Many of you are already subscribers to BookPageXTRA, the most popular of our three e-newsletters—today, we’re inviting you to be contributors as well. For those not in the know, XTRA comes out twice a month and includes previews of the print edition of BookPage, exclusive reviews and interviews, editors’ picks and lots and lots of book recommendations. We also give away books in each issue. Here’s a sample of the most recent edition.
Next week’s XTRA is all about social media—and how BookPage communicates with booklovers and spreads the word about new books through this blog, Facebook, Twitter and more. Of course, we have our own ideas about how all this works, but we’d love to share yours as well. To contribute, just answer any or all of the questions below in the comments.
Why do you like reading book blogs?
What books or authors have you discovered from book blogs, Facebook fan pages, etc.?
Have you connected with other readers thanks to book blogs? Why are these relationships important to you?
We will choose several comments for inclusion in the newsletter (and we’ll only include your first name).
Can’t wait to read your comments!
Reviews on book blogs I’ve vetted and trust is a way to get a solid second opinion on a book I may have been considering, but wasn’t sure about. But it’s important to spend several weeks or months with a blog before you decide how much credence to give it.
I’m not sure I’ve ever found a book on a blog I hadn’t heard of and picked up solely as a result of a review, but there have been books suggested to me in the comments of my own blog – Lamb, by Christopher Moore; The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak – that I have picked up, read and loved.
The relationships I’ve developed as a result of my own blog and reading others give me perspective and context for what is really going on out there in the literary world. Prior to starting my own blog, I was basically reading in a vacuum – I’d finish a book, put it aside, and maybe discuss it with someone else later. But now, through my blog and reading others, it’s like a built-in book club, but with lots more freedom than the standard meet-once-a-month-to-discuss-some-Oprah-book deal. You’re on your own terms, and as long as things are kept sophisticated, there is much to be learned from and discussed with these other very smart literary people who I would have never met except through blogs.
Book blogs have become my primary source for information and commentary about books. I read book blogs produced by traditional-media outlets, publishers, and individuals; I get different perspectives from each. Individual book blogs particularly appeal because they carry the voice of the ordinary reader – someone like me – and incorporate personal intellectual and emotional reactions to a book into their assessment of it, and they’re more conversational in tone.
(Sorry – I hit “submit” before I was done answering the questions!)
Book blogs have influenced me to try too many books and authors to list here, but they’ve been especially strong in introducing me to YA authors such as Suzanne Collins and Beth Kephart. I’ve enjoyed learning I’m not actually too old for these books after all.
I have had the pleasure of meeting quite a few book bloggers off-line and am happy to call them friends. Whether off-line or online, I’ve loved finding a community to discuss and discover books with.
I love book blogs so much I tried starting my own
I did not get very far because I spend so much time reading other fabulous blogs. Most of the books I read these days seem to be because i saw a post about a book and my curiosity was sparked. I also like using Twitter and reading sites like Goodreads and LibraryThing to learn about books and new authors. Sometimes I come across a book and recognize the author’s name from a twitter chat or interview, so I check out or buy the book.
I think one of the reasons book blogs appeal to me is because they help me filter through the myriad of books available. There are SO many books and I cannot possibly read them all! If I bought all of the books I see that “look good” then my family would have to live in a house of books! I look for new reads through blogs. I can get a sense of what a book is like or if it is worth buying or reading. Plus, blogs and social networks offer so much more than just the book! Author interviews, book chats and quizzes or fun blog tours and giveaways give me even more incentive to find the book and read it. Also, I find books for my teen and kids to read. That’s how we recently got BAMBOO PEOPLE and Familiars and how I found the SHIVER series.
I have connected with a lot of other readers online, and I don’t actually get that connection at home often. It’s fun to chat about a book or share recommendations. I would love to actually chat about books with them in real life sometime!
I am a former book shop owner. I miss the new book information that I received from sales reps and other sources. Bloggers have filled that position. I try to read a variety of blogs and I also waited to get to know the personality and style of the bloggers. I have tried books recommended by bloggers that I might not have tried. I am not a slave to any bloggers recs. but I have purchased books based on recs. by most of them. I don’t really connect with others online, but maybe I will in the future.
I love the idiosyncratic nature of book blogs. Bloggers, by and large, read what they want to read and not just what’s popular at the moment. Sometimes I’ll find a great blog review of a little-known book by a debut author. Other times, I’ll find reviews of classics that don’t get taught in school but that are well worth reading just the same. And then there are reviews of books that were all the rage 5 or 10 years ago but that everyone seems to have forgotten about. It’s wonderful and has transformed my reading tremendously!
I love books and since I’m only able to get to the book store once a week, I love to “browse the aisles” of book blogs from the comfort of my home the other six days. I’m always looking for info on when the next book by a favorite author is going to be released, discovering a new author that everyone else is talking about and reading excerpts of books that I might not have picked up on my own at the book store. Making lists of books that pique my interests on blogs also helps me organize my search at the book store once I get there. I like to flip through books and get a feel for how they are written before I purchase them.
As the number of magazine and newspaper reviewers declines, book blogs are taking up some of the slack. They also provide a venue for interviews and excerpts for authors who aren’t being promoted the old fashioned way by big New York Publishers.
Malcolm
I love blogs for books – I have gotten so many new authors, mainly enjoyable reads, but a few “boring” ones. I can’t remember any names in particular right now; I keep them on lists that I type up (new authors and books by new & favorite ones). I am terrible on names and titles. I have not made any contacts, however, with any bloggers. I also depend upon reviews to a point, allowing me to pick and choose. I use the MelCat system to check out books through my own library if my library does not have the books. Without internet and the blogs and reviews on Amazon, I would be reading less, I believe.
I don’t use Twitter, Facebook , or Myspace. I now get my book information by using the author’s website and book websites. I also like to read book. I like to pick books from the library. I read the inside cover and if i like it, I will check it out.
I have been an avid reader since childhood and have always had a talent for picking a good read. I have my favorite authors and genre but frankly I’m open to read anything if it’s well written and has a good plot. Blogs and book websites have opened me up to many books I would never have discovered on my own, especially since they are not always on the self of my local bookstore. I really like to read the reader reviews. These are people like me and I trust their reviews more then I trust a professional, paid reviewer. The Goodreads website has been a treasure trove for me as is BookPage.
I have such a good time with The Friday Morning Bookclub blog. Our group meets once a month in a local cafe. People often ask me if they can join and I have to say no because we are at our size limit. Now I tell people to join our book club via our blog! The more people the better. I love hearing from people from all over the world. I look forward to writing posts and hearing what others are reading. We even rate our books via our blog. I have made new friends via the blog and actually met one of them for coffee! I could spend hours checking out book blogs and reading about all of the wonderful new books. Thank you BookPage!