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Blog swapping by Paula Hrbacek

A cheap and effective promotional opportunity

Self-published authors need to be on the lookout for inexpensive opportunities to promote their books.  One opportunity is to swap blog posts with another blogger who has a site about books or book reviews. Swapping posts means that both authors get a chance to promote their books on another site.  I post about your book, and you post about mine.

To participate in this opportunity, it is important for the author to have a story that is already written and ready to go.  The story should read like a feature or author interview, not an ad.  That means that all opinions should be put in direct quotes and attributed to someone.  Instead of saying “this book will change your life” like an ad would say, a feature story would attribute it as someone’s opinion–“This book changed my life,” said Joe Smith.

The story should contain all the information the reader needs to know before making a purchase; what the book is about, the author’s motivation or reason for writing it, the author’s qualifications or past publications, the average star rating on Amazon or Good Reads, quotes from reviews, and the purchase info of price, binding, ISBN number and where to buy it.  The story can also include the author’s social media sites such as a web site, Facebook page or Twitter address.  If the story is ready to go, most bloggers will edit it to suite their style, and appreciate the ease of posting the article.

The author then finds bloggers that are willing to swap stories.  One place is on Linked In, in the Book Promotion group.  Triberr, a service for bloggers who want to expand their reach on Twitter, also has a discussion group for bloggers who are seeking guest posts.

It’s a simple “you rub my back, and I’ll rub yours” trade.  It’s best to find bloggers in the same subject or genre as your book, because that is where your customers are.  An author who blogs about science fiction is not the best place to promote a romance title, but a blog about relationships and dating would have readers who are interested in falling in love…

To see the rest of this article and learn more about this author, Paula Hrbacek, visit the ECS blog.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

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Guest Posts

Spiritual Warfare by Dr. Sheila C. Carpenter

Title: Spiritual Warfare

Author: Dr. Sheila C. Carpenter

Publisher: Carpenter’s Press & Media, Inc.

Reading Level: Adult

Genre: Christian Fiction, Spiritual

Content Rating: PG

Formats:  Hardcover, Ebook

Pages: 274

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Blub provided by author

Four Midwestern families and a local congregation are about to embark in life-changing Spiritual Warfare. But are they spiritually and emotionally prepared for battle? God sends His head angel Ashshod to lead a host of angels to stop Satan from destroying His people. But Satan has plans of his own and sends Greed and his imps to kill and destroy whoever gets in the way. The angels must put on the whole armor of God to help protect all of God’s people if they want to stop Satan from getting the job done. Will good prevail? Or will the unthinkable happen? “Spiritual Warfare” is a thrilling page-turner that reminds us that we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (Ephesians 6:12)

About The Author

Dr. Sheila C. Carpenter is the Executive Chief Officer of Carpenter’s Press & Media, Inc. a Christian company that spreads the Unadulterated Gospel of Jesus Christ through books, media and video games.

Dr. Carpenter provides Psychological Therapy services to inner-city youth and adults; she also serves as a mediator and rape counselor. She has studied in Egypt and done missionary work in Japan. Dr. Carpenter’s books include, Forgive Me, and she is the award winner of The Christian Walk: The Struggle to Remain On The Path.” – www.carpenterspress.com

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

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Guest Posts

Going to Mali by Darlene Jones

Many years ago a young girl left the safety of Canada for adventure in Africa. This was in a generation when young girls didn’t go anywhere on their own and certainly not to the “the dark continent.”

I was that young girl and going to Mali demanded that I adapt to:

  • A different climate. I exchanged the snowy cold of Alberta winters for the arid Harmattan winds of the Sahara. I certainly wasn’t prepared for the force of the heat that pressed on me as I stepped off the airplane. Over the days and weeks that followed I learned how the heat saps your energy until you feel that you can barely drag yourself around. A person who shall remain nameless said that the Africans were lazy. This person lived in an air conditioned house, drove an air-conditioned car, and worked in an air-conditioned office.
  • A different culture. I very quickly packed away my mini-skirts and wore a pagne, the rectangle of cloth that women wrapped around themselves to be a skirt. I hired a house-boy – sounds degrading, but the $8 a month I paid him supported a family of seven. (My salary was about $140 a month and that was ample to live on.) I learned the proper greetings that came before any exchange whether it be buying a stamp or fruit at the market. I learned to bargain. The list goes on.
  • A different language. I spoke French, but not fluently so I had to work at perfecting that. I also tried to learn a little Bambara, the most common local language. My students put me to shame. They could speak four or five local languages, had learned French (the official language of the country), and were studying English (I was their teacher) and German in school.

But above all, I had to adapt to time travel, for most Malians lived the way they always had. Modern conveniences consisted of basic items such as kerosene lanterns and little else.

I brought home with me a love for Mali, the Sahara, and Malians that burns as brightly now as it did then.

It was the plight of Malians that inspired my novel series. Since I couldn’t wave a magic wand to make life better in Mali, I chose to do that fictitiously. I wrote my books to entertain, but also with the hope that readers would see the world in a broader perspective. I hope that doesn’t make my books sound preachy, because they’re not intended to be, but I don’t think I could have written them in any other way given my experiences in Mali. The wide warm smiles of Malians stay with me always. I hope that warmth and positive outlook is conveyed in my stories.

For more from Darlene Jones, check out these links: www.emandyves.com and Amazon Author Central.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords