Celebrating Bloggers 2013
I’m thrilled to be participating in the celebrating bloggers blog hop today. Since the release of Hereafter, I’ve had the pleasure to not only learn about this thing called book blogging, but to also meet many wonderful bloggers. I have found bloggers to be wonderfully supportive, and I have been overwhelmed by their generosity and kindness.
Now, one way I had planned to repay the kindness was nominating my favorite blogs for awards during the Book Blogger Twitter Con (yes, they now hold conferences via Twitter and it was AWESOME!) that happened last week. However, I didn’t have my act together, and I missed the nomination window. ::sad face:: So, I thought I’d use my celebrating bloggers post to tell you who I would have nominated, had I been more on top of things.
Favorite Meme
Hands down, it’s Cover Wars by Book Whore (incidentally, Book Whore also wins best blog name, in my opinion, hands down). Each week she pits two similar covers against each other (very often the covers have eerily similar designs or have used the same stock photo) and lets her readers vote on who “wore it better.” As an author, I think it would be traumatizing to find another book with the same or similar cover; however, the thing this meme has taught me is that it happens all the time. Most cover artists are pulling from the same stock photo sites, so there is bound to be overlap. Heck, it even happened to J.R. Ward’s Lover at Last, and if it happens to someone as famous as that, then I guess it can happen to any of us.
Most Informative Blog
Hands down, this will have to be Parajunkee’s View. Rachel Rivera or “Parajunkee” as she’s known, has become the den mother-crossed-with-Hermione Granger of book blogging. I don’t know of any other blogger who has more for the blogging community in terms of providing information, resources, training, and mentoring. She was the co-creator/organizer of the BBTC, she writes a weekly column called “Book Blogging 101” in which she presents tips and best practices for running a book blog (including information culled from surveys (that she created and conducted) with accompanying PIE CHARTS ::swoon::), and during one of the worst author/blogger controversies, she brought authors and bloggers together to talk about some of the issues that were occuring. She's an educator and a mediator, and her contributions to both authors and bloggers have been priceless.
Favorite Feature
Another hands down choice—“Getting the Call” by Michelle Hauck, in which she has authors share their story of the moment they got “the call”—that is, that moment when they got their “big break” into publishing, which might be a call from an agent offering representation, might be an offer of publication from a publisher, or it might be the moment they self-published and their book became "real." Now, technically, Michelle is not a book blogger, she’s an author (psst, her epic fantasy novel, "Kindar's Cure" is coming out May 1st!), but her “Getting the Call” feature has universal appeal. If you love Cinderella stories, this is the feature for you! Wishes granted, struggles overcome, happy endings all around! If you’re ever having a bad day, feeling frustrated or discouraged, or feeling like giving up on your dream, this read one of these posts - it will recharge your positive thinking.
Favorite Blog Hop/Hop Organizer(s)
The Spring Blog Carnival hosted by Angela from Reading Angel, Candace from Candace’s Book Blog, and Lori from Pure Imagination! This giveaway hop is structured as a carnival—each stop is modeled on a carnival booth with an associated giveaway (such as the kissing booth where you could enter to win romance books by sharing what your favorite book kissing scene is. How fun is that?! Guest what – they’re doing it again this year, so mark your calendars for May 6th-12th!
Now, no blog post celebrating authors would be complete with a shout-out to the epic bloggers (and authors) participating in the Thereafter cover reveal tour next week:
1. It's in the Details - Michelle Hauck
2. The Caffeinated Diva
3. Darke Conteur
4. Happy Tails and Tales
5. The Writer Ambitious - Deb McKellan
6. The Wormhole
7. Vicki Weavil
8. Little Read Riding Hood
9. Phantom Paragrapher
10. The Offbeat Vagabond
11. My Paranormal Book Review
12. Jeanz Book Review
13. Joey Francisco
14. Melissa’s Eclectic Bookshelf
Be sure to visit their blogs next week in order to see the gorgeous cover of Thereafter, read some sneak peek excerpts, and enter to win a set of posters featuring the Hereafter and Thereafter cover art!
Finally, be sure to visit all these other stops on the celebrating bloggers blog hop and enter the giveaway below!
So, what about you—what are some of your favorite blogs?
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Comments