Although traditional book publicists still think of book reviews as mainly appearing in newspapers, magazines, and journals, there are also online opportunities to get book reviews. I like to approach book review bloggers whether or not I’m setting up a blog tour for authors and publishers. Bloggers are the obvious, most reachable book reviewers. However, there is also another book review venue to consider: Twitter.

David Duhr, a self-described “Austin dude,” wrote a wonderful column for Publishing Perspectives about the etiquette of Twitter book reviews (from both perspectives: that of the author, and that of the reviewer). Take a peek at David Duhr’s brief bio so you can see where his advice is coming from.

Thanks to our special guest blogger, Carol Grever, for her tried-and-true advice for poets. Here’s what Carol Grever, author of Glimpses: A Memoir in Poetry, has to say about promotion for books of poetry (and promotion for poets themselves):

A Primer on Publicizing Poetry
by
Carol Grever

Congratulations on publishing your poetry collection! Time to relax and bask in the praise of an eager public. But not so fast! Whether your book carries the brand of a major New York publisher or is self-published, your work as a poet has barely begun. Writing your opus was the simple part. Publicizing it is the looming reality. Changes in the industry place the responsibility to market any new book—fiction, nonfiction, or poetry—squarely on the author.

Like all professionals, a book promotion specialist has her tools of the trade. One of the most important is the relationship she builds with each and every one of her media contacts.

Here’s how to garner an instant book promotion opportunity. Sell your book to a producer who creates a successful film best upon your book, and then have that film be nominated for an Oscar. There you have it: a chance to create buzz about your book.

USA Today reports that six of the nine movies that were nominated for best picture Oscars this year were based upon books. Those movies are: “The Descendants,” “Hugo,” “The Help,” “Moneyball,” “War Horse,” and “Extremely Loud & IncrediblyClose.” Last year (USA Today reports), ten movies were nominated for best picture Oscars, and half of them were based on books.

Shaun Rein, author of the upcoming book, The End of Cheap China: Economic and Cultural Trends That Will Disrupt the World, shares his perspective on book promotion and book marketing in a Forbes article, Three Tips on Making Your Book a Bestseller.

Since Rein’s book will be published by a traditional house, Wiley, it’s interesting that he even has to give book promotion and book marketing a thought. Isn’t the publisher supposed to take care of book publicity and all things related to selling books?

Why Authors Hate Social Networking
And How to Promote Books Online, Anyway

Publishers, faced with shrinking book promotion budgets, are more excited than ever about telling authors to promote their own books online. By online book promotion, publishers often mean social networking. They use the phrases interchangeably. The reason publishers are particularly excited about online book promotion is that, in their opinion, they don’t have to get involved in it. They can simply suggest that authors engage in online book promotion, and then step back and wait to see the results. It’s good for the publisher’s budget and easy on their resources, and it keeps authors busy.