I think many of us are in a holiday frame of mind. Warm summer days and long weekends can do that to you, can’t they? If you’re lounging around the pool, swaying in a hammock or stretched out on a picnic blanket beneath a shady tree, and you’re looking for some reading material, I’d recommend these great posts.

Lysa Grant on Self-Publishing Review
Crowdsourcing Sites for Authors: The Complete List
“Crowdsourcing may be how most books are published in the future. Forget advances from publishers – it’s another avenue that makes going it alone much easier, because you’re not really going it alone at all. The process is simple: create a project, add some incentives (signed copy, marriage, etc.) and you can get a book fully funded – pay for cover, editing, marketing and more. Here are 10 good tips for creating a crowdsourcing campaign. The main trick is to find the sweet spot: enough money so you can pay for what you need, not so much so it’s impossible to reach your goal.”

Chris Robley on BookBaby
How to build better relationships with your readers using Goodreads’ “Ask the Author” feature
“Goodreads recently introduced an exciting feature called “Ask the Author.” With this tool, fans can pose questions to their favorite writers.”

Sandra Beckwith on Build Book Buzz
Who reads e-books and how they find them
“I reviewed an excellent book on social media marketing, The Science of Marketing: When to Tweet, What to Post, How to Blog, and Other Proven Strategies, on this blog a few months ago.”

Nina Amir on How to Blog a Book
Should You Blog Your Novel?
“Many novelists feel intrigued by the idea of blogging a book. If they seek a traditional publishing deal, however, they usually have one major concern: If I blog my novel, will a publisher be interested in the manuscript? In fact, nonfiction writers have the same concern.”

Belinda Pollard on Molly Greene: Writer
Writers: Get The Right Kind Of Feedback!
“The right feedback at the right time is the secret weapon of every successful author. Of course, an editor would say that. But I’m also a writer, and I love good feedback on my own work.”

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