Day 22: 2009 CFB African American Children Christmas Play Announcement

Every year I write one and so today I am completing Act One of a new children's Christmas play. When I'm done I will announce the play, the synopsis and how to get the play. Before I do that I want to talk about playwriting for a minute as we dip in Day 22 of Building a Better Book Blog.

One of the Greatest Things about creating your own blog is you have to opportunity to share your writing with the world.

Since I began this blog I've written a Christmas play for children ministries. As a parent and a product of church theater, I've always wanted more options for African American children church grous to have. It didn't dawn on me until a friend of mine-a pastor's wife- asked me to write a short play for her church. I gave that play away for free and it is still downloadable here. And it tickles me that churches are still using that play. I've written more plays since then, but they were commissioned.

When you decide upon the type of content you will put on your blog don't forget to add content that is unique to you and benefits those who aren't just online, but your community at large. If you want to make your blog bigger, then you need to give more.

If you want to stay informed about the Christmas play, then subscribe to the blog in my sidebar or here. Don't worry. I will be finishing this play in plenty of time for you to use this year at your church if you're still searching for something.

Also it's still not too late to join 30 Days to Build a Better Book Blog.

Day 21: More about FTC Rules for Bloggers & Why Full Disclosure Works

This is Day 21 of 30 Days to Build a Better Book Blog Series...

After my post regarding the new FTC rules for bloggers I received emails and blog links concerning how book bloggers should post book reviews. From what I received I believe that some book bloggers still do not understand the ethical complications behind the issue and how to post a book review.

Let's talk about the ethical issue here...

1. The Opportunity to Gain a Profit

I've been a book blogger for five years, who have received at least ten books a month. I still have most of those books save the ones I give away on the blog or to my church library, my hospital, and my other book charities. For the past two years I've housed those books at Public Storage.That's how many books I have.

If I wanted to open a used bookstore I could. But I'm not a bookstore owner, I'm a reviewer. Irregardless I have the resources to start a bookstore and here's the rub. If I were to open up a store, that housed all the books I reviewed my reviews would become advertisements for the books, not a review.

2. The Opportunity to Lose Credibility with Your Subscribers

That reality isn't the purpose for my blog. Christian Fiction Blog's purpose is to connect Good books to good readers, not sell the books I have in Public Storage to my readers. If I want the respect of my subscribers(mainly bookclubs and book buyers,) who have been selecting books because of my blog, then I want them to rest assured that my reviews hold no monetary gain for me. There is no bias in my review. The reviews are pure.

3. The Opportunity to Legitmize your Blog with Full Disclosure

This week I will step through this topic in more details. My goal is to show you how to separate your review blog from your endorsements and how to monetize your blog ethically.

If you look at my blog (Christian Fiction Blog) you will notice I have different types of posts:

• reviews
• interviews
• lists
• writing life
• previews
  
• etc

Because each post has a different goal the way I use links are different. When I pick online book tours to join I change the wording and I don't add reviews. I don't use the Amazon link they provide. I make the post my own. I have textlinks and book cover space ads in the sidebar, but I don't review those books, because an author has paid for an ad in my sidebar. If I post a review for some of the magazines I write, I post a snippet and direct the reader to the magazine for more information.

Then the books that I review with a full review are books I've received for the purpose of a review. There is a deadline for the book review and it is understood that I will post any rated book. One thing that can bring your book blog credibility is to post all book reviews good or bad. It is your prerogative, but your review blog carries more weight when your readers can also see what you do not favor, buttressed with a balanced reason. Moreover, it shows the publishing industry that your blog isn't just an endorsement, but a review.

These reviews have no links to purchase outside of a link to the author or publishing house website if provided.

I have used this policy since I began the blog. Yet, my blog is syndicated and monetized. This week we will talk about monetizing your blog without throwing up red flags to the FTC.

Please leave your thoughts in comments or tweet about them and tweet this post, so that I can respond to you on Twitter or Facebook.

Related Topic:

• Day 16: Book Publishing News
• Day 11: Recognizing Oprah Book Club Picks before She does

Want to make your blog better? Get Problogger. Click here to view more details

Christian Fiction Blog January Top Ten List 2007 ScreenShot

During this time of year I began compiling a list of fiction books written with a Christian worldview. One of my purposes for Christian Fiction Blog has always been to champion books written by Christian authors, who for whatever reason weren't published under the Christian Booksellers Association(CBA.) So every year I pull these books together for my readers and people like me who values a compelling and well-written story over any other read.

