Publicity Tip #91 ~
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As a first-time author you might find yourself quite enthusiastic about doing guest blogs on topics you love (and finding a way to weave in mention of your book) to help publicize your new book while still keeping your budget in check. What you need to make sure of is that you don’t just walk into anyone’s house (blog) to take advantage of their “open door” policy: guest blogs, reviews, interviews, book spotlights, etc. You need to canvas the neighbourhood to make sure it’s the right fit for you and your family (of books).
I spent a lot of time in my early days finding awesome “general” blogs that had a great following according to Alexa.com. The problem was, I needed to spend a little more time checking out the real estate before buying in. Regardless of whether or not the “owner” said “all are welcome”, those nosy neighbours who like to pass on the gossip (good for getting the word out about your book) don’t tend to be quite as varied as you might think.
I recently found a wonderful blog run by a fabulous older woman who has lived an eclectic life, travelled, been involved in a wide variety professions and loves helping fellow authors: Smorgasbord – Variety is the Spice of Life with Sally G. Cronin. Helpful social media back-scratching is her main montra but she enjoys sharing her blog (online home) with any author who is interested in sharing similar likes in guest posts and spotlighting 5 star reviews to help herald your good fortune.
The thing is, as great as all this sounds, I don’t think (now I don’t know for sure but past experience dictates this reaction) that sci-fi/fantasy or horror writers would find this a good fit – a productive use of their time. Sally’s wondrous site, I think, would best benefit general fiction, women’s fiction, how-to’s and other similar genres.
So, if you happen to fall into one of those categories (or a similar one) then this would be the perfect house to drop in on… just be sure to call ahead (send Sally an email) and the door will always be open.
Categories: Publicity
infinite-pathways.org 
Thanks very much Melissa and there are some Sci-fi and fantasy guest posts popping in from time to time and also I tend to reblog them to direct others back to their sites. I think the main thing is that it is a comfortable fit as you say and I look forward to hearing from your followers if they fancy popping into my home and garden for a change of scenery once they have checked it out.. Very grateful for the promo and thanks again. best wishes Sally
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You’re most welcome, Sally. I’ve been vicariously following your blog for several weeks now through reposts on various other sites I’m following and I was interested in “popping by” for a look-see – lol š I’ll be sure and look for those SFF posts on your site!
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Reblogged this on Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life and commented:
Melissa Moor has very kindly mentioned my guest posting invitation but it is as she says a good idea to check out the blog you are submitting to beforehand. Not only to see if it is a fit for your work and likely to benefit you but also if it fits in with the general theme of the blog.
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Sally is indeed wonderful and generous with her attention, as well as entertaining to follow š
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Thanks for the feedback D. Wallace Peach! š
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Sally is a peach of the best kind- a Georgia peach, by my experience!
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Reblogged this on Love, Laughter, and Life and commented:
Good things to think about!
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I like your style. All of us who have crossed paths with Sally hold her in the highest regard. She is indeed an author’s best friend. ā¤
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She is one of the most generous of all that I’ve seen out there in the blogging world. Her own work is also pretty wonderful. A real treasure, that Sally ! āŗ
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Sally is so generous! She promotes others, and that makes us like her even more.
Melissa, I love your analogy of the blog being our house.
Melinda
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Thanks for sharing your experiences with Sally, Melinda š And I’m glad you like the analogy! It only made sense to me after reading through Sally’s blog that this is exactly what our blogs are – our virtual houses; We take time and care to get them just the way we want and then hope for company to stop by and visit with us š We even need to go in every once in a while and “tidy” the place up – lol!
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Really great advice.
On the flip-side of that, as a host, I’ve had many folks over at mine for interviews and then never heard anything from them again and it’s a shame because my whole community if very supportive and they could get so much more if they stuck around long enough to find out.
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Excellent point, Kev.
It’s important that when we start building our “writing/reading communities” that we don’t lose touch with the new friends we’ve made. Sometimes it’s not always possible to stay connected with everyone but all it takes is a like on a comment or the occasional re-blog to stay in the loop.
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Absolutely! š
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