BlogHops. You have to do them, but are they worth it?
First off - let me state - I am not complaining about any blog hops I've been on - they have all be wonderfully organized and run.
But with that said, I think it's about time somebody said it out loud. Blog Hops. You have to do them, but are they worth it?
I've been on every blog hop I could find. Had to do some stretching on some, like last year's Fourth of July blog hop (I'm Canadian.) Some were easy peasy to match my genre to the blog – Hot Summer Nights. Erotic writers like anything with the word HOT in it.But of late, I've noticed the readers aren't the same. They are there solely for the grand prize. They'll hit every blog, but with a cut and paste reply. I checked. On the last hop I was on, I tracked 3 different readers. Their comments were the same on 79 different blogs and then I got bored.I did a little experiment on my most recent hop. My latest isn't due to be released, but like a good little blog hopper I posted an excerpt and a giveaway. And only 2 people responded correctly. The first, I am proud to say, is a fellow Canadian!You're probably thinking that only 2 got the correct response to a skill testing question. And since a Canadian got it, it was probably Canadian based. Like - What is Poutine? A) Our Prime Minister's last name. B) A city in Quebec. C) A heart attack on a plate that is a minor Canadian obsession.But no, you'd be wrong. What I did is put the giveaway in the middle of the excerpt. So you actually had to READ the excerpt. Isn't that the goal of the blog hop? Entice the reader to buy your book and as a reward for doing so, offer them a chance at a prize.See below – I cut out the extra paragraphs.
Excerpt -
"Can I skip the pleasantries and go straight to what's wrong?" Kat clicked her cell phone shut and tossed it into her purse. That meant she was serious. It's girl talk time. "Oh, and don't bullshit me that it's nothing or that you're okay. I know you. Something's up. Where'd you go this weekend? I called and called."So if you want a chance to win an ecopy when this is released, leave a comment that starts with a six letter word and your email address and you could be the first to read this romance. I'm hiding this here to see how many actually read the excerpts. The waitress placed our beers on the table. I paid for the two with a sizeable tip then wrapped my fingers around the glass and sighed. Guinness is a stout. That's a dark beer and kind of strong—exactly what I needed. The thick inch of froth on my drink was a little butterfly of joy. I swiped my finger through the foam and licked it clean.
I can't address the sales effect of the blog to sales of my latest –as I said, it hasn't been released. But I have a feeling the effect would have been – at best – minimal. All this does is put me between a rock and a hard place. Have to promo book. Blog hops have lots of readers, so are good places for promo. But readers aren't reading my posts. Maybe this will be my blog post for the next hop.
Welcome to the Blog Hop.Leave your email address so you can be entered to win.
It would save me a lot of time.
Comments???Thoughts???Did anybody actually read this!?!
But with that said, I think it's about time somebody said it out loud. Blog Hops. You have to do them, but are they worth it?
I've been on every blog hop I could find. Had to do some stretching on some, like last year's Fourth of July blog hop (I'm Canadian.) Some were easy peasy to match my genre to the blog – Hot Summer Nights. Erotic writers like anything with the word HOT in it.But of late, I've noticed the readers aren't the same. They are there solely for the grand prize. They'll hit every blog, but with a cut and paste reply. I checked. On the last hop I was on, I tracked 3 different readers. Their comments were the same on 79 different blogs and then I got bored.I did a little experiment on my most recent hop. My latest isn't due to be released, but like a good little blog hopper I posted an excerpt and a giveaway. And only 2 people responded correctly. The first, I am proud to say, is a fellow Canadian!You're probably thinking that only 2 got the correct response to a skill testing question. And since a Canadian got it, it was probably Canadian based. Like - What is Poutine? A) Our Prime Minister's last name. B) A city in Quebec. C) A heart attack on a plate that is a minor Canadian obsession.But no, you'd be wrong. What I did is put the giveaway in the middle of the excerpt. So you actually had to READ the excerpt. Isn't that the goal of the blog hop? Entice the reader to buy your book and as a reward for doing so, offer them a chance at a prize.See below – I cut out the extra paragraphs.
Excerpt -
"Can I skip the pleasantries and go straight to what's wrong?" Kat clicked her cell phone shut and tossed it into her purse. That meant she was serious. It's girl talk time. "Oh, and don't bullshit me that it's nothing or that you're okay. I know you. Something's up. Where'd you go this weekend? I called and called."So if you want a chance to win an ecopy when this is released, leave a comment that starts with a six letter word and your email address and you could be the first to read this romance. I'm hiding this here to see how many actually read the excerpts. The waitress placed our beers on the table. I paid for the two with a sizeable tip then wrapped my fingers around the glass and sighed. Guinness is a stout. That's a dark beer and kind of strong—exactly what I needed. The thick inch of froth on my drink was a little butterfly of joy. I swiped my finger through the foam and licked it clean.
I can't address the sales effect of the blog to sales of my latest –as I said, it hasn't been released. But I have a feeling the effect would have been – at best – minimal. All this does is put me between a rock and a hard place. Have to promo book. Blog hops have lots of readers, so are good places for promo. But readers aren't reading my posts. Maybe this will be my blog post for the next hop.
Welcome to the Blog Hop.Leave your email address so you can be entered to win.
It would save me a lot of time.
Comments???Thoughts???Did anybody actually read this!?!
No comments have been added yet.