In the fall I compartmentalize these lists by genre, topic, subscriber feedback, candid book store manager chats and bookclub presidents polling. Some examples of my lists were:

• Christian Fiction's October 2009 Top Ten List
• Best of 2008
  

If you want to take your blog to the next level, then I encourage you to create a list, because:

• Lists are user friendly for your blog subscribers. Simply they are easy to read.
  
• Lists can be downloaded and printed for bookclub presidents and blog readers who need a good booklist before they began purchasing books as Christmas gifts.
  
• List's visual simplicity make it easy to read on a smartphone (Blackberry, Palm, iPhone.)
• Lists build blog credibility because it takes snapshots of your great blog content.
• Lists are media friendly. Media outlets can easily pull your lists for filler items for the publications.
• Lists can be used to bring unique visitor's to your site. I often take my lists and duplicate them on Amazon Lists. Here's an example: The Last Good Reads of the Summer. There a gazillion of other places online to post your lists.
  
• Lists can help decrease your bounce rate. If you embed links in your list that direct readers to other areas and posts on your blog readers will stick around longer and may become curious about what else you have on your blog.
  
• You can monetize your blog using lists. You can become an affiliate member of a bookstore or a book like 31 Days to Build a Better Blog.
• You can turn your blog into an industry source using links. My blog is a source not just for Christian book publishers, but literary publicists, authors, and agents. You may even see my content repackaged on other blogs...(we'll talk about that later.)
• You can use lists in your sidebar to showcase your favorite blogs or books. Check out the CFB sidebar.
  

Your homework assignment for Day 20 is up at the 30 Days...the Facebook Group.

For those of you who aren't members, if you have a great book list on your blog, please drop the link in our comments so that we can take a look at them.

National Book Month & the Continuation of 30 Days to Build a Better Book Blog

My Placemement of Tia McCollors The Truth About Love in WalMart

This is Day 20 of 30 Days to Build a Better Book Blog. We are still on Book Blog Content. And we're still learning how to build a better book blog. If you want to join our Facebook Group to continue the discussion, receive homework assignments, ask me questions about how to optimize your book blog and to meet other book bloggers like you, then visit the page and request an invite. As you can see I am not blogging everyday and we are well past September when the book blog event began. Since this is National Book Month we are continuing the series. Let me further add that you can do the 30 Days at your own pace.Once you have completed the entire series you will receive a I survived Book Blog BootCamp Banner and a Booblook Blog Certified badge for your site, as well as other goodies like contacts to obtain free books and invitations to join bookstore affiliate programs. So if you're a book blogger why not get in, while this thing is available open source.

Also I recommend that for bloggers--all kinds-- to take part in Problogger: 31 Days to Build a Better Blog. I completed the series and it changed my blogs life years ago. I redo the series every year to stay current and update. Click here to get more information about Darren's great series.

day 19: Infuse your Writing Life in your Blog

Author poet Hank Stewart at the Wear Red & Read Dessert Fundraiser for American Heart

Yesterday I read a funny post in The New Yorker about the absurdity of some book pr campaigns. Not because it was far-fetched, but because the scenario reminded me of a situation with a past client and the client's publishing house publicity department. Unfortunately for some authors it is no laughing matter. More publishing houses are focusing on online marketing more and expecting the author to be proactive about their own brand advocacy, but as a writer this new shift in roles poses a heavy challenge.

For one I hope this rant is is just parody or sarcasm. I hope what I witnesssed--what is close in spots to what the article describes-- was just a bad case of the unskilled publicist. I need to believe that my future as a writer isn't filled with meaningless, time consuming internet confusion/spam/pan handling practices disguised as marketing efforts. As much as I love marketing and literary promotion I'm a writer first and last, so I need that the New Yorker article to be a wakeup call to the industry for us to return to the heart of publishing-creating and championing great storytelling to our world, not to my 1,2oo plus Facebook followers.

Secondly I hope these poor social media marketing practices fade very fast. Publishing Houses must understand how to create an authentic, efficient, yet intrusive social media design else their authors will crash and burn their brand like Miley Cyrus almost did on Twitter.

