Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Norse God Blogfest! Bring on Thor and Secrets of the Ash Tree. Plus Ninja News and are Cover Reveals Still Effective?

I was interviewed by Nutschell for her Wednesday Writers Workspace feature. You can check out my writing spot and learn a little more about my writing process.

Norse Gods Blogfest!

To Celebrate the release of her book, Secrets of the Ash Tree, Siv Maria Ottem is taking the Norse Gods with her on a blog tour from October 7th- 14th. Make sure to stop by her blog and see what kind of Birthday Giveaways she is raffling off!

And today I am hosting Siv on her birthday for the Norse Gods Blogfest!


After much reflection, my choice can be none other than Thor.

He’s uber strong, has an awesome hammer for a weapon, he can fly, and he’s pretty much indestructible. The dude also knows how to party. Plus he likes to travel via the Rainbow Bridge, which is basically teleporting. I’m sold!

Secrets of the Ash Tree by Siv Maria Ottem

In the realm of the gods and fairy tales the mystery of life is an endless path with many secrets to be discovered. Some secrets are like dreams, just waiting in darkness hoping to get into the light.

‘Secrets of the Ash Tree’ is the story about Liv, a young woman who discovers her true nature through the unraveling of hidden secrets. Her adventures begin when she digs up a chest that was buried by her father under the old ash tree in her garden. What she finds inside the chest changes her life forever. Liv discovers one secret after another and is thrown into a world full of dangerous and strange creatures, mighty Norse warriors and perils beyond her belief. What started out as a fairy tale in her father’s journal was to become her legacy, a guide line to survival, and a map to the world she was about to enter. Each day, each mystery, each encounter will ultimately reveal her true destiny and behind the edge of a sword awaits a young god who is willing to share that destiny with her.

Available in Hardcover, softcover, Kindle, find it here: Amazon, Kindle, Barnes and Noble, and Goodreads.

Who is your favorite Norse God?




Ninja News

Today is also Roland Yeomans’ birthday! Happy birthday, my friend.

Nicki Elson’s Hans & Greta: a Zombie/Fairy Tale is now available! Available on Amazon Kindle, her novella will be only ninety-nine cents through Halloween. Congratulations, Nicki!

The next installment of Hart Johnson’s series is available Thursday - So This is War, Part III. Congratulations, Hart!






Curiosity Quills Press’ charity anthologies Primetime and After Dark are available now! 10% of all proceeds will be donated to no kill animal-shelters.
Purchase PrimetimeAmazon US, Amazon UK, Barnes and Noble, and Kobo
Purchase After DarkAmazon US, Amazon UK, Barnes and Noble, and Kobo

And Sydney Aaliyah posted the most wonderful review of CassaStorm at The Peasants Revolt. She gave me one of the highest compliments I could ever receive – “This book reads like a movie.” One thing I’ve always admired about the authors Preston and Child was the way their books read like movies, so it was a great honor to have Sydney say that about CassaStorm.

Cover Reveals – Are They Effective Anymore?

In a recent post by Jessica Bell, she talked about book promo overload and it sparked quite the conversation. (I admitted I was guilty and she was kind enough to say the way I do it is different, since I personalize it, which strikes a balance.)

One of the items she mentioned was cover reveals. There are a lot of them these days. Is it too much? Is a cover reveal with similar information posted on many blogs effective, especially when it’s followed a month or two later by the same information for the release? Is it overkill?

My cover reveal for CassaStorm was six months before its release, which gave it some space. It was something I wanted to try, since I hadn’t done it with the other two books. I didn’t want the release announcements to be all the same, which is why I tossed in the unique interview questions and sent out different information and images to different people. (And they were spread out over a week – I learned my lesson after three hundred people announced CassaFire for me last year!)

But are all of these announcements, especially the cover reveals, effective anymore?

(And those of you that I’ve signed up to do a cover reveal, don’t worry – still happy to do that!)

Who is your favorite Norse God? (Be sure to wish Siv and Roland a happy birthday!) Picking up some new books and anthologies? And have we hit cover reveal overload?

Don’t forget to visit Nutschell!

137 comments:

Laura Clipson said...

I must admit, it can be a bit overwhelming when almost every post on your reader is doing the same cover reveal. Like you said, personalised ones are better because then they each have different information.
On another note, I finished reading CassaStar last night and it was awesome. I'll definitely be getting CassaFire as soon as I get paid :)

Anonymous said...

I started to read Cassastorm last night once I unpacked from my few day's away, I must say it promises to be as good as the other two.
Hope the sales are good.

Yvonne.

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

Thor is a great pick!

Interesting plot--I always love reading about secrets. :)

Mark Koopmans said...

Hmmm, that *is* an interesting question... and now I don't know... perhaps it's good to get the *word* out re. the book is on the way, but it could end in tears (of stripped covers...) because people are overwhelmed and "switch off."

I think you nailed it with the personalized approach :)

Unknown said...

I am not surprised you picked Thor, (he only flys on screen and in the comics)he is a major character in my book :)Thanks for sharing my birthday and book release/blogfest with me.

Huntress said...

