When I first started to do guest days forever ago there weren’t any readers doing them and no where near the number of ‘group’ author blogs that seem to do them now.
My goal was of course selfish, to learn more about authors I loved. And many of the authors I wanted to guest were ones with no websites or slow to update, didn’t have blogs of their own and generally had a low ‘net presences.
So in a round about way I figured I would need an ‘author’ post, ‘contest’ post, ‘reader’ post, Q&A post and a wrap up. It is a lot of work for the author. For me to mess with formating it. And the whole emailing people I don’t know and asking them to pretty much work for free thing… something I feel better about as I see how many people charge for ‘author of the month’ things. Who know…
So my question to you guys (readers and authors) is now that there are so many different blogs and such that do ‘guest’ days, would it be better to change the days to one or two posts? Is there too much information too spread out?
Often on the guest day I will do a book post, which is often the cover and summary. Sometimes there is an excerpt, sometimes not… Do you guys like the excerpts? Or skip them because of spoilers?
I did notice that I am a very bad host. On most ‘guest’ posts on other blogs the blog owner repeatedly posts in the comments to people. Have I been a neglectful host? I try to comment but only if I have something to add. Or am bored and amusing myself *g*. Does a higher comment count matter if it is a few people and the host just driving up the number?
What would you like to see more of? What would you like to see less or not at all? What authors would you like to see guest? Or do an interview? I am have a few set to meet with at RWA and would like to do a couple more. So if you could sit down and chat with any author…. who would it be? (remember it is very possible they will say no *g*).
And most of all, what would you ask? Questions people, I need questions!
We will pick two people from the comments (closes until Friday May 8, 2007 @ midnight CST) to win a book (list to be posted). All winners for the Summer Kick Off will be posted on Saturday May 9th.
Just personally, as someone else who does these things too, I think you do too many posts on guest author days. It makes me look really bad because I post much fewer times. *ggg*
I don’t know. It makes sense to me that on guestblogs, people want the guest to respond, not you, right? And if they are commenting to win a prize…Well, what can you respond with? I don’t think people want to read half a dozen “thanks for entering comments!”
I think you can trim down the number of posts. Maybe do 2-3 posts on guest author days and that’s it. Sometimes there is just way too much to wade through and it hurts my widdle brain.
As for excerpts – please ignore this, but I feel the need to admit it somewhere – I don’t read them. I don’t know, I just see them as a “tease.” If I’m that interesting in the book, or want to check out the author’s writing style, I’m more likely to wait until the book is in stores. That way I can read the first couple of pages and if it’s working for me I can walk out of there with the whole book.
But I know many, many readers lurve excerpts like fat kids love cake (I heart KarenS), so by all means feel free to ignore me.
I don’t think you need to change much. I like guest author days. I like excerpts. I don’t think you need to comment more on guest author days.
Changing the days to one or two posts.. hmmm.. I think between 2 and 3 posts would be a good number if you change from days to a certain number of posts.
I’m new here so I don’t really know alot about this site yet. But I do love to read excerpts. Sometimes that is what helps me to buy their book.
I love reading the guest authors days (and they’re a lot of fun to do too). But sometimes, it can be hard to find all the posts to read, especially if you spread them out over a couple of days. I’d maybe cut back to 2 or 3 posts, all on the same day. Just a suggestion.
Suggest away 😉
They are all suppose to be posted on the same day! Alas the last two haven’t been cuz I suck.
And I had been doing a ‘recap’ which put all the posts together in one post. Maybe I should do that again as well. It was just more work and that sucks *g*
Poor wendy… I must hurt you alot huh? I sowry! I don’t mean to hurt the ones I lurve 😉
I, too, would prefer if you kept it to 2 posts maximum. I always have trouble finding all the author’s response to questions when they are spread out over so many posts (especially if I come back to this site 12-24 hrs later)
No one does a guest author day quite like you Sybil, so I don’tthink that there is a danger of there being too many out there.
2 posts for guest author days would be perfect and easy to keep track of. I don’t think you need to post yourself unless you want to. Seems to me that posting a response to every comment made is overkill.
As for the excerpts, I actually like the excerpts and read them. If I am not familiar with a book it gives me an idea whether that book might be my cup of tea and whether I want to learn more about it.
Well, this one was also split into two days because I was on a time crunch (not Sybil’s fault as she says it is above) and didn’t get everything to you on time. Ideally, all of the (four or five?) posts would have been over a four hour period or so.
I think if it’s a short time period like that, they are easier to keep together and to follow?
And I like excerpts.
awww hon, I did pass out on you last night *g* so either way I wouldn’t have gotten them all in a day. 🙂 and I sort of like them spilling over. I may do a ‘day’ from noon to noon. Cuz it work with me… sort of having a job *g*.
And allows more people to play in contests! Not sure yet.
But do keep the suggestions coming. I am completely and totally cool with them. You guys come up with nifty shit. You all have to know in the end I will do whatever I want anyway *eg*.
When I used to do my author interviews, I only did one a week, and they all got the same questions more or less, and I thought that was hard work, seeing so many posts and so much effort go into one author makes me feel very tired. I don’t know how you do it.
I have to admit to only reading the excerpts, and then only if I’m interested in the author.
In terms of being a lazy host, there are none lazier than me, I literally only comment on my own blog, when I can be arsed, which actually isn’t all that often. My excuse is that I’m a gal who works hard for her money, that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it. Multi-tasking is not my forte.
I want more excerpts and would love to know what an author’s future plans are.
I think it would be kind of interesting to have a publisher or perhaps an editor talk about their experiences and what they really think about the certain genres and what the future holds.
Must admit that I like to read an excerpt of the author’s book. I don’t mind if the posts for author day are spread over a two day period. Commenting on posts when you feel like it and not to answer every comment made just makes sense.
I love the author days and hope you keep them up. The only thing I think might help – and others have said it too – is a bit too many posts. When I look and see 3 or 4 or 5 – it get’s a little intimidating to know where to begin reading – since I don’t have a chance to drop by during the day and have to come by in the evening after work
I like the blog just the way it is. Guest authors is great.
I think the blog is great the way it is. Love reading the guest author posts and reviews.
Guest author days here can be a little…overwhelming. I check periodically, and look, it’s a guest author post by the same author…wait, did I read this one or not? I know I read a post by this author here. Etc. However, the munificent bounty does mean your approach to guest author days is unique in the blogosphere.