Last week she closed her account. As I watched her Youtube explanation for dropping Twitter I realized her problem had an easy solution, her publicist failed her. Because she used her account in pure form(as she should have,) she showed her vulnerability and consequently opened her brand up for scrutiny. For whatever reason(perhaps bad judgment or lack of social media best practices for celebrities) she chose to make her tweetstream public instead of private. Had she made her tweets private they would only be accessible to those she chose to follow. Therefore mass media wouldn't have turned her tweets into celebrity gossip. Instead she could have chosen a media blogger or media contact she respected and allowed in her tweetstream only.

Everything that I type and everything that I do/ All those lame gossip sites take it and they make it news." While I'd like to think that Newsroom is something more than a "lame gossip site," I can't help but wonder if I became part of the problem. -Miley Cyrus

In Day 19 of 30 Days to Build a Better Book Blog I want to share a tidbit with you about your blog content. You need to add your voice to every post, but to add value to your readers from time to time you need to share your writing life with your subscribers. People need to know that you are real and have feelings and concerns. You can use your blog to advocate for your brand and yourself. Miley Cyrus vlogs through Youtube; Writers can use a book blog in the same way.

I won't lie the New Media Age in publishing concerns me, as a publicist and author. I am concerned about the future of publishing as more houses close or lose their past solid distribution relationships. I am also bothered by the countless invitations I receive to book events via Constant Contact, Facebook, LinkedIn and so on. I find myself automatically deleting...

Nonetheless I wonder if authors will be able to craft a great novel during their off marketing hours. which seems to grow and grow. I wonder with all this online chatter will readers become desensitized by it like I am becoming.

One thing I really want to do is create a simple, common sense system for authors to manage and retain their ideal readers and connect them with more ideal readers who are praying for the books they write. I don't want my clients or my own book brand to be tainted because of these efforts and I definitely don't want DeeGospel PR to be the butt of a The New Yorker Article...

Dee

Day 18: FTC Rules for Book Bloggers. Payments & Endorsements

This is Day 18 of 30 Days to Build a Better Book Blog.

I will step out of order(we were talking about book blog content,) in order to address a new and important issue for bloggers, especially book bloggers like us. Yesterday I posted on Twitter the new FTC Rules for Bloggers.

Today I want to simplify the rules in terms that we understand, as well as address a common dilemma between veteran book reviewers.

What the new FTC Rules mean?
Book Bloggers who receive payment or in-kind payment for a book review must disclose their relationship with the payor.

What is in-kind payment?

A book of retail value is considered in-kind. An ARC is not, because it cannot be sold and holds no value. The ARC or loose bound manuscript cannot be sold.

What if I do receive the actual book to review?
It's cool. However, in your review you need to add your relationship to the payor. You can write something simple as, "Disclosure: I was provided with this free product by ."

What if I was paid for the review?

You must disclose that you were paid a fee to write the endorsement.

Will this affect my credibility?

Read my next post to find out my answer. It's twofold.

If I don't disclose what will happen to me?
Fines for violating the new rule will run up to $11,000 per post.

paid blogger pic courtesy of media bistro.com

Day 17: Book Blog Content: Discussion Chatter

This weekend there was a lot of chatter buzzing on the blogosphere...a lot of reality celebrity bombshells (Chicago looses the 2016 Olympics bid, The Atlanta Real Housewives tragedy, Jon and Kate Gosselin, and Lord knows what else.) On a sidenote: I strongly suggest stop watching cable television it's crazy right now. Besides you don't have to watch, because Youtube and the blogs(like mine sort of) keeps you posted. Which is a great segue for today's 30 Days to Build a Better Book Blog post. More Book Blog Content Types: Discussion Chatter.

Discussion Chatter posts are the easiest to create and bring the most hits to your blog. All you need is a hot watercooler topic and you're done. What's so great about having a book blog is that it's very easy to find a hot topic based on the latest book craze. Seriously New Moon, the movie releases next month and you can best believe that chopping it up about that book will bring readers to your door.

If you're a Christian fiction blogger like myself, then Ted Dekker's release of Green should send some chatter your way. I will definitely be talking about this book this week and hope to have Dekker stop by Media Candy in the near future(hint: you all can help me make that happen.)

Below is an example of a hot topic that received and still receives many hits at Christian Fiction Blog:

2 Dead Men Walking



I cannot believe. I cannot believe it. Two of my favorite actors: Gary Dourdan(CSI) and Mekhi Phifer(ER) were killed off their shows last night. I am so done. I'll be writing all day. No TV.

Weekend Chatterbox Question: What's going on? Are AA TV Demographics down? What should I watch in the fall? Is Hill Harper Next?





















