Comments on: The Sunday Salon 4.18.10: On Books, Blogs, and Marketing

By: Amanda

Amanda — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 05:49:59 +0000

Rebecca,

Thank you for writing this great article. I could feel the steam coming off the page as I read it.

I’m a book blogger whose aim is to create a professional site to help book bloggers blog better – and to explore whether one can monetize a book blog.

As I suspect that most bloggers actually want people to visit and read their blogs, I find it hard to understand why they disparage those who market/promote/network their blogs.

I have a sneaking suspicion that some of the answers are to be found as part of the cultural backlash against marketing.

For me however, I say let’s all paint our wagons neon read and haul them up the highest hill!

By: Rebecca @ The Book Lady's Blog

Rebecca @ The Book Lady's Blog — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 18:23:56 +0000

I think your lizard-brain analogy is perfect. Yes. People mistrust all marketing because some marketing is bad (case of one bad apple spoiling the bunch). It bears discussing.

By: Skip

Skip — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 18:19:50 +0000

Do you think it could be as simple as a latent distrust of just the word “marketing”? Some lizard-brain association with marketing and manipulation and naked profit-seeking?

I, like some others have already noted, don’t understand how someone with a public blog can get on their high horse about marketing. Smacks of a certain amount of cognitive dissonance to me.

By: Anna

Anna — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 16:40:20 +0000

Well said, especially your thoughts on personal branding and our blogs. It’s certainly very important, especially at trade events, that we present ourselves in a professional manner. In many cases, it’s just a matter of good manners and remembering that what you say online is VERY public!

By: Heather J.

Heather J. — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 17:23:34 +0000

How crazy is this: I just submitted my outline for the Marketing Panel at the Book Blogger Convention and my first items for discussion is “What is marketing and why should bloggers do it?” Then I hop over here and see this post.

You did a great job explaining things and you’ve definitely given me more things to consider regarding the panel!

By: Sarah Daily

Sarah Daily — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 16:30:24 +0000

Great post, Rebecca! You are so articulate. I love that you removed the evil mask and talked about marketing in such an informative, educational manner.

I just think it’s so wonderful that we all have the opportunity to market something that has such an overwhelmingly positive effect on society. I mean, really, does it get any better?

By: Rebecca @ The Book Lady's Blog

Rebecca @ The Book Lady's Blog — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 14:13:50 +0000

Heather, that’s the best compliment you could give me about this one. Thanks!

By: Heather

Heather — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 13:52:51 +0000

Excellent post, as usual Rebecca. I like how eloquently you explained the fact that we ALL market our blogs, whether we mean to or not, because while I understood that to be the case, I really never think about my own marketing. I am definitely in the more “passive” category of marketing, but I am okay with that, and I love that we all market what we believe in – books. That is what we are here for, right? And marketing ourselves, at least for me, is just the icing. Some people are more involved in the publishing industry than others, and that is when the “serious” marketing comes into play. But really, we all just need to put our best face forward when we write, talk, and comment about our blogging and act with professionalism. We are all passionate about books, and to share that passion we need to act like adults.

So, anyways, what I am trying to say is that you rock, and I think this post cleared up a lot of things for a lot of people.

By: Rebecca @ The Book Lady's Blog

Rebecca @ The Book Lady's Blog — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 12:55:59 +0000

Aarti, it’s something I’ve been thinking about blogging on for many months now. You’re right that bloggers do it to varying agrees, but we all do it, and even when we don’t have the blog, Facebook, Twitter, gravatar combo, we have personal brands—they’re just less controlled than others.

By: amymckie

amymckie — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 11:06:48 +0000

Very well said! I couldn’t agree more. Every action affects somebody’s perception of us, as do the content, style, and feel of what we say and do. Of course that still hasn’t motivated me to get off my tush and actually finish actually designing my blog (read: header) but that is a whole other story!