for one appreciate the opportunities to blog in different venues, b/c it changes things up), IMO there are very few blogs where you can have such a wide range of people within the Romance community posting (as opposed to commenting).
It’s not like RtB where you have a relatively substantial list of the same people who blog once every two months or so; it’s like a bunch of guest spots, which means that over the course of a year, for example, literally hundreds of different people have the blogging spotlight at the same central site — of a major bookstore, nonetheless. IMO it’s unrealistic to expect that authors aren’t going to promote, but I think the mix of readers, authors, and other industry/genre folks is kind of unique and potentially energizing for everyone. And no, I have not been invited to blog there and had no part in setting it up, so I have no vested interest.
I am clicking into the blog every now and then to see whats up, and I think there are real possibilities for it to grow into something interesting. But it hasn’t grabbed me yet.
Have to agree with that.. I have only watched a couple of the vids, as found them quite stilted and awkward, and yes was struck by the lack of background as well.