Dourdan photo courtesy of CSI: Wetpaint
Harper photo courtesy of BlackMeninAmerica.com

Phifer photo courtesy of ER Headquarters

Also: Don't forget to register for the VIP ONline writer's Conference. we may have to write some shows for these great men. :)

Day 16: Book Blog Content: Publishing Industry News

Christian Fiction News
for the week ending September 30, 2009
Day 16: Book Blog Content: Publishing Industry News Edition

William Safire, The Oracle of English Language Passes

Obituary Note: Author, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and "oracle of language" William Safire died Sunday. He was 79. "There may be many sides in a genteel debate," the New York Times observed, "but in the Safire world of politics and journalism it was simpler: There was his own unambiguous wit and wisdom on one hand and, on the other, the blubber of fools he called 'nattering nabobs of negativism' and 'hopeless, hysterical hypochondriacs of history.'"

Whitaker House Latino Christian Reader's Quest

Christian Retailing-- Whitaker House is releasing its first two Spanish fiction titles this month—translations of two contemporary novels by Sharlene MacLaren, the company's top-selling fiction writer: En medio de la tormenta (Through Every Storm, 978-1-603-74165-1, $9.99) and Un largo camino a casa (Long Journey Home 978-1-603-74164-4, $9.99)

"Both Christian and general market retailers have been asking us for good Spanish fiction for quite some time, but we wanted to wait for books that would translate well," said Vice President Bob Whitaker Jr.

This is Day 16 of 30 Days to Build a Better Book Blog.

Another example of book blog content is news, specifically literary news. At Christian Fiction Blog we provide Christian publishing news. At your blog you may look at providing literary news to fit your genre. If you are an author, you may also think of providing literary news for your readers. One of the new services DeeGospel PR provide is Reporting/Press Secretary Services. We will report about your current events for you to add to your online press room or we will add your news to our company press room. Out of all the services I have I like this one the most, because for the author you can control your media outreach for the fraction of the cost. This Reporting Service feature began because of the Christian Fiction News feature I provide at this blog.


As you decide the type of content you will provide on your blog understand that providing industry news offer you a few advantages of the other book blogs:

• It builds credibility with your readers and peers
• You become an industry source
• You increase your blog's opportunity to become syndicated
• It increases your blog's subscriber base
• It opens the doors for monetizing your blog

There are many ways to get industry news:

• join industry leader forums
• subscribe to literary news sources like Publisher's Lunch, Publisher's Weekly and Media Bistro
• join a professional organization. I belong to the Atlanta Press Club
• subscribe to newswires like Associated Press and PR Newswire
• meet industry insiders at banquets and conferences. Many of my services I met at The Christys Book Awards Banquet, ACFW Conference, Press Parties in the area
• report on your blog. Provide content only you can provide. Remember my blog began because of articles I couldn't place in the paper. Make your blog your very own column.
  

Your homework assignment for Day 16 is of course to create an Industry News Blog Post. Send the link here and at the group so we can take a peak at it.

If you have not joined 30 Days to Build a Better Book Blog, there is still time. We're only on Day 16. I'm taking my time and you can take your time through the course. Click here to join it's free.

As a book blogger, you can add more value to your brand by providing similar content to your blog. In the coming weeks I will be seeking reporters to add to my service. Follow me on Twitter to receive that announcement

Day 15: Author Interviews Part 2

This is Day 15 of 30 Days to Build a Better Book Blog. We are still discussing Book Blog Content and the Author Interview.

On Day 14 I introduced you to the Author Interview Blog Post. Today I want to give you some tips on how to obtain author interviews, because I understand that some of you are not as bold as me and the rest of you may not have to contacts or the knowledge about the proper way to contact an author.

1. Use Social Media to find your favorite, most interesting author.

One of the best thing about social media now is that more celebrities, especially bestselling authors are online. As more publishing houses focus on online marketing to galvanize their readership they will be seeking bloggers to help them spread the word about their authors. You can beat them to the punch by reaching joining Author Fan Pages and following them on Twitter. Use the "send Message" feature on Facebook or the DM feature on Twitter to invite them to be interviewed on your blog. There are also many authors on MySpace.

2. Contact their Personal Publicist

Newsflash: many authors are still not online and others don't provide personal contact information, because they have such heavy writing schedules. They hire a publicist like me to handle customer relations and media management. Check their website to get their publicist contact information or contact me. I have a list of current publicists for many published authors.

