What I Know For Sure...

As an author, I’d be nowhere without amazing bloggers who’ve read my books and spread the word about them to all their loyal followers. I’ve met so many wonderful readers across the globe. It has been one of the most enriching experiences of my life—so much more so than I’d ever imagined when I released Until Alex, my first new adult novel last year.

To say that releasing self-published novels is a daunting task would be a complete understatement. The funny thing is…the writing part isn’t daunting; the promotional part of it is. I love connecting with readers; however, you can’t connect with readers if they don’t know about your book. And they won’t know about your book without reviews. And you can’t get reviews unless people read it. It’s a crazy, time-consuming, exhausting circle.

Before I self-published Until Alex, I was already an avid reader and reviewer on Goodreads and Amazon, so I knew I needed to get my novel into the hands of readers who enjoyed the new adult genre. My editor told me to email bloggers, which I did. And for all the email queries I sent, only a few bloggers were able to read and review my book because of over-booked reviewing schedules. But what I did find was that even if they couldn’t read it, so many of them spread the word on their blogs, Facebook page, and Twitter—which was beyond amazing since I was an unknown, first time author.

Looking back, I realize most of my reviews came from NetGalley. LJ at Mayhem Cover Creations introduced me to Kellie at Patchwork Press who listed my novel through a NetGalley co-op. Reviewers and bloggers were able to decide if my novel was something they wanted to read. And so many did! I’ve now listed Since Drew, my second NA novel, and am just floored by the response it’s already received. In just two weeks it has over fifty ratings and almost just as many reviews.  To say I owe these bloggers a huge hug is another understatement. Without them reading my book, no one would even know it exists. 

So I guess what I’m trying to say is…bloggers take time out of their busy lives to read and share their love for books. They become our friends and biggest cheerleaders. They deserve so much more credit and love than I could possibly give them in this blog entry. But without them, I would not be able to do what I enjoy doing and have others actually read my work.  So thank you, thank you, THANK YOU wonderful bloggers!