Something I've been Wondering About

Besides writing a post for this blog twice a month, I have my own blog: https://marilynmeredith.blogspot.com/ where I host many authors. Something strange has been happening that I don't understand.

When I put out an invitation for authors to guest on my blog, I always get many takers. We agree upon a date and they send me their post. Usually it's exactly what I've asked for, but sometimes I have to send a reminder about something the author left out that should have been included. However, that's not the problem.

On the day the post appears, I usually send a reminder so they can promote the blog. Hopefully, they've marked the date and know to do it themselves.

What I've found more and more, that too many guests don't visit the blog to leave a comment. Often others have stopped by and left a comment, but the guest doesn't reply. This seems so odd to me.

Whenever I'm a guest on a blot I not only promote like crazy, but I visit the blog right away to thank the host for having me. I'll return to the blog several times during the day to respond to anyone who may have left a comment. Beside just being common courtesy, it seems like good sense.

Why would you even want to be a guest on someone's blog if you aren't going to let people know about it? And why would you not thank the host publicly for allowing you to come visit and share about your book? Certainly doesn't make sense to me.

If there is a good reason, will you kindly share it with me?

And if you haven't figured it out by now, I love blogging, both writing new posts and reading what other people have to say.

Marilyn who also writes as F.M.

My latest Rocky Bluff P.D. mystery, available on Amazon in paper and for Kindle.

Blogging by Christine Duncan

A while back I took an internet course on blogging. The gist of the course seemed to be how to network with your blog. I liked that idea as I had been on the net a relatively long while and was used to discussion group lists and bulletin boards where I got to know the participants. I have been thinking about the course lately due a question posed by Julie Lamoe on Crimespace.

Julie had a question about guest bloggers. Do you just invite anyone? What if you don't like their books?

First let me state that I am in awe of anyone organized enough to read the books of all the people who guest blog for them. Although I do the job of requesting (begging for) guest bloggers for my other blog with a very few exceptions, I neither request nor receive copies of the guest's books. I do check out their blogs and am a little tough on their guest posts. Any guest post that smacks too hard of self-promo is declined. But generally speaking, I've looked on it as a chance to get to "know" other writers. And I've learned one heck of a lot from them.

I know the idea is to network to some "better" publishing position.

But the concept offends me.

I like to blog because I'm so...well I prefer the word opinionated, but feel free to insert whatever came to your mind. I like reading the blogs of other folks to see their opinions. Some of the people whose blogs I enjoy reading aren't even mystery writers. But I know that if I tune into their blogs, they will have a post there that will make me think, or laugh, or comment.

Why do you blog? Seriously, if you are an author, it is expected that you blog or at least guest blog. But because something is expected of us has never been a reason to really want to do it.

Christine Duncan is the author of the Kaye Berreano mystery series.