BBAW Interview Swap

I recently signed-up for the book blogger's interview swap on the Book Bloggers Appreciation Week site. I was given the name of the "Nothing More Delightful Book Blog" by Sarah Merz.
Sarah Merz is the owner of a popular book blog in Germany. I wish I could read German, but Ms. Merz is fluent in English and has shared some delightful information about her blog and her life.


Sarah, please tell us something about your blog.

It is called "Nothing more delightful - Reading from Passion" as this is what reading is for me. Therefore, I also decided to make books my profession and started studying book sciences in Munich in 2004, which is an interdisciplinary programme combining courses on handson skills with business management knowledge. I quickly got interested into two main areas, which are historical development of the international book trade and new digital technologies. Ok, I am not only passionate about reading, but also love studying, which is why I also did a degree in Technology Mangement and an MSc in Material Cultures and the History of the Book in Edinburgh (which also many library-people do, because we worked with special collections and rare books and thought about things like conservation and so on). As my boyfriend is an archaeologist, I wrote my dissertation about the German 19th century archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann and the international publications of his works, which also was a quite funny topic, because Schliemann really has a distinct personality. The next year I will spend in Oxford to do an MA in Digital Publishing at Oxford Brookes University
and I am very much looking forward to it - I think it will be a great year, but I have promised my mum that afterwards I will definitely stop studying and start working - maybe in online marketing of a publisher or something like that.

What kinds of books do you like to read?

What I love to read: quite a lot actually and it is hard to sum up. There is general literature, all-age-titles, fantasy. Since the publication of the Hunger Games I am also especially fond of dystopias*, as you always start to think about things when you read them. I therefore take part in a dystopie challenge. Another of my real passions are books about books or reading - bibliophile titles so to say including books such as The Name of the Rose or The Uncommon Reader. At the moment I am planning to launch a books-for-booklovers-challenge, but this still needs a bit of preparation. And beyond that I love bookish places such as book stores, libraries, birth places or houses of authors but also places out of books such as any Harry Potter locations or so on. There is a little category on my blog, where I load up photos of places. At the moment, there is only one post in this category namely about a German town called Tübingen. Many German writers have lived or visited the city, partly owed to the very old university located there. Goethe for example had his publisher Cotta there and stopped by two times. Now there is a plate remembering his visits saying something like "Goethe upchucked here". But also Mörike, Hölderlin or Hesse lived there. And I do have a category on my blog called Friday Tea, where I ask a question to a certain book blogger every Friday. I initiated this meme, because I am quite new in the "business" and love to get in touch with other book bloggers, which is also why I signed up for the BBAW interview swap.

*Dystopia is defined as a society characterized by poverty, squalor, or oppression. Most authors of dystopian fiction explore at least one reason why things are that way.

I want to thank Sarah for this interview. She is a real inspiration and I wish her much luck in her academic endeavors and her career.

Please visit "Nothing More Delightful" to read Sarah's interview with me. She came up with some great questions and I did my best to answer them.

Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.

Book Blogger's Appreciation Week ~ Community

Today is the start of the fourth annual Book Blogger's Appreciation Week. This is my first year to participate and I am discovering some great ways to connect with book bloggers all over the world. The theme this year is "Community" and participating book bloggers are writing about this topic today;

"Today you are encouraged to highlight a couple of bloggers that have made book blogging a unique experience for you. They can be your mentors, a blogger that encouraged you to try a different kind of book, opened your eyes to a new issue, made you laugh when you needed it, or left the first comment you ever got on your blog. Stay positive and give back to the people who make the community work for you!"

Here are two of my very favorite book blogs;
Man of la Book
Zohar is the "Man Of La Book" and writes book reviews and sponsors book give-aways. He espe­cially likes biogra­phies, his­tory, historical-fiction, espi­onage and mys­ter­ies. He started this blog to share his thoughts about books. Most peo­ple think of read­ing as a soli­tary activ­ity, but Zohar takes the oppo­site view — he thinks read­ing could eas­ily become a social activ­ity and it's even eas­ier to do with the advent of the Inter­net. Zohar is active on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads and the Ning Book Boggers Group. He is a real inspiration to me.

Gently Mad
I met Sharon Henning in the Ning Book Bloggers Group. She is a fellow Texan and specializes in writing Christian book reviews. She states on her blog, "I am hopelessly and helplessly condemned by my own lust for literature that I recklessly and depravedly buy books with remorseless abandon. My day job is the ever more practical occupation of freelance musician. I'm not rich. Which makes my licentious book purchasing all the more irresponsible."
Sharon writes honest book reviews that leave the reader curious and eager to read the entire book. She writes from the heart and is not afraid to voice her true thoughts. She has encouraged me in my book blogging endeavors and often leaves positive comments on my posts. Sharon is a real treasure in the book blogging community.

Tomorrow I will post an interview with German book blogger Sarah Merz at Nothing More Delightful. Sarah will share her love of reading and some interesting aspects of her life. I had the opportunity to connect with Sarah through the BBAW Interview Program.

Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.

New Digital Book Bloggers Directory

Do you use an eReader to receive books to review on your blog? Are you always looking for new books to read and review? Are you hooked on your Kindle or Nook?

I am setting up a new digital book bloggers directory that will feature book bloggers who PREFER to receive their review books in digital format. This directory will help authors connect with bloggers who are interested in reading and reviewing ebooks.


