Thursday, October 9, 2014

Spotlight on The Book Blogger Platform by Barb Drozdowich with a review and giveaway



BLURB:

Book Blogging - One of the Best Hobbies in the World!

Join thousands of book bloggers in expressing their joy of reading!

Are you a book blogger or do you want to be one? Are you having trouble handling the technical details of blogging? The Book Blogger Platform can be a "user manual" for your blog! A book written by a book blogger for book bloggers and that answers all your questions!

The Book Blogger Platform covers topics such as:

1. What a book blogger blog needs to contain

2. A step by step guide to manipulating images and videos

3. A description of all the common features hosted by book bloggers

4. A description of the social media aspect to a book blogger platform

5. Being Social - the social aspect of book blogging

If you are tired of always asking other bloggers questions

Let The Book Blogger Platform guide you painlessly. Over 80 color graphics lead you step by step through some of the more difficult technical issues that bloggers face.

Pick up a copy today and approach blogging with confidence!

Purchase Links:  

Amazon   


   https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23294722-the-book-blogger-platform










Excerpt 1 from Chapter 1:
 
Just as all book bloggers are different, their approach to book blogging is also different. Some book bloggers consider themselves primarily book reviewers. Some book bloggers consider themselves primarily promoters of books. Some book bloggers will only post about a book they have read. Some book bloggers will post about any book that belongs to a genre that fits the profile of their blog.

Book bloggers who consider themselves primarily book reviewers make their reviews the main focus of their blog. They often take their self-imposed “job” of reviewing books very seriously. They put hours of work into reading a book and then creating the right combination of words to best describe their thoughts and impressions. It’s a labor of love.

Many book bloggers, such as myself, consider themselves primarily promoters of books. I began my blog posting reviews of books I’d read, and I worked hard to grow my blog’s audience. I am very proud of my blog and the work that goes into it. However, I have a full-time job and a family. I don’t have enough reading hours to review one book a day, so I fill my blog’s days with a mixture of reviews and promotions. I don’t post more than once a day, but I use the platform I have built to promote as many books and authors as I can that fit within my reading taste.

As I mentioned above, some book bloggers will only post about books they have read. They feel that posting about a book is a recommendation of that book and they don’t want to recommend a book they haven’t read.

Have I read all the books that are promoted on my blog? No. I fit into the other camp of book bloggers. I see promoting books, whether through blog tours, reviews, or other promotions, as simply sharing information. I leave it up to my readers to decide whether to read the book or not.

Another area in which people hold strong feelings centers on whether or not to post negative reviews. One camp feels that all book bloggers who review books need to post negative reviews. They feel that having an assortment of positive and negative reviews creates balance. It allows readers to read about what the blogger likes and doesn’t like and why. It is often said that reviewers who only post positive reviews risk having their honesty questioned.

I am of the camp that doesn’t bother to finish a book if I am not enjoying it. I feel no need to talk about a book I didn’t like. I have boxes and boxes of books to be read. My Nook (e-reader) is full of little gems waiting for my attention. Maybe it’s my age, but I don’t soldier on, I move on. I do, however, make it clear in my review policy that I only talk about books that I enjoyed reading.

This topic will come up again later; you do need to give some thought to your philosophy on book blogging. Are you going to only post reviews? Are you only going to promote books you have read? This isn’t necessarily something that will be decided on at the beginning and that you can never change. Many book bloggers change their views as time progresses.

Accompanying your philosophy of blogging is your view of how much of a platform you are going to have. I started my blog to express my thoughts about the books I’d read. It never really occurred to me that other people would read what I had read, let alone comment on it or share it with friends!

There is absolutely nothing wrong with creating a book blog to share your thoughts with friends—old friends as well as new. If, however, you actively seek out blog tour posts and post promotions of author’s books, you should also be actively growing your book blogger platform. If someone is paying to post on your blog via a blog tour, you should be able to share this information with as many people as possible.

Everyone starts out as a baby blogger. Everyone has a different view of what they want their blog to be. There is no right or wrong answer. Every blog should be a reflection of its owner and its owner’s tastes.

I hope to use this book to describe the Book Blogger Platform in its entirety. I hope to give you a lot to think about. Please don’t hesitate to ask questions. I’m on Twitter, Facebook, and my blogs every day. My contact links will be listed at the end of this book. I love answering questions and chatting about books!


AUTHOR Information:

Bio: Social Media and Wordpress Consultant Barb Drozdowich has taught at Universities and Colleges, trained technical personnel in the banking industry and, most recently, used her expertise to help dozens of 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.



a Rafflecopter giveaway


My Thoughts:

First of all, thank you for feeding my brain, Barb. I must warn you that I am a down to earth, mother of three boys who says it like it is. I am honest, helpful when I can be and I try to find at least one positive thing to say even when it is hard to do. Usually I am really good at picking the right books but when I really dislike them, I usually don't post them unless the author insists. That being said, I try to make proper use of spell check and cover all of my bases but I am far from proper. The thing is, I like to keep it real so to speak. I use slang when I feel it is fitting and I place smileys and frownies (when needed) throughout my words. I am human and this is my place of comfort and relaxation. This is something that I too, love to do. I have my own style and I hope that it doesn't offend you. 

