I’m opening my blog to guest posts from other writers. Why? Because I really appreciate it when other authors do it. Granted, I don’t have a huge platform. A couple hundred to a couple thousand people show up to read each post on my blog on average. But I feel like people do listen to my recommendations for science fiction, and you have to start somewhere.

Hence, my new blog series, A Science Fiction or Fantasy Book That I Love, and Why I Love it. Featuring you.

The details (and this may change, but again, you have to start somewhere.)

Who is eligible: Any science fiction or fantasy author with a published book or one publishing in the near future. This includes both traditional and self-published authors. I define near future as ‘it has a pre-order link and a release date’

What to write: 400 to 1000 words about a SFF book or series that you love. It can be anything, from a classic to something new, though if things get busy, I will prioritize toward newer books. It could be your favorite book or just something that you love in the moment. It can be a review, a dissection of a specific trope or story element, a discussion of the craft of the book, or anything else you want. The only thing that it has to be is about somebody else’s book. If you’re writing about a book that has been talked about to death (think Tolkien, Asimov, etc) then I’d ask that you have a new and unique take. But mostly I’d rather you pick something else.

Why you’d want to do this: First, because you’re a SFF writer and you love SFF and talking about it. But realistically, so you can then promote your own book in what I hope is an effective format. The hope is that someone reads that you love NK Jemisin, for example, and they say ‘hey…I love NK Jemisin too! Maybe I’ll check this person out.’

How to Apply:

Email MichaelMammayAuthor (at) gmail (dot) com using the subject line: Request to Guest Post (or go to contacts on this website, which will do the same thing)

In the body of the email, include:

1. Your name and your book you want to promote, to include title and publisher (self published is fine, just say so). It can be a new/upcoming release, a book on sale, or whatever you want. But only one book please.

2. The book or series you intend to write about (title and author)

3. The best date for your post to run for your promotional purposes, and why (I will do my best to get you your date, and when I can’t, I’ll get as close as I can. I don’t run posts on weekends, as they tend to get much less traction.)

After you do that, I will get back to you fairly quickly with an answer and a scheduled date for your post. Once that happens, at least 3 days before your scheduled post date please send:

1. A word document with your post

2. A JPG file of your cover, preferably between 100KB and 1000KB, but we can work with whatever

3. A word document (can be all one, or separate from #1) with an author bio of 100 words or fewer and the back cover copy from your book that you are promoting.

4. Links to your social media (it’s really helpful if you put those right into the word document, but I’ll work with whatever)

5. Links to where to buy your book, to include at least one indie link (You can use indiebound if you don’t have an indie of your own.) Note: If you’re self-published and your books are only at Amazon, then the previous requirement is waived. Please no affiliate links.

6. If you want, you can send me a copy of your book in .mobi format. I might read it. But my reading slate is pretty full, so I also might not. (Note: I think this will change to .epub format soon, because kindle.)

What I’ll Do:

1. Format and host your post

2. Potentially (but not likely) consult with you regarding small edits

3. Depending on your book and/or the book you write about, I might add my own short take to your post talking about one or both books.

Fine Print:

I reserve the right to not post your article at any stage in the process for any reason. I can think of only a few reasons that might happen:

1. It’s so poorly written that it’s embarrassing to both of us, and beyond easy editing.

2. It’s patently offensive to me or some specific group of people. No, I’m not going to elaborate. You can figure it out.

3. A disaster on my end prevents me from posting.

A Final Note:

This is free. If you’re part of a blog tour and you’re paying somebody who tells you that they’re getting you this opportunity, they are lying to you.