Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Interviews with the Reviewers

This idea came on the heels of a major aggravation. Yesterday I opened my email to find yet another (third within a week) email about authors supporting authors. As an author myself, I refuse to participate in blind "like" swaps, purchase trades, and the like. Quite frankly, that side of the business aggravates me and I view it as wrong and unscrupulous. But more on that later, in a separate post.

So the idea was born. I'd like to shine a bit of light on the hard working men and women in the book review business. Not the paid reviewers who sit behind comfy desks at an office somewhere, but the average book enthusiasts who take the time to review books without expecting anything in return. I'd like to start interviewing book reviewers.

Since the book industry is so diverse, there are countless blogs and websites dedicated to different genres, styles, and formats. This interview series will not discriminate (even if I, myself, never read anything in the genre you review), and I will consider featuring you as long as your reviews are well written and honest.  I'm also open to interviewing authors, as long as there is no self-promo, and even then, the authors will be interviewed as reviewers only. (provided they write meaningful reviews)

This series will open in the near future, and my first guest will be The Lazy Book Reviewer. After that, I'd like to feature a different reviewer once every two weeks or even weekly perhaps.

What do you get out of playing along? You'll get the chance to tell your side of the story, and I'll include your blog/website at the end of the interview. Nevertheless, you do not need to have a website or a blog. If you are an active reviewer on any of the book review sites, I'll consider it.

So, let's turn the tables and play a game I call Interviews with the Reviewers.


8 comments:

  1. This is a great opportunity for both reviewers and authors. I will share your endeavors. Thanks for the post!

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  2. I am interested. I have self-published about 6 ebooks, and I have reviewed about 50 on Amazon. More about me at http://www.ianmiller.co.nz. I found out about you through "The Twinjas".

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  3. I like your idea. My blogs are all Christian based. Maybe you like 'em, maybe not. But I ask questions, have a discussion, and respond to comments. You can find my blog at http://www.ParchmanPreacher.com/blog/
    Yes, it's my author website blog, but I don't promote my books; however, the blog themes are all associated with the same themes in my latest novel. You decide if you'd like for me to blog on your site about these themes. You might link one that's already on my blog site. The Soul: What is it? Where's it taking us? Discernment: What is it? How do we get it and use it? are two examples.

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  4. Hi. I found your blog via the Twinjas and I love your idea. I'm a weird hybrid of indie author/book reviewer. I admin the Authors to Watch site, a promotional blog that interviews authors, features new books, and sometimes posts reviews. You can find Authors to Watch at http://www.authorstowatch.com

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  5. Thank you all for the overwhelming support for this idea.

    Ian Miller: I'll keep you in mind for future interviews.

    Michael Thompson: Thanks for the offer. I'm not looking for anyone to blog on my blog, and I'd like to keep this book related. At this point, my goal is to promote serious reviewers, because they are the ones working behind the scenes and not getting recognition. Sure, we authors like to bask in the limelight; who doesn't? But, without reviewers, we would never find readers. Time to show some love to the reviewers.

    Tricia: Your site is interesting. Thanks for featuring the lesser known authors. I'll be in touch.

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  6. Hi Henry,

    I'm a non-paid reviewer and I really like your idea. It's easy to forget (unfortunately) that a majority of us that review for "free" do so outside of a regular job - and sometimes that leads really demanding review requests...I really like your idea to help spread the word and give reviewers a bit of a pat on the back. I'd be interested in taking part in this whenever an opening comes along.

    Thanks for your support!
    Jessi at The Book Cove

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  7. Great idea. It's nice to encourage the blogging community and get to know fellow book reviewers. Where do I sign up ;)

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  8. Hi Henry, I found you through the Twinjas and this is a great thing that you are doing for bloggers. I love reading and promoting books and authors-you feel good knowing that you are doing a small bit to help-but sometimes I just wish a few more people would view my blog to see these reviews and author features! Happy to take part at any time if you're interested, whatever works for you. My social calendar is quite light these days...*smiles* Speedy reply guaranteed. Thanks again for helping us bloggers!

    My link: http://chucklesbookcave.blogspot.co.uk/

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