The interview question idea was outstanding. Congrats to Siv, Hart, Nicki, and Roland.
Thx again for giving me a spot on your blog Monday. Really appreciste it

Natalie Aguirre said...

I read Jessica's post and the comments. I do agree that cover reveals in general blasted on too many blogs with the same readers loses its effectiveness unless there's a unique spin. But I still think it's important to shout out about covers and books on blogs so people know about your book and get excited about it. I don't see book promotions, which I primarily do to help other authors, as bad. I try to have authors share some helpful info on the craft of writing and publishing on my blog.

The reality is that I could very well miss your book news if it's just on Facebook and Twitter. Even following less than 300 on Twitter so far, I miss a ton there and on Facebook. I'm much more likely to learn about someone's book on a blog. People should not give up on blogging.

Sean McLachlan said...

I'm not sure a cover reveal has ever led me to buy a book. Recommendations from friends or folks at Goodreads are usually what does it.

Jeremy [Retro] said...

I feel there is a overkill in cover reveals, don't get me wrong it's great to see the art/design. It's difficult to see and visit all the places that share that and that alone... I think I am more interested in the purchasing the books, instead of the tease. I am horrible to remember things, maybe the new writers group page you could have something that highlights new releases and people on their sites just give out a mention with a link to that page...

Oh, I am "Fenrir"... monstrous wolf...

J.L. Campbell said...

I can definitely buy into the teleporting stuff! Would love to be able to do that.

Internet permitting @ work, I'll go over and wish Roland a happy day. Not sure about the effectiveness of cover reveals. It does help with recognition though after you've seen the cover a few times. Like what you did with a different question for each blog host.

Have a good day.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Laura, I saw that! Thanks and so glad you enjoyed it.

Yvonne, thank you and hope it is as good as the others.

Mark, overwhelmed and switched off - well worded.

Siv, big happy birthday to you!!

Carol, you're welcome. You got a lot of comments.

Natalie, I am not giving up on blogging!

Sean, good to know.

Fenrir, fits, Jeremy! Yeah, the same thing on every page is repetitive. And thought about highlighting releases, but as I found out here, it's too much to maintain.

Joy, I wanted to do something unique.

Sandra Ulbrich Almazan said...

As a woman, I have to say my favorite Norse goddess is Freyja.

Happy Birthday, Siv and Roland!

Jemi Fraser said...

Sometimes it can get much, but I also get very excited for my blog buddies when they have news! It's a tough balance.

Hart Johnson said...

Yay for THOR!!! He's responsible for Naked Thorsday, as I'm pretty sure you saw, so that's always a bonus. I won't get into all the hammer innuendo possible with THAT one *shifty*

I think the promo DOES keep getting harder to keep fresh. I confess that I skip posts that are ONLY cover reveal, but asking people to reveal and still post something seems a lot, too...

Kittie Howard said...

Happy Birthday, Siv and Roland!

About your question: I think it's overkill that can have a negative backlash, i.e., not that book again. A self-policed limitation of, say, 10 buddies sharing the news would be more effective, I think. We DO want to share; we DO want to help. But we DO have other things to do.

This whole process of launching a book is too tactical and needs to be slimmed down with more of a strategic focus.

I've never purchased a book based on its cover.

Rhonda Albom said...

Great choice with Thor! I like the cover revels. They are always so exciting for the author and encouraging for those of us who are not there yet.

Livia Peterson said...

I think there is too much promotion on blogs. It seems like I am seeing the same thing over and over again.

I love helping out with blog tours and cover reveals. I do it because I want to support my friends. Other than that, I am more selective as to which ones I want to promote.

Happy Birthday, Siv and Roland! :)

Chris Desson said...

Wow. Jessica's post hit the bull's-eye. I tend to scan through my feed and read only the posts that have nothing to do with cover revels, blog tours, or book reviews unless I'm really interested which is rarely. The reason I liked yours, Alex, was because your Q and A varied from site to site, but others (minus a select few) repeat the same rhetoric over and over. I like the "Blogger Love" tab idea. This way a blogger can post their normal stuff and direct viewers to the tab when they post something new for their fellow bloggers.

Anonymous said...

I do think it's funny when I check my blogger and there's like 5 of the same cover up and down it. lol

I only know Thor and Loki, I think...Unless there's a name I know that I never think about being from Norse mythology.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Hart, it is possible to do both - I do almost every post.

Kittie, I think about the negative backlash as well...

Livia, I know what you mean.

Christine, thank you. I really wanted to make mine unique. And not boring.

Thanks, Karen.

Debra, you should see my Feedly reader...

Michael Di Gesu said...

Hey, Alex,

CONGRATS SIV..... HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU AND ROLAND!!!!

How cool to be at Nutshells's place. I had my "new space"reveal several months ago.. Such fun. Heading over to check it out!

YAY, NIcki... LOVED your story!!!!

CONGRATS HART!

As for cover reveals ... coughs ... I try to make mine memorable ... cough. cough.

Remember yours VERY WELL, Captain, I think I had the MOST hits at my blog that day! Such a FUN adventurer... it was pretty much the start of it all...

Louise said...

