What I look for in book blogs when I’m “working”

When I first started book blogging I was fortunate enough to be hired as an assistant at an author PR and marketing firm. Later on I worked with the author who was my manager from that company. These days I just help her out with stuff as needed.

In my work as an assistant, I often have to do a lot of hopping from one book blog to another. I know, it’s an awesome job. I spend a lot of time looking at blogs to find potential reviewers or to check if a blogger has put up a review or a feature post as agreed. I enjoy it because book blog hopping not only lets me in on what’s happening in the community (what’s new, what’s trending, what are bloggers excited about these days, etc.), but it also helps me discover new blogs and gives me a chance to read about new or even old books.

For work purposes, I tend to zero in on a few things on a book blog. I get giddy when I see a nice design and a clean layout (I’m kind of obsessed with blog design), but those are not the only things that get my attention. Here are a few things that I usually look for in a book blog when I’m looking to connect with bloggers about an author or a book.

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T-Shirt Thursday!

I know it’s already late in the day, but, hey, watch out! Pretty cool tees coming your way! I’ve been missing these T-Shirt Thursday posts lately. Not to say I haven’t seen cool graphic tees anywhere. I’ve just been kind of on a blogging mental block or what have you. My blog’s been boring lately. I need to have an editorial meeting with myself. Hah. Anyway, here are some really cute tees. Enjoy! :)

GAWWWZILLAWWW (Threadless) – Cutest Godzilla evur!

Rebirth (Threadless) – I just think this one looks pretty awesome. I’ve a thing for wings and stuff.

Not All Who Wander Are Lost (TopatoCo) – Wise words by the awesome J.R.R. Tolkien.

Kaiju Wave (BustedTees) – Woohoo Kaiju!!!!

Skulls Are For Pussies (Red Bubble) – I love skulls and kitty cats.

It’s Banned Books Week! And We’re Doing a Giveaway Hop!

Yay, it’s time for the giveaway hop celebrating the annual Banned Books Week  I first discovered this cool event last year and I just couldn’t pass up participating again this year. This year’s Banned Books Week Giveaway Hop is hosted by I Am A Reader Not A Writer and BookHounds. Check out what this awesome event is all about and enter the giveaway for a chance to win a banned book of your choice!

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I Followed The Yellow Brick Road + A Giveaway

This is the story of my I’m-moving-to-WordPress adventure. It’s a bit long so you can actually skip through all the rambling and go straight to the mighty Rafflecopter! I say, woot.

After months and months of  contemplating and research, I finally transferred this blog from Blogger to WordPress! All together now, YAYYYYYY. And I did it all by myself, too, because I’m a cheapskate and, well, I really wanted to learn to do it myself. I have more than one blog that I want to transfer so I figured I should learn all about it.

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Off to Oz Giveaway Hop

Ah, yes. It’s another giveaway hop, my friends. I’ve realized spreading the good vibes is always a good thing even in blogging. Everytime I win stuff on the internet, my sister dear always says I’m so lucky and I always respond that it’s only because I enter so many giveaways that I’m bound to win one even if it’s just an e-book. The point is, I enter almost every giveaway on giveaway hops because I luuurve giveaways and I luuurve hoarding e-books! Mwahahaha! 

Anyway, enough rambling from me. Come, my friends! Take my hand and let us enter these blog giveaways together! Off we go on the yellow brick road!

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Using a robot proofreader: Yay or Nay?

I used Grammarly to grammar check this post, because I wanted to pit myself against a robot, or in this case a program, and see if I would survive the robot apocalypse. Something like that.

Okay, not really. I was going to do a post about my favorite freelancer’s tools when I received an email about Grammarly, an automated online proofreader. According to the website, it ‘corrects contextual spelling mistakes, checks for more than 250 common grammar errors, enhances vocabulary usage, and provides citation suggestions.’

I was iffy about it at first but the Grammarly rep emphasized that the tool is meant to be a ‘second set of eyes’ to help people with their writing and not as a replacement for a human editor. Okay then. I figured I can at least do a quick test.

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Are Legends Born or Made?

As a freelance writer I come across a lot of interesting things from tips, sources and websites I follow. Most of them are branding or marketing campaigns that are unlike anything I’ve seen and pretty much off the hook.

One of the latest cool things I’ve come across is Heineken’s Voyage campaign, where they try to find out what men are really made of when taken out of their regular lives and dropped off into the unknown. They find these random dudes from all over the world and then drop them off in a seemingly random location. Imagine getting dropped off in the middle of Alaska with nothing but a giant life-ring, a tuxedo and a plane ticket for home, and the airport is miles away. Holy legendary adventures, Batman!

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Review of Fury by Shirley Marr

This review is a long time coming. I won a paperback copy of this book from a Goodreads giveaway last year and I’ve only gotten around to reading it this month! Ack. I know. At least I’m making a tiny bit of progress with my review pile, right? Gah.

About Fury

Let me tell you my story.
Not just the facts I know you want to hear.
If I’m going to tell you my story,
I’m telling it my way.

Strap yourself in…

Eliza Boans has everything.
A big house.
A great education.
A bright future.

So why is she sitting in a police station confessing to murder?

Add it on Goodreads

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