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November 2, 2014

Tips to become a succesful book blogger

Image Courtesy-Fast Company

     "Sir, I am the fan. Reading your book reviews. Me likes you.Want to write blog-bookreviews blog.What to do? How to get free review copy books?             -Kuldeep (name changed,obviously!),via e-mail

                       I will be bluffing if I say that I wasn’t surprised when I read  this mail for the very first time.Infact, like flocks of pigeons getting back to their favourite coops,a myriad of permutations and combinations flew in to my mind,once I was finished reading it; the most rational ones among them being-

  • Someone loves me so desperately that he/she wants to start a blog and  immortalise our laila-majnu love story in the virtual world.
  •  The awesomeness in my writing  is so  irresistible that even  something as inanimate as my ceiling fan has started singing praises (in this case,typing e-mails) acknowledging my sheer genius!
  •  My collection of personalised spam mails has just touched the magic figure of 10,000

             Usually in situations like this which warrant a socially astute and intellectually precise analysis,it’s my chechi who comes to my rescue .This time too she didn’t disappoint me.It took her a while to decode the cryptic message and convince me that what we were staring at wasn’t a cute little gay love letter (as I initially feared), but a certificate of appreciation from a good soul ('God bless him') who was mighty impressed with whatever crap I was writing here @ RT and was actually asking me for some pearls of wisdom (read tips on writing a book review) before making his/her baby steps in the big,bad world of book blogs. So I, nikhmenon, the most awesomely awesome blogger and love guru that the blogosphere has ever produced have decided to enlighten you all with my wildly original and stupendously fantabulous tips on how to become the Chetan Bhagat among the book-bloggers.

                  Well,before actually proceeding with the gyaan,I think it will be better if we look into the most vital part of Kuldeep’s question first - i.e. the bit about getting free review copies.-

      Let me be honest.You are no James Wood (atleast, not yet) but a newbie book blogger and there is every possibility of you and your family members being the sole readers of your initial posts.So don’t delude yourself into thinking,even if for a split second ,that publishers or PR agencies are going to pamper you with free review copies and review requests straight away.In other words,for getting books initially,you’ll have to rely heavily on the local library or buy them on your own .Now,don’t get me wrong.I can totally understand that books are pretty expensive and buying them at their cover price (of 399,250,499,599 INR) may not be financially viable all the time.Well,don’t worry.There are websites like CupoNation which aggregate the various online book deals in a neat,organised manner while also offering numerous discount coupons (which can be availed at their corresponding online store) for the purchase of your favourite book.For instance,if you choose Amazon Coupons,you will not only get a good idea about the various discount deals currently running in the major e-retailer sites, but  also an opportunity to grab attractive discount vouchers for books. (Infact they are giving out vouchers for a variety of products for various sellers.So,even if you aren't into books,you may find their offers quite interesting,do checkout their deals and offers)

So guys, here comes nikhimenon's golden tips to become a superstar book blogger-

Be organised: no one likes to read a review written in a haphazard manner.There may not be a definite format for writing one, but it will be better if you stick to a basic template which covers the important aspects of a book-plotting,characters,writing style,writing etc.

Keep away from spoilers : a review is not synonymous with  a  synopsis.So,while writing a review you are neither required nor expected to give away the whole plot and each and every plot twist and also,don't post something just for the sake of it.

Be Polite: good or bad it may be,every book is the result of someone’s passion and hardwork.You may totally hate a book,but be polite and not too harsh in expressing your views.

Make it simple and crisp:Remember this cardinal rule-People read blog reviews because they want to know whether a particular book is good or bad without having to go through blocks of prose replete with intellectual pretensions and heavy duty literary jargons.Respect your reader and make your reviews  crisp and easy to read.

Be Patient: No one has become a superstar blogger overnight.Recognition in blogosphere takes time and there are no short cuts for achieving instant success as a blogger.Read like there is no tomorrow and pen down your sincere thoughts in a lucid, organised and unpretentious manner.Your work will definitely get its due.

(The second part of this post will be published soon)

-nikhimenon

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

nice tips..waiting for the second part

Locomente said...

Thanks Nikhi. This was really helpful :)

nikhimenon said...

thanks...the second part f this post will be published soon

Red Handed said...

I am no book blogger but SIR, I NODDED MY HEAD ON EVERY SINGLE TIP YOU GAVE!!!

Anonymous said...

Nice post

Unknown said...

nice post...quite informative