3. Contact the Publishing House Publicity Department

Most major publishing house has a publicity department or have a contract with a literary pr firm like DeeGospel PR to handle their author's pr and marketing efforts. Visit the publishing house website to get that information.

4. Attend their booksigning

Many of the authors I have interviewed lately I interviewed at their book signing. With the launch of smart phones you can podcast, tweet, facebook chat, microblog, and vlog an author interview with the author in less than five minutes. I love those the most.

5. Email the author. self explanatory


Now that you have their contact information what do you do?

Day 16: We will talk Contact Etiquette: how to email, tweet, and socially meet.

Weekend homework assignment: locate three of your favorite authors online and obtain their contact information.

Subscribe to Christian Fiction.

Join our Christian Fiction Network

This week I will be giving a weeklong homework assignment at 30 Days to Build a Better Book Blog. Join the group to be a part of the event. It's free.

Day 14: Book Blog Content- The Interview

This is Day 14 of 30 Days to Build a Better Book Blog. We are still discussing Book Blog Content.

Before I began Christian Fiction Blog I ran a column for Suite 101 called African American Women Writer's Finding Voice. In this column I interviewed and later befriended some of the best women in publishing: authors, literary agents, publicists, editors and poets. That column gave me the fuel and the readership to take a deeper look at blogging, as my online source for providing an information asset. To this date the interviews that I host on this blog are some of the highest viewed content here. If you plan to build a book blog, even if the book blog is just about you and your writing, I encourage you to add some interview posts to bring credibility and more readers to your book blog.

You can create interviews in 3 different ways:

1. as a blog post. Here is an example of my interview with Nicole Seitz
   
2. as a podcast. I host Media Candy. We interview their and crosspromote the show in the christian fiction blog sidebar or with independent show notes posts.
   
3. as a vlogcast. Stay Tuned for Media Candy TV. coming soon. A vlogcast is interviewing via live video streaming or VoIP technology like Skype.
   

A few interview writing tips:

• When you are writing an interview, please note the proper format. Questions are italicized. The answer is written in plain text. This helps the reader differentiate the question from the response.
• write a one paragraph(two-three sentence) bio of the subject with a link back to their online hub(blog, site url, facebook fan page, social media release)
• if they have a current title, link it to your amazon associate, bookstore affiliate or chitika account(i will tell you why soon, just do it for now lol)
• submit the interview to the interviewee with the url link before you post

Below is an example of a print interview blog post...

My Soul to Keep author, Melanie Wells stopped by Christian Fiction Blog to participate in our 1Question Author Interview Series-The Valentine Edition. 2 Questions/Couple. Cute. The questions:

Who are your favorite fictional couple?

I hate to be a cliche' but I'd have to say Rhett Butler and Scarlet O'Hara. They're a charming, cantankerous relational disaster. You just want to smack 'em both.


And what have you learned about them that helps you build the romance arc of your own stories?

Like Rhett and Scarlett (at this point, any southerner knows to add "bless their hearts" -which is required if you're insulting someone) my characters are extremely flawed. My books tend to be populated with broken - or at least bent - people. But they're so likeable, you're rooting for them anyway. Dylan Foster (bless her heart) just can't quite seem to get it right, which keeps the tension running all the way through the story. You WANT it to work out between her and David-who-owns-a-funeral-home-in-Hillsboro, but you're also sitting there thinking, Dylan, you need to go to time out, and David, for crying out loud, get a SPINE and stand up to this woman. They're a mess. That's what makes the story work. Happiness is sort of boring, if you think about it.

Subscribe to Christian Fiction.

Join our Christian Fiction Network

This week I will be giving a weeklong homework assignment at 30 Days to Build a Better Book Blog. Join the group to be a part of the event. It's free.

Day 13: Book Blog Content: The Preview

This is Day 13 of 30 Days to Build a Better Book Blog. We're talking blog content, specifically The Preview Post.

From time to time you will be asked to participate in a blog tour for an author, publicist or publishing house. Should you choose to accept they will send you a boilerplate blog post that will look like a press release from there they will give you instructions on how to post or they will give you the xml code for your post. If you want your blog to stand out you need to one thing. You need to turn that bpr into a Blog Preview Post that fits your blog. You don't want your readers to have read the same post somewhere else, because then your content isn't competing with another blog. It is exactly the same as another blog. So why does your blog have value? You need to go back to the purpose of your blog and create a preview that reflects that.