BOOK BLOGGERS ~ Get the word out about your blog!
This directory will help book bloggers connect with authors and readers who are interested in book reviews. Please check the following points before you submit your blog;

• Your blog should be mostly about books and reading. I will visit your blog before I add it to the directory. If I have any questions about the content of your blog, I will contact you.
• I am asking you to post the URL to the Home page of your blog. Please be sure to have a "Review Policy" on your blog so that an author will be able to learn more about the kinds of books that your review.
• Your links will be posted in the directory on a first-come basis. The first link I receive will be at the top of the list.
• You do not have to be a "digital-only" reviewer to be included in this directory. This will be a list of bloggers who "encourage" authors to send books in digital formats.
• The "Digital Book Bloggers Directory" will be a separate page on this blog. I will frequently post links to this directory on Twitter and other social media sites. I encourage you to help me pass the word among your favorite book bloggers.

I Am Hooked On My Kindle Because....
I received my Kindle as a gift almost one year ago. I can honestly say that I am hooked on my Kindle! I can't compare the Kindle to other eReaders because I have never used another product. I can only tell you that I am very, very pleased with the Kindle.

• I now receive 90% of the books that I review on this blog in digital format. I sometimes have a book read and the review posted in less time than it would take an author to send me a print copy in the mail.
• I find that I no longer have stacks of review books that I don't know what to do with. I have about 700 books on my Kindle and it takes up less space than a single print book.
• I like to think that I am making it a little easier for independent authors to send me a review book without incurring the cost of shipping me a print book.
• It is easy to add highlights and notes with the Kindle. I always hated to mark in print books. I can now review all the key passages and notes that I made before I write the review.

Please add a link to your book blog in the Inlinkz widget. If you have any questions or comments, please post them in the Comments Section below.

7 Tips For Writing Book Reviews

How do you write enchanting book reviews that will make readers eager to get their hands on the book? Do good book reviews really sell books?
Here are seven tips for writing book reviews that will have readers anxious to learn more.

1. Always mention the name of the author and the book title in the first paragraph — there's nothing more frustrating than reading a review of a great book but not knowing who wrote it and what the title is! I like to post a picture of the book cover at the beginning of the review.  I hope the cover will make the reader curious about what is inside the book and read the entire review. (Yes, you can judge a book by it's cover.)
   
2. If possible, use one paragraph for each point you want to make about the book. It's a good way to emphasize the importance of the point. It will also make the review easier on the eyes. I like to use bullet points and bold type to emphasize important points in the review.
   
3. Try to get the main theme of the book across in the beginning of your review. Your reader should know right away what he or she is getting into should they choose to read the book. 
   
4. Is the book fiction or non-fiction? Is it a memoir or biography? Does the book fit into a genre like mystery, adventure, or romance? Many book reviewers specialize in specific types of books. My expertise is non-fiction and children's books so I seldom review books outside of these areas. I do not feel qualified to review fantasy and science fiction because I have very little experience with these genres. A book reviewer can fill a need for information in many different niches.
5. What do you like or dislike about the author's writing style? Are there grammatical errors and typos? Is the book appropriate for the intended audience? Is the writing style casual or formal? Are there illustrations? How do the illustrations enhance the story?
6. Try using a few short quotes from the book to illustrate your points. This is not absolutely necessary, but it's a good way to give your reader a sense of the author's writing style.
   
7. Make sure your review explains how you feel about the book and why, not just what the book is about. A good review should express the reviewer's opinion and persuade the reader to share it, to read the book, or to avoid reading it.

These are guidelines that I follow when I write book reviews on this blog. If you have additional tips for writing book reviews, I would love for you to post them in the Comments Section below.

Indie Book Reviewer Yellow Pages

This is an exciting time for authors who are looking for publishing options. Self-publishing has become very popular for authors who want to get their books into the hands of readers quickly and economically. Promotion and marketing of self-published books are critical. The author of a self-published book must find book reviewers to read and post reviews of his book. The Indie Book Reviewer Yellow Pages: A Reference Guide for Self-Published Authors and Small Publishers, by Christine Pinheiro, is a reference for independent publishers and self-published authors who need free publicity and promotion for their books.

The author sent out questionnaires asking the book reviewers to give detailed descriptions of their blogs. There are approximately 100 book blogs featured in this book. This is the second edition of the book and it was updated in April, 2011.

The following information is given about the book blogs featured in this book;

• Formats accepted (Physical copies or ebooks)
• Genres that are accepted (fiction, non-fiction, children's, erotica, young adult, etc.)
• Blog URL
• Email contact information
• Number of followers
• Approximate turn-around time for reviews
• Frequency of posts
• How long the site has been active
• Overall blog rating
• Comments from the reviewer

The author frequently updates her list of book reviewers on Step-By-Step Self-Publishing. The reviewers are listed on the web site but the detailed information about each site is available only in the book.

This book inspires me because...it provides detailed information about many of my fellow book bloggers. I am not the author of a self-published book, but I have spent many hours visiting each of these review sites. I have learned some great ways to improve my own blog by checking out the book blogs listed in this book.
I purchased the Kindle edition of this book for $2.99. If you are an author looking for book reviewers, I recommend taking a look at the web site first. The book is a fantastic resource if you would like detailed information about the book review blogs.