I'm not a huge fan of cover reveals unless each post has something unique about it - otherwise it does induce eye-glazing and mind-blanking, to see and read the exact same thing on a dozen blogs over the course of a week without anything else to draw interest!

And she's a Valkyrie, not technically a goddess ... but I have to say, I've always loved Brynhild! (That's what happens when you experience Wagner at a young age, I guess.)

Juliana Haygert said...

Oh, yeah, Thor ... good choice! ;)

I agree about cover reveals - I have ten scheduled on my blog for the next two weeks ... it's a lot and my blog became only that - cover reveals and book blitz, BUT what else are you going to do? Not have a cover reveal? Then a lot of people won't hear about your book.

I had a cover reveal last month for my two upcoming books, but I'm already thinking of another since the book comes out in March - I don't want to wait too long to have a cover reveal. And like I said, if I don't do this, lots of readers won't hear about it. Even if the post is fleeting and most readers don't actually click on it and read it, they will see it, they will know it.
In the end, I still think cover reveals are effective.

Brian Miller said...

as a reader of writers who are selling their book....it can def get overwhelming for the reader as well....

thor, for sure!

Yolanda Renée said...

Happy Birthday, Siv or is that Sif!
The girl with the 'golden' hair!

Thor is a good choice.

Of course, I come out with two books and suddenly people are bored with book announcements, figures! Just ignore the spider, if you can! LOL

Charles Gramlich said...

I'm glad the Norse Gods were free to join that blog tour. Guess they don't have that much to do in these modern times. :)

Johanna Garth said...

If Brad Pitt is Thor than yeah! I'm with you on that one because Brad (erm) Thor is hot!

A.J. Walker said...

I think guest posts work better than a simple cover reveal. You're providing content that way instead of just an ad.

Cherie Reich said...

Thor is awesome! Congrats to Siv!

As for cover reveals, they can be too much. I try to have something else in the post when I do a cover reveal most of the time. But I do think they are effective and can create early buzz for a novel. People judge a book by its cover, after all. Whether we should or not is another debate. I do think spacing out a cover reveal and then the release date is good. Having a cover reveal one month and the release the next can be a bit too much at times.

Luanne G. Smith said...

I have to admit a certain soft spot for Loki. I like trouble makers. :))

And, yeah, I have to agree that the constant flow of cover reveals is turning my blogroll into a QVC channel for books.

Maurice Mitchell said...

Thor rocks. Great choice.

Rawknrobyn.blogspot.com said...

Happy Birthday, Siv and Roland.

Info overload defines social media these days, but a good cover sticks in a person's mind. So there's no reason not to promote it, unless it's boring, which yours is not. Plus, the trailer was great too.

Happy Wednesday, Alex.
xoRobyn

Carrie-Anne said...

I had to look up the Norse Rainbow Bridge, since I was sure you weren't referring to the Rainbow Bridge where the souls of pets wait for their owners. It sounds like a neat concept.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Michael, yours are always memorable. And glad mine got so many hits.

Juliana, that is a lot.

Yolanda, it's not you!

AJ, true!

Cherie, agreed.

LG, I don't want that either.

Hanks, Robyn!

Leovi said...

Yes, a wonderful Thor, I think that I have a signed photo, look for her!

S. L. Hennessy said...

Yay for Thor! He and Loki are the best.

Mary Aalgaard said...

I like cover releases, and it's good to make them different from the book release. It can be used as a teaser.

I enjoyed writing about Freya. What a fun way to launch a book!

ilima said...

I think spacing the cover reveal and launch like you did is the way to go. Mine should be about 6 months apart too so I hope that'll work out the same. I like the personalizing tip, though.

Loki for the win!

Andrew Leon said...

I think there are way too many cover reveals, especially when many of them don't ever actually turn into books.

Rachel Schieffelbein said...

Happy Birthday Roland and Siv!
I definitely see her point on the cover reveal thing. Personally, I like cover reveals. But I will admit I don't visit every blog and comment when they all have the same thing on them. Still, it can get me to remember the cover.

Roland D. Yeomans said...

When I help friends with cover or book trailer reveals, I always try to be unique and fun -- being at Meilori's is a help there!

There is a lot of reveals, tours, and hops this month I agree. I am afraid my own Halloween book, HER BONES ARE IN THE BADLANDS, will be lost in the crowd tomorrow.

I think making each stop on a tour unique helps. But I sensed a weariness about tours long ago which is why my tour for THE BEAR WITH TWO SHADOWS was my first and last one -- but also the buys for my books are been meager.

What is the answer, do you think?

Pat Hatt said...

Thor would be my pick indeed to. And not sure the cover reveals are as effective any more when you see them at 100 different spots.

Tonja Drecker said...

I really enjoy cover reveals. I'm a person who needs a lot of reminders. Plus, I'm usually drawn 1st to a book by it's cover (yep, I'll admit it.) So far, I haven't found it irritating, but maybe others do.

and YAY, THOR! I am so excited about this one.

Michelle Wallace said...

Bragi is the Norse God of Music (I think...)
Cover reveal time, is an exciting time for the author, so I'm all for it.
The manner in which it's carried out is another discussion altogether...
Maybe writers need to personalize it... but that means extra work for the writer...

J.L. Murphey said...