Your preview can contain:

• a book summary
• author bio
• excerpt of book
• book trailer
• whatever you think your blog subscribers are attracted to the most

below is an example of a book preview i did for this blog...

























For July I have a Young Adult Series that will bend your mind. Ted Dekker's The Lost Books. The series began in 2008 with Book 1 Chosen.

n New York Times best-selling author Ted Dekker's latest novels--Chosen, Infidel, Renegade and Chaos--four young warriors from another reality are on a life or death quest to find the 7 Lost Books of History. Books with the power to create and destroy. Books that hold the destiny of not only their world, but ours as well.

Lunatic and Elyon are continuation of the series, although we once thought the series was over. Kaci Hill helps Dekker co-write the two novels, which is a great spin to the series.

If you want to get a fast fantasy for the young, old, romantic, dark...a good read period, check out the two new installments to The Lost Books series.

Day 12: Book Blog Content: The Review

For Christian Fiction Blog subscribers: I will be sending 9 posts your way today. Be advised.

Day 12: Book Blog Content- The Book Review

We took a catch-up break at 30 Days to Build a Better Book Blog. Thanks to the bloggers who've been patient. Today I hope you don't become overwhelmed with these posts. I'm simply getting us to Day 21 as we should be and showing how easy and fast blogging can be. I created all these posts in one hour. I'll tell you how tomorrow.

Onto the content...

We've built our blogs or have an idea of the blogs we will create. Now it is time that we look at the different types of content we should have on our book blogs.

1. The Book Review

I was a bit iffy about spotlighting the Book Review post first, because I don't want you to think that the only purpose of your blog is to provide reviews. No. But we will start here, because this is the easiest content concept to grasp.

As you know I am a book reviewer for national publications. I am also an Amazon reviewer and provide reviews her on Christian Fiction Blog. Reviews are very simple. Click here to read an article I written for Novel Journeys on reviews.

A book review blog post should be short(under 250 words) and provide 2 things:

1. a book summary in your own words.
   
2. a rating with buttressed points for the rating.
   

It is important that you read the entire novel to build your book summary. Oftentimes the summaries that come in the press release are not exact, specifically if you're working with arcs. Your ratings should be based on a point system that you create. I use a five point system, giving a point for: plot, character, theme, style, voice, setting.

Below is an example of a book review. Romantic Times.

African-American Inspirational

Somebody's Sinning in My Bed

By Pat G'Orge Walker

3 tambourine players, MILD


G'Orge Walker's fans might not like her switch from comedy to mainstream women's fiction, because her sassy and distinctive voice doesn't shine through as well as her previous novels. Her new style is more reminiscent to Victor McGlothin and Lutishia Lovely's church dramas, than Reshonda Tate Billingsley or Victoria Christopher Murray's. What she has accomplished is the ability to turn a church drama into a wild and inspirational frolic.
_________________________________________________________________

First Lady Chyna Young regrets her marital indiscretions when her husband Pastor Grayson Young dies in a night club fire. With the help of her sister, Janelle, she tries to keep her marriage failure under cover. All that changes when her first husband, Cordelle returns. Is more drama or real love in her future? (Dafina, 320pp, $17.95)

Dee Y. Stewart, Romantic Times Reviewer (reprint)

Day 11: Recogninizing Oprah Book Club Picks Before She Does with Lists

This is Day 11 of 30 Days to Build a Better Book Blog. One of the fun things about running a literary blog is championing great books no one has read about before. As I stated before I began this blog to showcase Christian titles that did not make it into the mags and newspapers I reviewed for. Soon after the blog went live I received requests from publishing houses, authors, agents and editors to take a look at what they were working on. I am honored to have read some of the best stories of our time.

Next week we will get deeper into the types of content your book blog should provide. But before we do I want to talk briefly about a feature I use here that not only drives traffic to the blog, but buttresses the mission of why I do what I do.

For the past five years I have ran my own book awards. We've done:

• book of the month picks,
• annual top 25
• beach read contests
• reader's choice
  

the gamut of reading award lists to spotlight my book faves.

I'm excited, so excited for Uwem Akpen's Say You're One of Them , our 2008r Summer Beach Read Festival Winner. Today Oprah announced that his debut short story collection would be an Oprah Book Club Pick.

As book bloggers you get the good job of separating the wheat from the chaff and to be ahead of even Oprah when it comes to a great read.

Your homework assignment for this weekend is to build your own book award lists, upload it to your blog, then link it back in our forum. If you can't think of any, then create a top ten list of your favorite books with a reason why you chose them.

On a side note: When people ask me what is the best book marketing advice I can give. I always answer write a well-written, compelling, relevant page turner. This book as I have said for the past two years is, along with other avid book readers, reviewers and critics. I hope you now pick up the book so you can add to our discussion.

Day 9: Blog Links that Matter to Authors and Readers

This is Day 9 of 3o Days to Build a Better Book Blog. This week we are still setting up are blog with an emphasis on features essential to a book blogger.

If you are an author (published or wannabe) you need to begin forming relationship with your peers, bookclubs, distributors, bookstores, gatekeepers, and so on. Blogging is one of the fastest ways to not only start that relationship, but become a part of the community of readers that want what you are writing.

When I began blogging exclusively about Christian Fiction five years ago David Long Acquisitions Editor at Bethany House Publisher , who runs Faith*in*Fiction blog reached out to me and asked me to join in a conversation about contemporary fiction and faith. (Remember in Day 4 I talked about the importance of identifying the type of blogger you are and have a clear vision (Day 1) about the direction and focus of your blog. )

Back then I didn't have all the bells and whistles(social bookmarking, microblogging, podcasting thingees) that I have now to promote myself in the blogosphere. I only had relevant content and relevant links that I knew mattered to readers like me.

What I wished I had known before I began generating five years of steady content was the power of having relevant links in my sidebar. Once I met Dave and began to meet other faith*in*fiction community bloggers linking them here brought some important things to my blog:

1. It brought readers who I didn't know personally to the blog
2. It brought industry professionals, whom I never would have met unless I attended a writer's conference for years to the blog
3. It brought writers I didn't know anything about
4. It brought more writing opportunities
5. It gave the blog more credibility
6. It brought more content to talk about on the blog

From joining that community. My blog and I have befriended more than 200 Christian Fiction Book Bloggers.

So how do you meet other bloggers like you and then participate in some coalition building?

You meet more bloggers by:

1. Search, visit and comment on blogs similar to yours.
   
2. Search for online forums where writers who are specific to your blog hangout
3. Attend local meetups
4. Attend local writer's festivals
5. Start Here. There are book bloggers participated in this event with you.
   

Coaltion Building. What is that?

One of the main reasons bloggers fizzle out is that they don't think anyone cares about their blog. No one is commenting(or not enough.) They don't think their blog matters. There vision to help people when they began the blog begin to sour, because from where they sit no one is listening.

I've had times here on the blog when I've written something I thought was profound or I had discovered a book I wanted everyone to read, to learn that a handful of readers read the post. But when I found a place to not only connect with, but to feed my blog from it gave me incentive to continue blogging and the friendships that I have developed fostered a sense of accountability.

Moreover, it's fun to to participate in a dialogue between many bloggers about the same subject.

Your Homework:

Yes, we are building a Book Bloggers Collective of our own at BlogCatalog called Book Bloggers United. If you are a member of the 30 Days, then in the Facebook Page Wall make sure you add your blog url to the wall. Then I want you to do five things:

1. Join Book Bloggers United at BlogCatalog, get the badge for your blog's sidebar.
   
2. Use a Links Widget to link all the other bloggers to your blog's sidebar. (Don't forget this blog.) Title the Link: Book Bloggers United. Place this widget underneath the Book Bloggers Badge
   
3. Obtain a Technorati Account, then place your account profile url in the Day 9 Discussion Board
4. If you don't already have a facebook fan page for your blog., then place your Facebook profile url in the Day 9 Discussion Board.
5. Come back to 30 Days, because I will break down BlogCatalog, Technorati and Facebook Fan Pages for the Book Blogger this week.

Quick reminder: If you are not a member of 30 Days, you will not receive the full gumdrops of the next three posts. I only blog full posts about this series on Mondays and Fridays. Registration is free. Visit here to join.

related links:

• Day 1, If you Knew your Blog was Special...?
• Day 2, 5 Book Blogs for 5 Blog Platforms
• Day 3, Blogalicious Templates & Free Upgrades
• Day 4, Which of the Ten Book Blog Types Are You
• Day 6, Analyze your Favorite Book Blogger
• Day 7, 7 Sidebar Must Haves for your Blog
• Day 8, Join a Blog Alliance or Blog Collective
• Free Goody Register for 30 Days to Build
  
• Problogger's 31 Days to Build a Better Blog(our inspiration
  

Day 7: 7 Sidebar Must Haves for the Book Blogger

As we begin to have a richer understanding of our blogs and as we begin to itch to build this blog baby, let's take a moment and piggyback on yesterdays discussion. What book blogs you love and why? What you saw on some book blogs you don't want on your blog and why? Thanks for sharing your answers with me so far.