I am still trying to process everything that I read. :-) This was very interesting and I especially wish that I had found it when I first started blogging. Believe me, I still have much to learn but I am a creature of habit and I have the if it ain't broke don't fix it philosophy. Could my blog be better? Yes, definitely, but what happens if I mess it up while trying to fix it? I was still not comfortable enough to try anything new. I think that after reading Barb's extremely thorough and helpful book that I may be ready to undertake project fix up. I will most likely take baby steps starting with working on adding pages.

I really liked the way the book was broken down and I loved that there was actually a working table of contents. :-) You rock Barb!

Barb's writing was clear, concise and easily understood. I won't lie, there were a few parts that I skipped over. Those did not pertain to me as I do not have a Wordpress blog. I was happy to see that she listed many of the differences between the them. I have seen many people switch over and I won't rule out the possibility for myself in the future so I was happy to have that information.

There was so much useful knowledge that my brain is short circuited. I was even trying to take notes. Lol! I will be going back through little by little. I really found the copyrighting and automating information to be super helpful as well as the plugins, sidebars, and code sections. The chapters about social media and being more social was especially intriguing to me. I have come along way but there is still so much that I just don't know! :-(

Even if you think that you know it all, there is probably something for you to learn from Barb.

The only thing missing that I would have loved to know more about was how to completely redesign my blog. I'm not very creative and I tend to have a problem with saying no to review opportunities.This doesn't leave me with a lot of spare time.

I know that I could hire someone to design something for me. That would cost money that I don't want to spend. Also, I am too sceptical to trust someone that I don't know. A how to book on that would be awesome. Hint! Hint!

This book didn't take long to read through. However, as I said, I'll need to go back and visit specific sections when I sit down to work on it. Luckily the table of contents works. Did I mention how happy this makes me? :-)

I received an ecopy in exchange for my honest opinion. This is a must have, treasure trove of useful knowledge for any blogger but especially newbies that are just starting out. I did not get bored once while reading this. I actually enjoyed it. I even had a few ah hah moments.

When is the last time you read a manual for something and actually enjoyed it?


Don't forget to enter the Comment Incentive Giveaway. It is a great chance to win a book you'd like to have! The link can be found at the top of the page.

28 comments:

  1. thanks for the chance and it sounds good

    ReplyDelete
  2. Morning Brenda!
    Thank you for your kind words! I am SO glad you found my book helpful! I, like you, love my blog. It is a little part of me, and I think it's the best hobby.

    I'll be popping in off and on today and I'm happy to answer any questions anyone might have. Brenda I'm happy to give you some help with a redesign if you want. Just drop me an email :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh i don't know when i read a manual and enjoyed it.. i hope i will soon though as i'm trying to learn new craft and need to improve.
    But it's because i'm just starting to learn that i can perhaps enjoy a manual, when i start to have habits i hate changing^^;; so i do think i would be too fearful to destroy everything by mistakes
    i appreciate that the manual was at least partly useful for you as i'm worse than you it tell me that i could use it also but honestly i do love your blog how you do it it's part of you, reflect you and i love that! ( so i hope that part won't change ever^^)

    *hugs* thank you for sharing your passion with us as always

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. :-) Nothing much will change but I have wanted to do pages for quite awhile and I'd love to have all of my social media options in one spot.

      Delete
  4. Hi Miki and K2sgal!
    Thanks for your comments and thanks so much for reading :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I liked The Book Blogger Platform covers topics. Thank you for the giveaway.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Rita and Linda!
    Thanks for stopping by!

    ReplyDelete
  7. not sure I've ever read a manual I enjoyed....
    great excerpt

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Lee,
      I'm sure that you enjoy my book :) Lots of pictures - will give you lots to think about :)

      Delete
  8. After reading your review I went over and bought the book. I have a lot of the same doubts that you have. Thanks for the tip! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Isabelle,
      Thank you so much for that news! Made my day! I created the book to be helpful. If you have any questions what so ever, I'll be happy to answer. All my contact points are in my book and on this post. Please don't hesitate to reach out!

      Barb

      Delete
  9. Thanks for this excellent review! As an author, I have found all of Barb's books extremely helpful and VERY user friendly! I'm not a fan of manuals either, Brenda, but every one of Barb's books are easy to read and follow. I'm a fan!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Barb knows her stuff. Thanks for the post!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I can't remember a manual that I ever enjoyed reading .:) But this one appeals to me. I'm still learning stuff about blogging. I'd love to do more for my blog but mostly its just I don't have the time. But when I can actually have some time to myself I will look into getting this book to help me. :)
    I do love your blog how it is. But if you ever want to change it and need some help you know I'm here. :) I may not be a tech genius but I'm willing to lend you a hand.

    ReplyDelete
  12. HI Pat and Helen! Thanks for your kind comments and thanks for stopping by!

    Hi VampedChik! I hear you about the time issues! I vote for a 28 hour day - more time for reading and the possibility of getting stuff done.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I enjoyed the excerpt and it's now on my Amazon.com wishlist. The last manual that I read and enjoyed was about how to get the most out of my new Kindle Fire HDX.

    ReplyDelete
  14. really liked the excerpt! - regnod(at)yahoo(d0t)com

    ReplyDelete
  15. Thanks for hosting and the giveaway

    ReplyDelete
  16. Great excerpt and review. It sounds like just what I've been looking for. This is going on my wishlist :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Diane,
      Thanks for dropping by! Hopefully Santa will deliver on your wishlist.... :)

      Delete
  17. It was a manual I enjoyed! Thanks for the post!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Enjoyed the thorough review. I can't remember the last manual I've read much less enjoy.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Thank you I love being introduced to new authors.

    ReplyDelete