My favorite Norse god is LOKI before he became evil.
I'm going to see Gravity today with my daughter. Momma needs a break.

Liesel K. Hill said...

I totally get that we're all in promo overload all the time, but I still think cover reveals are useful, especially if you have a great cover. It gets people familiar with the image of your book, so that when it becomes available later, they already recognize it. When I started blogging, one of the first cover reveals I saw was book 2 of Laini Taylor's current series. It's a dazzling cover and, when it came out, I just had to read it.

Cathy Olliffe-Webster said...

Oh that Thor is a hunka-hunka burning love! Happy birthday to Siv and Roland!

As for the cover reveal issue, I dunno.... maybe it's all too much. At least I felt that way when I put my own cover out there a week or so back. I really wanted to shout it to the world because I've worked on this book for three years and it means so much to me. And yet, I didn't want to "bother" anyone with my news, because there's so much out there. Alex, I was extremely grateful when you mentioned it of your own accord. I wasn't expecting it - hugs to you, my friend.

Michael Offutt, Phantom Reader said...

1) I'm going to read Siv's book. It sounds exactly like the kind of tale I'll thoroughly enjoy.

2) Are cover reveals effective? I think they are. It's what grabs me right from the start. An intriguing cover makes me want to know more!

Shah Wharton said...

Who doesn't love a little Thor! Yum!

Cover reveals do get me down. I rarely bother with them. However, the can build up a little interest and that's worthy.

Shahwharton.com

Melissa said...

I'm torn on the cover reveal and book tour thing. I want to promote other authors' work, but it does get repetitive seeing the same thing on every blog. It is nice when people make the effort to vary the content.

I think the bigger questions is: who's seeing them? Is it readers, or just other authors (who already have massive TBR lists)?

Al Diaz said...

I do believe seeing the same thing a hundred times is overkill. That's why I try to vary it at least a bit by doing something with the cover, like fireworks background or fire name or something. I don't think there is one person who actually wants to see the same post more than twice, let alone 50 times. What you did was an excellent idea because there was actually something different to look for in each post.

And as to who reads them, I believe it is 99% other authors. At least in my case, it is.

Nice interview at the writing nut!

D.G. Hudson said...

Happy Birthday to Siv (happy book day, too) and Happy Birthday also to Roland!! ("Let them eat cake!" Marie Antoinette said.) And, may they gather good wishes and many sales.

Good Luck with Secrets of the Ash Tree, Siv! It's nice to see it's even showing up at Meilori's!

Unknown said...

I definitely like the idea of personalized cover reveals! It's a lot of work, but I enjoy being able to say something other than "I've seen this on all blogs today!"

Thor is my favorite god! I think you had a perfect choice!

D.G. Hudson said...

Oh yes, forgot to chime in on the cover reveals. I commented on Jessica's post too, Alex.

Effectiveness is lessened when there's a crowd. I like Jessica's idea that we may have to be a bit more original and actually write something rather than posting same old same old. . .

Gwen Gardner said...

Effective cover reveals, as in sales and lots of attention-getting prior to the release? Probably not. But we do love our covers and love to share them. They might even show up in the search engines more readily if they're mentioned enough? *shrugs*. I did like your idea of answering a question, though. It made your reveal unique.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Ilima, I think that will work fine.

Andrew, I've yet to feature one that didn't become a book...

Rachel, good to know.

Roland, you certainly make yours unique, just like Michael. I think they still work. Working for me anyway.

Michelle, it's possible - I did it for my release announcement.

Jo, you will enjoy it.

Cathy, of course I would mention it! And it was such a funny cover and title.

Melissa, that is a very good point!

Thanks, Al - and yours was just awesome.

Ashley, exactly.

DG, that's why I added the questions.

Gwen, thanks - and you have a point about search engines.

nutschell said...

So happy to have you on my blog today, Alex! Finally we get a sneak peek at your writing lair. :)

Nutschell
www.thewritingnut.com

Suzanne Furness said...

Happy birthday to Siv and Roland.

It is hard to get the right balance with cover reveals etc. I think to spread them out is a good idea. Like many I might only visit one or two blogs that are promoting the same things as there is only so many times you want to read the same information. But them I have bought books I've seen promoted so ...

The Happy Whisk said...

Happy Birthday to Roland and yeah, it's hard not to pick Thor.

Here's hoping you have a groovy week. I'm home sick in bed and it sucks monkey balls.

Robin said...

This is actually a thought that has weighed on my mind, too. It was what prompted me to consider starting a third blog. However, it is also what caused me to not do that and keep everything (except TV posts) on my main blog. And to only post "writer stuff" on Mondays or Tuesdays. I really don't want my blog to become bogged down in book announcements that are spread all over the blogoverse.

That said, I really want my one day devoted to writing to be more than cover reveals. If someone is going to reveal a cover, I really want them to also do an interview or write a guest post on some aspect of writing. Personalize it so that someone feels like they know you a little bit and are invested in your success.

So, I am coming to believe that it would probably be more effective to make your publicity campaign LONGER so that you have time to invest in each guest posting. I know that when I read the same "guest post" on five different blogs on the same day that are repeats of a cover reveal and book blurb, I am skimming by the third one and desperate for a comment that isn't something like: "Great cover."

Wouldn't it be more effective to spread them out and post something Interesting to accompany the post? For people who follow many writing blogs it would build the interest and for people who don't... well, it might create enough interest that they go to Amazon or Goodreads and decide to buy the book.

But what do I know? I am a total novice at this stuff...

Suze said...

A very happy birthday to Siv and Roland.

And a BIIIG shout-out to my girl Nick on her latest release--WOOT!

As for the cover reveals, I think--and here I am writing about this for the first time so my thoughts are certainly inchoate--that (okay, blinking cursor.)

Everything's the same. It's all demon lover this and bloodlust that. I think a cover of contemporary fiction would attract my attention. Why? Because that's what I (sadly) like to read (since no one's really writing it anymore!) So a cover reveal is effective when an implicit interest on behalf of the potential reader is already there. I don't know, messy thoughts. First time trying. Great question, though, Alex.

Crystal Collier said...

Oh! I'm so glad Hans & Greta is now available. I've been waiting for that one.

Cover reveals... I do get bored with them--admittedly. I loved how you personalized yours, Alex. Mary Waibel made her most recent one amazing by giving an excerpt in each post that linked and continued on the next blog. Amazing genius there. Unfortunately, it's also exhausting.

I think the six month window is awesome. And do they do any good? Well, I've had about a person a day sign up for my blog tour because of it, and a good number of people add my book on Goodreads, so I say they have merit. The question is how to make them more exciting for readers.

Carol Kilgore said...

I'd been wondering the same thing about cover reveals. Gonna check out Jessica's post.

Congrats to everyone with new books, stories, and installments :)

Happy Birthday to Roland!

And now I'm going to Nutschell's. There better be photos. Know what I'm sayin'? :)

Sheena-kay Graham said...

Go Thor! Blogfests are fun. I think cover reveals are effective because they get your book out there.

Arlee Bird said...

Happy birthday to everyone! Today and otherwise in case I miss one later.

Since the cover reveals and such tend to mostly be in the same blog circles it can be overkill to some extent. It's good when there is added value to a post such as this. Like you do with other info besides the featured book or author of the day. I try to add something else as well. The reveals help add content though and I don't mind that too much. But I see what Jessica is saying.

Lee
Tossing It Out

~Sia McKye~ said...

Goddesses? Probably Vör or Eir.

Cover reveals are good in their way, but personally I think having an fun article to go with it makes for better reading and encourages some to buy the book.

I get bored with going from blog to blog and find just a cover and blurb and nothing personal there. Quick overload on the interest meter. There is only so many ways to say what a pretty cover and some aren't. So, yah, while there is exposure but is it the right exposure for building a readership? In my opinion, no.

Sia McKye Over Coffee

Mina Burrows said...

Love the Norse God blogfest. I love Thor too. My vote would be for Vor, Goddess who knows all. :)

Stephen Tremp said...

Can't go wrong with Thor. Marvel did a great job with him. And Loki. I'm looking forward to the next movie.

I like to see a persons cover reveal in advance. I don't have a problem with them.

I think its a great way to create anticipation if done with a bit of creativity. You did the questions. Very clever. I'll post on my weekend blog what I did with my cover release to make things a little different, interesting, and fun.

And already stopped by Nutschell's blog.

Elizabeth Seckman said...

Happy Birthday Siv and Roland :)

Thor was an excellent choice. He had me at eye candy.

I have never done a cover reveal, but I also have never had a best seller...so who am I to ask?

Sherry Ellis said...

Thor is a pretty cool god. Good choice! I think cover reveals help to create buzz about your book, so I don't think they're a waste of time.

Heather M. Gardner said...

Favorite Norse God?

Like you have to ask.

I think everything is important when it comes to promoting our books. Readers are busy and they may not see everything out there. Cover reveals let them know to keep an eye out or to put something on their TBR list. It all helps. I think we, the authors, see more than the average reader.

Heather

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Nutschell, thanks again!

Suzanne, so I guess it works.

Ivy, I'm so sorry!

Robin, no - that makes perfect sense. That's why I had the interview question with each announcement. (Yes, all 160 of them!) And also why my book tour goes into November. Variety is better.

Suze, and there's no clear-cut answer.

Crystal, that was a good idea with the excerpt. Exhausting, but so much more effective.

Carol, there are photos! None of me though...

Lee, you mix it up like I do - makes it more interesting.

Sia, that made me chuckle...

Thanks, Stephen.

Unknown said...

Cover reveals ... I've been thinking about this recently. I've done a few of my own, and I honestly don't know if they make a difference to anything (or if they just annoy people!). I've been wondering whether it's worth the effort for future books ... Still pondering that!

Congrats to all the ninjas this week :-)

PK HREZO said...

The thing with cover reveals is we're all part of the same blogging circles and so we see a lot of the same overs... so in that sense it is overkill. But every author deserves to have their special day. As long as it's in moderation when the launch happens.

So much going on with all our writer friends! And Sydney is awesome!

Laura S. said...

And Thor looks like Chris Hemsworth. So, you know, he's got that going for him! ;)

Happy reading and writing! from Laura Marcella @ Wavy Lines

Bevimus said...

