Today's post is a little bit different then the normal hump day post, here at
the wedding girl. Today I am participating in an experiment. One of my favorite authors,
Jen Lancaster, has taken to her blog and asked her readers to talk about her books in a social media setting. It's an experiment to see how much social media really matters. At BlogPodium, I learned that you gain readership by commenting on other people's blogs as much as possible and using multiple social media platforms. I use Facebook, Twitter & Pinterest. Sometimes it seems exhausting, working this hard to get the word out there, but if you want readers, that's the name of the game. While Jen only asked that we tweet about her, write about her in a facebook status, etc. I couldn't get all of my love about her into such a small amount of characters.
I'm interested in seeing the results of Jen's social media experiment, as an avid book lover I often find great book recommendations from different forms of social media, as well as scouring Amazon or Chapter's websites. Gone are the days of heading over to the local library to see what "this weeks recommendations" are, now you check to see what the highest Kindle download was or read people's online reviews. In a society that spends so much time reading tweets, status updates and blogs this is now the way to get the word out!
50 Shades of Grey is a perfect example of how well social media can boost sales. That was an overnight sensation and to be honest, I really don't know why. I get that it was a taboo book, I get that it excited a lot of people, but, if we're being honest...it was pretty horribly written. There were so many things missing to make it a great read, but enough people read it and felt the need to get their thoughts out there that it became a fad that everyone was talking about. You needed to read it, to be a part of many conversations. So good or bad, social media is helping people out. And I want to promote the good.
I still love going to book stores, I love the smell, the way the books are all so organized and the excitement of finding something new to devour. I also love that it's something Mr. wedding girl and I do together! But, you've got to wonder, how much longer will they be around for? I have a Kindle that I love dearly and I order a lot of my books from Amazon, they're cheaper and come right to your door! It's like getting a surprise present! (That you knew about and paid for, but I digress)
Let's get down to the real point of this post, the books.
Jen Lancaster has successfully written 6 memoirs and one fiction novel, each more heart warming and hilarious then the previous. I read "Bitter is the new Black" when it first came out. I hate to say it, but, I do sometimes, judge a book by it's cover and this one was right up my alley. Within the first 10 pages I was cracking up, I knew at that point I was in love and have since, purchased every one of her books on release day. (Oh ya people, I know what day books are being released, have my own calendar for it and everything.) Every single one of her stories is truly wonderful, Jen's ability to write books like you're sitting down to coffee and gossip with a good friend is my favorite part. She takes real life situations, that most people go through and makes them entertaining and so funny! She doesn't sugar coat things and talks from her heart, she is passionate and stands behind what she believes in. I can say, without a doubt, she is one of my role models. She and another one of my favorite authors, Jennifer Weiner, recently did a book reading in Bryant Park, I would have died of happiness to be there! Hopefully one day, they'll make the trip to Toronto.
I hope you all got a little something from this week's post, other then the realization that I am a giant dork. I appreciate you reading my thoughts on something other then weddings this week and I hope that you all pick up a Jen Lancaster book in the near future, so you can really see what I'm talking about!
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