I’m always looking for fresh ideas and not long ago thought that it would be a great idea to feature book bloggers and bookstagrammers – and the work they do to connect readers and authors.
Our reading ecosystem has changed a lot in the past ten to fifteen years and readers are playing an increasingly crucial role. The diagram below gives some sense of what’s happening to a landscape that used to consist of book reviewers in traditional media recommending books to their readers and literary publications featuring authors and books on a monthly basis.
Today, you hear about a book from a myriad of sources and check out what other readers are saying about it on Goodreads. You can find a book blogger or bookstagrammer whose recommendations suit you or participate in a reader/writer forum like Wattpad. You can follow an author on BookBub and be notified whenever that author releases a new book. You can join one of thousands of book focused pages on Facebook and not only discover new novels and authors, but also interact with those authors.
Why do readers make a decision to share their thoughts about books? Why do they take the time to write thoughtful reviews every week? Who are their followers? Without these passionate readers, many authors wouldn’t be able to spread the word about their novels.
So let’s talk to some of them and find out.
PS – I’m sure my diagram is simplistic! Feel free to make suggestions.
Harald Johnson suggested adding author website & email lists … which I’ve done in the diagram below.
FOR MORE ON READING & WRITING HISTORICAL FICTION FOLLOW A WRITER OF HISTORY
M.K. Tod writes historical fiction. Her latest novel, TIME AND REGRET was published by Lake Union. Mary’s other novels, LIES TOLD IN SILENCE and UNRAVELLED are available from Amazon, Nook, Kobo, Google Play and iTunes. She can be contacted on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads or on her website www.mktod.com.
5 Responses
That’s a great graphic, Mary. And I see you’ve updated it since 2015, huh?
But one “bubble” I don’t see is a primary one for indie authors and their followers: the author website/email list. That’s one of purest, direct channels from author to reader these days.
I love this. Sometimes we read/reviewers are taken for granted, especially if we’ve become the OGs. Thank you
Excellent idea, Mary. Let me know if you need some names of book bloggers. We are all so appreciative of their dedication to and support of literacy.
I agree the diagram IS excellent. Since it is the giant publisher/seller/distributor in the room, I would suggest another addition since I’ve read that 70% of books sold (in the US?) are through Amazon. Customers search for topics, authors and also pay attention to “Also Read.” Worthy of its own bubble.