I've been learning about a lot of norse gods I've never heard of before (Thor not included)- this has been such a fun blog hop!

Thanks so much for your comment today, Alex!

msmariah said...

Alex-- Great choice as always! What a great idea for a bloghop! I like it. Simple and sweet!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Heather, that's a good point.

Rachel, other than encourage people to add to Goodreads.

PK, and especially first time authors deserve their day!

Beverly, you're welcome.

Amalia Dillin said...

Thor is 100% my favorite too (and I make no secret of it.)

regarding cover reveals, sometimes I wonder if the whole blog tour concept is maybe over promoted as a marketing tool. I feel like I'm only talking to other writers/authors half the time, as opposed to really getting the word out to people OUTSIDE of my reach, which is kind of the point of it all.

It will be interesting to see how things continue to evolve.

Tyrean Martinson said...

Thor . . . definitely my first choice too - for all the reasons you stated!
And cover reveals ... I think it's best when there is something unique about each post.

Fe said...

Hello, Alex

Popping in to say hello and to thank you so much for all your encouragement. Happy Birthday too, to Siv and Roland who share it.

I like Cover Reveals. If they interest me, I look forward to the books. I don't even mind if it's just an advert for the book but, because there are so many of them, unless there's something unique about it, perhaps a tag saying something to the effect of it being an advert would make it easier for people to pass over if they wish. I don't know, just a thought. We're a community of writers; I expect writers to promote their work.

Unknown said...

I tend to think the cover reveal is a bit of an overkill, and really the whole review process. I tend to avoid the standard review sites and only read the ones from the blogs I follow (like yours). There's just too many of them out there.

M Pax said...

I know very little of Norse mythology. Odd, since my family's roots are there. I've found the valkyries interesting. Congrats to Siv! I will have to stop by and wish her a happy.

Congrats to Nicki and Hart on their new releases!

As to cover reveals, etc... The more I see a cover/title, the more likely I am to remember it. I think it does some good. I rarely to cover reveals as I release very shortly after covers are done. I do reveal them to my mailing list. But they're already salivating for the next one and they think I'm a celebrity. lol

For the most part, I don't think readers read our blogs. So I'm not sure how much good it does. But the networking is good for us.

mooderino said...

Off to Nutschell's site to see what secrets I can unearth.

mood

Birgit said...

OMG-I am alive! I have not been around lately. I don't mind book reveals at all but I am also guilty of reading the last page first. It truly gets me more interested in the book. I have to say I like Freyja (Friday). Love that her chariot is pulled by 2 cats. Thor (Thursday) is great at kicking ass. I still have to see the Avengers-Bad of me not to have seen it yet

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

I have to vote for Thor also. And Nutschell is wonderful.
I like cover reveals though I don't know if it helps sales or not.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Amalia, you have a valid concern.

Fe, it's what we do.

Melanie, thanks!

Mary, it would be interesting to know how many actual readers follow us.

Birgit, good to hear from you!

Shannon Lawrence said...

Happy Birthday to Roland and Siv! I'm not sure about cover reveals. I'd like to find a way to make it different somehow, so will have to think on that until that day comes. I'll definitely stop over at Nutschell's blog!

Shannon at The Warrior Muse

klahanie said...

And here it is, almost Thor's Day. Happy birthday to Siv and much success with your Norse type book release.

And I noted it's Roland's birthday on ahem, 'Farcebook'. All the best to him.

I think that even though a number of us do these cover reveals and help promote, I reckon there is way too much going on at once. In other words, probably not very effective.

Must visit Nutschell, or maybe have one of my rented clones visit.


Unknown said...

First and most importantly: Happy birthday Siv & Roland! Hope it's the best day for them both. :)

Yay for Hart! I'll have to pop over there and tell her so myself.

As for the cover overload... yes! There's definitely a never-ending wave of reveals now. But I actually don't mind the cover reveals so much as I do the 'my book is available' announcement posts.

You can share a cover and say, "Hey, look at this pretty/snazzy/awesome cover." in a short amount of space and not require your blog readers to invest a great deal of their time processing an advertisement.

And yes, I'm guilty of all of it as well, but I think it's great Jessica brought it up for discussion. Although I'm not sure it's going to change things anytime soon. :)

Ella said...

Happy Birthday Siv and Roland!!

Congrats Siv-Thor rocks~

Wow, so much excitement today~

Off to visit Nuschell!

JJ said...

Alex: Let me know if there is a special book you would like me to promote on my blog. Good job, as always!

mshatch said...

Admittedly, Thor is pretty awesome, ahem. And you already saw my fave :)

Stina said...

I was never a big Thor fan. At least not until I saw Chris play Thor. I didn't realize Thor was so hot! lol

Vali was my favorite Norse God. I believe he was the lesser known son of Odin. His story is sad.

I saw Jessica's post and I disagree. When I visit authors' blogs, I want to hear more about their books. But, it depends why I'm visiting their blog. Am I there as a blogger or reader. There's a big difference.

Anonymous said...

So many books, and they all sound wonderful! Happy birthday to all! That truly is a nice compliment, Alex. Very cool indeed!

