Mar·ket·ing [mahr-ki-ting]

I just received my ARC of Soul Song by Marjorie M. Liu. With the book, Dorchester Publishing included a letter bulleting some things I, as the reader, can do to generate buzz for this book. The marketer in me is tempted to frame the letter. As proof that some in this business do in fact have a clue.

I love to read. When I read a great book, I like to tell any and everyone who will listen. When someone else reads a great book, I dutifully note title and author on my TBR list. Combined, that is pretty much the extent of my involvement in the world—on and offline—of romance fiction.

Beyond that, I’m a bump on a log. I often fail to thank other readers for their recs, rarely pen a thank you email to an author and sometimes forget to acknowledge comments left on our own blog. I also tend to ignore any trigger of my only hot button, the marketing of good books.

But not today. Between the arrival of Liu’s book (part of a marketing campaign I volunteered for) and a conversation I had with Anne this morning, I decided I had something to say—or rather, to ask—in this forum.

Am I the only one who sees this particular blogging community, diverse as it is, as a potential marketing tool for the promotion of romance fiction? Or am I way off base, trying to attach misplaced significance to what is essentially a social gathering place?

Pushing the marketing point:

From an author’s perspective, I can’t say for sure. While I’ve seen deliberate marketing attempts to generate blogger word of mouth for an author’s books, I’ve not been privy to their results. I have no idea whether those efforts positively impacted book sales. Dorchester’s decision to target bloggers for promotion of Soul Song suggests that we can.

From a reader’s point of view, my answer is an unequivocal yes. When a reader review or book mention captures my attention, I immediately toggle to my library’s online reservation system, Amazon.com or my handy TBR spreadsheet. Then, I go and read the book(s). Without exaggeration, I can say that 80% of my annual reads are the direct result of those reviews and mentions, accounting for far more of my reads than coming soon lists, the RT magazine or author email bulletins. And when one of those books inspires me, I in turn blog up a review, spinning the cycle again.

Do we (readers who blog) impact book sales? Again, there do not appear to be any numbers to either support or deny the assertion that we do. I just know that I buy books based on recommendations here. Proof enough for me.

Now granted, as a reader, I have no desire to be used as a marketing tool. I’ve blogged before about my general resistance to unsolicited attempts on the part of authors to get me to review their books. Nor do I think that bloggers should temper their reviews or chat to accommodate or appease authors or publishers. Talking books is our pastime, not our job.

I do however have to wonder at author behavior—the kind of behavior that reveals total disregard for marketing potential. This blogging community fosters relationships, true. And one consequence of those relationships is the desire to come to the defense of others, regardless of the potential for negative exposure. But where I can tolerate most of the diverse, often tangent, arguments taken by readers, I can’t at all fathom those initiated by authors, publishers, trade pubs, etc.

I don’t need to provide you a list of these instances. I will however speak to the one directly involving Anne. Cuz yeah, we enjoy a friendship and I’m compelled to come to her defense. When Anne posted of the good time she had at Lori Foster’s event in June, she spoke of a good time with only one sour moment—being snubbed by an author at the signing. No names to spark the flames. No overt connection between the snub and the actual event itself. Just a simple recap of her trip—a good time save that one moment. She has since heard from event organizers as well as other bloggers. Seems her post was misconstrued as unfavorable press for the Foster event. Its organizers responded privately--with both class and venom. Anne swallowed the venom, acknowledged the misunderstanding and immediately posted clarification, assuring readers that that one moment in no way reflected on the event as a whole. That should have been the end of it. Good press for the event. Mission accomplished.

Then instantly undermined when Dianne Castell took her displeasure public. Instead of accepting Anne’s (public and private) apology with grace and maturity, Castell perpetuated the misunderstanding by running her mouth at Vamps and Scamps. Neither Anne nor event host Lori Foster was aware of Castell’s escalation of the BS; another blogger brought it to Anne’s attention and she, in turn, alerted Lori. End result? Bad press for the event. And, equally important, unnecessary PR work for Lori Foster as she dialogued with both Anne and Dianne in an attempt to diffuse the situation.

So, over coffee this morning, I held Dorchester’s letter in one hand and my cell phone in the other, pressed to my ear, listening to Anne recount Castell’s bizarre behavior. Two examples—one in each hand, so to speak—one attempting to garner greater reader share for an author and the other foolishly and unnecessarily risking the reputation of a popular annual author/reader event.

Marketing venue or social gathering place? Marketing venue. I’ll stand by that assertion. This blogging community includes and caters to romance readers. Authors and other industry professionals who fail to conduct themselves professionally amidst their own target audience—regardless of the provocation—are idiots.

Note: I welcome commentary on this subject. Am desperate for it actually, because I rarely see the point drawn elsewhere. However, staying on topic, please tell me whether you think authors, publishers, etc. should have to be on guard here. I’m not looking for anyone to excuse bad author behavior; I don’t give a fuck—we’re all dealing with challenges in our personal lives. I just want to know whether my view of this blogging community is too narrow or strict as it applies to the industry professionals who venture here.