Do You Like/Dislike Blog Events?

The last post for the School’s In feature went up yesterday, and while all the contests are still going until the 7th, I’ve switched my mind to the upcoming Black Friday feature coming in November (Nov 23rd to be exact!).  However, after a recently discussion with an author on twitter, I got to wondering – what does everyone think about these type of features/events?

I guess what I’m curious about is…how effective are these features in attracting new readers and entertaining current ones? As a reader, do you enjoy seeing the various short stories? As an author, do you like participating in these types of events or would you rather stick to guest articles and interviews?

This will be the second year for the Black Friday feature and while I’ve already been asked by a couple different authors if I was doing it again (and if they could join in), I want to make sure that these types of events are doing what they’re suppose to do – attracting new and entertaining readers.  To do this, I need to make sure that they are what the readers want and that’s where I need your help.

I would so love and appreciate you (more than I already do since you’re here reading this in the first place) if you would be willing to fill out this small survey (at the end of the post) on such blog events like School’s In and Black Friday (and any other sites events you want to think about) and let me know how you feel about them.  What are their turn ons? What are their turn offs?   Do you even enjoy them?

I’m not going to ask you to do this for nothing either. For those willing to take a moment and help me by doing the survey, you’ll be entered to win a hardcover copy of Thirteen by Kelley Armstrong, plus whatever swag I have laying around and can stuff into an envelope.

Contest Details!

I’m giving away a hardcover copy of Thirteen by Kelley Armstrong. To enter, all you have to do is to fill out the survey (at the end of these details) and answer this one question: Have you ever found a new (to you) author thanks to an event? If so, who was the author and which event (if you’re willing)? Remember, you must answer the question in order to be entered. I’m looking for input from everyone, so this contest is open to everyone (although it may take me a bit to ship internationally).

KArmstrong-ThirteenIt’s been more than ten years, a dozen installments, and hundreds of thousands of copies since Kelley Armstrong introduced readers to the all-too-real denizens of the Otherworld: witches, werewolves, necromancers, vampires, and half-demons, among others. And it’s all been leading to Thirteen, the final installment, the novel that brings all of these stories to a stunning conclusion.

A war is brewing—the first battle has been waged and Savannah Levine is left standing, albeit battered and bruised. She has rescued her half brother from supernatural medical testing, but he’s fighting to stay alive. The Supernatural Liberation Movement took him hostage, and they have a maniacal plan to expose the supernatural world to the unknowing.

Savannah has called upon her inner energy to summon spells with frightening strength, a strength she never knew she had, as she fights to keep her world from shattering. But it’s more than a matter of supernaturals against one another—both heaven and hell have entered the war; hellhounds, genetically modified werewolves, and all forces of good and evil have joined the fray.

Uniting Savannah with Adam, Paige, Lucas, Jaime, Hope, and other lost-but-notforgotten characters in one epic battle, Thirteen is a grand, crowd-pleasing closer for Armstrong’s legions of fans.

Also, please be sure to leave the name you comment here with on the survey as well because I will be checking to see if the winner has helped me with my inquiry.  The winner must post a review of the novel someplace. Whether it is on their own blog, Amazon, GoodReads, LibraryThing or wherever, it doesn’t matter. Just help get the word out.

I’m looking for some quick feedback, so I’m only going to be keeping this contest open until October 7th at which time I’ll determine the winner with help from the snazzy new plug-in I have.

About Jackie 3282 Articles
I am a 30-something SAHM with two adorable boys and a supportive husband who is very tolerant of my reading addiction. I love to read and easily go through about a dozen books a month – well I did before I had kids. Now, not so much. After my first son was born, I began to take my hobby of reviewing a little more serious and started Literary Escapism to help with my sanity. I love to discuss the fabulous novels I’ve read and meeting all the wonderful people in the book blogging community has been amazing.

10 Comments

  1. I enjoyed School’s In event. It was well-organized and had a nice mix of authors and books. I found more than one book to add to my reading list. I am finally working my way through the In Death series because of similar blog events that featured the latest installment in its feaure. I would say these events are successful in opening me to “new” reads.

    I like the events on LE because it’s easy to participate in and cozy. The comments I read are meaningful rather than generic and that may be due to the discussion question posed. If there is a minor dislike for blog events (in general) is if it happens too often to the point where it doesn’t feel special but overly done. Not the case here.

  2. I can’t remember what the event was called but I discovered Karen Chance a few years ago and now I pre-order all of her books!

  3. Thanks for creating and hosting such a fun event. I’ve really enjoyed this event and Black Friday from last year b/c for the authors and books that I’ve read, it’s a fun new and/or original snippet into a world that I already enjoy. And for those authors that I haven’t read yet, it gives me a good sample of their writing and attracts me to their characters and stories. It’s a win/win for me as a reader! I know that I’ve discovered new authors through these types of events, just can’t think of who they are. And I’ve discovered a lot of new and favorite blogs through the blog hops. But I don’t do those really any more b/c they can be a lot of work to go through. I’ve got my set of fav blogs now and I don’t really have the time to add any more.

  4. I can’t say I’ve discovered a new author thanks only due to an event, as I read quite a lot of blogs and notice authors that are mentioned often. I more often discover new authors via book giveaways, especially through books I win.

  5. I personally like events as it does allow me to try some new authors – and see different sides to my favourites. Most event posts have more personality of the author than regular reviews – and I find them a lot of fun! :-)

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