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11.18.2010

Book Blogging 101 - Funding Your Giveaway

This is where I pretend that I know what I'm talking about.

Spawned from the Big Sis, Little Blog program, Book Blogging 101 was born. Do you have a question? Leave it in the google docs form and I'll try and answer them in the order they are received.

Q: People like giveaways. We like being able to give books away, we like being able to win books. How do book bloggers fund it? I would love to be able to give away more books on the blog I contribute to. 

A.You provide the books. Or. You get someone else to provide the books.

Cheap alternatives to paying for a book and paying for shipping is to use the BookDepository or Amazon.com - BookDepository is a little more popular because it is free international shipping, so you can have an international contest and the books tend to be cheap.

Easiest way to get someone else to provide a giveaway on your blog. Ask.

An author/publisher contacts you to review their book, you say yes, and follow it up with "Will a giveaway, interview or guest post be possible to go along with the review?"

If extra books are available, they will let you know. The worst they can say is no.

JUST ASK LIKE A PROFESSIONAL. Read my rant on how not to ask...here.

There are also sites where you can sign up to do giveaways for publishers. The most notorious ones are the groups on the Ning Book Blog site.

Pocket Books Tour Sign Up: http://bookblogs.ning.com/group/pocketbooksblogtours
Hatchette Book Giveaway: http://bookblogs.ning.com/group/hostahachettebookgroupgiveawayonyourblog
Pocket Romance Tour: http://bookblogs.ning.com/group/gallerypocketbooksromanceblogtourgroup

Other ways to do this is by signing up for blog tours, those usually have a giveaway attached to them.

You can also save up for your own giveaway.

I hope this answered your question.

Now a questions for you guys...

What book blogger terms did you need to get explained? Terms like ARC, WOW, and FF.
    PS - WOW --- Waiting on Wednesday & FF while a twitter term is popular with the social bloggers, it means Follow Friday






    Ask your BB101 Questions here...

    12 comments:

    Brooke said...

    I'll have to look into the book depository. I'd love to be able to hold international contests, but shipping has always made me limit it to US/Canada... Nice Post!

    April (BooksandWine) said...

    Yep, I definitely funded the majority of my giveaways when I started (I still fund a lot of them, as I hate keeping ARCs). I find now that I am established and have gone to various book events to show that I am a serious blogger (like BEA), I am now contacted/asked if I want to giveaway books. It's pretty nice!

    Anonymous said...

    I usually look out for sales when it comes time to get giveaway books. But I'm thinking to switching over to just Book Depository giveaways since the shipping is free and that is where most of our money is spent. Plus I HATE going to the post office.

    Thank you for explaining what FF is. Haha, I've participated in Follow Friday before and I have no idea why I haven't connected the two. Another helpful post :-)


    Stephanie G
    Paranormal Haven

    ParaJunkee said...

    @Brooke - The bookdepository.com is great even for your own purchases. It takes awhile to get the books, but the prices are low and you can't beat free international shipping. I'm still trying to figure out how they make any money, unless they are stealing the books off of the back of trucks...

    ParaJunkee said...

    @April - I kind of stopped funding themselves, just because I had a shipping problem with the USPS and have since felt so bad.

    @PH - sometimes it takes a bit to click!

    Hannah @ Every Little Thing said...

    These Book Blogging Tips really help me! Thanks :)

    Hannah
    Want to be featured?
    http://abouteverything-hannah.blogspot.com/2010/11/featured-blogger-shortcut-for-signing.html

    Rachel said...

    Thankyou so much, I've been trying to figure out how to get in with Hachette Book Group! It bums me out that I can't really afford to pay for giveaways myself, so this is perfect!

    Sally Bibrary said...

    Great post. I think the bit about acting as a professional is probably the best advice you can offer anyone in the book blogging niche.

    Displaying some genuine admiration is definitely in order, along with demonstrating that you actually know something about them and their work . . . without coming across as a creepy stalker fan. :)

    I've been amazed at how many authors are genuinely excited to hear about interest in their work, and how quick they can be to help. It's not just new releases either. I've been in touch with a few authors regarding long out-of-print books, and they've bent over backwards to help me find a copy, even if it's off their own shelves.

    Lucy D'Andrea said...

    Great post! I really learned alot and I'm taking notes for when I create my own blog either during the holidays or next summer. Thank you so much for all your information! I really appreciate it!

    Missie, The Unread Reader said...

    I had no idea about the Pings. WOW. Now if only I wasn't so lazy, I'd get on that.

    Very informative and helpful as usual. I more than convinced that you know what you are saying. ;)

    Anonymous said...

    I love using The Book Depo for giveaways. There's no minimum order for free shipping and they ship just about anywhere.

    Chrystal said...

    Great post! I just learned a bit about asking for giveaway stuff. I haven't used The Book Depository yet for giveaways, but do order from them regularly. My only giveaways had to be shipped from where I live because first one was a signed copy I picked up and the other was a box of goodies. :) I will definately be coming back to this entry when it's time for my next giveaway. Thanks again!

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