G is for Guest Post by Jemima Pett #AtoZchallenge

We're celebrating our Tenth Anniversary here at the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

#AtoZchallenge. The blog hop that made an online community by asking bloggers to spend the month of April using the English alphabet as inspiration for their posts. We're glad you stopped by today.

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Hello! This is a guest post, and I’m Jemima Pett. I won this post in the A to Z Book Review Tour Giveaway in February. Like you, I blog—at Jemima Pett, author. I also write and publish books, and occasionally do guest posts on other people’s blogs.

What are guest posts? 

Someone who is not a part of the blog, like a co-author or regular contributor with access rights, writes a post for it. If that's you, you tailor your post to what suits the blog.

Who hosts them? 

Anyone can host them, but blogs generally need a good number of followers to attract guests. Although some well-known guests have many followers, most guests are hoping to raise awareness. A blog with fewer followers would be unlikely to do that. It’s probably better to look for author interviews and join blog tours than canvas people for guest posts if you need blog content.

How do you decide on a topic? 

Some bloggers want specific topics—or list some to avoid. Others leave the choice up to you. The A to Z asked me to select a letter to post for this month, and I offered a choice of letter plus topic.

I have a regular guest slot at The Story Reading Ape—TSRA—every second Sunday of the month. The Ape leaves it entirely up to me, although is happy to discuss ideas. TSRA is an eclectic place, and most things relating to stories, writing, blogging, books, travel, adventure, and humour are welcome.

If you like Scifi or Horror, the Scifi&Scary website offers guests a chance to post on particular subjects. They list on their blog what they’d like, and have guidelines for any speculative approaches.

Sue Vincent welcomes artists, writers and photographers who want to talk about their work, include a news or promotion item, and maybe tips for others. She has guidelines on her website.

At Smorgasbord Magazine, Sally Cronin welcomes author interviews, and often invites people to do guest posts. Which leads to…

What’s the difference between a guest post and an author interview? 

Author interviews

• for authors (and other creatives) with products they wish to promote 
• some blogs extend this to artists, craftmakers etc, others focus on books with or without illustration 
• blog usually sets questions, like ‘why did you write this book’ and ‘how did you get started?’. The author may be asked for tips for their readers. 
• biography, headshot, and buying links are expected 

Guest post - with wide variations… 

• the guest may not have a product other than his/her own blog 
• topic may be free or defined 
• topic should be tailored to the interests of the blog’s readers 
• generally should not talk much about their products 
• headshot and very brief biography often included, with contact/follow links, rather than buying ones 

Is there any etiquette you should follow?

Yes!

• read the person’s blog and see if they ask for guest posts 
• follow their instructions 
• get your post in on time 
• submit it in the agreed file format 
• make sure it is free of typos and poor grammar 
• use the right spelling for the blog 
• provide pictures of appropriate size for the post, and make sure you have the right to use them. Include copyright links if possible. 
• Visit the post on the day, and for a week afterwards (or get emails of comments), to interact with the blog’s readers 
• If you get a reblog to someone else’s site, it’s polite to visit that too, in case there are more comments there 

How do I discover more? 

Any blog you visit, look to see whether guests are writing posts. Is there a menu item showing they accept guest posts? Don’t be afraid to contact people to ask, but look first!

Check the guidelines they have for posting. Since you’ll be going to the Story Reading Ape now, start with this post highlighting good practice!

Follow instructions, and meet deadlines.

Take the plunge!

Jemima Pett and where to find her… 

Jemima has been writing publishable stories since 2008, and blogging since 2010. Her Princelings of the East series now runs to eight books, with the last two in progress, and her science fiction Viridian System series is awaiting its third and final volume. She also runs websites for all her titles, and manages a blog for her guinea pigs, George’s Guinea Pig World, who are tackling the A to Z Challenge for the fourth time this year.

This is Jemima’s eight April A to Z Challenge. Follow her on Twitter @jemima_pett, Pinterest, Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, Smashwords

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https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nZ7UupzB78MvJnraN9khkLJT3jM6uOP1LTDc8gaQluY

That's the link to the Master List. You can find, and hop to, all the blogs officially participating on that sheet.

Grab your A to Z gear, and other cool goodies from our graphics guy, here: NeatoShop.com/artist/Jeremy-Hawkins