I've been reading The Secret Life of Kat pretty much since Kat started it. Kat was a blogging mentor to me in many ways, even though she doesn't have a book blog. I used to not have a book blog, either. :)
Anyway, Kat loves music and she's especially passionate about great singer/songwriters who write Christian music. She's done things like start the Bloggable Music Network to get the word out.
She has the most fantastic word of mouth story that resulted in good success for an artist she loves over on her blog right now.
That's my dream, too.
Not with music so much (though I've worked HARD on behalf of Andrew Peterson) but with books. I would love to think this little blog might actually genuinely help great books get noticed, get more attention. And that book blogs as a whole might one day play that role.
I know that we do make a difference on a small scale. And I know a lot of bloggers don't care.
But I do. I care because sometimes I read a book and it's so beautiful and true that I wish everyone would read it. Or it's funny and clever that I can't imagine why people wouldn't fall in love with it. Or it's so exciting and such a page turner that it grieves me that it's missing in stores.
It's part of why I have this blog. It's part of why I bother to review books, why I accept books for review that might be a little different than what I normally pick up, why I add books to my wishlist from bloggers who read different books than I do. I do believe that these hidden treasures are out there.
Because a dream come true for me? Would be to know that it matters, that it makes a difference, that someone found a book they loved because I took the time to blog about it.
What about you? What's your dream for your blog? If you don't have a blog, what's a book you wish would get more exposure?
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Her Dream is My Dream, Too
Posted by Amy at 12:00 AM
Labels: blogging, Books and Community
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19 comments:
I think you've hit the nail on the head Amy. I doubt many of us blog just to hear ourselves talk. Personally, if I can introduce bloggers to each other, lift someone's spirits, or make their life just a little better by highlighting a wonderful book, then my job is done.
I think I feel the same as you. If I find a brilliant book, I want to share it with the world and help other people find it. I've always been a book pusher - I give other people my favorite books as gifts if I think they'll like them - and my blog is definitely an extension of that. Maybe we can't make or break a book yet, but I do hope I can encourage others to try an unfamiliar book that I adored.
I love to talk books and share books. Blogging, I've been surprised to discover, is more than about the rantings of the carpool crowd. Reading the blogs of other readers gives me hope in the world.
I think you make the point quite nicely. I like to think that at some point a book I review on my site might find some advantage to being so. That I can bring it to those who might otherwise not think to read it and find that they enjoyed it so much they too passed it on.
That's a lovely dream, everyone has those books or bands where you just want everyone to know about it (when 24 first started being shown in the UK I was very much all about converting people to 24).
As for books I wish more people knew about right now it's got to be 'Chameleon' by Charles R Smith and 'Empresses of the World' by Sara Ryan. 'Chameleon' might be something you'd enjoy - it's essentially about four kids who love playing basketball and hanging out, who live in Compton among the rival gangas the Crips and the Pirus, very little swearing and violence, despite its setting (see how I will take any opportunity to recommend it to another blogger).
I agree with the comments so far, in that we are not just blogging to hear our own voice. I think I like to blog because I like finding shared experiences with others. Although I do not only blog about books, when I do post a review I am hoping my readers will pick up something they may not have otherwise.
I am currently reading each and every Governor General Award Winner for Fiction since the prize started in 1936 and posting reviews. I think it's a great way to raise awareness for Canadian literature.
yes, I am another book pusher. And I too want to expose the hidden treasures, that they be hidden no more!
I see book bloggers as sort of glorified agents of word of mouth, with a slightly larger audience than our bookish co-worker or someone in our book club, waxing about their latest book find. Word of mouth, without question, can make a book, as this article about The Help... http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/03/books/03help.hyml ..discusses.
ok...screwed up that link...s/b html at the end of course...
I love connecting people to good things: books, people, blogs. I don't know if I have dreams or lofty goals, but when someone reads a book because of one of my reviews or two people meet because I mentioned them on my blog, I'm thrilled. I really love that.
I love getting a book I love into the hands of more people. My blog is small, so I can't do anything much in the online world, but I do recommend a few amazing books to my friends over and over again.
My dream for my book blog is this:
If I review a book, that one person gets a spark of interest in, and goes and gets it and reads it, then what I do is worth it. It only takes a spark to get someone into the world of reading. My spark was yes, Twilight, thanks to my daughter. I hadn't picked up a book in over 10 years. Once I read it, I was hooked again. Now I can read 2-3 books a day!
On my music and literature blog, I work every day toward exposing talented musicians and writers to the world in innovative ways. In almost 8 years of blogging, I feel I have done that but there are many more opportunities in the future.
Thanks for all the time you put into your book blog. It is very helpfull from a personal view and from a professional standpoint.
Penny
What a lovely post, Amy :-) I agree with you. I am not sure that I've made any impact on "the little books that could" through my reviews, but I do hope to be part of a grassroots program of bloggers that just raises awareness for gems of books that are not as easily accessible as some others. I think next year, I will focus on books from small press to accept for review.
I just love it when I know someone has bought a book because of something on my blog. We can each make a small impact individually, but if you add us altogether, hopefully we are making a difference.
Why did I start reviewing stuff on Amazon and then Epinions? To hopefully get the word out about books and music I love so it would sell more.
I completely agree, part of the reason I blog is that I desperately want people to read certain books that I adore, that and I am somewhat opinionated and like to make my thoughts known.
Amy,
You and other bloggers are so encouraging to writers, especially new writers who need the exposure so much. I love reading what you and other bloggers have to say and have found books I would not have found otherwise. Thanks for all you do for us writers. May God bless your good work.
Jackina Stark
I loved this post, Amy! It makes me incredibly happy to introduce someone to something I love and have them tell me they love it too - be it music, books, movies, series, etc. It also makes me happy to help bring a talented artist to the attention of more people. Blogging is all about sharing my passions :)
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