J E Oneil said...

Happy Birthday, guys!

I like Fenrir. He's got it going on. Although Odin can kill enemies with one hit...

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Gary, you may be right.

EJ, exactly - it can be done in a short announcement. I do like the book available ones though.

JJ, thanks for the offer!

Stina, the argument is very divided here.

Christine Rains said...

Happy birthday and congratulations to Siv! I love Norse mythology. My favorite is Odin. I've been recently thinking about the effectiveness of cover reveals and bloghops and such. There have been a lot, but we need to get ourselves out there.

farawayeyes said...

Personally, I'm way over the top with 'cover reveals'. I would much rather see the cover, blurb, author bio and any other pertinent information WHEN I can also click a link and purchase the book.

Unknown said...

I'm with you about Thor. He's pretty darn awesome. The movie was amazing too. :)

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

I haven't read the discussion, but I'd suggest cover reveals are still effective. We forget that a lot more people read our blogs than comment. It might feel to us, the bloggers, that the reveals are just repeated info everywhere, but to the average browser who don't jump from blog to blog, it's all new. Also, an image shown everywhere has more impact. When you see it in more than one or two places, it has more of a chance to be remembered.

Julie Musil said...

Wow, that topic over at Jessica's blog was fascinating. Thanks for sending us over there. Off to check out Nutshell!

dolorah said...

I don't really think it is all effective; we are, afterall, advertising to authors. Popular bloggers are going to sell their book despite the cover reveals and tours, and not so popular blogger/authors may get more coverage, but probably not more sales for the novels.

I'm personally overwhelmed by the constant marketing. I still participate in cover reveals and tours though. Who knows if it really helps or not.

Loved your post at Nutschell. And happy birthday Siv and Roland.

.......dhole

Anonymous said...

I'll check out Nutschell's blog.

Great book news.

I like cover reveals. I find them exciting. Even if I see them all over, I can't help but feel happy for the author.

Jessica Bell said...

Hi Alex (and everyone)!

Thanks for drawing attention to my post here. Much appreciated. I didn't get a chance to read every single comment, but I did want to make something clear regarding something I read about "giving up on blogging" and not promoting work.

My post doesn't say to stop blogging. Nor does it say to stop promoting. What it's urging is that when people need promo done, to couple it with an interesting (and related) article (the author could write a guest post to make it easier too), and then simmer the promo down as much as possible for the bottom of that post, and then direct readers to the MAIN promo post on another page.

I think some people have misunderstood my point, and think i want the promo to stop all together. That's not so at all. In fact, what I'm suggesting would actually promote the book MORE, because it would, in more likelihood attract more attention.

Again, Alex, cheers for mentioning me!

xx

Unknown said...

Happy Birthday Siv and Roland!

This is an interesting question, Alex and I see there has been lots of response. I have been busy promoting lots of book releases lately, but not so many cover reveals. Maybe, it is being thought of as overkill. But,I enjoy viewing the new covers of my friends books, I find it exciting.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Faraway, fair enough!

Lynda, that's why commercials are repeated over and over.

Donna, I'm overwhelmed as well, but I don't want to say no.

Jessica, you're welcome. I didn't get the impression that we should stop altogether. We just have to be smart about it.

Jo said...

Personally I find cover reveals tweak my interest in a new book. There are so many books coming out all the time, anything which can stimulate some interest is perhaps a good ploy.

Happy Birthday to Siv and Roland.

Leovi said...

Interesting "Ash Tree Secrets", fantastic!

A Beer for the Shower said...

I like how Chris Hemsworth has just become the universal picture of Thor. I guess being immortalized as a Norse God isn't half bad, right?

As for the cover reveal, I'll be honest when I say that there's so many cover reveals on the blogosphere that I forget about 99% of them. If you're going to do a cover reveal, then it needs to be a really unique, really eye catching cover for me to take notice. Otherwise, after I've x'd out of the page, I can guarantee you I've already forgotten about it.

Sarah Ahiers said...

I like cover reveals, because they're easy and pretty.

Cate Masters said...

I'd have to go with Thor as well.

There is a glut of promo online, but my publisher works hard to get the word out about my books, so I feel I have to do my part as well.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Alex - Happy Birthday to Roland for yesterday .. and good luck to Siv for her Secrets of the Ash Tree - I imagine it will be a fascinating read ...

Re cover reveals and blog hops et al - with so many participating on the same theme - it does unfortunately get repetitive ...

I'm off to Nutschells .. cheers Hilary

Nicki Elson said...

Thank you for the mention & posting the cover. :) Thanks also for the picture of Thor, hehe. He's so dreamy, but I'm not a comic book person, and I just...I can't get past the hammer to love him completely.

Book marketing is an ever changing animal, and I definitely think the mass reveal has lost its effectiveness. And yet...we still have to get the word out there, so I'm trying a combo of the ways I know & am comfortable with (like reveals & such) while searching for other avenues.

Annalisa Crawford said...

I feel in the minority for not having a favourite norse god. All the books featured today look great. And your book release certainly didn't feel like overload, but sometimes the sheer volume of cover reveals and releases can unbalance bloggyland. The problem is, if someone stumbled across a new, better way of doing it everyone would follow and that would be overused.

