On Hiatus

Hey Bookdragons! It's July! Today is moving day for me so I'll keep this short and sweet...

Five years ago this month I started using this blog/platform for book blogging. It's been a great run and I've discovered a lot of new authors to love and grew to love genres out of my comfort zone. 

But like all good things, Taylor Fenner's Bookish World blog has reached an end... for now. What started out as sharing something I loved (reading) with the world and recommending books to people has drained away my love for reading and replaced it with ARC reading schedules, deadlines, and requirements. 

Reading doesn't feel fun anymore and I want that escape back. So I'm taking a hiatus. I'm not sure at this point for how long. I have a couple review obligations I may pop back in for over the next few months but I definitely plan on taking the summer off. I'd like to say I'll be back to doing weekly memes and reviews come fall, but I'll see where I'm at and how I'm feeling about social media. 

This isn't goodbye forever, just for now.

I'll be seeing you.

- Taylor @ Taylor Fenner's Bookish World

Why Every Indie Author Should Participate in an Author Takeover

                Earlier this week I participated in my first Author Takeover Event on Facebook. The event was held for Chelsy's Book Review page to celebrate how far she had come. 

               I started out as a guest at the event, invited by my writer friend, Leanne Rathbone (Author of Grace). I had so much fun during her slot that I left a comment for the hostess asking if she was looking for any other authors. Since this was a two week long event Chelsy was happy to schedule me in this past Monday night. 

            To prepare for my takeover I watched what the other authors were doing and I planned out my hour-long takeover. I stuck to a basic plan; introduce myself, introduce my books, throw in a couple giveaways, post some fun facts about my books, add in a few links for my social pages and a personality quiz I developed for Out of Darkness, allow a little Q&A session, and finally at the end of my time thank the host.

  

           Let me tell you, I had an amazing time. It was great talking to potential readers about not just my books, but about inspiration, music, and other things. 

         I know what you're thinking, "why should I want to do this? What makes you think anyone at the event will buy my books afterwards?" 

       Well, let's take potential sales off the table. You are interacting with potential readers. If you end up giving away a copy or two of your book but you gain a new fan who will want to read more books by you then you can count it as a win. Showing people you're friendly, personable, and above all approachable is of vital importance. 

       I'll let you in on a secret... Book Signings make me nervous. I'm not the most outgoing person in the world but I know book signings are all a part of the process. Author Takeover events can be just as worthwhile. And the best part? You can do it from home in your ratty PJs with your hair wrapped in a towel. It's so easy and it's basically like your normal social media self-promotion routine amped up by 100.  

        So, do you have a new book coming out and want to do something special to celebrate on release day? Consider having a release party event on Facebook and gather all your writer friends for a party/takeover. Let them take over the conversation for an hour or so and tell them to invite their friends. It's good karma because in the end not only does your new release get more exposure but you help your writer friends spread the word about their books at the same time. 

     

         What do you think? Have you ever participated in an Author Takeover? Tell me about your experience in the comments.

     

        PS... If you do decide to hold an Author Takeover or know someone that is, let me know! I'd love to participate. :-)  

Changes Are Coming

                Today works out as the last Friday of May. With the end of this month there will be a few changes.

                Starting in June instead of weekly blog postings on each Friday there will be bi-weekly blogs every other Friday. Sometimes there just isn’t much going on that warrants a weekly blog and I will be able to devote more time to my writing projects.

                Next, as you may know, I post my blog in multiple places; one of which is Blogger by Google. I decided to make this blog-site a little more accessible so I did a total overhaul and gave my Blogger page a face-lift. Now not only can you read and subscribe to my blog you can also find information and buy links for my novels and all the updates about me and my writing.

                Speaking of updates “Finding Elizabeth” is getting closer to being ready to publish. It’s almost finished being edited. As of this moment there are two more sections that have to be edited. Once that is complete I will read through the entire manuscript one last time for any missed errors before getting started on the formatting. The cover is complete and the unveiling will occur when “Finding Elizabeth” becomes available for pre-order, probably later this summer.

                I’m thinking of creating a “Street Team” to help in promoting me and my novels.

                What is a Street Team?

                A: Street team members help me promote my work by doing things like tweeting, blogging, posting Facebook updates about my books, or asking their local libraries to purchase my book. Members can participate as much or as little as they'd like, and can receive prizes such as swag (bookmarks, magnets, maybe even free signed copies of my novels) as well as being the first to know about upcoming book releases and giveaways.

                The street team will help me get more exposure beyond my little corner of the world by way of word of mouth.

                If you would be interested in becoming part of my street team please click the link below and fill out the form:

                                                                JOIN HERE

                Those are the major changes that will take hold over the next several months. Stay tuned for a surprise announcement about The Haunting Love coming on Monday!

                Following the new every-other-Friday blog schedule my next blog will be posted on Friday June 12, 2015. Until next time my devoted blog followers! Keep reading!