Everyone's answer will be different, because of your own personal aesthetic, vision for your blog and the type of blog you're building. However, there are five widgets you must have in your sidebar to be effective.

1. Your About Me Widget
2. Your RSS Link and Subscriber Count
3. Newsletter and Email Subscription Links
4. Top Place to Find You Online(Twitter or Facebook)
   
5. Book Review Links List
6. Book Review Submission Form or if you're an author your Bookings Request Submission Form
7. Your Phone or Skype Number
   

Let's talk about these in more detail at 30 Days...

Day 6: Analyze Your Favorite Book Blogger

This weekend I have had a blast reading your responses on Facebook about your blog setup, retooling faux pas and a better understanding of how important it is to think about the big picture when you're building your blog. There are so many literary type blogs out there. Some you can tell had a great idea, then fizzled out when no one responded to their posts. There are some that are pr dump sites masquerading as book review blogs. So much stuff... And it's all good. It's good because all that blog gunk helps your thoughtfully produced book blog gain more credibility, relevance to the industry, and most importantly, it helps you stand on top of all that gunk.

The best way for me--when I sat in your seat-- was I checked out other blogs. I observed what I didn't want and what I needed.

Today in Day 6 of Building a Better Blog. I want you to visit three of your favorite book blogs and do the following:

• goto the discussion forum and post the link to the 3 blogs you selected
• tell us what you thought you needed
• tell us what you thought you didn't

This week I will:

• debunk some things I typically see on blogs that don't matter a hill of beans
• share three tools all book bloggers need on their blog
• tell you whether what you think is what you need to take your book blog to the next level

Let me share you my favorite book blogs. Checking these blogs out will help you see possibly blog the way I do:

• Faith*in*Fiction http://www.faithinfiction.blogspot.com
• Write About Now http://jmarkbertrand.typepad.com/writeaboutnow/
• Ragamuffin Diva http://ragamuffindiva.blogspot.com/
• I cheated. One More. Milk is my friend. Have to put him on here. Your Writers Group http://www.yourwritersgroup.com/mywritersgroup/

It's not too late to join in on the fun. Visit 30 Days to request an invite. It's Free and You can start at Day 1 whenever you want. New registrants are joining every day. One good reason to join is that I don't share the entire content of Tues-Thursday posts. I answer your personal questions about your blog. You get to chat with other book bloggers like you. Also registrants will receive my September Edition of Dee's Goody Mail. (Tia, I hope to have it out tomorrow.) So what do you have to lose? You're already on Facebook...lol

Photo Credit: Another cheat. my Fifth favorite book blog-Brandywine Books

Day 5: 5 Good Rules about Book Blog Names

We're in Day 5 of Build a Better Book Blog, and we're still at the setup phase.

In Day 4 we discussed ten types of book blogs. Over the weekend you have had time to decide what type of book blog you want to set up or the type you want to refocus your current blog to. Whatever the case it is important to develop a focused idea of your blog. Choosing a name that let's the reading community know exactly what you represent makes it easier to find you and to hang around on your blog. It's one thing to set up a blog, then do nothing with. But if you want to build a better book blog you need to start at the beginning...your blog name.

Today we will talk about the all important blog name, why it's important, and the rules that will help you make your selection.

1. Decide upon a Blog Name that makes the focus of your Blog Crystal Clear.

• The Brown Bookshelf is about? Click here to find out.
• Christian Fiction is about?
• Romance Divas Divine Blog is about? Click here to find out.

The point is a newbie web user will look at the name of the blog and have an idea of what kind of blog it is. The Brown Bookshelf has to do with books, Christian Fiction is about Christian Fiction, Romance Divas Divine Blog has to be a blog about more than one romance reader or writer or both. When you choose your name make sure you choose a name that a fool would know what your blog is about.

2. Choose a Name that brings Readers to You Easy

To read further, please join the FREE Series here.

Photo Credit: Just Your Typical Book Blog

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