Empty Nest Insider said...

Happy belated birthday to Siv and Roland! A review that CassaStorm "reads like a movie" is quite a compliment! I can't wait to see what you have in store at Nutschell's!

Julie

Patricia Stoltey said...

That's an excellent question about book promo and cover reveals, Alex. If the contract comes through, I'll have a new book out in 2014, so I'm already starting to weigh the pros and cons of various marketing strategies. It's not easy.

Isis Rushdan said...

Thor is always a solid choice.

Nicki's book looks interesting.

Best of luck to Siv.

Robin said...

Thor is an excellent choice:) I looked up Siv and wished her a happy birthday.
On cover reveals, I do appreciate them because if it's a book I'd be interested, I can add it to goodreads.

If it's the same material on lots of blogs I ignore then after the 1st 1 or 2. Variety of the reveals is def. preferred:)

alexia said...

Happy Birthday Siv and Roland!

I don't know enough about Norse gods to make an educated choice, but Thor is hot so we'll go with that :) Plus, I agree that the rainbow bridge is super fantastic.

Julie Dao said...

I think cover reveals can be effective, as long as the story/synopsis are interesting too. Usually it's the cover that pulls me in first, but if the synopsis doesn't sound attractive, then I don't buy.

Unknown said...

Such a beautiful cover, Siv. Love drawings and paintings of trees. Happy Birthday, Roland!!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the shout out Alex. I meant every word. You already know how I feel about Thor. haha.

Mark said...

Norse god bloghop, awesome:) Go Thor! Gotta love Odin and Loki too though:) Great questiosn about cover reveals as well!

Chemist Ken said...

My daughter and I are breathlessly awaiting the Thor movie. The only bad part is that fall has to end before we can see it.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Thor would be my hot pick.

I think cover reveals and announcements are effective, but not when it's the same thing on every blog. An announcement should never be a guest post, either.

Unknown said...

Great interview over at Nutscell's. The cover reveals are nice intros, but I agree that something must be added for the release. Your answering a different question for each blog on CassaStorm's release was a nice touch.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Jo, good point.

Brandon and Bryan, not bad at all! And hoping my covers catch the eye.

Cate, I know the feeling.

Nicki, you're welcome.

Annalisa, that is so very true!

Julie, yes it is!

Patricia, feels like we have to keep coming up with something new...

Julie, that's how I roll.

Sydney, thanks for the review!

Diane, agreed.

Thanks, Michael.

Intangible Hearts said...

Beautiful birthday wishes for Siv and Roland.

Nicole Zoltack said...

Happy birthday, Siv and Roland!

I love Thor!

Anonymous said...

I think personalized cover reveals are more effective. I also think if the cover reveal comes a few months before the book release, that is a good thing. When we get overloaded by dozens of blogs sharing the same thing, I think people get tired of it and you may actually get the opposite affect you were hoping to get.

Tina said...

I read Jessica's post and had to agree with her. I've been happy to do the cover reveals, promos, whatever for my friends, out of friendship. But it does seem that lately everywhere I go it's the exact same post. Making it personal like you did with the interview questions for each of us was brilliant because it gave us something unique at each stop.
Your blog is completely different, though. It's our watercooler, our daily newspaper, etc. One stop shopping for all the book news of everyone we could possibly know. And fun trivia and movie stuff and the occasional personal tidbit about the Ninja Captain himself...
Tina @ Life is Good

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Susanne, the reverse effect crossed my mind as well.

Tina, thanks! I don't mind being the watercooler.

John Wiswell said...

I liked Loki in the errant legends where he was actually a trickster in favor of heroism, tipping off or assisting his brother. Kierron Gillen is embracing the positive-Loki in some comics now. Much better than the film version.

Cecilia Robert said...

Happy Birthday Siv & Roland!! :D

My favourite is Loki. I'm a fan of cover reveals and I think they are quite effective in creating awareness. I've also seen authors publish without doing the reveals and have huge success, but I guess it depends on the fanbase an author has. quite difficult to decide, I think: )

Unknown said...

Yes...the cover reveals are too much, especially with the release shortly afterwards.

I'm always excited for the individual, but this is how I plan to work mine: I will reveal the cover on my blog and ask people to link over to it in their posts. That way, their followers will get the news, but the blog owner can still write about whatever they wish in the rest of their post. I'll also reveal the cover on FB and have links to my post on Twitter.

The release will be a different story, and THEN I will be doing the blog tours...but I'll try to pick hosts that have different followers than the other hosts (to reach a larger demo).

I visit ONE blog with a cover reveal and ONE with a release. There are just too many saying the same thing and I simply don't have the time. I know others don't either. I try to keep it simple.

Great post, Alex. Although I don't get to everyone of them, I enjoy the ones I do!

M.L. Swift, Writer

Toi Thomas said...

I've been waiting to see more or something from Secrets of the Ash Tree. I saw the cover a while back and loved it.
I don't know much about Norse god so I'll have to look into that. I do love mythology, so this should be fun.
I loved the your interview over at The Writing Nut. Your desk is simple but so awesome.